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Put a floor jack with a block oif wood under the engine (not under the oil pan)
Jack it up just to where you can tell you've put a little upwards pressure on the egine.
Remove the bolts in the front two engine mounts.
VERY SLOWLY, lower the jack. As you do this the engine will roll forward and down making the rear spark plugs move to an upward facing position once they get to a point where you feel you can reach them lock the jack and take care of the plugs.
Have fun. By the way as a note on all vehicles if something is in the way of what you're getting to and its removable in the long run you're better off to remove it than work around it.
Thanks.
Thanks
FWIW I think my "TRAF" light on the radio and maybe one other has gone out too. While this may be somewhat annoying, I will say having the steering wheel radio/cruise buttons light up is a huge benefit. I don't think about it as much until I drive my wife's 2003 Honda Accord at night, which has radio/cruise control buttons on the steering, but which aren't illuminated. I can't tell you how many times I've been in her car at night with the cruise on, trying to turn up the radio like I do on the Impala and finding my speed increasing instead!
Thanks for the suggestion
We never noticed anything coming out of the tailpipe, but apparantly there was as there has been no other signs of where oil has gone. It had used about 1/2 quart in 2 weeks; about 700 miles of driving.
The car never had much power from day 1. I've had the 3.8L in a transport van and a regal and never a complaint about the power and never an engine problem. I considered the lack of get up and go a perception as I drive a turbo jetta; no compare. We must have just got a fluke that needs another home.
Seems like there's been talk of replacing a blinker controller under the dash somewhere here before; I'm just wondering if these symptoms indicate that's what I need to do, or is this tied to some greater (BCM) problem?
I can't find an e-mail address on any of the GM web sites and the toll free number is a joke for a car out of warranty.
Initial impression of the "Halo" plugs - The car definitely runs a little quieter, and a little smoother than before. It also seems to have slightly less power than before, or at least throttle response seems to not be as crisp. This could be from the change in timing; it's not a dramatic change, and if the gas mileage actually improves I can live with it.
As for gas mileage, I left the garage and immediately filled the tank (@ $3.25 per gallon ), so I'll report my average for the few tanks prior to the switch, as compared to the same number after the change. Initially, based on the DIC readout, I'm not seeing any improvement in mileage...but since I've only put a few miles on the car and it's been in "learning" mode timing wise, I'll withhold judgement for a few more weeks.
And FWIW my mechanic said the wires/plugs were a bear to get off, but that the old plugs looked to be in very good shape. These were the original plugs, which I just replaced @ 107,000 miles. I remembered thinking when I bought the car that the claim of 100k mile plugs was bogus, but realistically the car was running fine, and I only changed them because I was intrigued by the reported fuel savings with these different plugs. Still don't believe in 100k mile coolant, but I'm sold on the plugs.
2001 Impala LS 74,000 miles. Driven by my wife and complained that car did not have any power, engine would accelerate but not shift when it should. I took it for a test run. Engine hesitated, bogged down, slow to shift from 1st to 2nd and then shifted into high gear quicker than normal. Now, no power in engine. When going up a small hill, car would not go above 45 mph. Hard to get it to down shift. When it did down shift, engine RPMs high, but car would not go any faster. No computer alerts showed on dash. I called OnStar for diagnostics. They did not receive any engine codes and recommended that I take it in to have it looked at.
Took it in to dealership thinking I would be buying a new transmission and other parts. Dealership told me a minimum of $80.00 for diagnostic check which I said okay. I need the car fixed.
Dealership called me back the next day and said the catalytic converter was bad. Everything else is okay. No charge because it is under warranty. No diagnostic charges either.
Car runs great now! :surprise:
I really do not want to go with OEM brake rotors and pads if I can help it.
Does anyone out there have any recommendations? I have seen many different slotted rotors. They are more expensive. Are they any better? Since my wife drives the car 95% of the time, I would like to have the best brakes I can get for safety and comfort.
Thanks in advance for any input on this matter.
Also, you might check your wife's braking style. My brother-in-law is a two-foot driver and tends to rest his left foot on the brake a lot as well as brake while accelerating. As a result, my sister's car goes through brakes about twice as fast as normal. If your wife has a similar habit, you may try to talk her into a new braking style.
Does the letter indicate that the 3.4 liter is covered for 10/120,000? I was just diagnosed with a bad converter and the dealer wants to charge me $750.00!!!
Thanks, John
Dear Chevrolet Customer,
As the owner of a 2001 model year Chevrolet Impala, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, your satisfaction with our product is very important to us.
This letter is intended to make you aware that some 2001 model year Chevrolet Impala vehicles, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, may have a condition where the catalytic converter is replaced due to complaints of lack of power or illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL). This may be due to the front endcone insulation from the catalytic converter breaking away and blocking the front of the catalyst brick and preventing the free flow of exhaust gas through the converter.
THIS IS NOT A RECALL. Do not take your vehicle to your Chevrolet dealer as a result of this letter unless you believe that your vehicle has the condition as described above.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE: General Motors is providing owners with addtional protection for the Catalytic Converter. If this condition occurs on your 2001 Chevrolet Impala, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, within 10 years of the date your vehicle was originally placed in service or 120,000 miles (190,000 km), whichever occurs first, the condition will be repaired for you at no charge.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Repairs and adjustments qualifying under this special coverage must be performed by a General Motors dealer. You may want to call the service department at you dealer to find out how long they will need to have your vehicle so that you may schedule the appointment at a time that is convenient for you. This will allow your dealer to order parts if they are not already in stock. Keep this letter with your other important glove box literature for future reference.
REIMBURSEMENT: The enclosed form explains what reimbursement is available and how to request reimbursement if you have paid for repairs for the special policy condition.
If you have any questions or need any assistance, just contact your dealer or the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM, EST, Monday through Friday. They can be reached at 1.800.630.2438. The deaf, hearing impaired, or speech impaired should call Text Telephone (TTY), 1.800.833.2438.
We are sorry for any inconvenience you may experience; however we have taken this action in the interest of your continued satisfaction with our products.
General Motors Corporation
Judging by the grease they left on the steering wheel, door, and floor mats, the dealer must have done something. You'd think that after charging $700 they would at least clean that up. I don't have trust in this dealer - they're always trying to sell me something more than what I came in for (e.g., "it looks like you need a tire rotation" when I just finished rotating my tires myself).It seems that $700 for this work is high.
After reading the posts on this web site since before I bought my 2003 Impala, I feel it’s time to give something back based on my experiences in the past 4-1/2 years. I know some of this will be repetitive of other posts, but I have found tidbits of information in various posts that have helped me, so maybe this will help someone else.
December 2002 – Took delivery on 2003 Impala base model,upgraded to 3.8L, traction control, folding rear seat, etc.
October 2003 6,331 replace throttle body nuts/add coolant pellets (recall).
History of Repairs made due to steering wheel squeal and clunking noises (all under warranty):
March 2004 9,427 shaft, steering intermediate – replace.
August 2004 12,834 seal, intermediate steering shaft - replace and lubed.
December 2004 15,859 shaft, steering intermediate - replace, bearing and/or bushing, steering shaft lower – replace.
March 2005 17,670 shaft, steering column – replace.
December 2005 23,909 torqued front suspension bolts.
<< Result: It still clunks in June 2007 >>
December 2005 23,909 Brakes pulsed- Resurfaced front brake rotors (under warranty)
April 2006 29,410 Replaced fuel filter at dealer’s recommendation ($80 parts/labor)
June 2007 36,000 Airbag light on; Dealer replaced SIR coil ($731)
??? Radio occasionally jumps stations for no reason. Don’t recall when this started and don’t know what the solution is.
June 2003 – Installed Drawtite Class II trailer hitch. Although I don’t plan to tow Class II capacity, this hitch fits much better and securely than any Class I hitches I saw. Advice: hitch dealers and websites will try to steer you to Class I hitches due to Impala’s rated towing capacity. I suggest sticking to your guns and going with this hitch. Very easy to install – about 2 hours work taking your time-and is almost hidden. Somewhere on the web someone had posted a photo essay of the installation process that was very helpful. I use my hitch almost exclusively for my hitch-mounted bike carrier. Mechanic installed trailer wiring harness. I would have done it myself, but I don’t like messing with the electronics. It looks simple – just pull carpeting away from right sidewall in trunk and tap into tail light wiring there.
Other Advice:
-- Change the cabin air filter yourself. It’s about the simplest job anyone can do on this car and it will save you $$.
-- Engine air filter: why GM engineers would make one of the most simple routine maintenance items so hard is beyond me. Wear gloves to protect your hands from getting scraped up on the plastic filter housing.
-- buy a torque wrench if you don’t have one and rotate the tires yourself. The cost of the wrench will be recouped the first time you do your own rotation. Torque lugnuts to specification to avoid warped rotors.
I do routine maintenance myself and have my trusted mechanic change oil every 3k-4k miles.
Would I buy this car again? I’m not sure. It runs fine and gets good mileage for its size, but every time I hear that steering wheel clunk (each time I drive it) I get irritated. GM had 3 model years prior to mine to fix this known problem and didn’t do it. Even the repairs done under warranty take a chunk of time out of your life having to shuttle the car there and back. Also, tires are wearing out already at 36k. My friend has an 02 Saturn with 80k on it – her stock tires and brakes are in better shape than mine and she hasn’t had any problems with her car. Same with friends who have Toyota Camrys – and now that Camry is coming in a hybrid version that will be very tempting.
It's a little easier to do if you've got a console shift lever (mine is on the column ), and there are wires connecting the hazard switch (which is what I have to replace) that you'll have to disconnect and such, but once you get started on it you'd be surprised at how easy it is. The only other thing I remember is the plastic piece around the ignition that shows "off-acc-on-start" needs to pop off before you remove the dash, and then once you put the dash back on you just snap that plastic collar back on. I found more detailed instructions on forums on naioa.com (North American Impala Owners Association), but I had to dig around a good bit to find them.
It's a pretty good sized filter, and as a result a fair amount of gasoline will pour out when you change it, so have some rags handy (and maybe do it outdoors as opposed to in the garage just in case).
I'm having similar symptoms to yours on my 2000 model, but it's an electrical "missing" problem due to spark plugs/wires...at least I think. I fixed it once and things were good for about a month, and now the problem is back. If my fix doesn't actually fix it this time, it could be time for me to change the fuel filter again as well.
To replace:
Relieve the fuel system pressure by popping the hood and finding the port that you use to test for fuel pressure (I believe it is on the passenger side of one of the fuel rails on the 3.4, at least it was on my GA) it looks like a valve stem. Get something to push the valve in (like your draining air from a tire) and make sure you have a rag of some sort to catch the fuel that will spit out. Take the bracket for the filter off. One end of the filter has a nut the other has a clip, push the white "clips" in and pull that end of the line off the filter (its a good idea to have something to catch the fuel). Then I believe the filter itself has a 13/16" nut and im not sure what size the line is but its a little smaller, you want to losen that nut and take the filter off. Put the new filter in, make sure you put the cap back on the fuel pressure release, turn the key to "ON" and let the system build pressure then start the car.
Alternatively on the fuel pressure:
Instead of relieving the pressure into a rag in the engine bay, I just pulled the fuel pump fuse or relay and then let the car run until it died. Then, I took the filter off.
Of those two choices, I'd lean towards pulling the fuse for the fuel pump and running the engine to clear the pressure, versus risking getting gas all over the engine compartment. But of course that involves finding the fuse to pull, which I haven't researched. But I followed this same procedure on my old '84 Buick Skyhawk, and it's pretty straightforward...assuming the fuse is easy to find.
After six and a half years of the cd player always providing me my entertainment, it finally died today. At first a few days ago, the reader drive could not find a track on the cd or would struggle to find it, and then finally it would play after a few long seconds. If you would press to advance to the next track while a track was already playing, you would hear the cd drive struggle to find the next track then finally play. If it didnt find the beginning of the track, it would give up leaving a prompt on the led display, "Check CD". Well today when I tried to insert a cd, the Check CD prompt came on immediately. The player didnt make any attempt to play. When I tried to eject the cd, the cd failed to eject. Nothing happened. I kept pressing the eject button and nothing. No noise from the unit trying to eject the cd. I held the button in for about a minute, then the cd came out, but it left the prompt Check CD on the display along with the time. I tried again to see if the cd would play and nothing. I used another cd, and nothing. All the time having to hold that eject button in for about a minute until when the cd would finally eject. I suppose the cd drive assembly finally gave up after six years of constant use. I must have my music, so I called my Chevy dealer that I do buisness with, and they are getting me a reman unit where I exchange my unit with a reman under full warranty for a year. They will do the full install making the swap, reprogramming of the radio to the BCM all for $345. I could have gone with a aftermarket unit, but all the settings for alarms, door locks, tire pressure etc are programmed in that unit besides being a radio/cd player. I don't want to loose the ability controlling those features, so Im staying with original equipment. A new unit costs $640 without the cost of the reprogramming, with the same warranty, so I went with a reman unit for half the cost. My appointment for the swap is next week, so I will post the update on how things went.