2002 Chevy Malibu Recently wrote you but have more informat

Tiny
TAMSUE67
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 39,600 MILES
I recently wrote you about my 2002 Malibu and you told me it was common in these cars to have Intake Manifold Gasket problems.

I have found out since then that there are tens of thousands of people with GM cars who are having the exact same problems as me.
These cars made by GM and using DEXCOOL coolant instead of anti-freeze are having so many problems like mine, such as overheating, black looking sludge in the water reservoir, cracked intake gasket, and much more.
I did some research on the internet and found out that General Motors had a Class Action Lawsuit and was ordered to pay thousands of repair costs for these problems.
But GM did not put out a recall or contact owners of these vehicles. So if you did not know about the Class Action Lawsuit you are just out of luck because they are no longer paying for repairs.
Anyway,
I am just trying to find out the best way to fix my car. Since it only has 39,600 miles, I have to get it fixed.
The problem is, GM won't even admit to this lawsuit that ended a few months ago much less tell you how to fix the car yourself.
The GM rep I spoke with said they knew nothing about the Class action suit and I told him it was all over the internet where people had filed and gotten their cars fixed free of charge.
Anyway, I guess I can do nothing about this since I did not know about the lawsuit until it was over.

I am just trying to find the BEST way to fix my car.
As I have researched on the internet, I have found people who have had all the problems repaired like flushing the coolant system, replacing the intake gasket and all the other problems that go along with this DEXCOOL problem but then they start having the same problems again.
Then I have read where others have replaced the whole DEXCOOL System with regular Anti-Freeze.

I need to know how many of these type of problems you have heard about and what is your experience of the best way to go about fixing this problem so it does not come back again.

Thanks so much for any help, I am an older women who lives alone and is disabled.
It is very hard to find a mechanic in my small town who knows the first thing about this problem. Then
if I were to find one, they are not always honest with women.
This is the reason I am writing you for your experience on this DEXCOOL problem.

Thanks so very, very, very much for any information
you can help me with.
You don't know how much this means to me to be able to get honest help and I truly appreciate it.

I would be happy to donate but my income is very low since I am disabled.
Can you PLEASE help me, I am begging because my car only has 39,600 miles and is going to be ready for the junkyard at the rate it is going with this DEXCOOL problem.

Tamsue
How much should I donate? Even though I can't afford to I will donate or send a check to you If anyone can answer my question. I have never donated to anyone on the internet and have no idea how much or what I am supposed to do.
I will pay you for your help.
Monday, July 5th, 2010 AT 12:27 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Ok first things first. DEXCOOL is not the problem, almost all the manufacturers use it in the newer cars. The problem was /is the intake manifold gaskets. Newer/better gaskets elilminate the problem that was thought to be DECOOL. The reason your engien coolant turns black is because oil gets into the coolant system. If you are not experiencing a low coolant problem and all you need to do is check your water level in your bottle on the fenderwell of your car. If it starts to go down on a REGULAR BASIS, like every two weeks you need to add coolant then you will start to get the intake gaskets replaced. Sometimes it's head gaskets too. GM and FEL-PRO now make the correct non leaking gaskets so if you do get them fixed they will not have the same problem. I hope this answered your question and donate whatever you feel you can afford or is right.
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Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 AT 5:41 PM
Tiny
TAMSUE67
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
He owns his own garage and said he had a car with DEXCOOL in it and he flushed the whole system and then replaced the DEXCOOL with anti-freeze and replaced the Intake Gasket and had no more problems out of his car.

Do you not think this is better to do than leaving the DEXcool in?
Are you sure about the DEXcool not being the problem?
If the dexcool is not the problem, why did GM have to pay all those thousands of people to get repairs on
their cars when the DEXCOOL Class Action Lawsuit came out?

I am just so confused about the whole thing.
I would not be so worried if the car had more miles on it but it only has 39,000 and I have heard so many people on website and forums and all over the internet saying that they kept the Dexcool and the same problems came back again.

I am lost and as a woman, I have no idea because I am getting different answers from everyone.

Can you give me any info or tell me where I can find info, that the Dexcool is not the problem?

Also, why do the Head Gaskets have to be replaced also?

I am so sorry to keep asking but I need to know the correct things to do before I go spend thousands of dollars.

I am so confused and thank you for listening.
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Thursday, July 8th, 2010 AT 7:22 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
The problem you are talking about is not the dexcool. GM had a major issue with intake gaskets due to their design, the design was changed making a better more quality gasket that sealed better. I will not go into specifics, but DEXCOOL is not the problem. It was the intake gaskets. Even your garage buddy said he changed the gaskets and antifreeze and it solved the problem. His problem was the intake gaskets. If DEXCOOL were bad it would not be installed on 99.5% of newly manufactured cars. Since the new design there have been no issues with the gaskets. In my last post I said that It MAY also be a head gasket, not that it was. Re read it very carefully. I'm sure if your car is using water it is the intake gaskets and will be very easy to diagnose due to leakage in certain areas.
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Thursday, July 8th, 2010 AT 9:33 AM

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