What is the name of your state? Washington
I too have been having problems with my 1998 Malibu. I purchased it for my son thinking it would be a reliable car. I usually buy imports but thought we would give chevy a try. Several months after driving the car, the low antifreeze light comes on. I refilled it and the next morning it came on again but there was no appearent leak under the car. I looked at the oil on the dip stick and it was 6 inches above the max fill line. The antifreeze went into the oil. After reveiwing the threads on this sight, I figured it was the intake gasket problem. I bought a manual and the parts. When I went in to purchase the parts, the parts guy just grabbed em off the shelf not looking up the parts numbers. I asked him if he was sure they were correct and he told me he does lots of these gaskets and has them memorized. He grinned as he told me this. This upset me. I tore the engine down and removed the intake gasket. This took me 6 hours. As I was pulling it off, it crumbled in my hand. It appeared to be made out of some type of plastic.
I could see where the water was leakig around it into the engine. The bolts that held the intake on were almost finger tight. As the gasket deteriated, the bolts loosened. The bolts are required to be torqued low because of the plastic gasket design. This appears to compound the problem. As I pulled the new gasket out of the wrapper, it looked identical to the one I pulled out.
Plastic. Eight years later and a known engineering problem and the same plastic gasket. It doesnt appear to have any improvements made to it but I could be wrong. An 8 year neighbor kid was watching me do the repair. He asked me why the gasket wasnt made out of metal. I shrugged my shoulders and stated, not sure. I fealt a little embarressed. I told him it was super plastic. I finished the repair and flused the engine and it runs fine now.
Not sure when the plasic will go out again so we are probably going to sell the car. Somebody mentioned on a previous thread about Japans technoligy after WW2. Most of that technoligy was taught to Japan by Dr Demming.
He taught the Japanese to improve upon improvement.(Kaizeen). And to use the employees ideas on improving efficency on the assembly lines. Basically, most ideas originated from the employees on the floor and the customer. Most of the original technoligy originated in America. Japan knew how to improve it.
That is why they are doing so well. Some American factories are applying the Deming theory with excellent results. The bottom line is, what is being done about this gasket? After reading all the threads, It appears to be an ongoing problem that never goes away. Year after year. I really feel bad about the single moms out there that posted previous theads that have to put up with the high repair costs of trying to keep their car running on fixed incomes.
It is not fair. Not sure what it will take to improve the American car industry but I hope they do something.
My back is so sore right now from changing out that gasket, I need to lay down.
P.S. Why havent these cars been recalled?What is the name of your state?
I too have been having problems with my 1998 Malibu. I purchased it for my son thinking it would be a reliable car. I usually buy imports but thought we would give chevy a try. Several months after driving the car, the low antifreeze light comes on. I refilled it and the next morning it came on again but there was no appearent leak under the car. I looked at the oil on the dip stick and it was 6 inches above the max fill line. The antifreeze went into the oil. After reveiwing the threads on this sight, I figured it was the intake gasket problem. I bought a manual and the parts. When I went in to purchase the parts, the parts guy just grabbed em off the shelf not looking up the parts numbers. I asked him if he was sure they were correct and he told me he does lots of these gaskets and has them memorized. He grinned as he told me this. This upset me. I tore the engine down and removed the intake gasket. This took me 6 hours. As I was pulling it off, it crumbled in my hand. It appeared to be made out of some type of plastic.
I could see where the water was leakig around it into the engine. The bolts that held the intake on were almost finger tight. As the gasket deteriated, the bolts loosened. The bolts are required to be torqued low because of the plastic gasket design. This appears to compound the problem. As I pulled the new gasket out of the wrapper, it looked identical to the one I pulled out.
Plastic. Eight years later and a known engineering problem and the same plastic gasket. It doesnt appear to have any improvements made to it but I could be wrong. An 8 year neighbor kid was watching me do the repair. He asked me why the gasket wasnt made out of metal. I shrugged my shoulders and stated, not sure. I fealt a little embarressed. I told him it was super plastic. I finished the repair and flused the engine and it runs fine now.
Not sure when the plasic will go out again so we are probably going to sell the car. Somebody mentioned on a previous thread about Japans technoligy after WW2. Most of that technoligy was taught to Japan by Dr Demming.
He taught the Japanese to improve upon improvement.(Kaizeen). And to use the employees ideas on improving efficency on the assembly lines. Basically, most ideas originated from the employees on the floor and the customer. Most of the original technoligy originated in America. Japan knew how to improve it.
That is why they are doing so well. Some American factories are applying the Deming theory with excellent results. The bottom line is, what is being done about this gasket? After reading all the threads, It appears to be an ongoing problem that never goes away. Year after year. I really feel bad about the single moms out there that posted previous theads that have to put up with the high repair costs of trying to keep their car running on fixed incomes.
It is not fair. Not sure what it will take to improve the American car industry but I hope they do something.
My back is so sore right now from changing out that gasket, I need to lay down.
P.S. Why havent these cars been recalled?What is the name of your state?
