2004 Chevy Malibu Thermostat – Transmission Problems

I changed my transmission fluids out on a 2004 Chevy Malibu and the pan keeps on leaking and I put sealer on the rubber tabs but it would not stop.

ProTech:
Do NOT use any sealer on the trans pan or gasket area, that will just make matters worse. You need to get a good GM trans pan gasket and reinstall. Make sure not to over tighten the bolts.

Where do i go to get it.

Any GM dealership.
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Hello I disconnected my battery to change my thermostat and now my car won’t start. I was told I had to relearn my PCM. What is the correct procedure.

That should not have caused your vehicle to not start….does it do anything now when you try to crank it?

No it does not crank and the key is stuck in the ignition.

Are you sure you have the battery hooked back up properly, and are the cable connections tight?

I thought being that I disconnected the battery for so long it erased the memory.

The symptoms you are having are caused by either a dead battery or bad connections.

No, the memory does not erase like that.

Yes battery connected and tight.

Why don’t you try jumping the battery and see if that helps?

I put a volt meter on it and i am getting 12.3 volts.

12.3 volts doesn’t mean it has cranking power, i would jump it just to make sure it is or isn’t the battery itself. If the battery is good, you could have possibly blown a fuse by accidentally touching a cable to metal.

OK thank you I will check the fuse panel.


2005 Chevy Malibu

Why wont my Chevy Malibu (2005) reverse? It goes into every other gear except reverse.

If you have no reverse, you have an internal transmission problem. There is no electrical component like a shift solenoid that can cause no reverse. It is a mechanical problem.

What do you do about that? Can we fix it ourselves to hold it until we get home.

The transmission has to come out of the car to be fixed. You won’t be able to do it yourself, or find a remedy that doesn’t involve rebuilding the transmission.

Should we check for anything else to be wrong? or is that the definite conclusion?

Unfortunately that is it, you’re going to need trans work.

About how much does that cost usually?

Probably around $2,000 parts and labor.

Wow, even a used one??

Yes that would be for a used one. With new, you’re looking at about $3,500 and up.