new 97 Malibu owner questions

[pishta68]

I just inherited a 97 Malibu and was wondering:
1.why this car sounds so bad going over minor road bumps? It sounds like the entire front suspension is loose, metal on metal like some bushing is deteriorated.
2. It also makes a bad clunk when going into drive, really jumps into D, doesnt ease into it like my Breeze. Maybe bad annular piston spring (AT talk from a 68 Mopar Torqueflight owner)
3. Half shafts are bad 147,000 miles, clicks in reverse and hard slow turns, may be related to #2? Old GM master mechanic cant explain why both shafts are bad when the boots are still intact.
4. AC compressor doesnt engage, checked fuse, even tried to "jump" the AC clutch with 12v but dont know what pin to energize. Is one ground? could be bad clutch.
5. There is a "warped rotor" sound when coming to a stop, but it is not wheel speed, its like 3X wheel speed. at a crawl (maybe one tire revolution over 5 seconds) you can hear 3-4 grinding repetitions. I would think it was differential related at that speed?


For being such a POS and free, I cant complain too much, but it is a great car on the road, very peppy over my 2.o SOHC Breeze, but the Breeze is so much tighter. They just had the intake resealed and the brakes checked out so that takes care of 2 TSB's? Where can I get a peek at those? Thanks from a new member [email protected]

[tractorboy]

It is also 9 years old and probably never taken care of. Does the brake pedal pulse when it is applied ? That is not really all that bad for the CV joints almost 150K miles. My sister has a Dodge caravan that is a 95 ( looks like 85 ) that has 70k miles and they are about like yours. Check the level of the T-fluid. Probably needs a service, filter fluid change. For now check the level, there is no dip stick, there is a plug under the car. You check it the same way as a manual transmission, take the plug out and see if fluid dribbles out, if not fill till it does.

[niccaleb112602]

Originally Posted by tractorboy

It is also 9 years old and probably never taken care of. Does the brake pedal pulse when it is applied ? That is not really all that bad for the CV joints almost 150K miles. My sister has a Dodge caravan that is a 95 ( looks like 85 ) that has 70k miles and they are about like yours. Check the level of the T-fluid. Probably needs a service, filter fluid change. For now check the level, there is no dip stick, there is a plug under the car. You check it the same way as a manual transmission, take the plug out and see if fluid dribbles out, if not fill till it does.

hey "tractoboy" you would possibly have a picture of were exactually the sight plug is on the side of the tranny? Is it like regular plug u find on manual trans? Just afraid of taking something out I shouldn't.

[slls]

Originally Posted by niccaleb112602

hey "tractoboy" you would possibly have a picture of were exactually the sight plug is on the side of the tranny? Is it like regular plug u find on manual trans? Just afraid of taking something out I shouldn't.

When you get the picture get the proper checking procedure, it is more than just remove the plug.

[johnschmitt]

The check plug is on the transmission case about two inches above the top edge of the transmission pan, almost directly behind the oil drain plug, maybe an inch or two to the driver's side. It's the only thing in that area (it even has its own little nub on the casting) and it points toward the passenger side of the car.

procedure
1. remove the vent/fill cap from the top of the transmission. Nobody ever mentions this, but the exhaust manifolds are hot once the engine is hot! You have to get right by one on the V6 model to shake the vent cap loose.
2. warm up the engine.
3. The car should be level. Here's the tricky part: unless you'll fit under your malibu while its on the ground you need a lift or several jackstands.
4. Run the shift lever slowly from top to bottom and back, ending in park.
5. get a pan under the transmission and remove the plug. Watch out for hot transission oil shooting out in case it was extremely overfilled at some point. Fluid should just barely drip out. If nothing comes out, pour some in through the vent cap until it does.


I'm not sure why this is better than a dipstick.

[pishta68]

follow up: after a few months, we sold it to an old man who only drives to the VFW. Hes happy, were happy. I was able to fix a few things: The loud clunk in gear and the rattle over bumps was the complete lack of a front motor mount insulator! I looked at it when I put it into gear, and the motor jumped about 4 inches, I realized that the rubber donut insulator had broken 2 of 3 webs and it was flopping all over the place. They dont sell the rubber part, only the complete bracket for the V6, so I just burned out the old rubber and pressed in a chunk of 2 inch neoprene, worked great! No more clunks, jerks, the brakes mellowed out and the suspension sounds tight now. I felt it was in shape to sell so that is that, case closed.