Non-GA Question

[hoytprostaff]

A buddy of mine has a 96 Malibu with the 3100 and is having a problem. I found out all I could in the short time I had but it wasnt much. All I know is that he said it seems like it wont shift into fourth gear on the highway, doesnt think this occurs at before WOT and when I asked about the check engine light he said its been on for a while. Im going to scan it tomorrow and start looking into this but I mainly want to know the difference between his tranny and the one on my 02 GAGT as far as functionality and being able to use alldata and such to track down the problem. This is his moms car so and shes the type of person that would just drive a car until it breaks and only then needs to be fixed it seems. Therefore I assume no tranny service/checkup to date. I just learned this today and I still need more info but any help from the forum would be appreciated. Also, since I was in a hurry I assumed it was an autoomatic but let me confirm that.

[rixGAphx]

The '96 Malibu was a different platform than the GA (the GA shared the platfom with the Achieva, Calais, Somerset, and Skylark; and later, the Alero IIRC).
I *think* the Malibu was more like the Pontiac Gran Prix: longer, wider, heavier than the GA.
But the GP never got the 3.1/3.4, and I *think* the Monte Carlo was the Chevy direct equivalent of the GP.

Nonetheless, the 3.1 engines would have been virtually the same for that year.
GM only offered auto's for the 3.1 fwd cars; nobody (to my knowledge) has ever succeeded in swapping any manual into a V6 GA.
GM Trannies (from Wikipedia, which we all know is as 100% accurate as a Chilton's :roll: ):
Beginning 1995– 4T40-E/4T45-E — 4-speed light-duty (used in smaller front wheel drive GM vehicles)
Beginning 1991– 4T65-E/4T65E-HD — 4-speed medium-duty (used in larger front wheel drive GM vehicles)
Beginning 1993– 4T80-E — 4-speed heavy-duty (used in large front wheel drive GM vehicles, especially Cadillac).

The GA got either the 4T40E/45E or the 4T60E/65E, with various final drive (and internal?) ratios, depending on car trim model, engine (4 or 6 cyl), day-of-the-week, phase-of-the-moon, mother's maiden name, etc.

The tranny will have been from the same 'family', almost undoubtably 4T65E because the Malibu is heavier (the 65 = for cars up to 6500 lbs gvw).
The GA's were right at the 'cross-over point' in gvw between 4500 and 6000, thus the multiple applications.

I don't know how the Alldata for a GA will compare to a Malibu.

First step is to scan the code as you stated; next would be a fluid flush of that 11-yr old car with what, 131k miles???

Fourth is an 'overdrive' gear, achieved when the shift handle is in 'D'; mebbe the handle has a mis-adjusted cable, and the tranny isn't being shifted out of 3rd??

From what I'e read here, these trannies also have probelms with the Torque Converter lock-up, which GM calls TCC - TC Clutch.
The TCC is operated by an electric solenoid in the tranny.
It might be the TC lock-up that they aren't experincing, as opposed to actual 'fourth gear.'
Preliminary service of the TCC is to merely unplug/replug the power connector on the tranny (the large plug on the tranny, almost directly below the throttle body).
This will serve to clean the pins/sockets, in the hope that some minor corrosion is the problem.
The only other thing to do with the tranny is a complete out-of-vehicle teardown.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

[sunrunner_pei]

FYI: I don't think there was such a thing as a 1996 Malibu. They were offered from 1964-1972, 1973-1977, 1978-1983, 1997-2003, and 2004-present. The 1997-2003 (and 2004-2006 Chevy Classic) models were built on an extended wheelbase N-Body platform.

The new Malibu models are built on the Epsilon platform alongside the G6.

[hoytprostaff]

Thanks for the info. I still havent gotten back to the car to see whats up, and he's about as far from mechanically inclined as you can get. Iwill post an update when I get the codes and more info.