We just bought a used 98 Malibu from a dealer. It has on the higher
end of average mileage, with around a 14000 yearly average. It has a
clean title, confirmed by Carfax and whatnot, so I wasn’t too worried
about problems. After a couple days I noticed that when I’m in drive
and stopped, the car vibrates noticably, probably from the engine.
It’s worse when the AC is on. The vibration is cyclic in nature. Also,
when in park or neutral, there is no noticible vibration unless the AC
is on.

I don’t know much about cars, but from the above I either assume that
the car is a piece of junk that is going to cost $5000+ to fix ( )
or it needs a tune-up/oil change/other routine maintenance. Any
insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

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I own the same model car, I also bought it with over 100K miles on it.
It has been a mechanical disaster, but I'm not sure that it's any worse than
any other comparable high-mileage cars. Maintenance is everything, so a car
without a trail of maintenance receipts is almost certainly of questionable
quality.

As far as the shaking problem, engine could be missing or running unevenly
due
to many possible factors. If you have receipts that show work that has been
done
in the past, you might be able to eliminate some problems. If you have a
plug
that is not firing for some reason, it will cause the symptoms you are
describing.
Another possibility is that one of the fuel injectors might be plugged. That
happened
to me, cost around $300 to fix including parts and labor (that is for ONE
injector).
Other possibilities are a bad spark plug wire, pcv filter, oxygen sensors,
etc.
Has the check engine light come on? Most malfunctions will make the light go
on,
which will at least tell you what's wrong with it.
You might also visually inspect the motor while the car is running, also
look from the
underside, sometimes just observation will give you some clues.

Good luck, I'd like to hear what it turns out to be, can you post an update
to this NG?

Terry M.

PS You mentioned the vibration is cyclic, does the speed of the cycles
increase
as you the RPMs go up?



"maiku" <UseLinkToEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote

My experience is that malibus are "junk". I'm still driving my 1997 model
with 160,000 km (about 100,000 miles), hoping to gain back a few pennies
from the many dollars and weeks of inconvenience spent.
Ray


"Terry" <tmannett (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

"Terry14" wrote:
Thanks for the reply.

The RPM gauge (tachometer, I think?) moves such a tiny amount with the
vibration that it doesn’t seem tied to it. If I had to guess, I’d say
the needle moved 10-15 RPMs or less with each vibration cycle.

The only thing I know that was recently fixed on the car is in intake
exhaust manifold (or whatever it’s called :?: ). I recall reading
somewhere that if the job is done poorly, engine coolant mixes with
the engine oil and could cause the engine to seize up if not taken
care of. I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but the repair job was done
by the dealer (a small place, well kept, a couple of garages and hired
mechanics, etc.).

The check engine light has not come on. I’ve watched the motor while
the car is running, and there are no tell-tail signs of trouble. Like
I said, the vibration is only when the car is in drive or reverse. In
neutral or park, there is no vibration that I can feel. The engine oil
looked fresh, although the coolant smelled a tad old.

I think we’ll have it looked at by our mechanic next week. If any
other ideas come to mind, please reply. I’ll post an update soon.

"maiku" <DoNotEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote

I've been having a similar problem, anyone know what causes the same
vibration the OP has been noticing but my car only vibrates when I have the
brakes applied in Drive or Reverse but not neutral or park.

"maiku" <DoNotEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote

Hmm, yes I think it's worth having a mechanic test the ignition, timing,
fuel system, etc.
Intake manifold could cause problems if installed incorrectly but my bet is
that
it is related to spark, ignition, or fuel system. Good luck!

Terry M.

"Angel" wrote:
That is exactly the same problem I’m having, Angel. (Just to clarify
to others)

On 6 Jun 2005 23:35:54 -0400, maiku <DoNotEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote:

"Brad Clarke1" wrote:
I also noticed a faint ’clicking’ sound one the right side when the
car is running, but only when I’m stopped next to or passing a large
object (like a van or a building) fairly closely. When the car is out
in the open or there is a wall or something on the left of it, even if
the hood is open, that sound is not audible at all. This may help with
a diagnosis or not, I just thought I’d mention it.

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Re: Re: 1998 Malibu wierd engine idle

Group: alt.autos.chevrolet.malibu Date: Wed, Jun 8, 2005, 12:36am
(CDT+1) From: UseLinkToEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com (maiku)
"Brad Clarke1" wrote:
On 6 Jun 2005 23:35:54 -0400, maiku
<DoNotEmail (AT) AutoForumz (DOT) com> wrote:
&nbsp;>>"Angel" wrote:
&nbsp;&nbsp;>>>I've been having a similar problem, anyone know what
causes the
&nbsp;&nbsp;>>>same
&nbsp;&nbsp;>>>vibration the OP has been noticing but my car only
vibrates when I
&nbsp;&nbsp;>>>have the
&nbsp;&nbsp;>>>brakes applied in Drive or Reverse but not neutral or
park.
&nbsp;>>
&nbsp;>>That is exactly the same problem I'm having, Angel. (Just to
clarify
&nbsp;>>to others)
I have a 2003 that does the same thing.
I also noticed a faint 'clicking' sound one the right side when the car
is running, but only when I'm stopped next to or passing a large object
(like a van or a building) fairly closely. When the car is out in the
open or there is a wall or something on the left of it, even if the hood
is open, that sound is not audible at all. This may help with a
diagnosis or not, I just thought I'd mention it.
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Sounds like you have a vacuum leak and a lifter not pumping up all the
way....If the car just had the lower intake done this is all very
possible.....When your Ac is on does your compressor cycle on and off? A
low charge will also cause a unstable idle...The RPMs change everytime
the compressor shuts off and on....Also Carbon buildup in your throttle
body will do it...
But to be honest its a malibu it could be anything...
S Cook