[nebular]

Hey y'all,

Just wanted to see if anyone here has had any experience with Malibus? My wife has an 02 and 80,000 miles on it and recently we had to have the Cat. replaced by Chevy due to a recall that was really making the car run sh*ttily. Well after they replaced that, now the thing is leaking both oil and coolant, the coolant at a very high rate, the brakes eat through the rotors constantly, it's overheating, lights and guages dim and flicker constantly, A/C turns its recirculate off all by itself, and to top it all off, the Coolant overflow bin is full of orangish, sludgy coolant with condensation all over the inside. Autozone said it could be a warped head or leaky gasket leaking into the cooling system, so I bought a bottle of coolant stopleak, only to find that i could not directly access the radiator cap, so i poured it into the reserve, i don't think that was a good idea, b/c after running the car 4 30 mintues, some stopleak stuff is still in the resevoir :x. I have no idea where to start, i figure a cooling system flush and pressure check is prolly best... The worst part is that we are still paying for the damn car . lol oh well, at least we have the 07 mz3 to fall back on, but I need to get this car back in running condition, so i can have my 3 back, please help, any suggestions will be appreciated greatly.

-ben-

 

[blue06mazda6]

I'd say it sounds like a bad head gasket. What engine does it have. Is it the 2.4 twin cam. Or the 3.1 V6. I know the v6 engines had a a problem with the lower intake maniford gasket leaking. On my 99 Grand AM GT V6. It was losing coolant in to the oil. And it was the lower intake gasket.

 

[nebular]

Thanks silver06,

It's the 3.1 I just spent the last few hours on carspace and it does not look good for me. The only "good" thing was that I am definitely not alone with these issues, lol...ugh. i guess I should have the entire manifold examined/ and replaced as well as having the hoses and gaskets inspected to see the damage we have done to them. I will then flush/fill the radiator and have it pressure tested to ensure that there are no other leaks outside of the engine, since I read that with this car we should have been doing this every year. Unfortunately, I may be out an engine, F*ckin American POS. I swear this was planned by GM, in order to continue to drain us post-warranty, or get us to buy another car. WHAT A SCAM!!! Anyway, the ABS light is also a common thread, but there is no found solution, some change sensors, others modules, and still the light persists. Also, the OEM rotors are shit, replace them asap, since i replaced mine i have had much better braking, so far...
And I highly recommend that people get on forums before they purchase any car, if I had, I would have probably been looking for these issues, and preempted them.
Fortunately, the A/C switching from recir to fresh air may be as easy to fix as adjusting a connector on the back of the console itself, (I hope so),or it could need the whole new compressor... ugh again.
Since the dealership i went to 6 months ago (when the cat converter needed to be replaced) did not notify me of these potential problems with my car, I don't trust them not to screw me too. I want to find out how to do as much of these repairs as possible by myself, so it's back to the forums for me...

IF ANYONE HAS ANYMORE SUGGESTIONS FOR ME REGARDING DIY ON THESE THINGS, PLEASE POST!!!

I will continue to post on what i have found to be true with this POS, thanks y'all.
-ben-

 

[fiji mazda3]

[quote author=silver06 link=topic=70796.msg1241217#msg1241217 date=1172763125]
I'd say it sounds like a bad head gasket. What engine does it have. Is it the 2.4 twin cam. Or the 3.1 V6. I know the v6 engines had a a problem with the lower intake maniford gasket leaking. On my 99 Grand AM GT V6. It was losing coolant in to the oil. And it was the lower intake gasket.
[/quote]

That's your problem. GMs engines are notorious for this problem because the DexCool coolant they use (orange vs. green) eats through the gaskets which cause them to leak. Sadly, you will have to get it fixed like you said, and it ain't cheap.

I always go with Bendix brakes when I had my Grand Am. Worked much better than OEM.

*EDIT* Your ABS light is most likely a bad speed sensor on your front wheel. I went through about 1-2 a year because they kept going bad. Get use to that light coming on. Might as well not fix it because it will just pop back up and it really doesn't affect your braking ability.

 

[nebular]

Thanx again silver06,

i believe that u have the right answer, i am going to drop her off at the dealer tomorrow for an inspection/estimate. then, depending on the outcome, i am going to get a second opinion. if it is more than $2k, i think i'll sell it and try my luck with a used car, like another mazda, a honda, hyundai, or any ricer. i just can't see paying almost as much per year to keep up an old car, as i would pay for a new car w/warranty. a car payment of $200/mo = $2,400/year. I could definitely get a used car for that much $.

 

[blue06mazda6]

I agree it might be better to just get another car. Rather then put a lot money in the car now just to fix 1 problem. Because once it's fixed it still has 80,000 miles so it's hard to say what would break next. As far as a used one for $200 a month.
You can get a pretty good car for that payment. That is what i'm paying for my 02 Sunfire. No problems, Still like new only 38,000 miles. I had it when it was new then i got a truck and my dad had the sunfire for 2 years. Then he got rid of it becuase he didn't need a 3rd car. So i traded my 06 MZ3 on it in Oct. 06. To lower my paymnet $110 a month.

 

[nebular]

yes sir, i'll want to buy a used car str8 out tho, b/c we just bought the 07 mz3 a month ago, and i don't need another car payment for the next 72 months. i just want to get rid of the POS, just thinking of it makes me tense... i hate American cars.