How far will a 2009 Malibu go with the 3.6L VVT engine
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Re: how far will a 2009 malibu go with the 3.6l vvt engine
180025.5 miles exactly.
180025.5 miles exactly.
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Re: how far will a 2009 malibu go with the 3.6l vvt engine
On a serious note, it'll go as far as you want it to, as long as you take care of it and have the funds to spend on repairs or knowledge on how to perform those repairs yourself. Although, since you posted this in the Gen9 section, I'd think the former may be the best option for you.
Mmm, actually you could have full tank but if you drain all the oil out and the engine locks up, you ain't goin' anywhere unless you're ready to push it down the road.
On a serious note, it'll go as far as you want it to, as long as you take care of it and have the funds to spend on repairs or knowledge on how to perform those repairs yourself. Although, since you posted this in the Gen9 section, I'd think the former may be the best option for you.
Re: how far will a 2009 malibu go with the 3.6l vvt engine
I just bought the car earterday, and its in excellent condition it dosent have a scratch on it, i took it to a mechanic and he said it was in very good condition if fact he was taken aside from another mechanic and said it was in excellent condition for a 2009, we are replacing a 2005 chevy impala with the 3.5 v6 which my girl friend had an impossible time letting go of, but the transmission is going out which was diognosed and told it would be about 3000 to replace. she loves that car but but it has over 300,00 miles on it, the malabu is a 2009 with the v6 3.6l vvt and 180,000 but it run so quiet you cant hear it unless your standing in front of it, i was noticed it has duel exhaust and wonderedhow many miles we could get out of it with regular oil changes and transmission cleanings, and filter changes, i read some good things about the 3.6l engine and love the power and hope we didnt get a lemon. thanks for the reply.b.m.
I just bought the car earterday, and its in excellent condition it dosent have a scratch on it, i took it to a mechanic and he said it was in very good condition if fact he was taken aside from another mechanic and said it was in excellent condition for a 2009, we are replacing a 2005 chevy impala with the 3.5 v6 which my girl friend had an impossible time letting go of, but the transmission is going out which was diognosed and told it would be about 3000 to replace. she loves that car but but it has over 300,00 miles on it, the malabu is a 2009 with the v6 3.6l vvt and 180,000 but it run so quiet you cant hear it unless your standing in front of it, i was noticed it has duel exhaust and wonderedhow many miles we could get out of it with regular oil changes and transmission cleanings, and filter changes, i read some good things about the 3.6l engine and love the power and hope we didnt get a lemon. thanks for the reply.b.m.
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It all depends on how the previous owner maintained it. Good maint. = long life. Plus not driving it like you stole it all the time. At 180k anything is possible, good luck.
The 2008 and 2009 and possibly some early 2010 models had a concern with the transmission. The "3-5-R" Wave Plate (a springy washer thingy) would fail. Call a dealer with the VIN to see if it was ever addressed.
How far you go depends a lot on how it was maintained. The 2009 required only conventional oil to meet warranty requirements. I know that because I had a 2009 with that engine and loved it. I traded it at 20K miles for a 2011 with the 3.6L. Sadly, that one was taken 3 years later by a flood and I couldn't afford to buy it back from the auction. I ended up replacing it with an almost identical used one with 56K on the clock and the same engine.
I used various kinds of oil in my first 2011, which required a minimum of a synthetic blend. In this engine, all it has gotten is fully synthetic oil, and the best I can find is AmsOil so that is what it gets.
The biggest tender spots in that engine are the timing chain tensioners. There are 3 chains, 3 pulleys (plus the 4 cam pulleys), and 7 chain tensioners (3 that apply tension, 4 stationary slides). The plastic on those slides and tensioners can be worn more quickly if the oil is depleted of its additives, so changing it regularly and using top notch oil should be the best insurance.
With 180,ooo on it already, if it has lasted this long then maybe it was taken care of. Or not. Since you now own it, change every fluid in it:
Brake fluid
Coolant (be prepared for water pump and t-stat to need changed as well, plus change the hoses)
Engine oil
Trans fluid
PS fluid (I replace the stock fluid with 100% Lucas Power Steering fluid with conditioners and it really helps control the groaning that the stock fluids allows, plus it feels a lot smoother)
Blinker fluid
Other than that, don't take it past 6800 RPM in any gear and it should treat you pretty well.
What color is it? Got any pics to share yet? (No obligation, though.)
How far you go depends a lot on how it was maintained. The 2009 required only conventional oil to meet warranty requirements. I know that because I had a 2009 with that engine and loved it. I traded it at 20K miles for a 2011 with the 3.6L. Sadly, that one was taken 3 years later by a flood and I couldn't afford to buy it back from the auction. I ended up replacing it with an almost identical used one with 56K on the clock and the same engine.
I used various kinds of oil in my first 2011, which required a minimum of a synthetic blend. In this engine, all it has gotten is fully synthetic oil, and the best I can find is AmsOil so that is what it gets.
The biggest tender spots in that engine are the timing chain tensioners. There are 3 chains, 3 pulleys (plus the 4 cam pulleys), and 7 chain tensioners (3 that apply tension, 4 stationary slides). The plastic on those slides and tensioners can be worn more quickly if the oil is depleted of its additives, so changing it regularly and using top notch oil should be the best insurance.
With 180,ooo on it already, if it has lasted this long then maybe it was taken care of. Or not. Since you now own it, change every fluid in it:
Brake fluid
Coolant (be prepared for water pump and t-stat to need changed as well, plus change the hoses)
Engine oil
Trans fluid
PS fluid (I replace the stock fluid with 100% Lucas Power Steering fluid with conditioners and it really helps control the groaning that the stock fluids allows, plus it feels a lot smoother)
Blinker fluid
Other than that, don't take it past 6800 RPM in any gear and it should treat you pretty well.
What color is it? Got any pics to share yet? (No obligation, though.)
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Re: how far will a 2009 malibu go with the 3.6l vvt engine
Thread moved from Gen9 section . . .
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Are you sure it was a 2005? The only engine that came with it was the 3.4, 3.8, and 3.8 supercharged. I think the 3.5 started with the next gen 2006 models. It was also available for the fleet versions of the 2008-2009 Chevy Malibus. But I had a 2005 Impala and that's a big reason I dumped mine because the transmission was wonky and I took it to the dealer several times and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I kind of think part of it was losing transmission fluid as the gasket was reported to be leaking a bit but when I'd check the fluid, it was always up but burnt and that was even after a fluid change. Plus it would slip a lot from take off and then slam into gear. So I traded it in for my current Malibu.
Honestly, as long as these cars are taken care of, they will go a long time. They're not quite like the previous generations, specifically the 5th gens with the 3100s that had the intake/head gasket issues. Both 2.4L and 3.6L are strong and reliable engines but both need to have been taken care of as well and the most important thing with both engines is regular oil changes. The 2.4L can have timing chain issues and the plastic gears can chip teeth off which can be repaired but some dealers go so far as to say the engine needs to be replaced completely. The 3.6L has several timing chains which can cause issues as DrivenDaily stated above.
I just changed my oil over to AmsOil and so far I'm quite happy with it. I used the top of the line signature series 5w-30 and while it does not have the Dexos logo on it, it is beyond qualified for the engine since it truly 100% full synthetic which my 2011 requires. I'm not that aggressive with my 'Bu so I plan on leaving it in until next spring, which I'll probably only put on about 12,000-15,000 miles in that amount of time. I also have the AmsOil Signature Series ATF fluid on order as well and will be changing out the cheaper stuff I put in sometime last year. I want to get as much mileage out of this car as possible after I put so much work into it and it's in my opinion, the nicest car I've ever had. But at 121k miles, it's still chugging along just fine, but I always keep up on its maintenance and that really is the key to having your vehicles last as long as possible.
Honestly, as long as these cars are taken care of, they will go a long time. They're not quite like the previous generations, specifically the 5th gens with the 3100s that had the intake/head gasket issues. Both 2.4L and 3.6L are strong and reliable engines but both need to have been taken care of as well and the most important thing with both engines is regular oil changes. The 2.4L can have timing chain issues and the plastic gears can chip teeth off which can be repaired but some dealers go so far as to say the engine needs to be replaced completely. The 3.6L has several timing chains which can cause issues as DrivenDaily stated above.
I just changed my oil over to AmsOil and so far I'm quite happy with it. I used the top of the line signature series 5w-30 and while it does not have the Dexos logo on it, it is beyond qualified for the engine since it truly 100% full synthetic which my 2011 requires. I'm not that aggressive with my 'Bu so I plan on leaving it in until next spring, which I'll probably only put on about 12,000-15,000 miles in that amount of time. I also have the AmsOil Signature Series ATF fluid on order as well and will be changing out the cheaper stuff I put in sometime last year. I want to get as much mileage out of this car as possible after I put so much work into it and it's in my opinion, the nicest car I've ever had. But at 121k miles, it's still chugging along just fine, but I always keep up on its maintenance and that really is the key to having your vehicles last as long as possible.
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If you do proper maintenance on it, it could go another 100,000 miles. It all depends on many things. If you constantly gun the motor, you will decrease engine life. Stop and go is also hard on all cars no matter who manufactured it.
You will likely have some minor thing happen like a bad water pump or a fuel pump go out (never run your tank near empty) and your serpentine belt will need changing sooner or later, The one thing that I would worry about is the timing chain, which is why doing oil changes on time with top quality oils and filters is extremely important. Using cheap gasoline is also not a good idea.
The downside to transverse motors running twin cams is the timing chain and/or the chain tensioners going bad. They are not easy to repair unless you have a lift or hoist which most people do not, of course. With a motor like a 350 pickup engine, doing a timing chain is easy.
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I have 182k on my 2010 malibu ltz 3.6. It had 93k when I got it 3.5 years agnly thing I've done to the engine is spark plugs and valve cover gaskets and spark plug boot seals. The valve cover gasket wasn't leaking, I just replaced it cause I had the valve cover off anyway. I was getting oil in the spark plug tubes. I haven't even changed the coolant. Serpentine belt was changed when I got it. They have issues with wheel bearings. I've replaced the front ones 2 or 3x. Just finished the driver side this eve. Not a big deal tho. I've been running either Mobil 1 or Archer Oil full synthetic. I use a Baldwin B7444 oil filter, it's longer then stock and has a lower micron rating, or higher, depending how you look at it. Someone on here had listed the Wix 57045 as a bigger filter that fits, and that number crosses to the Baldwin B7444. I changed the trans fluid when I got it and again 10-20k ago. The front brakes need replaced again as well. Get @cp-the-nerd to tune it for you, you will like it even more!
nly thing I've done to the engine is spark plugs and valve cover gaskets and spark plug boot seals. The valve cover gasket wasn't leaking, I just replaced it cause I had the valve cover off anyway. I was getting oil in the spark plug tubes. I haven't even changed the coolant. Serpentine belt was changed when I got it. They have issues with wheel bearings. I've replaced the front ones 2 or 3x. Just finished the driver side this eve. Not a big deal tho. I've been running either Mobil 1 or Archer Oil full synthetic. I use a Baldwin B7444 oil filter, it's longer then stock and has a lower micron rating, or higher, depending how you look at it. Someone on here had listed the Wix 57045 as a bigger filter that fits, and that number crosses to the Baldwin B7444. I changed the trans fluid when I got it and again 10-20k ago. The front brakes need replaced again as well. Get @cp-the-nerd to tune it for you, you will like it even more!
Hey buddy! Glad to see you popping back in, I'm happy the tune is treating you well, too!I have 182k on my 2010 malibu ltz 3.6. It had 93k when I got it 3.5 years ag
My 2011 3.6L has 135K on the odo and 41K on the engine. Just had to replace the t-stat that failed, so I also did the water pump and ECT sensor, cleaned the reservoir bottle. Replaced front wheel bearings thinking they were the cause of my traction control messages, but now it seems that it could be as simple as a dirty connection at the SAS (steering angle sensor) or SIS (steering input sensor) — not sure which is correct, but I think SIS is the right one.
Just made a round trip of 1500 miles through the mountains of West Virginia, the traffic of DC, Baltimore, and Philly, and while running on the freeway with cruise set at 72. It turned in a respectable 27.541 mpg for the trip. The EPA rating for that year was 26, so it's all good. Still a good car, but starting to hear little rattles in the front suspension, so some bushings will probably be due sometime this year or next.
For those geeks out there, I filled some distance from home to get away from the MTBE, so the total miles after filling were 1437.6, total of 52.198 gallons.
Just made a round trip of 1500 miles through the mountains of West Virginia, the traffic of DC, Baltimore, and Philly, and while running on the freeway with cruise set at 72. It turned in a respectable 27.541 mpg for the trip. The EPA rating for that year was 26, so it's all good. Still a good car, but starting to hear little rattles in the front suspension, so some bushings will probably be due sometime this year or next.
For those geeks out there, I filled some distance from home to get away from the MTBE, so the total miles after filling were 1437.6, total of 52.198 gallons.
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I have a 2009 Saturn Aura which is quite similar and uses the same 3.6L engine. I now have 250,000 miles on it and it is still going strong
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