Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions

vancityboi · July 2006

I bought a 2004 impala (base model), used, a couple of months ago and I have noticed a couple times that the speedometer will read 0 from the time I start the car untill the time I turn it off. As soon as I restart it goes away. but it is still a concern.

mrwayne · July 2006

Does anyone have the part number for the transmission oil cooler used on the 9C1/9C3? Thanks...

dennis27x8 · July 2006

i have a 01 impala just lookin for advice and warnings for installing resistor switch

mrwayne · July 2006

Go to message 1284.

shotzy · July 2006

I have recently changed the alternator in my 2001 impala 3.8 engine. Haven't been able to reset battery warning light, keeps beeping when starting car, then goes out then I get a quick cal err message on the radio display which does disappear. Does anyone know how to reset this?
thanks

urldrivingacar · July 2006

I bought the 2006 Chevy Impala new and that day noticed a vibration while driving as though I was traveling over a bumpy road. It is constant. After 10 days, at 2400 miles, I brought it back to the dealer. He said he tested it, felt the vibration and checked the tires for balance - perfect, checked the alignment - perfect. The steering wheel does not vibrate, just the whole car - though slightly. The steering doesn't pull to the side. The effect doesn't change when braking. The dealer said he went out in another 2006 Impala on the lot - a brand new one - and it vibrated too. So am I stuck with the vibration for life?

revjim64 · July 2006

Did you reset the "Security" code on your radio?
I think most Chevy Dealers will do it for free.
If its not the radio anti-theft device than it is probably an engine code that needs to be cleared. Of course you will need to buy an expensive scan tool or go to the dealer.

Good luck, let me know how you make out.

quietpro · July 2006

I haven't noticed any vibrations in my 06 SS. Is the vibration speed dependent or in the powertrain? I've had issues with bad tires in the past and that's something that could affect your car and another similar car on the lot. Any other specific info about the vibration will help isolate the cause.

As for your service representative, sounds as if he's trying to pass the buck. You may need to go over his head to a sales or business manager.

urldrivingacar · July 2006

I notice the vibration more at 30MPH and above. It doesn't really seem to get worse as I go faster than that. The car I got was received from a dealership 200 miles away but still probably the same items on/in the car. Just a different color. Or maybe one has ABS/traction control and one not.

quietpro · July 2006

Sounds a bit unusual, especially since the other car has the same problem. Experiment with it and see if you can figure out more details.

mrwayne · July 2006

Possibly one or more tires out of balance.

brian444 · July 2006

I recently bought keyless remote fobs on e-bay for my 2006 Impala LT 3.5 and would appreciate if anyone knew the codes or sequence to reset them to match my car. Thanks.

urldrivingacar · July 2006

Not off hand but I know I read the answer in the owner's manual.

brian444 · July 2006

Guess I'll have to buy an owner's manual since the car didn't come with one. Thanks though.

nosirrahg · July 2006

I think if you register your car at mygmlink.com you can download a pdf of your owners manual for free.

larcone · July 2006

Correct. You can download a PDF document of any and all GM Owner's Manuals for free after registering at https://www.mygmlink.com/main/US/en/gm/home

Good stuff and Adobe PDF allows you to search the entire manual for keywords.

deanoe · August 2006

I also have a Impala SS 2006 and at 21,000 miles the transmission gave out. They said I think that it was the main transfer clutch or something. The result was that trans was slipping so much that I could'nt go up a hill. They told me that It was from driving car hard. Which I know how hard I drove it and thought that they were wrong. Okay the reason I am responding is after they supposedly fixed it. I noticed that there is a vibration when you try to hold a steady speed up a grade. Also you can see the tach vibrating up & down at same time. Plus it seems like trans is not down shifting when you try to acclerate slowly and is slipping instead.

quietpro · August 2006

larcone,
You rock. I'm a mygmlink.com user but never found the Owner's Manual PDF. I much prefer the electronic copy both for searching and for the fact I don't have to go out to my glove box to look something up. Thanks a million!

tooter69 · August 2006

having problem with the #3 spark plug it keeps cracking the porcelin every two or three months any solutions

bena8837 · August 2006

I too am having problems with my ISS and have had it in the shot 2-3 times. The 1st time it lasted about 3 months and then it was back again. I have taken it back and I don't believe the guys know what they are doing, or doing anything to it. The fact of the matter is that it's still the same. I read a answer where they just installed a grease fitting and pumped grease into it. Did they take the part off or did they do it in place, and if so, where abouts did they place the fitting. Also, what type of grease is recommended? Thanks, alot.

bxd · August 2006

Turn on your hazards. Get out and see if all hazard lights are on steady, not blinking. If any of the bulbs aren't on, you need to replace them. If on, not a bulb issue. Next try and replace the flasher, it is cheap and nestled under the dash. You may have to look in a Haynes manual for exact location. If all this fails, it's the multi-function switch inside the column, and will cost you a few hundred to get fixed.

bxd · August 2006

Balance might be fine, but how do you "check tires"? Did he x-ray them for pulled or broken radial belts? Happens more often than you'd think.

I would first do a tire rotation, and see if the vibration changes in nature. I'm betting it does, and that you will find 1+ tires are defective.

urldrivingacar · August 2006

Slight correction. I had a 2001 and a 2004 Impala. The flasher is actually part of the Emergency Flasher (4-way Flasher) Switch. About $45.00 for the part.

lostwrench · August 2006

Which section of the porcelin? Above or below the threads of the plug? (In the head or outside the head?)

lisad620 · August 2006

Last year I had my thermastat and temp. sensor replaced on my 2001 impala. The problem I was having is it kept trying to run hot (up past the middle mark). Anyway, the motor fan kept running after I shut the car off. Then it started squealing when it was cranked after sitting for awhile. It stopped for a few months but it has started again. Can anyone tell me if it could be something easier and cheaper than the fan motor?

P.S The fan works it just makes a terrible squealing noise..

bxd · August 2006

If the noise is definitely the fan, then unfortunately it's got to be the fan motor. It shouldn't be terribly expensive, this might be the kind of job to have your local garage work on instead of the dealer. Not complicated.

Sounds like last year, whoever worked on the car chose to just replace two parts instead of fixing the actual problem. You can diagnose a thermostat problem versus a sensor problem. Of course if they did the work cheap, and good, I guess you can look at it as maintenance.

lostwrench · August 2006

Well, this week I got tired of the daily dentist drill sound and took the car into the dealer service department. There is a technical service bulletin on this sound which the bulletin describes as a whistle, and it is known to occur on Impalas and Monte Carlos. The sound is coming from the throttle body. Today they replaced the throttle body, under warranty, and no more dentist drill sound. Yaaa!

lodtcd4 · August 2006

Hi there, I had the same problem and spent same huge amount of money investigating. It turned out to be the Body Control Module which costed me $550 to replace and reprogram it. It all had to do with electrical things. It started with the car not starting (if you wait 10 minutes it will start) and then it was different signals going off and clicking in the dashboard. See if that's it.

tessmiller · August 2006

I just had my car at the Chevi dealership for the past two weeks. I think they tested every electric part and the Body Control Module ended up being replaced as well. My Husband drove it home from the dealership, it stalled once at a light while idling...able to start it again and drove it home without a problem; parked it in the driveway and let it idle a while longer and it never stalled again. He has been driving it all day without a problem...so far. I am hoping it was just working out the kinks and signals and we no longer have an issue! I am pretty depressed over the whole thing and really want my car to run!! :confuse:

bxd · August 2006

The stall that happened on the way home is, believe it or not, normal, and won't happen again.

When any electrical work is done on a car and the battery is disconnected, the ECM looses all of its learned air/fuel maps, along with a thousand other operational parameters. As you drive the car, the ECM re-learns the correct amount of air and fuel to give the engine so that it idles smoothly, with low emissions, at the right RPM. (It's learning other things too, but lack of idle re-learn is what caused your stall.)

You'll find it runs better and better in the next days. Just how long does it takes to get back to normal? It's a fancy formula on just how long it takes to 100% re-learn and for every sensor to reach "ready" state... based on time, miles, speed, A/C operation, temperature, and more. Just be patient. If a while goes by and the problem comes back, then raise it up at the dealership.

tessmiller · August 2006

Well, bad news. Car stalled again and again. My husband was planning on driving it on a long road trip and he got about five hours in and it stalled and took an hour to restart. Started again and then stalled again for a short time; needless to say he turned around. He was able to make it back and is planning on taking it back to the dealership. I loved(past tense)that car but I no longer trust it to run properly.
Any other ideas besides the computer re-learning? And a week after being at the dealership, is it suppose to be stalling again? Mind you, he drove it for that whole week and only had one other time were it seemed to be a harder start during that week; no stalls.
:lemon:

nosirrahg · August 2006

I couldn't find your original post, but have you had the fuel filter changed? Does the just "die" with no warning, or does it sputter and cough a little first?

bxd · August 2006

I'm sorry to hear that. I am sure it is just something simple. I doubt it is a new issue, probably related to the service visit a week ago. I would give them another chance - take it there and don't settle for taking the car back until they find the problem. What year, what miles?? Especially if it's under warranty, don't give up. Talk to the service manager and dealer manager if necessary. I have usually gotten GOOD service if I ask the service manager "Can we go talk somewhere privately?" and keep my cool.

Once you get over this hurdle, it wouldn't surprise me if you have many more years of hassle free driving.

tessmiller · August 2006

We have had the fuel filter replaced and I guess it was the PCM(?)the was replaced. Is that the same thing? (I am not with my car because we have since moved, so my husband is taking car of it; hence the long drive). We have had the ignition control module replaced and every thing else that might possibly cause a stall. Noting has worked.

tessmiller · August 2006

And it just dies. No warning lights or anything...no chug or sputter. Just engine stops running.

scottttttt · August 2006

I wish this were true. I am the husband and I have had the car stall more than 5 times since that stall coming home from the dealership. I like the Impala but it is a first rate POS.

scottttttt · August 2006

I have always bought American cars even after Japanese cars were made here in the USA. I can no longer see the point in buying a car that leaves me on the side of the road in 100 degree heat or on the side of a busy interstate. I paid the yahoos at the dealership 803 dollars to fix a problem and I still have the same problem. For my money its Dodge/Chrysler or foriegn from here on out. Tessa I am sorry but your gonna be pimping in a Subaru Outback. For those of you who are taking notes and have this problem this is what I had done; new pcm, fuel filter, icu, clean charchol filter, new crankshaft position sensor and she still stalls. SCREW CHEVY!

bxd · August 2006

I understand your frustration. Can't blame you if you don't buy another Chevy. I will say that this dealership has definitely wronged you. They should NOT have thrown all those parts at it!!!!! In an intermittent stall condition where they aren't sure what's wrong, they should have hooked up a data recorder and let you drive the car till it stalls out. That way they would have captured EXACTLY which sensor is failing to cause the stall. These black boxes store info for everything electrical and provide history leading up to the stall.

Would have been much cheaper than throwing all these parts at it!!!

It really is too bad to be in your position, but especially since you have invested so much TIME and MONEY I wouldn't walk away now. I would FIGHT the dealership to get the problem resolved. Every manufacturer makes some lemons - it's sad, but true. Ford, Nissan, even Toyota with its Camry transmissions have had serious problems over the past year. It's how the dealer works to fix things that is absolutely not right!

Ask them why they have not hooked up a data recorder?
(They may call it a laptop with data scanning ability.)
Ask them why they don't diagnose the problem instead of guessing and changing parts?

:mad:

My personal money is on a defective replacement PCM. Of the parts you list, only two could cause a sudden, complete stall: the PCM and the crankshaft position sensor. The CPS is not very fancy, not much can go wrong with a new one. PCM's on the other hand are sensitive and tied into a lot of wiring. If for some crazy reason they won't give you a data recorder to drive with (for FREE OF COURSE) they ought to try and put a new PCM in for you. Still shooting in the dark, but it's the most likely target.

tessmiller · August 2006

You can see how frustrated my husband is at the car. I am really sad to see it be like this with only 75,000 miles on it. I am upset by the dealership as well. It's back there now. Apparently my husband ran into another Impala owner with over 120,000 miles on his car and has never had a problem with it! That is really frustrating to me becaue I honestly love that car!! I love how roomy it is I love the look....everything! It's a great car..fantastic....when it runs!! :mad:

My problem is can I trust it once it got "fixed" and we choose to keep it? I have a baby and I don't want to be stranded on the side of the road with her in the car! It's so frustrating to have to part with a car under these conditons!!

nosirrahg · September 2006

I know exactly where you're coming from; I had a similar experience with my wife's previous 1984 Ford Escort. It left me stranded twice (once with my then infant daughter on board), both times due to computer problems. While we fixed the car and drove it another few years, it soured me towards Ford cars from that point forward.

I've got almost 98k on my 2000 Impala, and the only time it has left me stranded has been when the battery has gone bad (knock wood!). My Impala experience has been comparable to my previous Toyota experience, so I'm very pro-Chevy/Impala. I wouldn't blame you for considering a Toyota or Honda next time, but I'm not so sure you'd be doing youself a favor by going to Daimler-Chrysler.

lomax · September 2006

When the Impala stalls or dose not start for 10 minutes is the outside temparature always hot or can it be in cool weather also? Just curious because mind did it in really hot weather so I changed the coolant and so far so good. It has been a month since it happen. lomax

urldrivingacar · September 2006

Okay, they finally took the car in and properly diagnosed it. They found ALL FOUR rotors out of round. After the car had 6,000 miles on it, they could feel the difference while braking. I am just super sensitive to ANYTHING. Also, they had to replace the ignition switch (different problem) because with the key out and the door open the bell said "hey, you left your key in the ignition".

keeef · September 2006

I am now experiencing a similar problem. I noticed this morning that my temp was getting hotter and hotter until i drove. I never did get any defrost or heat
How did you resolve your situation??

southernlady1 · September 2006

I am also having problems putting gas in the 2000 Impala i have. My check engine light is on though. I took it to Auto Zone and got a code P0440 malfunction in the evaporative emission control system. I have called the dealership many times. They are so busy to even look at it for a month. I need some help.I see your post is the same.Were you able to get it fixed. I also changed the filler tube. Still having problems. Can you help???

mrwayne · October 2006

I'm not familiar with the specifics of the code, but this problem is most likely a clogged charcoal canister, and/or a clogged charcoal canister vent, or lines. Try inspecting the filter in the canister for any type of blockage. (Dirt or fuel) Also inspect the vent for any dirt or blockage. I know a guy who constantly overfills his gas tank. (Fills it till the gas actually comes up the filler tube). This causes gas to get into the evaporative system and drain into the charcoal canister, which clogs it. Also check the air filter, and change if clogged.

Karen_S · October 2006

Please go to the group top level and create a discussion that fits your Impala comments/questions or post in an existing discussion.

Chevrolet Impala

Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions

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Chevrolet Impala: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions