Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions

00impala

ALL HUBCAPS ON BASE MODEL 2000-2002 IMPALA'S HAVE OR WILL TURN GREENISH" ha ha,,, Thought you would like that, Since EVERY BASE Impala I look (or have ever seen)had greenish tint to the Silver Hubcaps, now that is a Blanket statment affecting ALL 2000+ Impala's, Yet if you ask a Service Dept. they scoff and say they have not heard of it......I am still waiting for my 2nd replacment set from GM, I will use them (if I get them) for the summer months and the chrome ones I have now for fall/winter weather ...I really hope they would change the OEM design/paint or Chrome them for 2003...but I doubt it.... Don

shrubs

Took my 01 LS in last week since I have more heat out the dash vents then the floor vents. They orders a switch which was replaced today. Alas... I still have the same problem. They want me to bing it in next week when they can keep the car for the day.

On the way home, the sun hit my dash. There were greasy palm prints everywhere. Plus there was a "Dent" in the corner of the dash. I informed the dealer and was told they would "fix" the dash on my next visit and was apologetic regarding the grease on my car. This is the second time they left my car dirty. BLECH! Next time I will inspect it before I take the keys.

shrubs

After 2 days, my local chevy dealer fixed my car. The original problem was that more heat was flowing out the dash vents then the floor. They replaced Part # 10308121 which din't fix it. Then ripped everything apart and replaced a valve (52494487) and an actuator (52487750). And now they have to replace a dashboard. The tech was nice enough to put a dent in it for me! They said about a week to get the top dash pad in.

Forrest

teo

Some dealers use the "Hit or miss" approach when repairing cars...what a joke!

[Deleted User]

Mine gives you a big cookie, when you pick the car up.

shrubs

I just found out that besides a dent in the dash, the dealer was nice enough to break my cruise control! Unreal. Once, I would like to take my car in for a minor repair and have it returned without something else broken. At this rate, this is't likely. I have yet another appointment Monday..... replace the dash and now, fix my cruise control.

[Deleted User]

Make sure they give you a cookie.

shrubs

I'll buy them a cookie as long as everything actually works in my car when I get it back!

Forrest

hank64

I have been following this board, but not closely, so the following info might be old news:

It appears that on the 2000s and the 20001s there are good and bad ISSs as well as good and bad rack-and-pinions. There are some kind of TSBs that delineate the good from the bad by part numbers. (whether this is true of the 2002s is not clear yet - at my dealership - since its probably too early for the problem to show up)

In my case, I was having the steering clunk problems and had the "grease kit" procedure done to the ISS. The clunks not only continued, but got worse. The service manager decided to replace the ISS and the rack-and-pinion, assuming they were of the faulty part numbers. It turned out the ISS was one of the good ones, so just the grease procedure was redone, but the rack and pinion was replaced brecause it was one of the bad ones. The steering is very smooth now. I'll let you know if it doesn't remain so.

teo

Do you have the actual part numbers, for both the bad and good ISS???

96g11

An officer who shares my "shop" 02 Impala police car was involved in a pursuit that came to an end when the suspect departed the roadway and crashed. the officer was able to stop short but hit the curb hard enough to blow out a pass side front tire and bend the rim. To my surprise the alignment was not affected. The suspension took the hit well without damage. The police package has no special suspension modifications over a "civilian" car. Just a thought.

teo

Glad to hear he is doing OK. Pretty impressive testimony. You think you can provide some pics of the damage?

hank64

I don't have the numbers for the ISS nor the rack-and-pinion. Your service manager can obtain them by contacting GM. I'm not sure if the numbers and the fix procedures are on actual TSBs yet.

dcngo

I owned a 2000 Chevy Impala. I am trying to replace my original wiper blades with winter blades. I could not figure out how to remove the original blade. This blade design is quite awkward to remove. The instructions if the owner's manual is not very clear either. It talks about pushing a pin under the blade, but I could not find any pin.

Has someone ever replace these wiper blades yet? How did you do it.

Thanks for your advice.

Dennis

teo

I am having my dealer replace the wiper refills on my almost 1 year old Impala LS this week. It costs me around $10 and they can do it very quickly.

happyfeller

2001 Impala - Purchased the car used from a dealer last year with 35,000 miles. Now have 68,000 miles. I have had this problem for about 6 months off & on and recently more on. It can be starting fine and then without cause, it won't. Turn the key and the engine light goes on but the engine does not turnover. All other functions work after you release the key but the engine will not turnover or start. I can sit for 1 second or 30 minutes, then it will start on it's own . Have not tried the blinker method yet as I have read above. I have had the ignition switch and bypass replaced but that did not help the cause. When I bring it into the dealer, they look for codes, none show for the this problem.
Will have to bring back to the dealer for future work but looking for help to try and pinpoint problem.

[Deleted User]

Do you have them change blown courtesy light bulbs for you too? ;-)

teo

Oh they do that for free.

night_owl1

Go to http://www.impalahq.com and look under How-To. There is a page describing how to change the blades.

sim3

I took my 2001 LS to the dealer for steering whine; by whine I mean a distinct, well, whiny sound when turning at low speeds. They went ahead and replaced a "coil spring" but that didn't do a thing. I'm taking it back in tomorrow..

If I try really hard, I _think_ I can feel a faint clunk when turning while breaking. As far as I remember, this would indicate an ISS problem.
Has anyone else had a whine problem and if so, was it also the ISS or something else?

teo

Have them check the power steering pump, belts and hoses. Also make sure the power steering fluid is at the right level. The clunks indicate you need to have your ISS either re-lubed or replaced.

The steering on my '01 LS is super smooth and quiet so that whining of yours is most definetely not normal.

What's the build date of your car?

sim3

Build date's 09/00 - haven't found out the exact date yet. We'll see what, if anything, they find out this time. I'd like to know where they got the original idea to replace the coil spring..

I printed out the ISS explanation from Nathan's page and took that to the dealer as well.

sim3

Got the car back from the dealer; they apparently replaced the ISS (part #26079240) which they called a "steering column shaft". While it helped with the very faint clunk I was feeling, the whiny noise is still there.

Taking it back next Tuesday. Third trip for a supposedly simple-to-diagnose whiny noise, I'm having trouble believing that.. Pretty soon the steering won't be the only thing whining

teo

Do you have any other Chevy dealers in your proximity?

Either your dealer is pretty incompetent at diagnosing a steering noise or they are just simply ignoring it.

Try a different store and see if they can troubleshoot it more effectively.

sim3

I'm running out of nearby dealers I dumped the nearest one last year due to the crappy amp/good amp-problems which the current one was more than happy to fix.

Incompetence springs to mind, yes. I already rode with a tech and am going to do it again next week. That'll be the last chance they get to fix it.

Well, at least I'm getting a whole bunch of new parts to my car

teo

Try calling Chevy's customer service, get a file number for your Steering whining and ask them to refer your file directly to your dealer's Service Manager. You'll see how quickly things start to work out.

Riding along the tech or service advisor is often a waste of time and they'll give you the round around.

Once the Service Manager gets involved and becomes accountable for your case file, the B.S. stops there.

Good luck, I am sure is something simple but yeah it can be very frustrating!

[Deleted User]

>>>Once the Service Manager gets involved and becomes accountable for your case file, the B.S. stops there.<<<

Not necessarily. It just piles up deeper in one spot.

sim3

Teo, I agree opening a case # is the next step - after all, I doubt it can hurt the process. I'll let you know what the problem turns out to be, hopefully they'll do a thorough diagnosis on it next week.

On another note, I finally managed to scratch a "real" CD. As to why that's a good thing, I don't know if anyone remembers but early last year I had problems with the CD-player scratching CD-R disks.

Chevy / AC Delco and the dealer all gave me the cold shoulder and they decided I shouldn't play CD-R disks. Sheesh. I had a hard time believing that since in the physical dimensions (yes, the player does a physical round scratch on the disk around song #3) of CDs and CD-Rs are identical.. Anyway, today I got a "nice" scratch on a real CD, so I'll take that issue up with the dealer as well.

jodi616smi

I am very happy to have found this board! I have a 2001 Impala. I am wondering if you all experience brake squeeling, growling, and pulsing of the brakes on a regular basis? My car has been in 4 times for these problems, the first time they replaced the pads as per the TSB, the second time they replaced the rotors, and the 3rd and 4th times they did nothing other than adjustments and said they can find nothing wrong and that what I am experiencing is "normal". They squeel a lot of the time sometimes very loudly and same with the growling. The pulsing is only when slowing from highway speeds and does not happen all the time, they are unable to duplicate that. By the way my car does NOT have antilock brakes. The service manager at the dealership got into a huge argument with me trying to convice me that it did and then apologized when I showed him in black and white that it does not. They also in my option feel very soft and have locked/froozen on me twice for no reason going about 30mph on a dry road. So I'm just wondering if you all experience this as normal conditions with your Impalas. Thanks!!

night_owl1

Well, a number of people have complained about the pulsing you are experiencing. Typically, the rotors are replaced or turned (remove metal to flatten it). The squealing, while annoying, is common in today's cars. Usually what happens is the pads vibrate against the caliper when you apply the brakes and that's what is squeaking. anti-Squeak compound or a insulator pad is applied between the back of the pad and the caliper to combat the problem. I don't know about the growling, though.

I have ABS and have not experienced any of the symptoms you have. The "it's normal for your car" is an excuse we have heard time and again. You might want to take it to another dealer and have them take a look at it.

wyoimp

Interesting the symptoms you've mentioned about your non-ABS Brakes. I had similar symptoms with my '75 K-10 Pickup - soft pedal and premature lockup. After two years my Master Cylinder has finally given out. Do you have a very dim brake failure light come on, that's only visible at night? That's how I knew my Master Cylinder was dying.

teo

No brakes problems at all on my 2001 Impal aLS with 11K miles.

I suspect that most of oyur problems have been caused by your dealer. Impact wrenches when putting back the tires on the car can warp the rotors thus creating a chain of issues with the brakes.

My dealer always torques the wheel nuts at 100 punds feet of torque per specification using a manual wrench, not a single problem.

I agree with Night_owl, all newer cars have noise brakes. There is nothing that will ever get rid of that unless you go with asbestos pads. Trust me, this is a malady of the semi-metallic and metallic pads. Ask any independent certified professional brake mechanic. That will be their answer as well.

Oh yeah, do yourself a big favor, take your car to a different dealer. You don't have to enter into arguments to prove that your car has a problem or not. Your dealer I am afraid is very incompetent.

[Deleted User]

Warped rotors are most likely causing your pulsing. Improper torquing of lug nuts is a highly over-rated cause of this. It is more likely caused by cheaper or thinner materials being used in the manufacture of the rotor itself. It seems to be more common than it should be with the Impala, although not nearly as bad as the Malibu!
Spongy or soft pedal is usually caused by contaminated (by air or water) or wrong type of brake fluid. It could be low pressure caused by a faulty master cylinder.
Squealing can be easily reduced or prevented by using an "anti-squeal" compound such as Disc Brake Quiet. It is applied between the pad and caliper, NEVER on the rotor side of the pad.
Find yourself a new dealer that understands how important your brakes are.

jodi616smi

Thank you all so much for the replies about my brakes. I can understand about the squeeling and them being metalic brakes, but the other things are not right. The dealership "in my opinion" has made up they're mind that nothing is wrong even before they have looked at it the last 2 times. Well we'll see what happens, the pulsing was VERY bad today, some days it doesn't do it at all and other days like today its horrible. Thank you all very much.

bearmer

There's a long service bulletin on the subject, #00-05-22-002 dated Februaary 2000. A brake lathe maker put it online at http://www.procutinternational.com/

Click on "Awards and Evaluations" then "GM Evaluation".

Besides tightening the wheel nuts to the spec, GM suggests cleaning the bearing flange and rotor hub (inluding the bolt holes with a Kent-Moore tool). The rotor orientation on the flange should not be changed, it says. Reading between the lines, it sounds like heat transfer between the hub components is important.

GM lets these problems go on year after year and the dealers can't do much except replace the rotors (reluctantly if under warranty or expensively if not). I think that somebody who thinks about buying a GM car should understand that maintaining the brakes will be expensive and the rotor warping will go on for the life of the car.

I can see that brakes present difficult problems. The temperature of the rotor can exceed 1000 degrees in a hard stop. Then the wheel can splash through a puddle, quench hardening the rotor, perhaps unevenly. But why does everybody but GM have good brakes?

night_owl1

Ford has issues with their rotors also. Focus, Mustang and Crown Vic have warping problems.

teo

And Honda. My sister's 1999 Honda Accord LX was a nightmare in terms of warped brakes and prematurely worn front brake pads.

wwnf

I got tired of my warped GM oem rotors and went to my local parts store and bought the best standard rotors they had and a nice set of ceramic brake pads. Usually the oem rotors would warp on me every 8-10K miles but my new setup hasn't given me any problems, yet.

wwnf

I've been getting an engine code for my Exhaust Gas Reciculation valve. I've read that if this valve is open while your engine is cold it can cause rough idle, hesitation, and sometimes stalling. I have the first two, but my car has always hesitated when cold every once in awhile and the dealership claims nothing is wrong. Now I have an engine code for this valve so I'm waiting to see if the emissions or my extended warranty covers this. It's $100 bucks! Looks easy to remove and install. Maybe it just needs cleaned, who knows. Anybody else have experience with this problem? code is P1404

later

Joe

teo

I have had my original factory installed GM rotors for nearly 13K in my Impala LS and not a single problem..

[Deleted User]

I'm pretty sure th EGR is covered under the federal warranty for emissions control items. I think that like 7 years or 100,000 miles, or something like that.

fdchief

As the title would indicate I have a 2001 Impala, purchased Feb 2001 new, in July 2001 the rotor saga began. Yet, when I ask the Service Manager and his boss, what the problem is I get this response, "The rotor problems you are experiencing are due to the dirt roads you must travel." I haven't seen this mentioned in these postings. Help!

History, purchased as stated above, and visits to the shop to fix the Intermediate Shaft Problem, a recall for another problem, and then the rotors, rotors, rotors and pads (Pads that I paid for!, what happened to 36,000 miles bumper to bumper!

They have turned my rotors, replaced my rotors, and turned my rotors again. By the way one year later I have 35,000 miles on my car already. In other words I use my car for work, and put lots of miles on this puppy.

The only traveling on dirt roads is 2 miles out to the black top to and from each day. Excuse me but the dirt road traveling excuse is wearing thin, any last minute advice before this car is my 100% responsiblity?

By the way, when I purchased this car, they were made aware of the dirt roads, as a matter of fact, I asked specfically, "Will this car hold up to dirt roads?" The response was, "with no problems!"

Thanks in advance for your attention and help and input with this matter.

teo

I have 13K miles on my 2001 Impala LS (Build date 4/2001) and ZERO problems with the brakes. Still has original factory pads and rotors. Stops like a champ, straight and true. The brakes of this car are indeed fantastic!

I have a feeling your dealer is screwing your brakes after each visit. Change the dealer.

[Deleted User]

Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that the Impala may have a higher than normal rate of rotor warpage. They even put out a TSB blaming the high incidence on improper torqueing of lug nuts, which I don't buy. I don't buy the dirt roads excuse, either.

Some rotors do not stand up to heat or rapid changes in temperature well. Perhaps your type of driving causes those things. Lots of sudden stops, riding the brake, going through snow or puddles right after hard stops, etc.

BTW, their Malibu is notorious for rotor warpage. I don't think the Impala is in the same league as that. Like Teo, my Impala still stops on a dime. 60-0 is just as important as 0-60!

night_owl1

Ok, how would dirt roads cause rotor warpage? That's a new one on me.

fdchief

Thanks for your responses regarding my warping rotor issue. But, I feel I must clear the air or better yet clarify a couple of points.

Number 1: I have had no problems with the brakes failing to operate. They have operated perfect to date. The problem is noticed by a shimmying at highway speed 65 or 70 mph and brakes are applied slowly.

Number 2: I do not feel it is the way I drive. I was raised around a junk yard and even drove the tow truck on several occasions. I have exchanged engines between Ford Pintos, (how about that blast from the past). I have some mechancial knowledge, even though I am female. Yet I pride myself in being able to research a possible problem and not afraid to ask for advice. As far as the driving issue, our fire department was one of the first in the county to purchase a new engine with ABS System. I had to educate myself in the how to or not to do's of their operation, and thus educate the men and women of the department for their protection and better vehicle operation.

Thanks again everyone I am still here reading and learning with each response.

spence30

My 2000 LS is on it's 3rd set of rotors. I also do a lot of driving, I am almost at 60k and just hit 2 years. The last time I had them replaced though was just before my warrenty ran out. I had put 25k on the current set. I always have my car serviced at a GM dealer, and personally feel that there was a bad batch of rotors that GM owned and wanted to unload. Fortunately, the dealer RE-PLACED them both times at no cost.

sttropez1

If you have problems with the OEM rotors, spend the money to get aftermarket cross-drilled rotors. problem solved.

night_owl1

Well, if it's under warranty you don't have a say in what goes in. And if you can find a vendor that sells cross drilled rotors that fit the Impala, let me know. Baer and a couple of other companies that manufacture rotors have said they don't have one.

[Deleted User]

You don't need cross-drilled rotors to prevent warpage. You just need good, standard-style, vented rotors, which usually cost around $40 each.

The holes don't add to cooling. They enble the gasses that build up between the pad and rotor to escape. Many experts even believe that the holes weaken the discs, and may make them MORE susceptible to warpage. It doesn't matter to the racers that these rotors were originally designed for, as they usually change them after each race.

For me, general principal would prevent me from spending any money on something that should be repaired for free. I'm kooky that way.