General Maintenance
 

well the malibu rolled over 75,000 miles today (25k in less than a year :cry: ) and I want to keep the car in good running condition.

the service intervals for the 3100 are identical to the 3400 in the alero and I recall that I changed the spark plugs on the alero at 94K and they were pretty worn out even though the platinums are supposed to last until 100,000 miles.

recently I noticed when my car is warmed up and idling for at least 10 minutes or more, if I shift it into drive and don't touch the gas pedal the engine chugs like it is going to die and once this begins it lasts about 15-20 seconds even if I try to hit the gas. I'm wondering if this is a sign that the plugs are fouling out while idling and maybe need to be replaced? after all, the car is 13 years old.

also, it occurred to me that the tranny fluid and dexcool coolant are all original too. my alero had the original dexcool in it at 175,000 miles and still was crystal clear, however the malibu's coolant is murky and kind of gunky looking. my grandma had the limg changed under warranty back in 2003 but I am unsure if they ever changed the coolant after that. right on the coolant reservoir it says to change the coolant every 100K or 5 years so maybe its time to do that?

either way I want this car to last for many years since the body is completely rust free and it gets great fuel economy (the sacrifice of not having the extra torque in the 3400!) so tips or suggestions on things that should be preventively checked or replaced would be greatly appreciated!

probably good measure to change the o2 sensor soon.

clean the MAF, IAT, IAC, and throttle body.

definitely flush the cooling system if it's murky. (coolant should be changed every 2 years)

service interval for the trans fluid is like 100k but its better to change it every 30-50k

do the fuel filter if you haven't already, and run a bottle of chevron techron fuel system cleaner through it.

you can change the power steering fluid too. suck all the fluid out with a turkey baster, add new fluid, start car and turn wheel a couple times, shut car off, repeat (until the fluid in the resevoir is clear)

also, make sure you flush the underside of your car often to get rid of crap that builds up to prevent rust.

I've always wanted to try and take the throttle body apart to clean it, however I am afraid I'd just screw it up since there are so many little parts... has anybody done a how-to on this?