2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

johnclineii

Be SURE to report the symptoms, get them DOCUMENTED on a repair order. Even if the car is not fixed, the coolant problems will then be documented. Should something nasty happen in a reasonable period after the warranty period would otherwise expire, you will be covered, as symptoms of a problem were demonstrated during the warranty period.

Hopefully, they will find the problem and fix it. Otherwise, at least get yourself covered in the event of a problem later. Also, you said the first warranty service. Keep ALL evidence of maintenance (you HAVE been changing oil, etc., right?)

dgonzalez13

Be glad it's under warranty. I had mine stop working on a trip to Virginia this summer and when igot back to NY had to buy one (i was out of warranty)for $100 from the dealer. This is the window switch cluster that is in your door.

discgolfer

I had the same thing happen. "FREEZE PLUG" was replaced. When you take it in, tell them that if it "IS" a freeze plug, you want it replaced with a BRASS one. I had to take mine in 3 times because 2 times, the new FP did not work, and leaked even worse than before they touched it. On the 3rd visit, they said they would use Brass, as it has not leaked since...

mediumfry

Thanks for the interesting and very thorough reply about oils.

b4z

This is a civilian owned 9C1 that was bought from a dealer who had a leftover.

You think left lane bandits move over for him? LOL.

http://home.earthlink.net/~oldsdoug/impala.jpg

vcjumper

Could anyone with an Impala basically duplicate the look by debadging and getting a hold of those steel wheels?

b4z

This is huge! SVT mechanic thrashes customer's car taking it up to 140 mph and posts about it on stangworks.com.
Owner sees the post and mechanic gets fired.
180,000 page views on stangworks alone.

rangerwillie

johncline ii:
I changed oil at 1500 1st time, every 3000 since (Castrol GTX). Get it changed at Wal Mart for convenience, I would do it myself if I didn't live in an apartment. I have all the receipts, technically I am overmaintaining according to manual (every 7500). I did plan on switching to mobil 1 and going every 7500 next change. What is everyone else doing? Are most going 3000 or 7500 (like manual states)? Dino or synth.? I just don't like the idea of leaving dino in for 7500 mi. In fact, I am still unsure about 7500 mi at all. It is very dusty here in west Texas, and I'm afraid the oil (dino or synth) would be pretty dirty by 7500 mi.

discgolfer:
Did yours have an obvious leak with the freeze plug problem (ie. could you see leaking or a puddle), or did you just notice that the coolant level was dropping? Did yours overheat? Also, which engine do you have, 3.4 or 3.8?

dgonzalez13:
Mine hasn't stopped working... yet. It's only the "auto down" feature that doesn't work. When you touch the button once and let go, it's supposed to go all the way down...ours doesn't anymore. Did yours simply quit working all at once, or give you some indication that it would die?

rangerwillie

I've tried to read as many old posts as I can, but this topic is huge. I used to read all the time, stopped when it had about 7000 posts. Whatever happened to Teo, Garypen and some of the others that were always here. Are you still out there? Anyway, I can't find much info at all on the 3.4L V6. It seems most of you have LS w/ 3.8. Who else has the base engine here?

Does anyone know of any common problems with the 3.4 V6, specifically engine and coolant related problems? Stuff like head gasket, water pump, intake manifold, etc.

What about the 3.1 V6 (malibu, grand prix, lumina, etc.)? The 3.4 is the same engine as 3.1 isn't it? I believe the 2.8, 3.1 and 3.4 are all the same 60* design, right?

My friend had a lumina and never had any trouble with his 3.1. That's part of the reason we bought the 3.4.

rangerwillie

Gas mileage is great with this engine for this car. I keep VERY meticulous records. Average (when ALL in town) has been 21.7. Average (when ALL highway) has been 33.8. Yes, We have had several ALL Highway tanks, not quite as many ALL city tanks. Obviously, most tanks are mixed driving. Best tank- 35.2 Worst tank-19.8. EPA rating was 21/32. I conservatively tell friends we've gotten right at the city EPA rating, slightly better than the highway EPA rating.

I wouldn't complain, but our '88 Buick Electra with 3.8 got 20/30 avg. from my records. Considering it never had an engine problem, I'd gladly take the slight economy decrease.

b4z

Some of the old impalans stop by from time to time.
Teo no longer posts here. It seems he has dropped off the planet. I have emailed him a couple of times and it comes back as undeliverable. I can't find him on any other forums either.
Garypen still posts here.
cookie will drop in once or twice a year.
mcdill will post something then disappear.
YOur mileage records prove what I have been saying for years, that these cars will exceed there hwy ratings.
Mine (3800)pulls 30 mpg all the time @79-80 mph.

b4z

I couldn't post a URL because it was more than 115 characters.
Go to stangworks.com
Then modular motors
Then to "it was waaaaaaaay cool"
And check what this idiot did to this woman's car.

dgonzalez13

The switch was failing intermittantly over the course of about 6 months. It started with the auto-down, then "up" function. It would always go down, but it was 50/50 on going up. Anyway, as i crossed the bridge into delaware with my family in the car i paid the toll at the booth, tried to roll the window up (knowing i had another few hundred miles to drive)and it would not work. i ended up re-wiring the switch on the shoulder of the road to allow me to open the window and close it. Problem is, it meant both front windows opened and closed at the same time. as soon as i got home i went to the dealer and bought a new switch. my warranty expired on my way back from Virginia.

atbear

Guys do y'all realize that the auto down feature only works if you push the button in all the way for one push? Simply pushing it once will not activate the auto down feature, you have to push it in all the way. Try it

night_owl1

Site is down. Took too many hits?

nosirrahg

FWIW - I switched over to Mobil-1 at @ 5,000 miles on my 3.8l 2000 Impala (at @ 43k now), and started changing it only when the oil life monitor indicated I needed to change it. Thus far, I think the longest I've left the synthetic in there has been something like 6,500 miles before the monitor kicked in.

Some would argue I could go another 6,500 on the synthetic; others would say I'm wasting my money when I could use dino oil and change it more frequently (and less expensively). I change my oil myself, and for me it's worth the extra $$, not only for the supposed benefits to the engine, but also for the simple fact that I don't have to change the oil as often. If I used dino oil, I'd be changing it twice as often - this would still cost less than synthetic, but I'd be doing it 4x per year instead of 2x - that alone makes it worth the difference for me. If it prolongs the life of my engine, that's just icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.

garyw

Does anyone know if someone made a FWD version of the 17" rims from the 96 SS for the current Impala.

I have checked all the Impala sites and have not found a lead. Any companies online that you w ould recommend checking with?

Thanx.

[Deleted User]

Even though I have a 3.8 LS, I had the 3.4L in my 99 Grand Am, which I owned for about 18 months, after purchasing used from Hertz. I thought it was a great engine, personally. Very quick and responsive. No leaks or problems. But, I got terrible gas mileage (16-17 city). I have a feeling it had a lot to do with my driving style, as my Impala mileage(17-18 city) isn't nearly as good as many who post here, and my XJS mileage is only 14-15 in the city, less than others with the same engine.
(I should probably get rid of my lead boots!)

mediumfry

And any other body parts made of lead.

I'm disappointed. You left yourself wide open for that.

b4z

Sadly no. I wish the company that makes the 17X8,18X8 and 20X8 IROC wheel would get cracking on that.
I think their name is Capitol Wheel or something like that.
Contact them and see if they have other models in the works.

b4z

Try svtperformance.com
"Forums"
Then "Roadside Pub"
The original thread is closed but there is a "Condolence" thread
Scroll down the page and read the post in caps.
stangworks is getting about 50,000 hits a day and couldn't keep up.
Several news channels have posted looking for additional info.
The dealership has been swamped with emails.
Looks like the dealership in Texas is in big trouble.

johnclineii

And now that URL is closed...

b4z

I have edited that to say svtperformance.COM not org.

[Deleted User]

It appears to be mustangworks.com, not stangworks. Also, the 2nd site you name should have read svtperformance.com, not .ORG

I found the threads. It only goes to prove my theory, which is...
People are idiots!
It's more than a theory. It's my motto! It's more than my motto. It's my credo! Heck...I base my entire life around it!

b4z

It was stangworks.com. They shut it down because this one thread had over 200,000 hits in 4 days!!!!

[Deleted User]

I found it on mustangworks. The victim, that posted on svtperformance.com also gives a mustangworks URL as the location. But, don't doubt you! ;-)

It's a great thread. Thanks for pointing it out. Are you a Mustang fan? Those '94 -'98 Mustangs sure were purdy.

rangerwillie

Thanks for responding.

atbear,
Thanks, your right, it worked. Dgonzalez13 had a real problem though, since his window stopped going up and he had to buy a new switch.

dogonzalez13,
Thanks, I think mine is okay.

nosirrhag,
Thanks for reassuring me.
I think our philosophy is the same. I have read enough posts to make your head spin on the dino vs. synth topics. I am now convinced synthetic is better for any engine in every aspect. I'm also pretty sure I'll never see most of those benefits in normal driving.

BUT- I don't trust Chevy/GM enough to leave dino in there for 7500 miles. I do however, from my reading, trust synthetic to stay in at least 7500 miles with absolutely zero problems. Longer change intervals is worth any extra cost to me. And until we buy a house and I begin changing oil myself, I think synth. will actually cost less. Most of my expense is the service and not the oil. Half the # of changes will make up for the cost of the oil. Castrol, which I like to use, isn't the cheapest dino anyway. If my engine lasts slightly longer b/c synthetic allows better cold starts or protects better on extended highway trips, then that is just icing... like you said.

garypen,
I agree, the 3.4 is a great engine. If this problem turns out to be minor, I will be thrilled with it's performance/mileage.

I know a lot of people that get caught up in numbers. People tend to forget (or maybe don't realize) what was acceptable just a short time ago.

Example: I never felt wanting for power in our '88 Buick w/ 3.8. That car weighed about the same as our Impala. Yet the 3.8 back then "only" made something like 155 HP and 215 lb-ft. The new 3.4 makes 180 HP and 205 lb-ft., despite being smaller and weighing less.

Obviously, the peak torque was higher and the curve better in the old Buick. But IMO, 205 lb-ft is plenty to get the Impala moving. And the HP # is better than in our old 3.8, and this is noticeable. I never thought the Buick was bad, but the Impala is definitely less winded when you push it onto an on-ramp. Of course, the new 3.8 is better still than the 3.4. Some prefer the extra power and torque, and that is fine and understandable. But it amazes me when I see people on these boards (not the Impala board, of course!!) who insist that "the base engine is way underpowered for xxxxx vehicle." Very few of the new vehicles I have test driven have base engines that truly felt burdened, IMO.

As to the mileage, my wife and I drive like grannies, especially for young folk (20's)! Don't get me wrong, we do our share of speeding, and rarely get passed. But we're both incredibly easy on starts/stops. Our brakes love us.

The city we live in (Lubbock) probably helps- lots of 40-50 mph speed limits and not as much traffic as larger cities. I'm 100% certain we could decrease our city mileage by changing our habits. I don't think we could do much to sabotage our highway mileage... short of driving insanely

rangerwillie

I agree with you about the highway milage in these vehicles. The city mileage has been excellent for me, too. I wish I had a dollar for every person who was in shock after they asked me about gas mileage in that old Buick. Everyone assumed it would be bad. Even mechanics who worked on it. I guess they never drove one.

The thing about the old pushrod designs is they have nice flat torque curves. This allows for tall gearing w/out sacrificing acceleration- hence good mileage.

I don't understand why people seem so blind to the power/mileage combo that these engines deliver. The ratings are right on the window sticker! When we were shopping, we did not fail to notice that the base Impala had better ratings than the V6 versions of Taurus, Camry, Accord, etc. Many people don't seem to notice this, though.

A guy I know recently bought a new V6 Camry. When he was showing it to me, he commented that he liked the room in my Impala, but he needed better gas mileage. I told him my avg. mileage and he was shocked. He said I must be lucky! When I told him that actually the EPA rating on the window sticker showed that it would get better mileage he wouldn't even believe me!!! He said no way (21/32) since it was so close to the 4-cylinder rating on the '03 Camry (23/32 w/ an automatic). He had to drive to a Chevy dealer before he believed me!

I think Chevrolet/GM needs to advertise this point way more.

He didn't even look at a Chevy because he was convinced a larger domestic car with a V6 would be worse than a smaller Japanese car with a V6.

nosirrahg

I've seen some folks posting about experiences they've had with a GM 3.4-liter engine in other vehicles, but isn't the 3.4 in the base Impala the same as that from the Venture van, and not the one from the Grand Am? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember back in the early days some discussions about these being totally different engines.

[Deleted User]

Thanks a lot for posting those sights. I spent hours last night reading the 24 pages posted on Mustang forum, and about 5 pages of the SVT forum. I'm going back to SVT now to finish.

I was planning on adding my $.02, and anticipating being the first Jaguar owner to offer my support. But, a fellow Jag Lover posted there minutes before me! I knew I shouldn't have taken that bathroom break!

discgolfer

Sorry I'm late. Haven't bee able to read for a few days...

I have an LS, with 3.8 engine...

No, there was no puddling, or other visual signs of the leakage, other than the coolant light came on, and when checked in the radiator, it was low.

After they replaced it, both the first and second times, I DID have puddling in my garage. They used Steel ones.

After the third time, using Brass, no problems since...

atbear

Has anybody thought of painting their gray body side moldings? My car is Navy Blue and I think it'd look better if the moldings were Navy Blue too instead of gray.... what do y'all think? Is it possible/will the paint "stick" to that kind of plastic?

b4z

Ask the guys over at the avalanche thread and seeif any of them had long term success with painting the plastic mouldings.

atbear

Here is what I posted over on the Avalanche board:

Hey guys! I have a Chevy Impala so I post over at the Impala Edmund's Board, but I need y'alls opinion on something. The Impala has a side Body Side Door Molding that's made of the same plastic that the Avalanche body cladding is made of. I hear some of you tried to paint it... how did that work out, how did you do it, and do you have any suggestions for me (should I try it or not?) Thanks guys, and tear up some mud for us car guys!!

rangerwillie

The pushrod 3.4 V6 in the base Impala is the same as the pushrod 3.4 V6 in all CURRENT GM products- including all minivans and the Grand Am. Engines in it's family include the 2.8 and 3.1 V6's.

Your thinking of a different engine altogether. GM once upon a time made a 3.4L DOHC engine. I believe it went in the Grand Am, etc. I know it went in the Camaro/Firebird as the base engine, before it was replaced by the old standby 3.8. It had great potential, but too many problems killed it. Seems like '94 or '95 was the last year for it.

Mostly, they never built a FWD transmission to keep up with it's capabilities. Consequently they kept de-tuning it in a major way every year (way less HP/torque than it was capable of) in order to keep it from eating trannies. Thus, it was forced to be no better than the old pushrod 3.8 (yes, the same 3.8 as now) because the FWD trannsmissions were designed to handle the 3.8 output, but couldn't handle much more. Thus, their was really no reason to buy the 3.4, since it didn't have any more HP- which was it's selling point to begin with.

It also had a some design problems of it's own. But so does any new engine. It probably would have made it, if GM had designed a whole new FWD transmission for it. Instead, they kept trying to upgrade the ones they had. They never caught up to the engine before it was scrapped.

At least, that is the story I've always heard. I'll try to post some links if I can find any.

Here's a neat thought, I seem to remember that DOHC 3.4 having way MORE HP than even the current 3.8, before it was de-tuned. Something in the 225-240 range. But my memory could be wrong.

However, you could be on to something, nosirrahg. It is possible that garypen's Grand Am had this engine instead of the current 3.4. He didn't say what year his Grand Am was. It almost certainly would have had lower fuel economy than the current 3.4 pushrod design.

But with his leadfoot, that might mean 13 mpg.

Just Kidding, garypen

garyw

Atbear - please be sure to post the responses here. Thanx.

rangerwillie

garypen,
you did list your Gran Am year as '99 model. I forgot, sorry. That year did have the current 3.4, correct?

rangerwillie

this site outlines GM's body plans, engines, and the vehicles which used them.

http://members.aol.com/KWZ26/models.html

You'll notice the 3.4 dohc is listed at 210-215 HP. Keep in mind this is the output of the version actually produced- it is WAY de-tuned.

...and here is a link to a great site providing the history/troubles of the 3.4 DOHC in great detail, complete with a picture of the motor

http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/34Performance/dohc.html

b4z

You are correct about some of the 3.4DOHC stuff.
The 3.4DOHC was based on the 2.8L-3.4L family.
I did not read the links you just posted but I understand there was some upper end roughness to the engine. This is why Olds rejected it for the Intrigue and built the Shortstar.
I don't think the block was strong enough.

I have extensive experience with the shortstar in my intrigue and that was a strong engine above 3500 rpms. A stronger engine than the 3.4L DOHC.

Neither the Grand AM or the Camaro had the 3.4L DOHC motor. They did have the 3.4L pushrod. The 3.4L was the base engine in the Camaro until about '96. It had 160 hp then.

There is no way GM would put a 210 hp motor in the Grand Am in the mid 90s, it would have been faster than the Fbodies.

rangerwillie

Thanks.
Actually I figured that out after I found the 1st site (above). It has all sorts of info about GM bodies and engines and which vehicles they went into.

3.4 dohc was used in Grand Prix, Lumina, Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme.

The 2nd link details the 3.4 dohc history. The guy claims some very high HP were possible, and says it was a forerunner to the Cadillac Northstar. It also details the FWD tranny problems, I have seen this elsewhere, too. Don't know if it's true or not.

rangerwillie

Here's a question I've had since we test drove a Trooper. Hope someone knows this.

The Isuzu salesman said the Trooper 3.5 dohc was GM sourced. I know the Intrigue has a 3.5 dohc, and when I looked the HP/torque numbers matched almost exactly. However, per Yahoo Autos, the Intrigue has 6 valves per cylinder (a 36 valve V6!). The Trooper has 4 valves per cyl.

Is this a different version of same engine? If not, is the Trooper engine used anywhere in GM's lineup?

Also, I've heard the Intrigue 3.5 is slated to replace the 3.8 across the board for GM sedans. Is this true, and when would it happen?

johnclineii

The Intrigue 3.5 is being DROPPED as GM sees the cost to make it compliant with coming emissions standards as too high. It is NOT showing up in the rest of the GM lineup.

In fact, the 3.8 has a Series III coming out next spring, with more horsepower, at least in the supercharged versions.

The Isuzu engine is Isuzu built and has no relation to the Intrigue engine, which was seen by some as a Shortstar.

b4z

johnc is correct.
Also, Shortstar had only 4 valves.

The new HFE engines will be coming out in '03.
There will be a high feature engine with pushrods, the 3.6L will have about 230 hp.
There will also be a 3.6L DOHC that will have 251 hp.
There will be smaller version also.
I believe Cadillac will be the first with the DOHC.

charts2

Starting the week of October 7th Chevrolet will introduce new television commercials based on many rock and roll songs from the past. They will be using songs that have the words CHEVY in them. Some of the groups and singers that will be featured in the commercials will be: THE BEACH BOYS, ELTON JOHN, PRINCE, DON McCLEAN etc.....

Beach boys from the 60's (my era) had two songs referring to Chevys that I recall. SHUT DOWN, AND 409.

Elton John: Crocodile rock.

Prince: Red Corvette

Don McClean: American Pie.

Chevy also indicates they will be going on tour showing off the new Chevy SSR pick up and the future Impala SS.

b4z

Impala has dropped down to #18 in sales.
Sales are off 4.6% from last year.
lack of Impalas on the lots is partially to blame but I am sure the $1000.00 a year price increases have something to do with it.

Is it just me or does edmund's site go down a lot?

[Deleted User]

Maybe it's also because of the lousy economy less PD's are upgrading, less rental agencies are purchasing new vehicles (a couple even went out of business), and less fleet sales in general.

I don't think you truly grasp what a huge part of those Impala sales numbers were fleet sales. Lose fleet sales, lose a big chunk of total sales.

On the up side, there'll be more Impalas at the dealers for the public. Lower prices. Lower interest rates.

garyw

I wrote to Capital Wheels www.capitalwheels.com (per b4z recommendation). They said that they can source the chrome or silver 17" wheel for the current generation Impala that is identical to the 1996 SS wheel. They included pictures which I will post if someone tells me to do it for this board.

b4z

Is this a different wheel than the RWD IMpala rim?
I am almost certain that the backspacing is different.
Are they going to have a wheel built for you?
Will it be wider, say 8"?
Please clarify.

garyw

b4z - I am asking all those questions as we speak, I am double checking to make sure it is a FWD version. Me thinks they screwed up or misunderstood.

[Deleted User]

What exactly is the difference between the two types of wheels? I've never heard of this RWD vs. FWD concern for a wheel.

Is the offset different? The bolt pattern is the same between these cars, isn't it? The width should be comparable. The offset is the only thing I can think of.