Engine Problem..Help!!!

I have a '03 Malibu with a 3.1 liter engine and 38,000 miles. Today I was driving home from work when all of a sudden the engine starting making a loud noise. The rpms would fluctuate and it seemed like the car wanted to die out, but it didn't. It sounded like a really loud ticking or knocking sound and it would get louder when I would accelerate. I checked the oil level and that seemed okay. Anyone out there with suggestions?

Update: 12/31/04: I had the car towed to the dealer and told them that although my warranty was over, no car with such low miles should have this problem. They actually agreed with me and fixed it for free under customer satisfaction. The mechanic ran tests on the car and found a broken valve spring. He replaced it and put in a new valve cover gasket as well. I was very surprised they worked with me and kept me as a future customer.

Did the car get hot? Ticking sound could be many things. Most common things would be a rod or valve. Probably looking at $$$ for repairs. Check for coolant in the oil.

3.1 liter engine has a ton of problems with antifreeze getting in with oil and destroying the engine. Usually it is the cam bearings that get destroyed. Your best bet is to try to raise hell to GM because they will not fix the problems with the 3.4 and 3.1 engines. Good Luck

I had a ticking when it was cold. Turned out it was piston slap which is supposedly common on the 3.1. I raised hell and made a scene and got GM to replace my pistons why Polymer coated ones.

I agree with molehole. Go to your GM dealer and have the engine replace UNDER WARRANTY. I'd have it towed there. And do not accept "Nothing we can do" for an answer.

Becareful with dealing with motor work under warranty. GM will not usually replace a motor with a new one. They will rebuild yours or if that is going to be too labor intensive, they will swap it out. BUT, most warranties will let them swap it out with a used motor. Most GM warranties say that at GM's discretion they can choose to rebuild, repair, or replace the motor or transmission from another vehicle with similar mileage. I have seen them do it too on a transmission on a '02 Grand Am. They got one form the junkyard. Make sure you know what they are going to do to resove the issue and make sure you agree to it first. If they replace it with a used one and u find out later and contest it, it may be too late.

Read the GM warranty small print, it states: new, USED or remanufactured replacement parts to be used. So if they put used parts on you don't have a leg to stand on , it's in the warranty.

Yeah definately go back to the dealer and raise hell until they fix it for you. You should not have problems at 38,000 miles. Good Luck and keep us posted

Becareful with dealing with motor work under warranty. GM will not usually replace a motor with a new one. They will rebuild yours or if that is going to be too labor intensive, they will swap it out. BUT, most warranties will let them swap it out with a used motor. Most GM warranties say that at GM's discretion they can choose to rebuild, repair, or replace the motor or transmission from another vehicle with similar mileage. I have seen them do it too on a transmission on a '02 Grand Am. They got one form the junkyard. Make sure you know what they are going to do to resove the issue and make sure you agree to it first. If they replace it with a used one and u find out later and contest it, it may be too late.

Under warranty, if GM elects to replace a componant..it will NOT be replaced with a "junkyard" part.

Red McCombs Pontiac in San Antonio replaced the transmission in a '02 Grand Am SE with one from the Pick N Pull Salvage. They said it had less mileage than the defective one. They pointed out in the warranty where it said that they had the right to replace it with one froma vehicle with similar mileage. So unless it was the dealer's doing i suppose most of GM is this way.

Agree with Merlin. No dealer would do warrenty work using a salvage part. However, aftermarket warrenty companies do it all the time. These warrenties are sold every day to people buying used cars.

It may have been done under a third party warranty but the work was done at the dealership and since it was an '02 with 29K miles i assume it was done by GM

Red McCombs Pontiac in San Antonio replaced the transmission in a '02 Grand Am SE with one from the Pick N Pull Salvage. They said it had less mileage than the defective one. They pointed out in the warranty where it said that they had the right to replace it with one froma vehicle with similar mileage. So unless it was the dealer's doing i suppose most of GM is this way.

Do you know this as fact?
If it was done under the GM bumper to bumper warranty, then it was a violation of GM policy, because GM cannot warranty the part.
Most likely it was done under an extended warranty contract or an insurance claim

Do you know this as fact?
If it was done under the GM bumper to bumper warranty, then it was a violation of GM policy, because GM cannot warranty the part.
Most likely it was done under an extended warranty contract or an insurance claim

A GM Protection plan Booklet I received in the mail for my 04 Malibu states on the first page :Parts used for covered repairs may be new, USED, or re-manufactured. Get the booket and read it for yourself.

Thanks for the help.