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Chevrolet Impala Steering/Suspension
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http://www.direct.ca/trinity/GM-Steering-Problem-part2.htm
I found this forum and bought a can of PB Blaster in my local Pep Boys (you also can get this online at: www.pbblaster.com). I was skeptical, but this afternoon I pulled off the kick panel under the steering wheel and peeled down the rubber boot around the steering shaft. Its not easy to pull this down, but I managed to push it down with one hand and spray with the other. I managed to spray the stuff so that some of it did go down the hole in the center of the shaft. Some sprayed all over the place and ran down inside the boot, I hope that's OK (It would be a lot easier if the PB Blaster had one of those little red tubes that is usually supplied with a can of WD40).
I took it for drive this afternoon, drove to a couple of stores, and lo and behold the ISS Clunk seems to be gone!! The steering still seems a bit loose and occasionally makes a click sound, but the clunk while turning at low speed and the "shifting" feeling while braking is gone!! So thanks to all who posted the info on this forum!
Secure the steering wheel so that the clock spring connector did not get dammaged.
Remove the shaft, extend it, put in the lube, and the rubber stopper, and work the shaft in and out.
Remove the stopper.
Re-install the shaft.
The new lube is a white translucent gel, the old was a clear gel. The shaft compressed and extended much more easily and smoothly in my hands after lubing.
The problem disapeared completely. Before lubing the shaft stuck then moved as the u-joints changed overal length of the shaft while flexing. This felt like something was loose or broken.
The car had 25 k miles when I did the lube, it will be a while till I know how long it lasts.
Harry
The car now has 42,000 miles on it and the steering issue has been driving me insane for months. I took it to chevy, and being a little out of warranty, they informed me they charge 100$ per hour to repair it. I put it off.
Finally, today I found this forum and saw the PB Blaster recommendation. I left work and went to auto zone, and by chance got the last can of PB Blaster.
I took off the panel under the steering columng (very easy, 2 thumb tabs pressed inward and it pops right off). If you do this the boot around the steering axis isnt very hard to push down, in my 2005 model anyways. Once I pushed it down nicely and adjusted the steering wheel a bit, you can see the hole in the shaft, and the joint.
I emptied about a quarter can into that bad boy, all over the joint, and down the shaft. Started the car up, and the problem is GONE.
The pb blaster WORKS. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. This has been driving me crazy for months, I cant believe it worked.
It doesnt not crunch or click when breaking, or steering at low speeds anymore, hell it feels like a sports car now!
Thanks guys !
To anyone else with this problem, BUY A CAN OF PB BLASTER AND LUBE IT UP , IT WORKS !
I need help getting the actual GM part numbers for the front
and rear struts on a 2006/2007 Impala SS . I've contacted some of the suggested GM direct-parts guys on the internet and they seem too busy...nothing yet. Can anyone help..??
front struts in a 2006 /2007 LT and SS have the same part
number and therefore are exactly the same...How can this be when the SS has the firmer sport suspension(F3) and the rear struts are different. Are there any GM parts pros out there that can help...I've got a real dilema here...!!
Thanks
Frank
To be perfectly honest with you, had I read the post a few back from the person that went to their dealer and bought a greasing kit and took the ISS apart and such, I'd probably go that route over the PBBLASTER. Even though the PBBLASTER fix is incredibly easy, I worry about what effect it might have on the car down the road. I can't imagine it causing a problem, but if mine comes back I'll probably at least investigate the GM grease kit option. But so far mine has held up for two months without returning, and I didn't put anywhere near a quarter can in mine!
Sorry I can't help you with the part numbers but I thought I'd ask if you're having problems with your suspension. My front suspension is driving me a bit crazy because it's so loose now. I've taken it to two different dealers and they both say it's fine but I know better. I haven't been able to find another SS on the lot to compare it to but I'm going to try again next week.
Good luck and please keep us posted!
Ron
I also noticed, especially after a cold start, that the car would not accelerate as it once did. It seems like it would stall for just a second before jetting off. The dealer found a PCM update to improved performance. They used "J6355 powertrain control module with sps".
These solutions completely fixed both problems!
Check out this link for the TSB.
Ian
http://forum.newimpala.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1101054185/30
Is it something I can buy and where can I find it?
Thanks
Basically all you have to do is look under the steering wheel and there's a panel that clips in the front and hooks on the back (towards the firewall). The under dash light on the driver's side is on this panel too, so it will drop down when you disconnect the front clips. If you twist the light it will come out of the panel, which A) keeps the panel from hanging on the wires, and actually provides a handy mini-flashlight to use while you're doing this.
Once you lower the panel, you'll see a big rubber sleeve that covers the steering shaft. If you pull down on this (sliding the top portion down towards the floor, sort of like taking off a sock), you expose the ISS, which looks like a basic universal joint. All I did was spray the PBBlaster on (and especially down the middle, there's sort of a hole there that runs down the shaft) this area for maybe 10 seconds, then slipped the rubber sleeve back up, replaced the light fixture and cover panel, and that's it. Admittedly the rubber sleeve on mine was kind of stiff, so it takes a fair amount of effort to hold it out of the way, and it would help if you had a straw (like you get w/WD-40) to pinpoint the spray. Since you'll be using one hand to hold the sleeve back, and the other to spray the lube on, it really does come in handy to position that light in advance so it's shining where you need it.
Give it a shot; it may not be the final fix, but at least it has lasted several months for me. I don't remember what the PBBLaster cost me, but it's probably $3-4 for a standard sized can. And you'll only use a small amount of the stuff, but it's good to keep around for rusty bolts and such.
See if they can show you the difference between the old design and the new - heck, maybe even take a digital camera and shoot some pictures and post them here; there'd obviously be several other folks who'd be interested in seeing them.
have break judder when stopping - very annoying. It cost me $361 and they said I need the front brakes done too.
Today one of the wheels started humming at 20mph 2 days after getting new brakes. Am I in for it now or what?
missy rissy
Just got back into the car to run a quick errand, and the clunkiness is totally gone, and the steering is much less vague than it had been. One of the reasons I finally sprayed it again is I'd noticed the car had begun to drift a little, and I remembered before having the same problem that went away with the application of the lube.
One suggestion; it's kind of awkward to get to the ISS under the dash, but what I did this time that seemed to work pretty well was to open the driver's door and then basically stick my legs under the car, so I ended up sitting on the ground.
On my '06, at approximately 25K miles, my ISS started clunking but this time it got progressively worse. It was bad enough by the time I took it in (at 27.5K) that it would clunk while braking and when initially accelerating from a stop (as well as any other car movement below 35 mph). I had resigned myself to being told it was a maintenance issue and figured they would only lubricate it but as it turns out, they replaced it as defective. I didn't get to talk to anyone in the service department, something I'm not real happy about, but I am pleased that the problem was resolved with a replacement. The ISS problem had been progressing for so long now that I had learned to live with it to a degree and now that it's fixed, the car feels SO much better to drive. I don't know if this is a new problem regarding the ISS or if mine was worse than normal but I definitely wanted to share since it's usually not a replacement. Hopefully this will help others out there!
By the way, can anyone tell me if while replacing the ISS, is it likely that the steering wheel could be set out of alignment. I now seem to have to hold the wheel about 5-10 degrees to the right. The overall alignment seems the same but I'm pretty sure the wheel is off. I don't want to make a fool of myself if it's in my head but I'm pretty sure they messed it up. Thanks!
Clark
I may actually be getting ready to sell my 2000; not because of this or any other particular problem, but because I've got two kids approaching driving/college age, and to avoid multiple car payments I may get something new soon so I can pay it off before the kids cycle through.
I glanced back at some more recent posts but didn't see this info out there; is there anyone who has had their ISS replaced/repaired outside of warranty that can give me a rough idea of what it would cost to fix? If it's not too dear I'd probably rather get it fixed before I sell it, especially if I end up selling it myself.
I would have thought after eight model years they would have corrected this issue. So I guess I will be off to the dealer in the next week or so to get it corrected.
Just saw your post regarding the "clunk" noise coming from the rear when going a rough pice of pavement. I have also noticed that but discounted it as just a quirk of the rear suspension. I should have suspected something, because I only hear it in a right turn as the right rear crosses a pice of concrete that drops approximatel 2 inches. Yes, the sound is repeatable and predictable in that same corner. I need to get under the car and do some checking and then pursue it with the dealer. Thanks for the heads-up. Have a Merry Christmas with your family. Clark
Funny you should mention the right-rear because that's where my sound is coming from.
Here's another tip for anyone else who suspects a problem: fold down your rear seats and test your car. Any noise from the rear suspension is MUCH louder with the seats down. I discovered this by accident since I have my seats down to aid in hauling around a lot of "stuff" during the holidays. My symptom is more like a crunchy-squeak sound as the springs are flexed. So far, the best way to repeat this is to go over speed bumps slowly. I still have the proper 1 1/2 bounce but that first "1" is very noisy in the right rear.
Thanks for the input, Clark!
Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Ron
The remote range issue can also be addressed by the dealer. I believe that Chevrolet has issued a Technical Service Bulletin for the issue. Last time I was in for routine maintenance, a gentleman in the waiting room was having his Impala fixed due to range issues with his remote keyless entry.
See my post (#84) regarding the ISS. I had mine replaced under warranty and that hasn't been the usual. Mine started clunking at around 25,000 miles and got progressively worse.
Both of your issues, ISS and remote range, should be fixed under warranty. There is a TSB for the remote range that involves replacing the receiver and issuing new FOBs so you DEFINITELY want to get that done before your warranty expires.
Good luck and keep us posted on your experience!
Ron