2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

cathy2000

I had no idea you could put in a tracking device to record hesitation/stumbling. I had my car in for 5 times and the dealer drove it for 2 days straight, and he could not duplicate the problem. After I pick it up from him, I was going to dinner with my children, it hesitated while pulling in to traffic. I felt like leaving the car where it was and walking. Thank you for that bit of information. I would really like to keep my car. It has been very frustrating.

hunter39

I mentioned this a long time ago when Polly first mentioned she might have this problem, but I had this same exact problem with a 93' Caprice. I tried all the same fixes as everyone else has tried, water dissipator fluid in the gas tank, changed fuel, fuel injector cleaner in fuel, had fuel injectors cleaned (139.00!) had fuel filter changed (no easy feat since it's inside the tank!) had O2 sensor changed after a code came up for it on the third trip to dealer. Then had a spark plug wire replaced when it was discovered one was bad. The end result? Nothing worked and the dealer had no answer... I sold the car and bought a 2000 Impala. So far at 10200 miles I have no problems other than a few squeaks and I had the ticking early on but it went away. "Blu" got washed yesterday and in the Arizona sunshine and 70 degrees I still walk up and say "what a great car!" If I had some lucky stars, I'd be thanking them because I know what you folks are going thru...

sweetpolly

whippetcat, did you get leather seats? If yes, you got an excellent price. If no, you still got a very good price.

mcdill

Sounds like a good price , I would take cloth over leather ANY day , what color is it ? thanks---------------mattmcdill

whippetcat

In response to sweetpolly and mcdill: Sport cloth seats--I don't care for leather seats either--they are very nice to look at, and even sit in, on a lovely day around 70 degrees. However, in New Jersey, where the winters are cold and summers are sweltering,,,leather leaves a bit to be desired when you actually sit in them. The car is silver with silver interior.

neals1820

Had same problem. Go to http://calid.gm.com and enter your vin # and it will tell you if your car needs to be re programed. Had my done last week and so far no problems.

mcdill

Went out to the chevy lot today , there were two used impalas , both base 3400's , one had 27000 miles the other had 46,000 miles !! , both looked really good , , Ours got about 21mpg in the city this past week , today I did a little cleanind under the hood wiped everything down ,look at the airfilter ....YIKES the original with 20,000 miles on it it looked pretty bad , So I hopped in the truck and ran to Discount Auto Parts, I normally don't go there , even though its closer than the Autozone , so I went in and all they carried was Purolaters , which was fine, only the cataloge showed " N/A" where airfilter number shoul be , but they did have the cabin airfilter, so I asked the guy , and he said I would probably have to get it from the dealer , so I went to Autozone , and they had it , picked it up for $3.89 , put it in , and finished cleaning under the hood , next will be the fuel filter , I can't wait til spring so I can wax it . thanks---------------mattmcdill

bob1951

To TEO et al: I’ve been reading most of the posts on the intermediate steering shaft problem. I hadn’t paid to much attention to it really until I read one of Teo’s last posts. What he described was EXACTLY what I’ve experienced a few times. When the clumping on right turns with brakes happened initially I didn’t think much of it…now I do. I took the Teo post into my local Chevy dealer and sure enough, he had no idea what I was talking about. He wouldn’t even read the post…just said come back and we’ll look at it. I don’t want to waste a lot of my time convincing them there’s a problem with my car (By the way, it was built 1/00….in TEO’s timeframe for defective shafts). Does anyone have any specific info I can feed to my dealer…especially since a TSB has not been issued and that’s all they seem to care about. I’m not really sure how big a safety issue this is if I don’t press hard driving….nevertheless it is real and I think it should be fixed. Any help/recommendations would be appreciated.

tpken

Sounds like a great show - nice to have those antiques and collectables mixed in!

Glad you like the Bonnie seats - I'm still undecided if they will pass the test for long term comfort on a 400 mile trip - will find out in a couple weeks.

Ken

duraflex

Thanks for that helpful link.

Do I understand that if it comes up "N/A" that my car is up to date?

dewdrops38

Who's yelling?

Lawyer, major and expensive step? I'm not paying a dime.

Give em a chance to get it right? Hows 5 chances?

Heres a hint:

782 miles
noise in front left--fell on deaf ears--was told to keep driving the car to "get the kinks out"

2500 miles
ticks, vibration (duplicated) --dealer "lubed"

4274 miles--diagnosis and repair was "poor weld using chasis ear isolated to left rear corner of cradle assy. Remove cradle assy and transfer mounts control arms sway bar and bushings. Reinstall cradle -- Frame-Engine-replace complete *Tow vehicle to another garage for wheel alignment after extensive work *Still popping after this fix.(for the record, these are the dealers notes)

***Still popping after this fix.

9633 miles -- cradle popping --spray LPS lubricant into 1/2 dollar sized holes in rear of cradle and at lower control arms, at steering rack for correction of pop/crack condition.

14,400 - Steering jerking in and out of left turns. Shaking steering wheel in and out of turns. Duplicated, in the shop again. NOTE: at 782 miles this EXACT same problem was brought to their attention, only to be found 14,000 miles later. It was AFTER this last item that I got my attorney. He'll handle it.

SCOTSMAN, Sorry to hear of your hesitation problem. I was scared for so long driving my car wondering about my steering/front end problems and the fact that they could not duplicate it for so long, yet I could duplicate it, every day, every mile etc. I finally grabbed a mechanic by the arm last Friday, said "how much time do you have, because we will NOT come back to this dealer lot until you feel what I feel". I wasn't yelling at him, I was just seriously looking into his eyes telling him this has gone on much too long and it has all gone too far. Its not fair to not drive a car out of fear/danger. Regardless, 5 attempts at front end defects is plenty.

teo

Not necessarily. Your car was built I believe also during 01/00 so when you type your VIN number you'll get all the PCM firmware updates available for your build VIN number break points. If you haven't had any of the engine hesitation problems, the updates are not required at this time. If engine problems develop, updating the PCM will be the first step by the dealer.

I had posted the Calibration Website link several times before.....no one took it seriously until Neals1820 re-posted it again.

bullfarm

Hey, I know that you must think that you are some all supreme being that troubles yourself with the rest of the world merely for the sake of improving our lives, but I had a legitimate post. Or at least every bit as legitimate as your senseless ramblings about how the rest of us out here are to stupid to be happy when our car is running fine. So, if you don't mind... "Stick it where the sun doesn't shine, JERK!!!"

Now, on to more productive matters. My Impala only has about 6K on it and when I hit a sharp type of bump in the road, the driver's door sounds like it is ajar. Does anyone else have this problem and what did you do to fix it. Secondly, I have a good friend that drives a police model for the local Sheriff's Department. He shut the door the other day and was shocked to find that the side-impact airbag deployed as the door closed. Has anyone else out hear heard of that? I have only heard a clunk when turning right one time. It hasn't done it since then. What are the symptoms of the engine cradle problem. I see the posts saying that it is a problem, but how would I know. Does the car begin vibrating or what?

teo

The Intermediate Steering Shaft problem is a serious safety hazard...don't hesitate or delay to take the car in for repairs, it will only get worse as miles go by.

Your dealer seems to be giving you sort of a hard time (Not surprising)so DON'T let them send you on your way back home "Oh your car is perfect, drive it with confidence"...Follow these steps to exercise pressure on the service dept to enforce your warranty rights and to get your steering shaft replaced:

1. Call Chevy Customer service (1-800 number). Explain calmly and politely to the customer service representative the nature of the problem and the dealer's attitude and response in handling your problem. Ask the rep to get a hold of your dealer's service manager DIRECTLY. Once they do that the case is officially on the hands of GM and the Service Manager.

2. Next, at the end of the call, the Chevy customer service representative will issue a Case or File number. Write down this number as it will serve you as reference during the entire process. Remember, you need to create a detailed paper trail should you need to escalate your situation if dealer fails to provide a resolution to your problem.

3. Expect to receive a call from your service manager to setup an appointment with you to test drive the car at the dealer.

4. At the test drive, give yourself plenty of time to go over the problem (If you work, tell them you'll be getting there at least an hour late)Let the service manager drive the vehicle with your riding on his side. Tell him the steps of manuvers he needs to do to reproduce the clunks at the steering wheel. Your goal here is to making him fully acknowledge the problem.

5. If after successfully reproducing the problem the service manager tells you I don't know what it is, shove in front of his face all the printouts from this forum describing the nature of the problem, even the actual steering shaft part number. Stick to your guns at all times.

6. If at the end the manager tells you he needs to keep the car for a few days, he is OBLIGATED to provide you a FREE dealer loaner or a rental vehicle at no charge to you for up to $30 a day for warranty repairs. If he refusesto do so, pull out the warranty booklet that came with your car where the loaner/rental car benefit is outlined in detail. If he still refuses, he is under breach of warranty. Call GM and enforce all your rights..remember ITS YOUR MONEY, not someone elses opinions.

Good luck.

lrcobra

Where did that come from????(post 1264)Need any help call on me and Teo to give you a hand. We don't need that at all.
LRCobra

teo

Bullfarm::: With all your due respect...Post #1264 (First part) was totally uncalled for. Sorry to say, but shows of disrespect towards others' problems are just a futile attempt to proved them wrong. The MAIN goal of these forums is to exchange a good amount of information between owners of a particular automobile whether this information is positive or negative.

You said:

"Hey, I know that you must think that you are some all supreme being that troubles yourself with the rest of the world merely for the sake of improving our lives, but I had a legitimate post. Or at least every bit as legitimate as your senseless ramblings about how the rest of us out here are to stupid to be happy when our car is running fine. So, if you don't mind... "Stick it where the sun doesn't shine, JERK!!!"

First let me state, that every one here that participates in the Impala forum has the right to express their satisfaction or lack of it whenever they please always taking into account that the tone of our posts must show ultermost respect and a total sense of fraternity even if someone elses problems or opinions don't agree with ours. The bickering I have seen from some participants here is quite disturbing..."If my car runs FINE, then the rest of you that have complained about problems are just insane or just whiners". That's call BLIND FANATISM. A true car fan is CAPABLE of recognizing the good points and the bad points about their favorite vehicle of choice. When problems are discussed or someone complains, these participants take it PERSONALLY and feel that their mission in life is to defend the Impala at all costs because for some reason they believe it is the best thing since the invention of sliced bread and therefore no fault can be attributed to it. Oh but wait a minute, if these same posters do eventually experience a problem, the world has to come to a halt and everyone has to show their SYMPHATY because their precious car developed a problem. Grow up and GET OVER IT some of you!! If you can't stand hearing about problems and complaints then go and form your own little club "Happy Impala owners no whiners admitted"...go there is PLENTY of space for those silly topics here in Edmunds.

Again the GOAL here is to help each other and find solutions to current issues. If your car has been flawless, do let us know as well. But BICKERING nad INSULTS have no place here or anywhere, OK?

Dewdrops38 has a very good case for LEMON law. Based on her own recollection of problems with her car I think she has exercised extreme patience with her dealer and GM to solve her problems....5 failed repair attempts plus the aggravation of BBB arbitration can wear anyone down..and that's exactly their goal..to wear down the customer until they no longer feel like pursuing the problem by any available venue. I would love to see how many of the "FLAWLESS" Impala owners after going to the heck of failed repairs and BBB and lemon law proceedings would still go out and defend the car's faults...HOW MANY PLEASE??????? She is a loyal customer (She has not one but TWO Impalas sitting in her garage) and still the dealer and GM has been dragging her to make her absorb the cost of GM's own mistakes??? If I were her, I would have sold both cars and no more loyalty to GM....you don't treat loyal customers like junk, that's for sure.

Sorry for the rant, but civility has to return to this forum.

NO MORE BICKERING PLEASE!

teo

I am still undecided about the replacement car. I have abandoned the idea of the Bonneville altogether. While a very nice car, it is $2,000 more expensive (Going by sticker price) and still you don't get some of the goodies found in the Impala LS or Grand Prix GT. Another problem with the Bonneville is the lack of good resale value. This made the Bonneville earn a solid black dot in the predicted resale value column. Word is that GM will ax the Bonneville line by '03 or '04 due to current soft sales. It is a shame because the Bonneville is one solid, reliable sedan. The problem is that GM has priced the current model out of its own league...$26K for a base SE, $29K for the midtrim SLE and $33K for the flagship, Supercharged 3800 SSEi model. Guess what, the W-bodies offer almost everything found on the G-body Bonneville for thousands less and then some. The car is too expensive for nothing, in my opinion.

For instance, on the $23K loaded Grand Prix GT sedan, you can get the N/A 3800 V6 engine, 4-speed auto, MAGNASTEER steering gear (You can't get Magnasteer on the Bonneville unless you plunk $33K for the top of the line SSEi) an oustanding sounding 6-speaker Delco series 2100 Stereo with CD player and graphic equalizer, keyless entry, the works. For an extra $1500 or so you can get the 240HP Supercharged engine..drove one it blew me away!

The Grand prix GT and GTP do handle better and corner much flatter than the Impala LS. The GP GT and GTP have stiffer 'sports' car ride however but the handling is head over shoulders compared to the Impala LS. The stereo is much better also, however the RDS feature is missing from the package unfortunately. I love the Magnasteer steering versus the standard rack and pinion setup of the Impala LS. However, the Impala LS has a better steering feedback and better on center feel, but the Magnasteer rocks...it can be programmed by the dealer (it has 3 separate settings) to adjust it to the driver's liking..firmer, softer, less assist, more assist, etc...a gem! Another pluses of the Grand Prix are the absence of aluminum engine cradles and more reliable steering gear componetry. I wish that Chevy would offer the Impala with the Magnasteer system ans the S/C 3800 engine..that would be a winning combo!.

Negatives of the Grand Prix...I was not too impressed with the quality of some interior trim plastics and the Impala in the fit and finish department seems to be more carefully assembled. The Grand Prix is made at the Fairfax plant in Kansas City, KS whereas the Impala is made at the Oshawa #1, Ontario, Canada plant.

Due to the sportier nature of the Grand Prix, there is less interior room all around. Again the Impala is king in this respect with better trunk space to boot.

The Grand Prix is a beatiful automobile but in the tangibles department I still think the Impala is better executed all around. The Grand Prix handles and drives better than the Impala, but the Impala is a more appealing package all around.

With current incentives and finance deals it is possible to get a fully loaded Grand Prix GT (leather, trip computer, etc) for about $2K less than the Impala LS. Current rebates are $1,000 for 2001 models or 5.9% finance for 36 months or 6.9% for 48 months...a heck of a value. Impala doesn't have any current national incentives, just a few regional $500 to $750 rebates and no special financing.

Without any factory rebates, the Impala LS is the best value as far as W-Body 3800 V6 equipped cars go. But when the Regal, Grand Prix, Century, Intrigue are offering good rebates, they undercut the Impala bt a considerable margin, however, the Impala still holds the candle in the fit and finish dept, safety scores, interior room and maybe resale value if this Engine cradle non-sense doesn't go out of hand.

But the Grand Prix GT, its a very tempting alternative...

tpken

While the Bonneville is certainly a great car for the price I paid for the preowned '00 model, I absolutely agree with you that the Impala LS definitely offers the best overall new car bang for buck. Grand Prix is a great alternative for anyone who doesn't mind the harsher ride aspects of the sports sedan feel and it certainly ought to hold value better than a soon to be discontinued Bonneville (shame about that).

I'm glad I got mine at my price and I hope to get 3 years and 75K miles or so of reliable and enjoyable driving out of it before it's time to buy again - but for a brand new car, I'd be with you - that Impala LS is such a nice car all around - it's hard to beat at anywhere near the price. Just keep those fingers crossed about the known issues.

BTW - Impalas are multiplying like rabbits around here now. For months I saw virtually none, then since the first of the year, and especially last two weeks - they're everywhere you look! All colors, more base models than LS but plenty of both - and its obvious the owners are trying to keep the salt off them - a tough and losing battle here this time of year.

Hope you're enjoying the Miami warmth and sunshine - it was equivalent to 30 below zero here this weekend with the temps in the 10s and high winds. People losing power due to electric lines falling and thus heat - I wish I was lounging on Miami Beach!!


Ken

teo

You made the right choice by getting a pre-owned '00 Bonneville SE...you got an awesome ride for 30% less than sticker price...someone else got the hit for depreciation, not you. Still you get to enjoy a 'nearly new' car with the remainder of the bumper to bumper warranty. The Bonneville has posted very good reliability stats in the past and the new Y2K models should be no exception. Unfortunately, the Bonneville makes little sense as a Brand spanking new purchase. It is a heck of a value in the used car market however. In both cases, the mindset of the Bonneville buyer should be to drive to the ground because short term resale value in this car is nothing to write home about.

Ken, enjoy your Bonnie!

teo

Brrrrrrr!!!! That sounds too cold. Right now it is 83F hot and muggy, typical South Florida climate. I love cold weather when I go on trips (To feel like I really made a change of environment) and enjoy the snow when I hit the slopes in the Colorado Rockies..other than that, you have all my symphaties!

We'll be going to Europe with my wife shortly on vacation, so we are expecting cold weather for the duration of the trip...we'll be traveling in the north, middle section and south of Western Europe so it will be interesting to experience the different climates and of course the different cultures and countries along the way!

dewdrops38

It is obvious that I admire the Impala. Yes, we have 2 of them., even with the cradle issue/front end problems unresolved we still went out and got a 2001. Loyalty. GM for many many years. Hoping, reading, here, that as of yet, no 2001's had the issues that the 2000's had.

Now, I hate to do this. It has been asked, I scrolled back in time. I do not want to type the following sentence. I'd like to deny it completely, however, it remains..........that... the 2001 ........is......tic...tic...tic'ing. Identical to the 2000.

:-(

Drove up to the ATM and just like the 2000, there it was. I looked at Dave (husband), he looked at me.. we got our cash, and proceeded to see Hannibal. Oh well, we'll do what we have to do, whatever that is , sigh~

What can I say, we still love the cars.

Our son used what he calls "the old one" (the 2000 Navy Blue model) for a dance Saturday night. The mother of his date wanted a picture of my son and her daughter standing next to the transportation. I laughed my a** off, it was too cute. Navy Blue in all its glory. The mother of my sons date must have thought it was one fine looking vehicle (that it is). I was on pins and needles the rest of the night waiting for "my" car to come home, with children in tow of course :-)
They were only going to use it for the dance and meal. For the rest of the evening of party hopping, they were going to use their own vehicle 88 Calais. Go figure, my sons cars ignition was froze ! He used mine, all night. It was a long night. They sure felt special :-)

teo

What are the actual build dates on both of your Impalas??? To my understanding, 2001 model year Impalas built after 10/00 have the "Shim" material fix in the cradle along with other updates. Was your 2001 Built before or after 10/00??

dewdrops38

8-99 would be the 2000 Navy Blue Impala..

As for the 2001 black one, its not home at the moment. That information is found on the inside driver door, correct?

teo

Yes, you'll find the build date on the sticker placed inside the driver's side door jamb. I am very interested to find out about the build date of your 2001, because if the car was built before 10/00 I could still aim at getting a 2001 Impala LS replacement built after 10/00. If your car was built after 10/00 and exhibits the cradle noises, then my hopes to move to a 2001 would be put to rest...this would mean the "Shim" material fix did not work...

nosirrahg

In regards to your question about the sound like the passenger door being ajar when hitting bumps, does this usually happen when you're along in the car (or at least don't have someone else in the front seat)? I've noticed the seat belt latch on the passenger side of mine tends to hang in such a way that it will occasionally rattle againce the plastic on the B pillar. It took me a while to isolate the sound initially; I thought it was coming from the glove box. Try fiddling with the passenger seatbelt and see if that fixes the problem.

dewdrops38

btw - I took a 2 hour trip recently, interstate, 80 mph is the speed I drive. Averaged 32 mpg. Rather impressed. The drive was in the black 2001 with the 3.8. This info was recorded on the DIC

dewdrops38

Might that be found in the VIN #? Just curious. At any rate, the 2001 should be home shortly, and I'm as anxious as you are to see the bd. Funny thing is, a mechanic explained things to me about the cradle in a "different" sort of way last week. He settled my head on a "safety issue" with the cradle.... temporarily. His explanation was welcomed, and I'm married to a car mechanic and a jet engine technician, so I'm used to hearing this sort of talk all the time..learned a few nice things along the way I might add. Anyhow, he relaxed me to "some" extent, however, the front end issue (s) are a scary thing no matter which way you look at them. When you have that wheel in your hand and you're not absolutely certain that the vehicle in question is going to perform as you want it to, and as it should, it can be quite nerve wrecking.

I'd like nothing more than to "believe" its (just) a noise, and a bearable one at that. But I need, under no uncertain terms, to be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt, which, presently, I am not, not 100%.

teo

If you can post the LAST six digits from the VIN number of the 2001 Impala, that could give me a hint of more or less when it was built.

tpken

If I know anything about you at all, my guess is you are going to be driving some very interesting Euro sports sedan over there on vacation - Good for you! Have a great time! Leave the bus tours for someone who is not a driving enthusiast like so many of us are.

Ken

dewdrops38

192130

teo

Based on a rough VIN brake point calculation (I could be wrong)your 2001 Impala must have been built somewhere between mid September and mid October, 2000. The TSB was published at the end of October 2000, so I don't know if your 2001 made it to the "shim" assembly line cradle fix provided that it was built sometime before the end of october...

Please post the actual door jamb built date once the car is back home. I am almost positive it will be 9/00 or 10/00...

sweetpolly

Guess what? My car started the "ticking" sounds yesterday. I was driving thru a fast food drive thru and as I turned the wheels, I heard the ticking sounds. Refresh my memory, could that be the intermediate shaft problem? The problems on this board are so sporatic, I can't seem to keep up with whats what!!! If it's major I want it fixed! If it's minor, I can handle it. I really do like this car and would probably drive it with a bandage on.

teo

How to recognize some of the Impala front end problems discussed here so far:

Engine Cradle common symptoms:

Ticking,metal popping sounds when turning the wheels (On either direction) at very low speeds such as during normal parking manuvers or pulling up to a drive-thru window. (You can also hear the pops when parking very near a wall as the noises rebound such as in a parking garage). In more severe cases the pops can be heard when accelerating the car from standing still or under normal braking.

Solution: Bring the car to the dealer and make sure you bring a hard copy of TSB# 00-08-61-003 that applies to ALL 2000 model year Impala/Montecarlo vehicles. The TSB is titled "Clunk/Pop Noise from front of vehicle (Shim rear frame/Cradle mounts)"

You can find the actual hardcopy here:

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/y2kmontecarloclub

To be able to retrieve and print the TSB you must become a member of the Y2K Monte Carlo club (Absolutely free). I would strongly suggest for you that before heading to the dealer you have a printed copy of the TSB in case they want to give you a hard time about it.

Results: At this point it is unknown whether this TSB is the final cure for all 2000 model year Impala/Montecarlo is the final cure to the engine cradle problems. Have it performed and let us know about the results of the repair.

Intermediate Steering shaft:

Severe 'faint' clunking noises that can be felt traveling up the steering column assembly, steering wheel and brake pedal assembly. This condition can be reproduced more frequently when making low speed steering wheel turns to the right while applying the brake pedal at the same time. The condition can also be described as if the entire front end of the car was loose, including the steering gear....it is progressive and only gets worse as the car racks up miles. A Safety problem that demands immediate attention.

The Steering Shaft is NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the popping noises caused by the engine cradle assembly itself. These are two separate conditions that happen to occur within the same region of the car.

Solution: Currently, GM and dealers are clueless as to why the Impala/Montecarlo is experiencing premature failure of the intermediate steering shaft assembly. There are no TSB or recall campaigns in the issue; however, based on some responses here, some dealers already keep the intermediate steering shafts in stock because they have already replaced a number of them in other Impala/Montecarlo cars. Hello GM are you doing something about this other than to replace the same part with probably the same defective part number and doing it all over again whenever the shaft fails?????

There are no current revisions on the part (Noted by a different part number other than stock original), so the possibility of experiencing intermediate steering shaft failure more than once is unfortunately very likely.

Have dealer replace the intermediate steering shaft categorized under GM part number #26079240

nosirrahg

That all depends; were you turning left or right when you went through the drivethrough? ;-)

Actually I'm pretty sure what you're hearing is the ticking we've come to associate with the engine cradle, NOT the clunking associated with the steering shaft.

teo

* Engine Cradle

* Intermediate Steering Shaft

* Engine Shutdowns

* Engine Stutter/Hesitations

* HVAC Fan high pitched noise

* Premature A/C compressor failure

* Poor performance from the "premium" sound stereo system with the trunk mounted amplifier unit

* Soft paint finish

* Minor and sporadic interior squeaks

dewdrops38

10-00

Whats that tell us? I already know its going snap~crackle~pop. An all too familiar sound. One car at a time.

SWEETPOLLY - Sorry to hear your news. The tic tic tic is: when you're stopped, turning the wheels, back and forth, back and forth, it almost sounds like you're winding something up. Subtle, but certainly enough for you to hear.

mcdill

Ours has been ticking since 7000 miles , it now has 20,000 on it , we reported it about 10,000 miles ago , and since then for some reason the ticks arent as frequent as they used to be, sortof like it has quit making this noise as often as it used to be , it probably makes 4 short clicks turning lock to lock ( all the way righ and then all the way left ) .thanks----------mattmcdill---who knows?????

teo

Thanks for the info on the Build date for your 2001. Hmmmmm... not good or encouraging at all. See, here is the problem:

The current TSB for the engine cradle "Shim" fix ONLY applies to ALL Impala/Montecarlo vehicles manufactured for the 2000 model year production run. The TSB is NOT intended for the 2001 model year production run vehicles; however, the TSB was published at the end of October 2000, so it was safe to assume that all 'newer' 2001 Impala cars built during or after 10/00 should already have the fix in them. Now your 2001 Black 3.8L was built sometime during 10/00 and now your are reporting the same exact CRADLE noises?????? This is not good by any measure!!!!

Here is something else you can do. Go to:

www.gmcanada.com

Go to the customer service section on the website and proceed to send an E-mail to GM of Canada. In that E-mail tell them that based on your full VIN number (For the 2001 Impala) you want to know EXACTLY on which calendar day during October 2000 your car was put together. Since your car was built in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, GM of Canada has easy access to this info. Next also ask them when TSB#00-08-61-003(Current engine cradle fix)was published and if it also applies to the 2001 model year Impalas??. They should be able to provide you with those responses within 24 or 48 hours of your E-mail submission.

Thanks again and let us know how the 2001 Impala continues to perform.

teo

In reviewing the old archives, I found that my car was built on 1/24/2000. This date was a Monday....I have heard people saying that you should never buy a car made on a Monday or Friday but rather on a wednesday....may be when they built mine up, the assembly line boys had had a Pizza and Beer party the night before??

;-)

nosirrahg

Mine was built on March 14, 2000; a Tuesday. I've got the tics and the clunks - Maybe Tuesdays were the days they cruised the Internet for porn!

nosirrahg

I've noticed something else recently; when I come to a stop, I get a noise that seems to be coming from the left front area of the car - sounds sort of like something out of balance, that slows down at a rate of speed slightly slower than the car (i.e. the car comes to a stop, then you hear this noise start just before you come to a complete stop, which slows and finally stops a second or two after the car stops moving). It sounds sort of like shaking a coffee can that's almost empty.

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

sweetpolly

Thanks, you're a wealth of information and no matter what anyone else thinks, keep the posts coming. There are a lot of people (I'm sure) who appreciate the information you're providing. My car build date is Jan. 17, 2000. You think that might have been a bad week, altogether?!!

teo

I appreciate your comments. Your car was built exactly one week before mine. Well I think the Oshawa boys have Pizza and Beer Night on sundays, XXX rated website day on tuesday, actual hard work on wednesdays and they again start to loosen up by thursday......;-) Just kidding!

dewdrops38

Nosirrahg

Did you obtain your vehicle birthdate from the same place Teo is suggesting?

TEO, I'm a little reluctant to give that site all the personal info they requested seeing how I have an attorney on another case.

hunter39

I continue to be wiping my brow concerning a lack of problems with my Impala... seeing all you "oldtimers" start to have problems concerns me though. I agree Teo, you're really helping to keep me vigilant! Thanks Frank!

hank64

Dewdrop and Teo:

The easy way to get the exact build date is to pick up the phone.

Near the beginning of 2000. I called the Chevy rep to open a file regarding the engine shutdown problem I was having. I asked the rep if she could look up my build date. It took her about 15 seconds. All I had to do was to supply the Vin#. The number to call is in the back of the manual.

I'm pressed for time right now, but later I will post about the (miraculous?) disappearance (I hope) of clicks and clunks.

night_owl1

I didn't see the post about the dual exhaust. I'm gonna have to look into that. Wonder how much they would charge to send it to Hawaii. Probably big bux.

I knew about the CD changer for the tape/radio. But my car has the tape/radio/cd player option. I knew I couldn't change the radio without losing the ability to program the car so I got the full package. I am hoping I can stick in a changer and use the steering wheel controls. I'm trying to find out if that is possible, or I'll be stuck using a FM modulator.

I have been trying to locate a connector that will fit the amp plug. Radio Shack sells a pin type connector with .100" and .156" spacing. The .100" is too close together and I believe the .156 is too far apart, but the only way to check it is to buy the silly things and to top it off, it's a special order item. One of these days... I'm still waiting for Crutchfield to come up with a ready made harness. I tried contacting Scosche before, but they didn't have a connector at the time. I guess it's time to try again.

hvan3

Has anyone on this board "lowered" their Impala? I'm thinking of getting an Impala, and would like to drop my Impala by 2".

jijco

The cheapest way to lower Impala is contribute to the negative remarks about the car. (Just kidding!) Seriously, the police Impala has stiffer springs and shocks. What their specs are, I don't know at this time, but if you plan to lower an Impala, I would consult with one of the major car suspension specialist to recommend the right shocks, and make the right springs. You must remember that whenever you lower/alter the stock suspension components, you may sacrifice ride quality, handling characteristics, and suspension travel(including clearance problems which could potentially cause damage to your tires. If you are considering lowering, you probably either want to improve performance, and or appearance(subjective). I imagine that would include a wheel/tire change. That could also compound the above mentioned problems if not research properly as to tire size and wheel offset. Extreme lower profile tires/taller wheels have been know to cause wheels cracking wheel hitting speed bumps at considerably low speed, not to add scraping/damaging undercarriage components. I imagine such damage would not be covered under warranty for lowering your car and going to extreme changes in tire width wheel tire height, etc.

duraflex

Go for the Grand Prix that's tempting you - PLEASE!
As you point out ad nauseum, these Impalas are nothing but trouble.