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Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • gooddrivergooddriver Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2001 Impala. I have had the same problems, the ISS, the brakes, the Intake lead. I have had the tach problem but did not do anything, just noisy in the cold weather. What amazes me is that GM knows about these problems and they still manufacture these vehicles with the same parts. I am in the market for a new car, since my 16 year old started driving; so she'll have my 2001 Impala. I really like my Impala. But reading the forum, I my discouraged that after 4 years, the ISS shaft problems has not been addressed. I am sure it's the same for the break problem; undersized rotors. Doesn't it cost more for GM to fix these under warranty than to fix the problem at the assembly line? And what do they expect the consumer do? It really amazes me. And they cry when the sales are down and Honda and Toyota are gaining a bigger share of the market. Today, if you compare Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry with Impala, they are in the same price range. So, why would anyone buy a chevy with known problems when they can buy a Honda that will run forever. I do hope that GM and other US car makers will start producing quality cars before they close the doors on manufacturing US cars. It's sad that they don't care and expect the consumers to buy their cars since they are American made (or should I say North American made since Impala is made in Canada). Just venting my frustration.
  • hchu1hchu1 Member Posts: 17
    You should check the contacts for continuity and for power. If you have a multi-meter it should be easy. If not, see if you can pry the socket out of the holder and physically check the wires for proper connection. The constant pull/push into the socket can cause wear and tear on the contacts or breakeage. Replacement of the socket should be fairly straight forward if needed. Good luck :D
  • whitt6whitt6 Member Posts: 1
    About 3 months ago I started getting a Low Oil Level Warning from my 2000 Impala 3.4. Oil level is fine - no leaks anywhere and it doesn't appear to be burning oil. Usually the warning will continue (only at start up) until I change the oil then it goes away for about 2000 miles but comes back until next change. Suggestions?

    thanks
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    The ISS problem has been addressed......after several attempts during the past 3 years there is a new part that replaces the original. The brake rotors on the Impala are the same ones used on the Police Impala......no major complaints from them......in fact it beat out the Police Crown Victoria in brake testing for police vehicles......If you have a complaint about your Impala and the service manager has told you there is nothing he can do, and you believe you have a legitimate complaint, ask the service manager the name of the owner of the dealership.......then write a letter to the dealership owner explaining your problem....send a copy to the service manager as well.....if you get your car serviced at the dealership explain that also in your letter......if you have owned previous GM vehicles say that........If you stop at the point you are at now you have no further reason to complain......its up to you to take further action! Thats how things happen! If you check the box at the top right of this page that says search this discussion and type in noisey tach or brake problems check out all the posts copy them and send them in with your letter to the owner of the dealership, informing him that these issues are common.....Good Luck!
  • denicedenice Member Posts: 2
    I hope anyone out here can help me since the dealer seems to be stabing in the dark about my problem. Here it is: The blower and the overhead console info sometimes works and sometimes does not....sometime it comes on when I start the car and sometimes it comes on later while driving and sometimes it doesn't come on at all.....so far the have replace the blower control ( the panel that houses the buttons etc that control the air, heat etc....now they are talking about maybe it is the body control module (which according to all the msgs I have seen, has nothing to do with my problem). Does anyone out here have a clue what the problem may be? 2000o Impala 73000 miles.
  • denicedenice Member Posts: 2
    Don I just read your msg here and I have the same problem and the dealer can't seem to pinpoint it .....what was the outcome of your problem
    thanks
    Denice
  • brucevbrucev Member Posts: 1
    I recently had the Low Tire Pressure light come on on my 2002 Impala LS. After checking the tires I looked in the manual to see how to reset the light. I used fix number 1 which was turning the interior lights on and off 3 times. That was after trying to use the settings on the radio. I tried for 15 minutes to get the settings menu to come up by holding the Disp button for 5 seconds or longer with the radio off (as instructed by the owners manual). I never got anything to happen. Any ideas here? I'd really like to have that menu available, but I can't seem to access it.
  • bh628bh628 Member Posts: 100
    Hi,

    How do you check air pressure of the original spare tire? My new '04 car was purchased end of last November, but made about a year before I purchased it. The tires lost a lot of air pressure.

    I have a digital tire pressure guage, and am able to get the tire pressure of the four regular tires ok. To make a good seal for accurate reading, I hold the stem with one hand, and the guage with another. Takes some effort, but I can make it work.

    The spare, however, is another matter. The stem is hard to reach, and impossible to hold while checking the air pressure. It's under the metal "cover" of the middle of the tire.

    This is the second time I have tried to do check the spare's tire pressure. I think the tire pressure is 45psi, vs the 60psi that it should be. But I could have measured wrong. After trying this last time, I figured I'd give up because I'm afraid I could break the stem. :confuse:

    Anyone have ideas? My next idea is to take it to the dealer, but I'd hate to wait for hours for them to check the tire pressure of my spare. On the other hand, I'd also hate to get a flat and not have enough air in the tire.
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    Most spares are probably low on air.....thats one thing that many tend to overlook and as you say is difficult to check..Most Oil/Lube centres including the GM dealerships offer a 20 or 30 point inspection of your car when you go in for an oil change.....next (oil change) appointment make it known that you would like your tire pressures checked including the spare in the trunk....tell them that you have had difficulty checking the spare and you are concerned that the pressure might be low on it.......if you can be present while they check it be there....if not ask them afterwords what the pressure was..........I am sure they will address your concerns......good luck!
  • 02impalals02impalals Member Posts: 19
    Hi,

    Check some of your local automotive stores for an Air Valve Extension. Someone use to make one. That may help.

    also, if youre refilling up your tire pressue make sure you reset you tire pressure monitoring system.
  • 02impalals02impalals Member Posts: 19
    im assuming everthing is stock in your imp with regard to your radio?

    reread the resetting istructions carefully. I have no problems with restting anything on my 02 LS imp. if you still have problems, then i would go to your local dealership and see what they can do.

    also, you must have reinflated your tires too.

    Yoiu can try using your light switch again, but dont pull it all of the way out. pull it to the first catch 3 times. i think that how i got mine to reset once. i mostly use the radio to reset everything.
  • jim51jim51 Member Posts: 3
    hi mac55,
    hate to say it,but this could end up to very expensive. right now i have the same
    prob.and after talking to many people,this seems to be a common prob.

    for starters,get a computer read out to see which wheel is causing the prob. it
    could be a loose connection. anyways the abs sensor which is part of the
    bearing($500.tax incl.)GM PART--which tells the comp.to apply the brakes to
    slow the wheels down is defective. very bad design and should be a recall. when
    you put part/lab. not far from $900.

    i called GM, and there is none. this is on 2000 impala. anyways,if you hear of
    something new, let me know.

    hope this will help, jim
  • jim51jim51 Member Posts: 3
    hi jim257,
    i had same prob. last summer. just like that car would not start. after a towing
    (caa)we found the pos. pole on batt.was broken. real cute.

    jim
  • bh628bh628 Member Posts: 100
    Thanks, I'll look for the extension! I drive approx 350 miles per month, so it will be quite a while before I go in for an oil change.

    I forgot about resetting the tire pressure monitoring system. Thanks for the reminder! I'll add that to the reminder that tells me to check tire pressure.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    "abs sensor which is part of the bearing($500.tax incl.)GM PART--which tells the comp.to apply the brakes to slow the wheels down"

    Not quite. Under braking, when the control module sees a lower frequency signal from a wheel speed sensor it releases the brake on that wheel to allow the tire to regain traction.

    If the traction control portion of the system detects a higher frequency signal from one of the drive wheels, it cuts back engine torque then applies the brake on the spinning tire to regain traction.
  • rmancermance Member Posts: 1
    I just traded a 2000 Impala for a 2005 Camry. I had all the problems, brakes(rotors), steering knuckle, intake manifold leak,dead battery at two years, the whole nine yards. I retired recently and will never buy another GM car. not out of spite but self preservation
  • chevyonlychevyonly Member Posts: 1
    After years of driving 1980's vehicles, my husband and I decided to step up into the 20th century. We purchased a 2004 Chevy Impala (first new car ever)! Now we are wandering about our decision. Last December we noticed that there was a tapping in the engine when started in the morning or late in the evening in cold weather. We took it to our service center and was told that there was "Carbon on the pistons". They chemically cleaned our engine and said all was good. Later after talking with several people it raised a flag to us.. a new engine with carbon on the pistons? We contacted the Chevy Customer service who advised us to have another dealership look at the vehicle. Which we did. This dealership told me they should have never cleaned the engine, that carbon naturally burns off. Also because of the new design of the piston w/o sleeves, on a cold day there will be some natural tapping because the metal is warmed up.

    So what's right.. what's wrong? Because here we are four months later and I have the tapping again.
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    Been there since maybe a year after I bought the car. The noise went away after i had an engine flush and switched oil to natural oil instead of synthetic, but came back within a few days. I would love to know what is causing the tapping. Otherwise, the engine is strong, car is great and only had one major problem which was still drivable from Lancaster PA to Brooklyn NY (upper gaskets leaked after ,80,000 miles and had to be replaced). Car is now over 110,000 miles, and running fine except for that damned tapping noise.
  • kwhittumkwhittum Member Posts: 12
    I have a 2002 Impala with 52,000 miles. The problem your describing is exactly what I am having. I just replaced my alternator and thought that was the problem. A week later as soon as the temperature warmed the clicking sound returned. Now the security message light comes on when I leave work (on warm days). In the AM when cool no clicking and no security message? Any advise you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

    Kinsley
  • kwhittumkwhittum Member Posts: 12
    Did you ever get this problem fixed? I am heading down the same path. Security message comes on and I hear clicking sound under dash. It only happens on warm days, when it is cool everything is fine? Any advice would be appreciated!

    Kwhittum
  • kwhittumkwhittum Member Posts: 12
    Has anyone experienced this problem or solved it?

    KWhittum
  • madridjoemadridjoe Member Posts: 28
    I sell Chevys here in Central Fl, and own a 2005 Impala LS. My experience is that you have to hold that display button in for longer than the 5 seconds it says in the manual, seems to me more like 15 sec, then you get a "settings" message on the radio and can begin to toggle through the various menu choices.
  • revjim64revjim64 Member Posts: 78
    Your BCM (Body Control Module) IS DEFECTIVE. I had the same problem and 364 dollars later the dealer had it fixed.
  • kwhittumkwhittum Member Posts: 12
    Thanks, Friday afternoon the temperature outside was hot and sure enough everything was shutting down(radio, no AC). I went directly to my local Dealer in Rochester, they took me in and came to the same conclusion you did and replaced the BCM at no cost with only a little over an hour wait. They also agreed to replace or fix my sightly leaking anti-freeze, which has been widely discussed on this board at no cost. I have 52,000 miles and the car is a little over three years old. I can't help but wonder if their great response to me is a way of avoiding a much larger recall? In any event I went from being very distraught friday afternoon thinking I was heading towards dropping $1000 Plus on my 2002 Impala to being very impressed with either GM or my local Dealer! Thanks for your response. Spending a couple of hours reading this board has been a big help to me!
  • joe40joe40 Member Posts: 2
    Why does the Impala engine use so much oil? Should I be concerned with an engine that uses that much oil?
  • johnson2johnson2 Member Posts: 2
    We purchased the above car in 2002. Recently, car would be fine then all of a sudden it wouldn't start up at all. Replaced the starter and wasn't the problem. Put new starter relay. Again, not the problem. Still occasionally does not start. Had car towed after experiencing another night of not starting (after being ok for about 3 weeks). Technician started it right up, 12 times in a row. They didn't know what the problem was but kept the car and then later calls and says we need $700 worth of work because there is a problem in the ignition and they will have to remove the entire dash board to fix it. Are we getting the shaft? Has anyone else experienced this kind of problem in a 3 yr old car. And should we expect this problem again (after fixing) in another 3 years!! There is about 68,000 miles on it.
    Everything else works...radio, lights but it just, occasionally, doesn't start! You can hear some kind of clicking noise when the key is in the "ON" position like something is just not connecting.
    Anyone have any advice?
    CJ
  • kwhittumkwhittum Member Posts: 12
    I'm not an auto mechanic, but it sounds like possibly the BCM may be bad. Look at above posts, the clicking sound may be a low voltage problem.
  • johnson2johnson2 Member Posts: 2
    THANKS. Assume this isn't something that would cost $700 like quoted!!
    CJ
  • fedexguy2fedexguy2 Member Posts: 2
    Does the noise come from the dash when you turn you fan knob to defrost. Mine makes the same noise you describe when I turn my fan from the floor or dash vents to defrost. I don't think it's a big deal. Crappy GM quality yes but I think it's just a stuck air deflector?? It sticks and when it releases it makes a popping sound. Hope this helps..
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    This isn't an Impala-specific thing, but something I heard today for the first time car-related and I thought I'd see if anyone here had ever heard of this... someone at work said they heard todays cars are much less apt to have electrical problems (like batteries that die young) if you lock the doors at night. A friend of mine is having problems with his Passat, and someone asked him if he locks his car at night... he said he doesn't since he parks his car in a closed garage. He was told if you don't lock the doors (as in with the key fob), the car sort of stays in a "ready mode"; whereas locking the car tells the computers that you're gone and it can basically "stand down". As a result of staying in standby mode, it puts an increased drain on the electrical system, and can lead to problems.

    Sounded far fetched to me at first, but the more I think about it, there might be something to it... thought I'd run it up the flagpole here and see if folks here thought it was legit or akin to "changing air in the tires". :-)
  • 2000imp2000imp Member Posts: 3
    Our LS will suddenly just die while going across a parking lot. I have replaced the fuel filter and pressure regulator thinking the engine was starving for fuel., but that did not fix the problem. I have seen references on this forum that this was a common problem but I can;t seem to find the solution 'post'. What do I need to do to resolve this issue?

    Thanks in advance
  • fedexguy2fedexguy2 Member Posts: 2
    Kind of late in the game here but I thought you'd be interested to know that I wrote a letter to GM Quailty Assurance and complained about having to pay 700 dollars to fix a problem that was obviously the result of faulty engineering. They said there was nothing they could do so I wrote another letter and then called them. Although they never sent me a check for the repair they did send me a certificate good for 1,300.00 dollars off of the purchase of my next GM vehicle. I could never afford a new car but my father-in-law who just retired from P&G could and since the certificate was transferable to family members he got a pretty sweet deal on a 2004 GMC Ext cab truck!! The squeaky wheel gets the grease I guess....
  • sportymonksportymonk Member Posts: 258
    The ISS problem has been addressed...... after several attempts during the past 3 years there is a new part that replaces the original.

    The brake rotors on the Impala are the same ones used on the Police Impala...... no major complaints from them...... in fact it beat out the Police Crown Victoria in brake testing for police vehicles.....
    It isn't the ability to brake - its the fact the rotors don't hold up. I replaced front AND REAR rotors on my 01 at 30,000 after having rotors turned under warranty at 14,500. Turned again at 46,000. Does anybody notice a pattern here. Friend at work has had her 00 rotors replaced 4 times in 104,000 miles. I believe the problem is the wheels are too open allowing water to hit and warp the rotors when driving in the rain. At $500 a pop, this isn't cheap - except the quality. Have never had the brake problems like this on my wife's 79 Camaro (112,000 miles), my 91 Astro (147,000 miles), my Corsica (105,000 miles) or my wife's 00 Malibu (currently 96,000 and climbing).

    . If you stop at the point you are at now you have no further reason to complain...... its up to you to take further action! Thats how things happen!

    Sounds like a typical GM employee remark. No I disagree with you in that because we not only put our money but our trust and faith in Chevrolet, we have earned the right to complain. We worked hard and paid good money for an inferior product. That gives us the right to complain. It shouldn't be our responsibility to fix what should have been done correctly the first time.

    At the end of WW II, the Japanese were in ruin as we all know. One of the people that went over there to help was a gentleman with the phone company named William E. Demming. After dinner, he would tell them of his work in statistical quality measures. He promoted a whole new idea of quality where we got rid of slogans and instead worked together to make a better product. (Example: You make a product that does in a can. 5% of the cans you purchase are defective or don't meet standards. Who pays the cost? Typical answer, "The company that makes them does since we send them back and they ship new ones." WRONG ANSWER! You the purchaser pay in the end. All costs are passed to you. It is in your interest to help solve the problem.

    The Japanese adopted his philosophy and today the number three car company in America is Toyota. GM has had its bonds reduced to junk reflecting the long term view of Gm to pay its debt. People all over are having to sell their GM bonds if they are in situations that require them to hold only investment quality instruments. (I wa sin this situation as custodian for my mother). Many mutual funds are in this situation.

    The William E. Demming award is one to the most coveted industrial awards a company can achieve. IIRC only one or two American companies have ever achieved it. Few know who he is. He is one of the principle Americans that taught the Japanese quality. We should have listened to our own instead of making the "most cost effective (cheapest".

    I like many others am tired of the problems I have had with my American cars, primarily Chevy. My wife's 00 Malibu had to have ALL 6 pistons replaced at 21,000 miles due to noise). The CD radio failed . My Impala has a leak up front, the rotors have to be turned every 15,000 miles and replace front and rear approx every 30K (Unlike ANY car I have ever had. Its NOT my driving style.)

    Bought my daughter a 00 Honda Civic in college to replace the POC Cavalier that we inherited from my mother when she passed away. My daughter swore at the Cavalier (and I did too) but she sears by the Civic. Says she plans to keep it forever. (The Cavalier spent the last summer in the shop most of the time and sometimes didn't make it home before breaking down. Had less than 35,000 miles on it.

    List me as one of the many that are abandoning GM. I can't afford to buy a $24,000 car that four years later is only worth $4300 trade in or $5100 Car-Max. My next vehicle looks right now to be a Honda Pilot. Some have recommended the Rod Freestyle but I don't trust the transmission and it looks cheap. Sorry GM but you have had too many chances, call me when you have a quality product. Till then, Honda, Toyota, Nissan are my vehicles of choices.

    And yes I have still have the right to complain. I have earned it over the years. And yes, "it is up to" me. to take further action. My action is to go buy a decently built vehicle that works properly, has good reliability,and will have decent resale value.

    Edit: Forgot about the front wheel bearings going bad. Since they are sealed in the hubs the total cost was $900!!!.
  • middleageguymiddleageguy Member Posts: 42
    Just a suggestion:
    I had to replace the dead battery in my 2000 LS with a new battery and the car started fine. The next day the car wouldn't start again. I tightened up the battery connections and the car started right away. I realized I had not put the little red plastic cap over the positive connection. As soon as I put that cap on, the car again would not start. I took that cap off permanently and car has started fine for the last three months.
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    FWIW I've got 80k miles on my 2000 Impala...had the front rotors turned once under warranty early on, and haven't touched them since...I replaced the brake pads myself at @ 50k miles and rotors are still fine. When these pads wear out in another 20k miles or so I'll probably take the opportunity to upgrade the rotors. However, I've got the 3.8l base model that came with the multi-spoke type wheel vs. the LS 5-spoke style, so maybe mine doesn't have as much exposure to water as the LS wheel does.

    Compared to the '84 Buick Skyhawk I had back in college that required brake pads about once a year, the Impala has been a relatively problem free car!!
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    I do believe brake issues are a lot to do with driving habits......I have 35,000 miles on my 2001 Impala LS and the brakes have never been touched.....there have been others on this forum as well with much higher mileage with the same results and others that are replacing pads and rotors all the time....water has nothing to do with warped rotors period!

    If you don't take further action with your complaints then you have no reason to complain..Its your investment, and responsibilty to ask to speak with the service manager, area representative, write a letter to the dealership owner, call GM etc...I would be very disappointed with one of my adult children if they just walked away and didn't at least go to the next level.... walking away just makes GM believe that your vehicle was giving you trouble free service...just going to another manufacturer will never rectify or solve any problems you had.......The Impala is the top seller for Chevrolet and I intend to buy another new Impala next year.....good luck with your Honda.
  • chrisis30chrisis30 Member Posts: 20
    I have a 2002 impala ls and I just bought new tires and my tire dealer put nitrogen in instead of compressed air,they put 35 psi in and it rode like a brick so I reduced the pressure too 31.5 my question is since nitrogen does not increase pressure as it heats up like air does (3lbs. roughly) should I have left 33 lbs. of nitrogen in instead? I mean does chevy figure the tires are going to heat up 3lbs.which would take them too 33lbs.? and thats why they only inflate to 30lbs.? I just don't wanna waste all the money I put into tires hope some one has experienced something similar and can help me out cause the tire shops all wanna fill the tires to 35 and they handle like sh*t that high thank-you.
  • greenonegreenone Member Posts: 5
    Today the sunroof of my 2001 Impala LS stuck in the open position. Anyone have any experience with this? Cost to fix? Is there a manual crank to close it? Appears that one side is trying to close, but the other is not. Any help appreciated as rain is in the forecast....
  • charlief1charlief1 Member Posts: 10
    I have had similar experience with the local tire shop. Every time I have the tires rotated and balanced they seem to choose 35 psi. I don't think they bother to look at the recommended pressure on the car.

    I've never heard of nitrogen filled tires, but as an engineer, I doubt the statement that the pressure doesn't increase with temperature. All gases increase pressure to some extent with temperature increase and air is about 80% nitrogen already so I doubt if 100% nitrogen acts much differently than air does. Maybe there is some other advantage like less leakage or less heat build up. Does a nitrogen fill cost extra?
  • chrisis30chrisis30 Member Posts: 20
    You are correct I checked the hot tire pressure and sure enough the pressure raised 5psi that means it would have been 40 psi when they used 35 psi cold inflation no wonder it handled like a brick! and to answer your question yes they did screw 4.99 out of me for each tire not a whole lot of lost cash but I did lose trust and faith in my tire dealer that I have been faithful too for 16 yrs if they ask you and wanna charge for it "just say no"
  • sportymonksportymonk Member Posts: 258
    Considering the atmosphere is 80% nitrogen, I am not sure what the advantage is other than the money the dealer gets to take home.
  • txguytxguy Member Posts: 57
    It's not the car it is the gasoline. Depending on your part of the country, various "reformulated" fuels are being used to meet emissions requirements. Mechanics are telling me that these new fuel mixtures can carbon up an engine in 7,000 miles or less. Not only can these carbon build-ups reduce gas mileage, but if it gets thick enough the valve can be damaged.

    The only solution I know is a routine fuel system cleaner to include the intake system. I run a bottle of Techron in my '01 Imp about every 1,000 miles and do fuel system cleaning at the shop about 7-10K. I've never had any valve clicking.
  • cal2cal2 Member Posts: 1
    Check the wire/connector on the ignition module, there are two. One goes to the crankshaft position sensor. If that connection is not good I know for a fact that the car will not start.

    cal2
  • canddmeyercanddmeyer Member Posts: 410
    Chevy puts out junk ignition switches that'll give you a no start. It's even worse when you're driving down the road and the vehicle dies.......sometimes it starts back up, and sometimes it don't. You'll never figure it out and it won't drop a trouble code. Luckily, I had a great dealer who caught it on my second visit. Reluctantly, there's so many things than can go wrong it's still best to let the dealer troubleshoot since it's obviously not an ignition switch for everytime your vehicle won't start. It was a scary life and death situation dead-sticking down the road while traffic was dodging me and my vehicle. I felt like a clay pigeon.
  • kelfishkelfish Member Posts: 2
    I own a 2001 Chevy Impala LS sedan and just discovered rust on the same place on both front seat doors. It's just next to the glass of the window where it meets the door frame on the outside of the door on the side where it opens, not the side that hinges. Since it is symmetric, I am thinking of trading since it's not from something that I did, like from a scratch or blemish. I can't find anyone else with this issue. I have almost 80,000 and bought it new in 2001, but I still have almost 2 years left in my loan. However, I do like the car to this point minus a few problems, but I could probably get what I owe in trade. I worry that if I try to keep this until it dies, which is what I originally had planned, that it will turn into a cancerous rust ball. What should I do, and has anyone else had this problem??
  • bh628bh628 Member Posts: 100
    I gotta ask, I am a newbie to cars. What is a rotor? I did a search on rotor, and got lots of messages, but it was difficult to find a definition. How do they differ from brake pads, and what does turning them mean? How do they affect braking? I see they are a big issue on Impalas, and I don't know what to watch out for.

    I do see what is meant by being able to look thru the spokes and see the wheel parts. I can't understand why that isn't sealed up!

    Thanks
  • chrisis30chrisis30 Member Posts: 20
    well to answer your first question the rotor you are referring to is the disc brake rotor, if you look inside your rim slots on the car you will see a shiny silver disc this is your rotor the caliper which holds your brake pads and applys the brakes rides near this and the caliper closes and opens with the application of the brake peddle,when you have your rotors turned it means the shop puts them on a machine that spins them and grinds any warpage or scores (grooves) out of the surface to make them true,as for them being a big problem on impalas I'm not so sure they are, warped and scored rotors have been a problem with all cars as far as I can remember, its all how you use your brakes and take care of your car,and as far as the theory of the alloy spokes being wider than the cheaper steel wheels and in turn warp more often I dont buy that at all the more heat dissapation the better and if there is no where for the heat to go (small holes as with the steel wheels) the more likely for overheating where as the sport wheels would hold less heat because the heat would not be trapped as much and as far as the water theory I'm not so sure about that one either after all the water is still gonna hit the A-arm side of the rotor and warp it just the same no matter what wheel you have I'm not so sure the hardened steel used on brake rotors is affected by cold water on hot steel.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Read this. There's a link at the bottom of each page to advance to the next:

    http://auto.howstuffworks.com/disc-brake.htm
  • daveanddaveand Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know where the fan resistor is located on 2001 Impala LS?
    Mine will only work on speeds higher than # 3.

    By the way transmission went out at about 28,000 miles, under warranty (they said sprocket came apart).
    Then transmission scrambled at 38,000 miles. New transmission installed by Moorone Chevrolet under extended warranty. After first time I purchased the GM warranty for a additional 4 years and 50,000 more miles.
    Front brake rotors cut down by independent shop about 15,000, then replaced with a aftermarket set of rotors 6 months later. Work great now with 57,000 miles on it.
    After all these problems I still like the car. Still get 21+ mpg in south Florida traffic, and 30 on the highway
  • sportymonksportymonk Member Posts: 258
    Yeah, GM/Chevy must be bad about that. I had a 91 Astro that went through about 3 or 4 switches. Would get hot behind switch and wouldn't work on lower speeds. Learned out to replace it myself. May be harder on Impala. Father's Buick had same problem also.
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