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2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu
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Comments
Tonawanda, New York. Are the NY engines plagued with the same piston problems
as the ones made in Mexico ? I have seen postings from numerous consumers (on
several message boards) who have had their engines/pistons replaced after a few
thousand miles because of the intrusive valve tap. Is there a Technical Service
Bulletin issued on this problem ? How would one determine where the engine was
manufactured on a specific vehicle (door jam label ?, engine label ?) Any information
is appreciated.
but what exactly is a valve tap?
I drive for a living, so I use the car a lot, and I tend to drive somewhat rough, but I know it should not be doing this.
what could be the cause???
I have 2001 and I am having somewhere between 20-21.5 city. Everytime somewhere in this range and having this ever since I have this car. I have driven to Dallas once and got more than 32 MPG when the car had hardly 1000 miles. I live in TX but winter can take more gas. When I was in MN i used to get different mileage in Winter and Summer. But yours look extra low to me. Let us know the results of chevy tests!
I'll take the car to the dealership, and I'll let you know if they
find anything amiss.
I'm really disappointed with GM--I wish I were able to like Honda or Toyota.
-florin
We are very pleased with the car except for the uncomfortable
feeling of getting Shocked while exiting the car on cool or cold days.
<
Well, one solution would be to turn the heat off 5 mins before you get out
of the car--this way the transition to the outside temp wont be as shocking
If you are talking about electric shocks, I suspect that it is the dry weather that
favors them, not cold temperatures. Stop rubbing against the seats, and wear
cotton.
I wish my Malibu had that problem!
-florin
TSB was issued in Jan 2001 for the piston problem. A piston with a bad design is used in the Malibu 3.1 engine. The fix involves replacing at least four of six pistons and possibly the engine block that houses them if it was damaged/scraped. GM is trying to hide/sugarcoat this defect with everything they have. This is the type of problem that initiates factory recalls. If your vehicle has this issue, get it addressed before your warranty period expires. The repair is extensive and involves taking the major internal components of the engine apart.
Will 125
To which model year does this report apply?
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/ doesnt list
the bulletin you mention, at least not for
2000 or 2001 Malibus.
What gives?
-florin
Yes, I was talking about a static electrical shock when we touch the door frame (and it doesn't matter what you are wearing), Not the shock of a temperature change. It does not get that cold in South Florida. Besides, how would you get out of the car without rubbing the seats.
Bye the bye florin, as per your mileage, we have been getting the 20 MPG in the city from day one. I would definitely have the dealership check that out.
I realize that it is static, and most likely from the dry weather, but it seems kind of funny that it only happens in our Malibu.
With today's technology you would think that this could be resolved short of having a piece of metal added to the car to drag on the ground in order to dissipate the static.
For focus,
The problem there would be scratching up your car with a key, plus you don't always know when you are going to get shocked.
I've had this problem with my current 95 T-Bird as well as my parent's 91 Olds Ciera. The best explanation I've received is that it has something to do with the kind of rubber they're using in today's tires. Supposedly, the tire manufacturers are using an ultra-low rolling resistance compound that (unfortunately) allows for more of a static buildup in the vehicle as it moves. I have no way of knowing how true this is, but it sort of makes sense. (And I'm not sure how much fuel is actually saved by these "efficient" tires, but I guess the manufacturers will try anything for a few more MPG on the EPA test cycle).
The only solution I've heard of is the grounding strap that you mentioned. I'm not sure how well that would solve the problem; I've just learned to do what someone else here mentioned -- touching the key to the doorframe, or letting my shoulder contact the door for a somewhat less irritating shock.
My wife used old-fashioned antistatic when we lived in Russia. Switched to the Bounce fabric softener (thin sheets for use with dryer) after we moved to America. I believe the Bounce also contains antistatic.
Models:
2000-01 Buick Century
2000-01 Chevrolet Lumina, Malibu
2000-01 Pontiac Grand Prix
3.1L engine
Cause: The noise may be caused by excessive piston to bore clearance during cold engine operation resulting from THE SPECIFIC PISTON DESIGN USED IN CYLINDERS 1 THROUGH 4.
Where did you find this bulletin?
I bought my Malibu in Feb, is there any way to
find out if my car is affected?
Thanks for any extra info on the subject.
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/
has the following for Buick Century and
Chevrolet Lumina (but nothing on Malibu!)
Year: 2001
Component: MANUFACTURERS INFORMATION TO DEALERS
Summary: SUBJECT REGARDING STOP DELIVERY OF CERTAIN 2001 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.1L ENGINE.
*TT
I followed the manufacturer recommendations, and replaced the tires at about 36-37k miles by Firehawk SH-30. Great tires for any weather, but especially for rain. Head and shoulders better than Affinity. The handling improved very substantially.
I like to turn fast, and the original tires wore-down on edges. It would be better to inflate them more, e.g. to 32/29 front/rear. This is what I am doing with my new tires. Though, with slow turns, this would not be a problem.
Would not inflate them substantially more, though.
Any case, with Malibu the front tires must be inflated higher than the rear ones. I believe, the manufacturer knew what to do, when he recommended the 3 psi difference. In my experience, when dealer mechanic inflated all Affinity tires to the same pressure, the car was less stable on fast turns. A bit prone to fish-tail, even on dry road.
> miles later.
Would you please describe this ticking? How loud
is it? My car is quite noisy in the morning,
but I have no idea whether that's abnormal or not. I'm assuming that the noise is the only simptom--your car was otherwise fine, right?
Psybaian, why dont you claim your rights under
the "lemon car" laws?
See:
http://cartalk.cars.com/Got-A-Car/Lemon
And BTW, my name is Vocus, not Focus. I don't wanna be associated with anything having that many recalls on it. Just kidding.
My only advice is to follow your state lemon laws and try to cooperate with your chevrolet dealership. The root of the problem is that GM was/is using defective pistons in their 3.1 engine. GM should be held accountable for their defective product. Keep in mind you are dealing with a GIANT corporation with a fleet of lawyers. If you pursue this issue in the courts, it could become a lenghty and expensive process. Good Luck. Chevrolet is not helping our economy by forcing consumers to buy German or Japanese vehicles !!!
Will
Just wondered what you guys were getting for milage. My 2001 LS is 2 months old with only 1000 miles on it. I am presently getting 15 mpg for city driving ..really short trips, lots of stops and starts. Just wondering if this is typical on a non-broken in 3.1? I have noticed it slightly improving..Will it keep getting better as the car gets broken in more?
Thanks.
Tom
The piston slap you all refer to, is that the same tapping you hear first thing on a cold start that goes away after about 2 minutes of idling/driving?
I thought that was written off earlier in this forum as a normal attribute of the 3.1 engine?
What problems can arise from not having this repaired, and do the risks outweight the benefits?
Does this problem require a heavy repair (i.e. engine replacement/remanufacture)?
Thanks, Ivan
Around that time I (finally) needed front brake pads. Since then, the brakes have squealed a lot. I also have a small grinding/popping noise when I first leave a stop -- just as the car starts moving-- and the same noise when applying the brake when backing up. Any thoughts on that? I thought about it and this noise has actually been going on for some time.
The ac/heat unit is going flaky, with the usually symptoms: fan doesn't work in position 1 and 2, ac flickers on and off sometimes, and the fresh air/recirc buttons flicker back and forth occasionally. Does anyone know how much this is to fix.
I still have the BAD stock tires, and they are getting really noisy. But at 51,000 miles, I am just being cheap.
Fred
The piston noise I am referring to is heard in the first 5-10 minutes of operation. This is the pistons rubbing against the engine block they are housed in. Yes, this is a problem. The engine components are disintegrating while in operation. This has been referred to as a valve tap on this board but the pistons are the culprit.
Do you want a new engine in a car with a few hundred/few thousand miles on it ? Do you want to disclose to the next owner what was wrong with it ? This problem will effect the resale value of your car. Will the "new" pistons wear out in a few thousand more miles ? Your odometer will no longer reflect the true mileage on the engine once the engine is replaced completely.
Essentially, GM is taking your "new" car and replacing it with a patched together engine or a completely new engine. Either way, you end up with a vehicle that was not correct from the factory originally. This will show in service records, etc...
I would not purchase a 2001 Malibu with a 3.1 v6. The con's outweight the pro's. Buy a Honda Accord and drive worry free for 150,000 miles !!
Overall, though, the Malibu was a great car that I would recommend. The deal was right on the Alero so hence the trade. I nearly got a Malibu LS instead for the same price...
In my experience, there was a lot of things to fix in this car. But most of the problems was just nuisances, fixed with regular oil change.
For example, the both front and rear right speakers were replaced. A sensor claimed wrong "door open" - fixed by simple lubricating. The same with squealing left front strut. When fan stopped work at lower speeds (position 1-2), a resistor was replaced in the switch. $24 job including labor, not $200 as with mfletou. All of this under warranty, GM payed the price.
Except the $5000 body shop repair after being rear-ended, the only expensive repair were brakes - pads and rotors. The brake work took about one hour, but with the genuine GM part, at genuine Chevrolet dealer :-) it costs almost $400. This happened before GM recognized the rotor problem, so I paid myself.
Replaced the OEM Affinity tires at 36k miles (or 37?). With my driving style, tires are wearing-out rather fast, especially on edges. Also a $400 job, including alignment and road hazard insurance, at local Firestone. Now I am driving on Firehawk SH-30, and like them much better.
I consider Malibu different among the Chevy and other US cars and thats why I liked it. My 2001 runs very smooth, and I liked it very much. It was a so much good deal for me over Accord. If I didn't get brake problem I would be extremely happy then and that will put more confident in US makes.
My wife has mentioned using an anti-static spray on the seats, but I put it off. Thought it would be crazy to have to spray the seats all the time. I am not one for using the static free dryer sheets, but I think it may be time to give it a try. Also thanks for the insight of tire air pressure.
My apologizes to VOCUS not focus
To paesano:
Besides the occasional shocks, We are vary pleased with our car. No problems like the brakes, knocks, pistons, a, etc... And I don't know about "a brake in period" with one gas mileage and then it increasing. We have over 4000 miles on our 01Malibu AS, and every time I fill up, it is at 20mpg.
? To the people with Piston/Ticking noise. I live in Florida where it does not get very cold. If you are having this problem and live in the north, has anyone mentioned maybe the oil not getting pumped through the engine properly for those first 5/10 minutes of running allowing it to warm up and thin the oil.!!
Can someone help me? Have a whooping noise on front right passenger side when the brakes are applied and malibu starts to slow down. Before we got new brakes we noticed a faint sound when we turned corners. Took it Midas they said it was the wheel bearings. After Midas looked at it today, it sounds louder.(coincidental?) The brakes are about 1mo old. We have 56,000 miles on it. Any suggestions..... Thank you
I'm gonna have them look at the slapping/tapping of the engine. I told them it's on cold starts, and I told them how I think it may be a problem with a piston (let's see what they come up with)
That and the wind coming through the speakers when the windows are down.
I'll let you all know how it goes!
The service person said they had "upgraded" the rotors. I said.. you mean a better quality and the originals were "cheap"??.. she just looked at me.
Still have about 65% on the pad so they didn't replace those..
I had also mentioned the "ticking" noise in the engine. I wanted to get that into their records before the warranty ran out. They said that was "normal" for this engine.. the 3.1 "6". The service showed me a bulletin from GM saying that they have not found the noise to be a problem in the engine.
I guess time will tell on the ticking noise.