2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

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Comments

  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    HVAN - thank you BIG TIME!! The thrasher stuff is a must have. I'm calling right away for the induction and maybe the exhaust.

    It's weird, but that induction system is EXACTLY what I described in my last post - a cone pointed at the hole behing the front light with a heat shield.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    I'm kinda bummed. I just bought the KN filter about 2 months ago.


    Please let us know how much it cost for the cold air intake. I want one too!


    By the way, are you planning on getting new headers?


    http://www.thrasher-ep.com/L67_htm/headers.shtm


    With the new headers, borla exhaust, and air intake, the project will cost at least $1700 for maybe 50 additional ponies.

  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Don't expect them to last very long having to handle close to 50 extra hp or torque. This is why the GTP and Intrigue have upgraded trannies from the 3800.
  • mediumfrymediumfry Member Posts: 239
    I am looking forward to getting a set of Michelin X-one or equivalent tires for my '01 LS as soon as my GA's are worn out. I think Michelin provides a nice combination of ride, performance, quietness, long treadlife, and reasonable price. They stay in balance extremely well and last a long, long time.

    The set of Michelin XH4 tires I had on the '86 Grand Am I drove before the Impala had 105,000 miles on them and still had 6 of the original 9 32nds of tread left. Wow.

    X-one's for the Impala (225/60R16) could be gotten for $99 apiece but were advertised as high as $140 each, so it pays to shop around. Supposedly the X-one has been superceded by another model that seems to be running around $120-$130 each. I'd still pay it. Forgot the model name though.

    That's what I'm gonna do.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    No headers for me. I really want to just correct the obvious air induction design defect. I swear I love that car 99% and the 1% that I hate is that induction.

    Actually the Impala is the wife's car that I jump in once in awhile. Her first reaction was "no way, you're not making a loud car out of it". My experience with opening up my air box on the Aurora, is that it sounds the same for driving around town and on the highway. Only when you hit it do you hear the throaty induction - and I love it.

    Now the Borla is a little tricky. For me it is a no brainer, but the wife may not like it.

    I wonder what the Borla and the induction do together. I'd guess 20 HP at the wheels - at least. Maybe it would be like having a 230 HP 260 torque Impala (at the engine). Very cool.

    Yeah, I just bought the K&N too. Oh well. These Thrasher guys are less than an hour from my house too, so I'll probably visit. I'll call Monday. Thanks again.
  • I hated the Goodyear GA's so much, that I replaced them at 3000 miles with Yokohama AVS dB's.

    The tread life is probably comparable at 36K or so. But the ride is a bazillion times better as far as road noise and handling. (I measured it. It was actually a bazillion and twelve.) They are incredibly quiet, and they don't cry like the GA's did when taking on entrance ramps at freeway speed.

    If tread life is of extreme importance, you might want to try Yokohama Avid Touring, instead. They are almost as quiet, have DOUBLE the tread life, but aren't Z-rated like the AVSdB. They're also about half the price, so you got that going for you...which is nice.

    Bridgestone Potenza's are also supposed to be excellent. As for Michelin, IMHO, I find that while they definitely make some great tires, they are overrated for the most part.
  • hunter39hunter39 Member Posts: 375
    I would have to agree with you on Michelins Gary, I used to put them on my rig, cost me 238.00 each and I was dang lucky to get 15k miles out of them and I ran about 2k miles a month. I switched to Bridgestone's and they ran me 178.00 each, then Toyo's which were about the the same, each one gave me about 20k in mileage. Granted, these were big truck tire (22R9.5) but it turned me off to any Michelin product truck tire or not!

    I went with a touring tire made by Kelly Springfield for Big O tire here in Arizona, put on at 3k miles also, I'm very happy with them as well, very quiet at least more so than the GA's were.

    BTW, was unable to talk the wife into a second Impala ( Iwas pulling hard for a Sport Edition Green 2002) Wife settled on the new redesigned 2002 Nissan Altima. Not a bad little car, actually it's bigger now than ever. We have to order it with what she wants...
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Ask Thrasher why they didn't reinstall the diagonal brace on the Monte. From the photos they have of the system on other cars, they replaced the brace on those cars. This upgrade may have to wait a while. $225 is a little steep for me right now. =)
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Updated the How To section with the results of my dyno run. Looks like a stock Impala with no performance improvements has a maximum 160 hp at the wheels with a max torque of 180 ft-lbs.
  • impalaboy2001impalaboy2001 Member Posts: 117
    do you guys think we can fit in or install a tube from the Air Box intake behind the headlamps to the small hole right next to the fog lamp? This might create a Ram Air Effect and an increase in HP
  • lrcobralrcobra Member Posts: 82
    Well, the latest in my saga of the tranny problem is going to be coming to an end, I hope. The service dept. has decided the valve body in the tranny needs replaced. But with 40,000 miles the best they will do is cover parts and I will have to eat the cost of labor and tax. Better than nothing I guess. So The 00 Impala known as Silver Bullet will go under the ratchet on Wed. and should be in recovery by at least Friday if they overnight the parts in on Thurs. I hope this is the end of the hesitating problems.
    Let you know how it goes when "Bullet" gets released.
    LRCOBRA
  • baveuxbaveux Member Posts: 175
    Teo left for an Impala board on Yahoo and I cant find that site can you help ?
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Keep in mind that atmospheric conditions make a big difference in HP output. A hot summer day could be considerably less than a cooler day. A guy on the lincoln LS board found this out the hard way, but did find conversion formulas. You really need to test things on the same day - preferably back to back.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    In Hawaii, the weather is pretty consistant. Daytime highs in the mid 80's, lows in the mid 80's. In any case, the computer hooked up to the dyno also monitors the ambient temperature and pressure and accounts for it. The results I posted have been corrected for exterior conditions.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    I know of two different Impala clubs and I didn't see Teo on either. You can find links to them both on my site http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/ Just go to the links page and you'll find them there.
  • I sure wish he was still around. Some dingo in the ugly cars forum just compared the Impala to a Lumina in an Elvis jumpsuit. Tsk. Tsk.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    I took apart my air box assembly and discovered that part of the reason the whole filter is not used is because Chevy put the PCM in there. The air horn almost touches the air filter element so you were right when you said that only that portion of the filter is used. They could have shortened the horn to expose more of the filter.


    Impalaboy, I don't think there is a good way to connect that hole to the air intake. There is too many things in the way. Another option is to come up directly under the intake and create a scoop from under the bumper.


    Take a look at the How-To section for photos.


    http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/

  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Didn't you report this problem before your warrenty was up? If so, shouldn't it be fully covered since they never corrected the problem?
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    if there is a history of this trouble with your car you should not pay for anything. I would move up the food chain to a higher level of management to see about this required payment from you.

    GM replaced our Impala's early design(8-99 build date) engine cradle 2 weeks ago under warranty and the car had over 43k miles on it.

    Granted, our car was in the dealer 5 times for this popping noise before the OEM warranty ran out.

    We have gotten used to the car "not" popping now!

    Tony
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    In case anyone is wondering, Teo is still on the Edmunds board. I saw him posting on another subject.

    Since I respect his privacy, I won't say where he's been posting.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I have been in all the yahoo impala clubs and have not seen him posting there. There is literally no activity in yahoo.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Night Owl1 - I'd say your web site should win an award. It's incredible. I did not know about the computer in the air box. I highly recommend that everyone check it out. I wonder how the Thrasher guys move the computer to. I did not get them on Monday.

    Regarding the Lumina/Elvis stuff - I don't understand the motivation to jump on domestic boards and name call or make blanket general negative statements. My only guess is that these are import buyers (that paid a lot for less car) and have to boost the ego by putting down the domestic cars. I really think the new Impala styling looks just plain tough. It's great.
  • That particular poster that compared the Impala to a Lumina owns and drives an Echo. He was upset because so many people, myself included, felt that the Echo is one of the ugliest cars ever made. Considering the Forum is called "Ugly Cars...", and he owns an Echo, you'd think he would get used to it by now.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    Your Okole Seat Cover looks awesome! Is there a website I can look up to inquire for other models?

    Thanks
  • hunter39hunter39 Member Posts: 375
    Ol' Blue-ish is in the shop for warranty work, the leather seat back cover came in to be replaced because of the material coming away from the side impact airbag and the seat moving forward and back is to be fixed with some kind of set screws? Not the rail replacement that SweetPolly mentioned she had done to correct her problem that was the same...
  • spider717spider717 Member Posts: 106
    I had my keyless entry fixed today. They gave me 2 new FOB's and it works great. I realized something today. Actually I already new it, but it was a refreshing realization. I love my car. It is an absoulutly beuatiful car. It drives wonderful, and I think it know when I talk to it. :) I tell her she's pretty, Sometimes they just need to hear that. Know what I mean.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    I can't believe I forgot to add the website to the accessories page. The site is www.wetokole.com and I have added it to the accessories page and I resorted all the links by type. Performance, GM accessories, etc.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    According to their website, it sounds like the cold air induction kit relocates the PCM under the new airbox. Hard to say though. It should fit the Impala since it says it fits Monte Carlos with the 3800 series engine.
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    In teo's profile on edmunds it will list where his most recent posting is at.

    With GM's new 0% interest I wonder if I need to replace my truck.

    I've thought of replacing the Impala a few times becuase of the popping noises. In reading the various boards on the vehicles I am interested in it seems the Impala comes out on top for me. In quality , fuel mileage and other areas that I look at the Impala does it quite well.

    Now that our 2k Impala is quiet with the new engine cradle I think we will keep it a while. (-;

    Something on the air filter. Have you looked inside the throttle body entrance? The honey comb material there probably slows down the air a bit. I would think Granatelli or those Thrasher folks mentioned here several times have something for a replacement throttle body.
  • lrcobralrcobra Member Posts: 82
    Yes I did report the problem with the tranny at @28,000 miles and they could not find anything wrong at that time. I am in the process of looking up some GM phone numbers as I am typing this. I am going to go up the chain a little further on this. The service manager wants to try changing the filter and fluid first to see if that may help. I will know in a day or two if that does it. That means instead of them having my Silver Bullet 2-3 days it could mean 4-5 days. Needless to say my wife and I are very unhappy about this. Any ideas on who to get in touch with first or any phone numbers that come to mind? Your help would be much appreciated.
    LRCobra
  • jeffbogjeffbog Member Posts: 63
    Call the Chevrolet customer assistance line. 1-800-222-1020. I know the number by heart. Had to use it many times over the summer. Have them open a case file. Call them every day if you have to. With persistance you should get the service you deserve.
  • impalaboy2001impalaboy2001 Member Posts: 117
    Well I hit over 15k miles on my 2001 LS, took the car in to get it serviced, they're gonna do a fuel induction cleaning, as part of the service. My passenger moulding pillar keeps poppin out, but thats about all the problems i've had - still runnin like a champ. Anyways, I plan on installing an aftermarket Multimedia headunit Eclipse 7002 TFT display and a 5083 8 disc changer. I've found all the items I need to incorporate Onstar with the new headunit. All I need to find is a part no. and website for the harness to relocate the factory headunit to the truck. Anyone have any idea??? About 5 months ago I came across a website were some guy installed his cd changer in the center console, anyone know the website?? if not, Nathan do u think u could find something out in the helmes manual on how to take apart that center console. Thanks
    Chris
  • lrcobralrcobra Member Posts: 82
    After talking to the service manager today I found out that they are going to do a service on the tranny and then change out the valve body when the parts come in (hopefully overnighted). He also said I would have to pay for the tranny service but they would take care of the parts and labor on the valve body, so I guess instead of 3-400 dollars it will be @137 dollars. I haven't had to call customer service yet and maybe I won't have to at all since they are at least trying to work with me on this.
    LRCobra
  • 00impala00impala Member Posts: 474
    My 2000 LS has recently began a series of "jiggling" noises while I drive on a stretch of rippled road around 30 mph, It sounds like I am hearing the reverbiration of something loose in the front end, Is this the Steering Shaft? I do not have a "Clunk" or have ever had it in for any Cradle issues, I have 20,700 miles and I mentioned it to the dealer a few weeks ago and got the "Cannot reproduce the problem" response, I and trying all different ways to get it to do this and it seems to be getting worse as time goes on, I need to find some speed bumps and try it there, the steering wheel feels almost "Stethiscope" like as I can feel any imperfection in the roadway even at Highway Speeds but the "Jiggling" is mainly at low speed and you can definatly hear something. Question for those who had the Shaft replaced, is this the same senario? Is there a Bulletin number I can reference or just wing it and try to get them to hear it? Thanks Don

    Oh yea,,, LRCobra, Sorry about your Transmission, I hope they solve the problem Quickly!
  • black00impalablack00impala Member Posts: 6
    I had my steering shaft replaced about 2 months ago and the symptoms you describe are exactly the same as mine. The replacement corrected the problem. Dont let them try to tell you its the front struts as they did me the first time around. That was a waste of my time and their money. If you have over 20000 miles on your Impala have them check your rotors while you have it in there. Chances are they are warped and should be replaced under warranty.
  • morphius909morphius909 Member Posts: 67
    Hey Folks,

    Hope all is well for all of you:)

    My car (or maybe it is me, the way I hit the accelerator off the start) has been hesitating a bit when I take off from a stop.It is not really a "near stall" hesitation, actually it is just WIERD. I think it occurs sometimes when I hit the accelertor and subconscioulsy I know I shouldn't hit it so hard so I ease off and thenhit it again...sound familiar anyone? LOL, Is it me or the car?

    Paul
  • I was having a similar symptom. The dealer flushed the fuel injectors at 3K miles, under warranty. It seems to have helped.

    Another poster with a similar problem had their ECM replaced.
  • 00impala00impala Member Posts: 474
    I am going to call right now and make an appointment for next week, My Brakes are fine now, they Warped at 17k and they "Trued" them up and they do not vibrate now,They were mushy for awhile after but they adjusted the Emergency Brake in the back,it felt like I only had Front Brakes and now they work fine. I mentioned the Front End at that time and they couldn't hear it, Now it is more noticeable than ever. I know since I also own a new 2001 Impala to compare it to. Thanks Don
  • sweetpollysweetpolly Member Posts: 99
    I've had the hesitation problem on my 2K LS, intermittently, on and off. It happens the same way yours does, it also happens if I don't let the engine warm up in the morning or sometimes it'll happen after parking for a few hours, even after having driven it for awhile. I have taken the car to the dealer several times and they have not been able to duplicate it. My hesitation seem to come in clusters. It doesn't happen often, just once in awhile. The dealer service manager told me to bring the car in the next time it started doing it and leave it with the dealership a day or two for them to see if they can duplicate the problem. So, I'm waiting for it to start doing it again. So far, I've not had any real problems and I'm thankful for that.
  • ...is caused by giving it gas before the transmission has fully engaged. Most non-GM cars' transmissions engage as soon as you slip it into drive, or have done so in the past. The Impala, and my Grand Am too, takes a second after placing it in drive before it's ready to go.
    The symptom you will see in this case is a type of hesitation caused by the tranny, not the engine.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    Why not take the car in and have them flush out the fuel injector or replace the ECM? If it works for other, just get it done rather than wait till it happen again.
  • roderacerroderacer Member Posts: 311
    I have noticed, or thought I have noticed a slight bit of hesitation. But it is between 1st and 2nd gear. I don't know if the tranny is seasoned that way or if it is me not feeding enough gas.

    Take care!
    RR
  • My Impala takes awhile to shift into 2nd, as well. It revs pretty high in 1st, first.

    It may be the GM 4speed. My Acura's 5speed AT shifts much smoother between 1st and 2nd. I guess more "gears" equal less of a gap between shifts.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    You can remove it as it is only held into place with a snap ring. I think I would keep that screen in there. It's a back up just incase the air filter ever fails. The screen woudn't keep the dust out, but would prevent the larger things from getting in there. I was suprised the amount of sand/fine gravel in the dirty side of the airbox.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    I remember one site where the owner installed the changer in the armrest, but the site is and has been down for quite some time.


    I'll make you a deal, I'll give you all the information you need if you try and photograph/document your project. I've been wanting to to a how-to article on radio upgrades but the cost it too high. =) Post your work on the web and I'll link to it or you could even send the photos to me and I'll whip up a page for it.


    Anyway, one source for the relocation kit is Autotoys. The part number is BESYTBHA2004T and it is $58.50. If you do a seach on their site for "relocate" you will find it. Or you can look at my Accessories page under Electronics and I have a direct link to the item. Someone just e-mailed me a question on that.


    And when was the last time you visited my site? =P I have two How-To articles on the console. One removes the center console and the other removes the instrument panel trim plate (so you can get to the radio.) Or did you need some other information?


    http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/

  • impalaboy2001impalaboy2001 Member Posts: 117
    When I said Center Console, I meant the center arm rest, somehow I want to get the changer in there for easy accesability. I still havent decided whether or not I'm gonna do the install myself. Its gonna be Hard, and time consuming, and since I'm in the Air Force working 12 hour shifts 7 days a weeks, time is something i dont have at this time. As far as cost goes here is a breakdown of all the parts you need.

    Headunit relocation kit $60

    Starmod1 (to keep Onstar Operational) $100

    Starrelay (to mute aftermarket unit when call is received) $50

    Module to keep steering wheel controls functional on after market headunit $60

    thats mostly it and the rest is whatever you want to spend on a headunit and cables/wires.

    :-) I visit your site at least 3 times a week, I'm jealous, I was working on a site for myself, it at http://members.home.net/chrbut

    Thanks for the info Nat, if you could tell me how to get that center arm rest removed, I would greatly appreciate it. Once I get all these parts in, I'm gonna take a look at what is involved for this installation.


    Thank you

    Chris

  • rchelicopterrchelicopter Member Posts: 1
    Some of you may remember me posting in 2000 about haveing the aluminum engine cradle replaced, re welded, replaced again, ect. ect. Well a few months ago it broke again and since it broke 4 time in the first year I had the car I called a layer and lemon lawed the car. After 2 months I finally get to drop off the car on Friday and GM is refunding my money in Full with the exception of 10cents a mile from when I first reported the problem. That was at 240 miles. So it cost me $24.00 to drive the car for a year and a half, I Put 16000 miles on it and went through 5 frames. I extended the warranty so that's being prorated, so i will not get the full amount back for that. GM did not even give me a fight on this. I am glad to see them stand behind there products as not all companies do! Except for the cradle and some hesitation it was a good car. It's been fun but I am out of here. Good luck to the rest of you with your impala's.
    Chuck K.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    If you follow the instructions in the How To article on taking apart the center console, you are pretty much there. All you need to do is remove the bolts near the instrument panel, near the shifter, and under the mat in the armrest bin. Pull the console backward to disengage the clips from the instrument panel. Disconnect the electrical connectors and the whole assembly will come out.

    Actually, you might not have to remove the whole console. If you remove the top part of the console, you should have enough room to cut a hole into the armrest bin to run the electrical.
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