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Chevrolet Malibu Engine Problems

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    jodi7jodi7 Member Posts: 9
    Sounds as though you might have an open circuit, or possibly a bad fuse. I went though the Malibu moneypit woes, with a malibu with multiple problems. I ended up putting $800. into to it to junk the car the day after it came out of the shop. I would check the fuses first, replace them even if they are not burned out. Does the car charge back up or do you need a jump to restart it? are you sure the battery is doing this and not something else. I know the Crankshaft Position Sensor can cause a car to not start or shut down when started and it is a relatively easy fix. My experience with the Malibu was that you can put thousands into them and still not have the problem fixed. I am now very happily driving a Ford. Good luck.
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    jodi7jodi7 Member Posts: 9
    My former Malibu did this exact thing, well never died while driving but if parked would die, then if not caught at exactly the right moment would crank, then start or not. I was sometimes left sitting for a couple of hours. Jumps or manipulating the fuel system didn't work. And I replaced the major components of the fuel system. Have them replace the Crankshaft Position sensor, its a cheap, easy repair and can defiinitely cause starting/dying issues. we were never able to figure out the problem But theories were the passlock system (a theft deterrant) was shutting off the fuel pump. My car started having some hesitancy issues while driving, slow-fast etc and the mechanic determined we had gasket issues (eventually the car was running temp in the red zone), while the mechanic was in the engine he discovered a head gasket that was almost to the point of blown. Intake manifold gaskets going are a very common problem in Chevy's, head gaskets not so much, but once repaired WITH NO OTHER ISSUES your engine should be fine. check to see if the car is using antifreeze/low in water thats a good indicator the gaskets are bad. I was not able to get my intermittant starting problem fixed but also have them check out the passlock/ignition switch. Is the theft light blinking when the car does this?
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    brownsuga41brownsuga41 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Malibu and there is this whining noise coming from the engine when I start it. Sometimes it will go away after it warms up but lately it hasn't. When I looked under the hood, it sounds like when something has rusted and it is turning is squeaks (sounds like something needs to be oiled). It seems to get louder when I press on the gas/accelerate. No indicator lights are on and it runs fine but the noise is irritating at times. Can anyone tell me what this may be and what I can do to get it to stop? I'm not really trying to go to the dealer and pay an outrageous price for something minor. Thanks.
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    Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Might be an idler pulley bearing (that the serpentine belt runs around). You can buy a mechanic's stethoscope pretty cheaply at Autozone and if you are CAREFUL you can use this tool to listen to exactly where the engine noise is coming from. Of course, you cannot stick this probe into a whirring belt, but you can safely use it to probe the alternator or power steering pump or AC compressor.

    sometimes the only way to know for sure is disconnect the serpentine belt and see if the noise goes away when you start the engine.
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    brownsuga41brownsuga41 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you. I will see if someone can do this for me.
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    daveman2123daveman2123 Member Posts: 1
    the intermittent starting problem is most likely caused by the passlock security system, i was able to remedy this problem by turning the car on and removing the ignition switch then cutting the yellow wire that is plugged into the top of the switch. there should be three wires on this plug, be sure the engine is RUNNING BEFORE YOU CUT THE WIRE!!!!!!! doing this puts the passlock into a fail enable mode effectively disabling the security feature. the security light on the dash will stay on all the time but the car will always start, did this to my 2000 malibu 2 years ago and havent had that problem since.
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    haulthault Member Posts: 130
    Did you ever find out what was wrong with the temperature gauge not working?
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