My friend bought a 98 Malibu about a year ago. He loaned me the car about 3 months ago to take an 800 mile trip. I brought the car back and parked it in his garage. To make a long story short…I traded for the Malibu today. I had a nice pistol that he wanted and I needed the Malibu. The car has been sitting for 3 months without being started. I started it up after trading for it and drove it home. I started popping and creaking as soon as I left his driveway. The noise is coming from all 4 corners of the suspension. The noise on the rear has abated somewhat after a few miles. The front still creaks and pops. Any ideas? I have some but I am not much on suspensions. I will post the problem after I find out what it is. Thanks!
I forgot to add. I drove the car for about 2,000 miles and there was no noise back in May.
GM issued a servive bulletin #73-32-10 “Rattle,squeak,clunk from front end over bumps or while turning”
Repair is to replace lower control arms or, you are going to like this, replace steering rack. Both fixes sound rather expensive.
Why you did not hear it on your earlier usage? it is normal to hear strange noises from a used car as soon as you pay and drive off ;).
Malibus of this vintage were not really quality cars. The 1997 malibu recieved Motor Trends “Car of The Year award” ,when these cars showed up on the lot and I got a chance to look/work on them I really had a good laugh.
How does your glove box fit? I have fixed dozens,and replaced numerous dashes over poor glove box fit. Just a general poor quality interior (with other more important issues also).
The car ran perfectly in May. No noise at all. Since the car had not been driven since I parked it, I expected it to be the same. I only need the vehicle to get me to work and back. I have to park it and use a company van for days at a time. It’s a gravel parking lot and numerous large trucks, cars and other traffic make leaving a new car there nearly impossible. The Malibu looks great and the fit and finish are very good for a car over 10 years old. Since the route I take is only 30-40 mph, I will just drive this thing until something breaks. I have less than $500 in it so repairing it is out of the question. It drives great but the noise is terrible. The glovebox works perfectly. Thanks oldschool.