Impala - Chevrolet :: 2006 - Intermittent No Start / Bad Ignition Switch
Nov 22, 2011
I have a 2006 chevy impala LT 3.9 v6. Intermittently it wont start, crank it and it does nothing. All accessories work fine. Had a new starter installed, switched the relay it works on, had the ignition switch changed (twice), had the passlock system replaced, new keys for the ignition. Had the car to the dealer four, times. It doesn't happen all the time so it cant be reproduced at will. I just keep trying to start it and it will eventually start, it can be turning the key from 4 to 40 times. there's no rhyme or reason, some times it doesn't happen for 5 days, then it happens everyday for a week.. according to the dealer when they reproduced it it was the ignition switch. I doubt i got 2 bad ignition switches so i don't believe the error is being reported correctly. According to chevy they have no other reports of this..
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I am the (once) proud owner of a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. I have owned the car for one year, putting only 12,000 miles on it (was 109,000 when I bought it.) The car has run quite well—I have not had any problems out of it (unlike the 1999-2005 generation Impalas). But, as many of you may have heard, GM had some massive recalls as of late. Many of the cars have had fatal ignition switch failures. Basically every single Impala in the last (my) generation has been recalled.
Take any other keys/paraphernalia off of the chain—basically, just insert the key into the ignition, unattached to anything. This is the fix for the time being, apparently—until they can get ignition switches for however many hundred thousand Impalas they have to fix.
I am about to make a 3 hour drive. Now, that wouldn't be the longest drive that I have made in this car (and I cringe at the idea that, driving 17 hours with a bunch of crap hanging off of my chain, that my car easily could have been one of the unfortunate ones.)
Now that I know that I cannot be sure of the safety of my vehicle, I need to know what to do in the case of an emergency. I want to know what exactly the situation of an ignition switch failure entails...basically, what happens to my car and my ability to control the car. Lastly, I need to know what to do if this happens.
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I have a 2002 Chevy Impalah 100k miles that frequently won't start. When I put the key in the ignition, I get lights, radio, and all electrical signs. But no sound from the engine. No matter how many times I try to turn the ignition, I get nothing.
But then when I stop trying and then come back to the car 5 to 10 minutes later, the car will start with no problem. This seems to happen randomly--sometimes first thing in the morning, sometimes after being parked for an hour. I can go for days with no problems and then it will start happening (randomly) again.
I just brought the car back from a dealership--they couldn't reproduce the problem and can't find anything wrong with the car. What systems or parts might be malfunctioning?
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2003 impala 3800 ... My battery drains if i leave it hooked up over night: and the gauges will sometimes start to click and flicker and move when the key is out of the ignition: I have changed batteries 3 times in 1 yr and checked the alternator, everything is fine, I'm tired of disconnecting my battery every night before bedtime..
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2002 cheverlot impala . the oil pressure switch keeps going bad and the diaphragm bust and oil comes out where the plug is. had to replace four in over a year . why and what make them go bad ?
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I have a 2003 Impala 3.4 with an intermittent starting issue. It starts perfectly every morning but after it is hot and I park it over 15 minutes or so it will sometimes not start. All the regular dash lights come on as normal but when the key is turned it does not even try to turn over, it is just silence, To get it started I have to hit the column shift lever upward several times and then it will kick right off with no hesitation. Sometimes I have to turn the key 10-20 times to get it started also. I had the battery, starter and alternator tested under load and they are all fine. It is not the security problem either that many impalas have. The only code I have is a PO 336 for crankshaft position sensors. Is there some kind of linkage in the column that could be worn that could cause this?
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My son has a 2000 Impala which will not start if it has been warmed up and then turned off for 30-40 minutes. If you turn it off and wait 15 minutes it will start every time - wait much longer and you are stranded. The starter sounds normal and you would think it is going to start but it won't. The car sat at the dealership for 2 weeks and they couldn't solve the problem. If the car is cold it starts every time.
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I have an impala with a missing ignition lock cylinder. How to bypass the security with this component missing or know where to find the wiring schematic for this model. Every schematic I've found on the web aren't complete circuits.
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When turning a corner at low speed (left or right) while riding the brake, if the suspension bounces (e.g., crossing uneven manhole cover) the left front brake pulses for .5-2 seconds. The pulse is felt in the brake pedal. A grunt noise comes from the suspension. Cannot reproduce over parking lot speed bumps.
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I have a 2003 Impala LS with around 114,000 miles. I noticed today that the control switch that turns on the AC or heat is not fully working right. My switch has 5 levels, and on levels 1 and 2 nothing happens. But when I switch to levels 3-4 or 5 it works just fine.
My question is is fixing this going to involve removing the entire dash from the car? My guess it's a contact issue, and figure it might be pricy to get repaired.
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A year ago, I had a problem starting my car (a 2004 Chevrolet Impala, about 120,000 miles). When I put the key in the ignition, the engine wouldn't turn. I knew there wasn't a problem with the battery because my lights, radio, etc. were still operating fine. Instead, I got a bright flashing "SECURITY" message on the front panel of the car. After a few minutes pacing around the parking lot, I returned to my car and it started without a problem. I checked online, and several car forums and articles claimed that this was a common problem in 2004 Chevrolet Impalas: some faulty wiring in the security system would stop the car from turning on because it thought you were trying to hot-wire the vehicle.
After the first incident, I didn't encounter this problem again until recently. Within the last 2 weeks, this problem has become more frequent, occurring maybe 2-3 times per week. The car won't start and I'll get a flashing "SECURITY" message. If I wait a while (between 5 to 30 minutes), the car will eventually start. I finally decided to take my car into a Chevrolet dealership to get the problem fixed. I described the problem to the mechanic; she guessed that the cause was associated with the ignition cylinder....
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I have a 2003 impala I just bought and it has an intermittent problem. Sometimes when I step on the gas the motor will 'slam'---kinda like if the motor mounts were bad but they look good and it doesn't always do this. Also, if I hit the gas pedal hard and then almost as quickly let off the gas pedal I get the same effect--shutter/slam. I suspect the mounts but they look fine. If I keep on the gas all gears shift very smoothly. Gear shift is smooth thru all gears if I floor it or go slowly accelerate so it seems not to be the transmission either.
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2009 Impala, 54k, factory installed remote start will no longer start the engine.This problem just started with both remotes.When used in close proximity of the car this is what happens: 1st-attempt-I hear a short humming noise and lights flash, 2nd-attempt a click and lights flash, 3rd attempt (and there after)-no sound and no flash of lights.The remote lock/unlock feature with horn beep and lights flash works fine on both remotes.The car starts every time by key with no problem.Any thoughts of what may be wrong?
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I have a 2004 Chevy Impala with 100,000 miles. A couple of times in the last year the car just wouldn't start. Everything comes on lights, radio, etc. but it doesn't even try to turn over. I took it in twice and the mechanic of course couldn't find anything and it didn't happen again until recently. It has happened 6 times in the 3 weeks. It runs fine, has a new battery. Mechanic keeps telling me they can't diagnose it until it happens when they have it. I have had it towed to them twice when it has happened and of course when they try to start it it starts beautifully. Mechanic is guessing it may be the starter but doesn't want to assume. My dad said he heard a caller this past weekend on Car Talk with a similar problem and they were told it was the crankshaft position sensor and to not even mess with the starter.
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vehicle overheated stopped made a quick fix on the radiator and refilled with antifreeze started everything seemed ok drove car home still everything was fine next day will not start. turn key to on position lights on dash and headlights good, turn the key to start position all goes dead. fuses are the good battery is good connections to starter are good engine not seized up. I get no code on my odbII. I have replaced radiator and hoses, checked all fuses in all four fuse box and side compartments.
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Sometimes I turn the key and nothing happens except the lights come on but nothing happens. Then if I press the brakes, move the gear shift from park to neutral and back it might start. Sometimes I have to repeat the process a few times and twice I was stranded! If it starts then something unusual happens if I am going in reverse and turning the steering wheel sharply to the right the is a loud grinding, whining sound. It's not like the sound of a whining power steering noise.
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I drive a 2004 Impala with just over 100k miles and sometimes it just will not start. All the bells and whistles work fine but it just doesn't start. The security light flashes 3x and then shows a picture of the battery. I replaced the battery and it seemed fine for a few months, but then did it a few more times. I've heard of people spending up to 3k dollars replacing various things, making no difference at all. On most websites everyone seems to thinks it's the GM Passlock system...
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Recently the check engine light came on and coded out to the mass air flow sensor. I changed the sensor and cleared the fault code, but after doing so the car wouldn't start. After many failed attempts to start the motor, I disconnected the positive lead at the battery and reconnected it a few minutes later. The car started and ran smooth, however the check engine came back on and coded out to the mass air flow sensor again...
I let the car continue to idle and disconnected the lead at the sensor how the motor would react; it continued to run smooth....I then reinstalled the old air flow sensor and engine continued to run great...So with all this said, car runs great when check engine is on and code is not rest, however, car will not start upon clearing the code and resetting the light......is it safe to assume the computer is going bad and needs to be changed?
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So this car has been having overheating problems since I first purchased it. I've operated it, but I've had to keep the heat going full blast to keep the coolant tank from overheating.
Last night I was driving on the interstate, and it began to overheat. It was running hot for maybe 3 minutes before I was able to pull over. I let it sit and cool for probably about 20-25 minutes, pulling over on a dark portion of the interstate, before I started it with no problem and moved it to a safer location (it ran hot again, but this was maybe for 30 seconds before I pulled over and shut it off.)
I let it sit for a good hour so that it could cool all the way down from 260 to 140. I then attempt to start it. It turns, but does not start. At this point, I call a tow truck to come for it. About 30 to 40 minutes after this, I start the car again. It starts with no problem. I put it in reverse, and roll it back to see if there are any leaks. There's leaking from the coolant tank...quite a large puddle. I refill it with distilled water and it leaks some more but sits mostly. I then start it again, and roll it forward. The tow truck arrives maybe 30 minutes later, and I attempt to start it to line it up behind, but it turns and does not start. We have to put it in Neutral and turn it to get it in line for the tow truck.
We get to my destination, probably about a 40 minute drive, and he unloads it. I attempt to start it...again, it turns but does not start. This morning, about 8 hours after that, I try to start it...it does not even turn.
The oil is just fine, the battery is not dead (lights/radio/horn/etc. works), but the battery does seem weak since the dashboard lights are dimmed no matter how much I turn them up. Even though the coolant tank has been somewhat depleted, it was never close to being empty or bone dry. There weren't any "knocking" noises, there was no smoking or anything from either the hood or the exhaust.
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i'm having a hard time starting my 2000 chevy impala. it orginal had a security plug on it. i had it removed. to start when i turn on the turn signal there was a noise, the odometer when blank, the air bag symbol appeared. the next time i tried to start the car it would do the same thing but wouldn't even turn over. sometimes you can turn the key on and wait 30 seconds, step on the brake and it may start. i have continued to try for up to 3 minutes. if you put on jumper cables sometime it will start. what is the problem?
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3.9L V6 Chevrolet Impala driver here. The vehicle has about 83000 miles on it. I've been driving it since 2006 and was purchased used. The belt is starting squeal. Which isn't that big of a deal since all belts do need to be replaced. However, the squeal only occurs when the temperature is hot outside or has been driven for a while. If I go on a long drive the belt won't squeal until I get to more stop and go traffic. I have sprayed pulley's while the belt is squealing and it is the power steering pulley. However, I am not sure if to replace the power steering pump or just replace the pulley. Sounds like a bad bearing in my opinion.
I replaced my belt with the recommended Gates belt. Upon inspection of the pulleys I had one that looked questionable. Here is an image of the pulley that was pulled imgur.com/a/vU8DG#0. This is the lower Idler pulley. [URL] ....
I just noticed today of 4/1/2013 that there is a slight squeal coming from the engine bay. I notice it more when accelerating then if I am just idling. This sounds like it may be the lower idler pulley.
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