2000 Impala Popping Noise in Front End

bluedog

we hav 12,000 mi on our ls it has been to the
dealer 5 times to be repaired no luck.when you take
off it pops when you hit the brakes it pops.the
dealer first said insf. grease we got it back it
still did it.they replaced the struts when we leave
the dealer it does not pop the next day it always
comes back.they called gm and they sent
4smallteflon washers to put on top of the strut
towers.next day came back along with the check
engine lite which we havent gone back to the dealer
yet to tell them.we are tired of all the trips
back and forth. we are looking into the lemon law
in arkansas to get some help any advice onhow to
correct the problem would be app. bob
arbluedog@cyberback.com

teo

I am the proud owner of a 2000 Impala LS with 10,700 trouble free miles. The problem that you are experiencing is related to the Aluminum engine cradle. More specifically, the engine cradle flexes (pops) when turning the wheels or doing common low speed manuvers (parking, etc). While Aluminum offer many advantages such as a light weight design, this application in particular is not the best for this type of metal. Aluminum expands and contracts more than any other metal so the weld points will make noises. Rest assure your suspension components are fine and it seems that your dealer has been very incompetent in troubleshooting the issue (Replacing a bunch of parts that have nothing to do with the cradle problem). Unfortunately, GM doesn't have a permanent fix for this problem, altough some sources say a fix will be ready in less than 6 months. Some cars have developed this popping noise issue and others (Such as mine) doesn't have it at all. It appears that the cradle weld quality consistency varies from car to car so 10 cars might develop the problem and 20 will never have it. Welding aluminum is serious business and it should be done with special equipment as well as by a highly skilled technician. If you haven't replaced the engine cradle, just don't even think about doing it. Replacing the same cradle over and over again and messing and rectifying the welds will only increase and worsen the problem even more. GM claims that this is not a safety concern. The Impala is an extremely well built and engineered automobile so I don't believe some stories posted here by sick minded people of the cradle braking and the engine separating from the car. Pure BS.

I see that you have been the victim of a bad dealership with very incompetent mechanics. Your engine light probably was caused by the dealer messing around were they where not supposed to. Anyhow, seek going to another Chevy dealer and get a second opinion about your issues.

If problems continue and you lose faith in the car, then persue GM to initiate a buy back of your car. To be honest with you a lemon law proceeding is a costly uphill battle. If you choose that venue of action, make sure about the legal costs and implications of applying your state's lemon law to your case. Again, it might be better and more cost effective to get a hold of your dealer's general manager (Get a GM regional representative involved as well) and express your dissatisfaction with the car. Insist on a buy back. In the Montecarlo forum an owner with the same problems as yourself persued a GM buyback and he was successful at it thanks to his dealer's involvement and genuine sense of customer service.

Weigh your legal options carefully before you opt for the costly and not so efficient lemon law. Seek legal counsel if you must.

If you want to talk to other fellow impala owners, we invite you to join us in the "Chevrolet Impala X" topic under the "Sedans" forum right here at Edmund's Town Hall.

Good luck and let me know hat you decide.

bluedog

thanks for the info on the 2000 impala.a friend works at a dealer 40 mi. away he mentioned the cradle also and said they had replaced 4 or 5 and that solved the problem.i had my dealer call him and they spoke and the little rock ar. said he could to take the teflon shins off undercoat thm let them dry and put them back on that may solve the problem.we like the car a lot other than the little things.i'm still not sure what to do.thanks for the help i'll let you know what happens.

smwls8

While driving home from work yesterday(2001 Base 3.4) I heard a popping/squeak front end noise while making low speed turning manuvers in a parking lot. I thought it was front suspension noise, but maybe not? I did NOT notice the noise during my commute back to work this morning. Strange?

wwnf

I own a Impala 2000 LS since Aug 99. It now has 24,500 miles. Around 12,000 the rotors had to be turned because of vibrations when braking. At 20,000 miles a poping noise exactly as people here describe started and got louder and louder. It took the dealership an entire day to find the problem, a couple weeks for the parts and another half day to install the new parts. Problem solve, front end solid again. This is what my repair slips says.

Found cradle mounts loose, insulators allowing exessive movement :
Correction: Replace insulators, ( 8 all together )

Qty Part # Description

2 10402880 Insulator 9.023
2 10402881 Insulator 9.023
2 10402882 Insulator 9.023
2 10402883 Insulator 9.023

One other thing that I have heard people complain about that I had also was the blower making a high pitched noise when set on lower speeds. I took mine out, turned upside down and put WD40 on the bottom off the motor shaft and let it sit for a few hours. Put back in car and 6 months later, no high pitched noise yet, . Dealership probably would of replaced it, sometimes you just have to do it yourself, .

kittie01

I own a 2000 Impala with 10,000 miles on it. When the car is on and sitting still the engine sounds different. It is not smooth like it used to be. It used to have a steady rhythm to it but now it sounds like the rhythm is off. Also, when I reverse my car and then put it into drive and go it sounds like my car is skipping gears. I am very good about coming to a full stop before a shift from reverse to drive... Is there something wrong with my transmition? One more thing. My car has been using a lot more gas than it used to. When I got her I could get about 33 miles/gallon. Now I probably get around 25. I drive her the same way as I did when I got 33. Is this just part of my car getting old, is it normal?

teo

Which Impala model (Base, LS?) and engine do you have (3400 V-6, 3800 V-6?). Have you taken the car to your dealer to have those items that you mentioned checked?

The first thing that the dealer needs to look for is for 'engine trouble codes' which are stored in the car's computer. As far as fuel consumption, it is not normal that a car's fuel consumption starts to increase as you rack up miles. I have an Impala LS (3800 V-6) and I am currently getting 31MPG with 13,000 troublefree miles. There are several factors that can influence gas mileage such as quality of gas, octanes (Use mid grade 89 gas for better mileage and performance), driving habits, tire air pressure and condition, car load, etc.

I have stopped using 87 Octane gas as I find that the engine runs rougher and the mileage is not that great. When I switched over to 89 Octane, the engine runs much, much more smoother and the fuel economy improved significantly. Now I am using Premium 93 octane gas since I can get at my nearby Exxon station cheaper than 89 mid grade gas on certain days of the week.

As far as the transmission is concerned, I haven't had any tranny related problems. My Transmission shifts smoothly and at precise points. Have your dealer go over your tranny to see exactly what's causing the slips when shifting.

Good luck!

By the way, you are cordially invited to join your fellow Impala owners at the "Impala XI" topic located under the Sedans forum right here in Town Hall at Edmunds.

tazzz2001

I own a 2000 Monte Carlo and the impala is simile to the Monte. I having engine problems. My car will idle between 500 & 1000 and if Am lucky 400 then stall out. With the a off the whole care shakes because of t engine. The dealership gave me AS and said it was normal,bull. Some times when I start my car on a cold start I will have excessive cranking or a heavy stall. I also have popping sounds under my dash board. It only did it 3 times when i washed my engine out. In Jan of "00" i got in a car acct. and a truck hit me from the driver side rear taillight goig 46mph and all i felt was a light bump but my damn airbags did not go off. This list goes on and on. Theres about 31 things wrong with this car and i just read the engine craddle can fall out of my car do to bad factory welding so they replace it with a 2001 subframe.My remotes don't lock my car..ect. I think the electrical system is messed up. My car has only 21,400 miles on it and i take good care of it.

montemel

I own a 2000 Monte Carlo LS and this is what I had found out with all of my experiences with my car. The 2000 Monte's have a bulletin out for the rear cradle popping when excellerating and stopping quickly. You will hear the popping noise in the front even though it is coming from the rear. The fix is a kit that pretty much will pad the rear cradle so it does not move around like it is doing. On yahoo there is a monte carlo club and there is a scanned in copy of this bulletin. Go to: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/y2kmontecarloclub. This should help you out hopefully.

Also, my car also experienced long cranked starts. It still does at times and it seems as if it is flooding out. I would look at your fuel pressure regulator. Mine had a leak by the hose and it needed to be fixed. I hope this helps out.