Chevrolet Malibu Forums banner

2005 Malibu 4Cyl Idle Issues

28791 Views 15 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Mrfixit
Problem:

When starting car the idle runs rough and then will eventually die. Will die at stop lights. If I press the gas while at a stop I can keep it running by shifting to neutral or going to park.

Err Codes: P0300, P0442

What I have done since(with no resolution):
1. Cleaned Throttle Body
2. Cleaned the Mass Air Intake Sensor(in front of air filter)
3. Replaced Ignition Coil
4. Replaced Spark Plugs
5. Replaced wireset
6. Replaced Ignition Control Module
7. Checked the Fuel line pressure and is registering 58-60psi.

My ideas are

1. The Throttle Position Sensor(TPS) is bad an thus will need to replace the entire throttle body.(Autozone does not have the Throttle Body).
2. Intake Manifold leak/vacuum issue

I am not a mechanic, fast learner, trying to resolve this.

Any help is very appreciated.
Status
Not open for further replies.
1 - 1 of 16 Posts
I just helped a buddy with his L61 2.2 on his 2005 Cavalier and this could be the same issue (I noticed two of your plugs looked worse than the others):

Very common problem as per the technical service bulletin I sent. Doing some reading, the PCV orifice needs to be cleaned out. Here's a good picture of the dirty orifice and the guy complaining that it plugged up again after 2 weeks:
http://www.ecotecforum.com/forums/showthread.php?14411-2.2-Ecotec-burning-oil-help-with-isolation

Here's a good version of the bulletin with okay pictures. The middle picture with the arrow points to the orifice to clean:
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219091

I'm guess the matching orifice on the head should be cleaned too (small hole between intake ports for cylinder 2 and 3):
http://www.ramscyl.com/images/GM_Ecotec 22.gif

Here's one guy who just opted for a breather instead of tying the valve cover vent tube back to the intake:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l33/rugbyguystu/intake4.jpg

I've heard that guys who do this sometimes can just end up with an oil-bathed engine due to excessive amounts of oil going through the breather. The problem with the breather is that it doesn't fix the root cause of the problem which is the blocked pcv orifice. Leaving the orifice blocked will also foul the spark plugs in cylinders 2 and 3.
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1336/1040473.jpg
http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128116&page=2 (see posting #35)
See less See more
1 - 1 of 16 Posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top