02 Malibu Fuse

[Ron - 33' Scottsdale]

is there a better way to kill power on the chevy's beside pulling fuses?

[Ron - 33' Scottsdale]

is there a better way to kill power on the chevy's beside pulling fuses?

[Hamie]

I followed this procedure several years ago on my 2000 Malibu and worked great...just put it in neutral and release the brake....copied from rv.net

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Here is a procedure that you can do that will not require you to remove any fuses from your Malibu.

Chevy Malibu Towing Simplified

Here is a 4 wheels down towing trick for the Chevrolet Malibu that I learned about from a fellow RV owner in MO. It works on my 1998 (that I have towed 4 wheels down for 6 years and 48,000 miles) and I suspect if will work on model years 1997 thru 2003 and even possibly the redesigned 2004 & 2005 models. Doing this simple modification will permit you to leave the key switch in the OFF position with no need to remove any fuses, and your steering will remain unlocked.
The downside to this modification is that two interlocks no longer work - one is anti-theft related and the other is safety related. The one related to anti-theft is that the steering is no longer locked in the forward position with the key switch in the OFF position, and the safety issue is that the transmission lever can be moved out of the PARK position with the car not running and also without having to depress the brake pedal first. For these reasons, give this modification some thought before doing it and please do not ask your Chevy dealer to do it for you - he will probably refuse.

In the gear shift console, there is a small flexible cable attached to a round plastic post on the lower left front corner of the gear shift lever that when removed will allow the simplified towing noted above.

To access this area lift out the plastic bezel surrounding the shift lever, remove the clip connecting the flexible steel cable to the post on the gear lever and you are all set. Push the plastic clip assembly rearward to unhook it from the post. It will take a moderate amount force to unhook - be careful not to break any parts - they are just made of plastic. Leave the cable along with the attached plastic clip lay loose in the empty space under the bezel.

If you let me know your E-mail address, I can send you 4 photos of how to do this modification.

William R. Hemme
E-mail: whemme@avionicstraining.com

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[Joe-K]

I did the same modification to our 2000 Malibu before I towed it for the first time. Works well, and avoids having to pull any fuses. Mine has been that way for several years.

Nice job writing up the procedure Hamie

[Tom N]

Install a switch so the fuse can be switch in and out of the circuit.

[Ron - 33' Scottsdale]

Tried the switch route - 2 auto electric shops took 1 look at it and said " You don't want me to do this" lol. I did pull the cable and now I don't have to step on the brake to shift out of park! Was only a 2 min job and is easy to reverse.
Thanks for the info!!!!

[Denali]

Thanks for the great tip. I just applied it to our 02 Malibu.

Something that made it easier was to put the transmission in Low.That put some slack in the cable and gave me more room to work. To clarify, the entire plastic clip slides off the post; there is nothing to "release", although it looks like there would be.

Thanks again.