instrument panel CHEVROLET IMPALA 2003 8.G Owner's Guide

Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the air bag symbol. The system
checks the air bag's electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem.
The system check includes the air bag sensors, the air
bag modules, the wiring and the crash sensing and
diagnostic module. For more information on the air bag
system, see
Air Bag Systems on page 1-51.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ¯ash for
a few seconds. Then
the light should go out.
This means the system
is ready.If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your air
bag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the air bag system
may not be working properly. The air bags in
your vehicle may not in¯ate in a crash, or they
could even in¯ate without a crash. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others, have your
vehicle serviced right away if the air bag
readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle.
The air bag readiness light should ¯ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to ON. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
3-33

Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If your vehicle is equipped
with anti-lock brakes, the
anti-lock brake system
warning light should come
on for a few seconds
when you turn the ignition
key to ON.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you've started your engine, turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you're driving, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset
the system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you're driving, the anti-lock brake system needs
service and you don't have anti-lock brakes.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on brie¯y when you turn the ignition key to ON. This
is normal. If the light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
Your vehicle may have the
traction control system. If it
does, this warning light
may come on for the
following reasons:
·If you turn the system off by pressing the TRAC
OFF button located on the instrument panel, a
chime will sound and the warning light will come on
and stay on. To turn the system back on, press
the button again. The warning light should go off.
·If there's a brake system problem that is speci®cally
related to traction control, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on. If your brakes begin to overheat, the traction
control system will turn off and the warning light will
come on until your brakes cool down.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
3-35

Fuel GageThe fuel gage, when the ignition is on, tells you about
how much fuel you have left in your tank.
The gage will ®rst indicate empty before you are out of
fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon as
possible.
Here are four situations you may experience with your
fuel gage. None of these indicate a problem with the fuel
gage.
·At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll up than the
fuel gage indicated. For example, the gage may
have indicated the tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than half the tank's
capacity to ®ll the tank.
·The gage goes back to empty when you turn off the
ignition.
·The gage pointer moves while cornering, braking or
acceleration.
Message Center
The message center is located below the temperature
gage or the tachometer gage (if equipped) on the
instrument panel cluster. It gives you important safety
and maintenance facts. United States-3400 V6
Engine Cluster
United States-3800 V6
Engine Cluster
Canada-3400 V6 Engine
ClusterCanada-3800 V6 Engine
Cluster
3-40

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction
time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second.
But that's only an average. It might be less with one
driver and as long as two or three seconds or more
with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet
(20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking
Ð rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if
you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with thetraffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on brie¯y when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
4-6

To turn the system on or
off, press the TRAC OFF
button on the left side
of the instrument panel.
When you turn the system off, a chime will sound and
the TRAC OFF warning light will come on and stay on.
If the traction control system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system off, the
warning light will come on and the system will turn
off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The TRAC OFF warning light
should go off.Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves.
Here's why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn the front wheels. If there's no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If
you've ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you'll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle
at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you're in a curve, speed is the one factor you
can control.
4-10

Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need additional
wiring. Check with your dealer. The arrows on your
instrument panel will ¯ash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also ¯ash, telling other drivers you're about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument
panel will ¯ash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind
you are seeing your signal when they are not. It's
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gearbeforeyou start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don't shift
down, you might have to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
If you have overdrive, you may want to drive in
THIRD (3) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
X.
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People
can be injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here's
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don't shift into
PARK (P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake, and then shift to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
4-39

Radiator Pressure Cap
Notice:Your radiator cap is a pressure-type cap
and must be tightly installed to prevent coolant loss
and possible engine damage from overheating.
Be sure the arrows on the cap line up with the
over¯ow tube on the radiator ®ller neck.
The radiator pressure cap is located in the front of the
engine compartment on the passenger's side, near
the diagonal cross brace. See
Engine Compartment
Overview on page 5-12for more information on location.
Engine Overheating
You will ®nd a coolant temperature gage and a warning
message about a hot engine on your instrument
panel cluster. See
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
on page 3-36andHot Coolant Temperature Warning
Message on page 3-42.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
This emergency operating mode allows your vehicle to
be driven to a safe place in an emergency situation.
If an overheated engine condition exists, an overheat
protection mode which alternates ®ring groups of
cylinders helps prevent engine damage. In this mode,
you will notice a signi®cant loss in power and engine
performance. The low coolant light may come on
and the temperature gage will indicate an overheat
condition exists. Driving extended miles (km) and/or
towing a trailer in the overheat protection mode should
be avoided.
Notice:After driving in the overheated engine
protection operating mode, to avoid engine damage,
allow the engine to cool before attempting any
repair. The engine oil will be severely degraded.
Repair the cause of coolant loss, change the oil
and reset the oil life system. See ªEngine Oilº in
the Index.
5-30

Cleaning Vinyl
Use warm water and a clean cloth.
·Rub with a clean, damp cloth to remove dirt. You
may have to do this more than once.
·Things like tar, asphalt and shoe polish will stain if
you do not get them off quickly. Use a clean cloth
and vinyl cleaner. See your dealer for this product.
Cleaning Leather
Use a soft cloth with lukewarm water and a mild soap or
saddle soap and wipe dry with a soft cloth. Then, let
the leather dry naturally. Do not use heat to dry.
·For stubborn stains, use a leather cleaner.
·Neveruse oils, varnishes, solvent-based or abrasive
cleaners, furniture polish or shoe polish on leather.
·Soiled or stained leather should be cleaned
immediately. If dirt is allowed to work into the ®nish,
it can harm the leather.
Cleaning the Top of the Instrument
Panel
Use only mild soap and water to clean the top surfaces
of the instrument panel. Sprays containing silicones
or waxes may cause annoying re¯ections in the
windshield and even make it difficult to see through the
windshield under certain conditions.
Cleaning Interior Plastic Components
Use only a mild soap and water solution on a soft cloth
or sponge. Commercial cleaners may affect the
surface ®nish.
Cleaning Glass Surfaces
Glass should be cleaned often. GM Glass Cleaner or a
liquid household glass cleaner will remove normal
tobacco smoke and dust ®lms on interior glass. See
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials on page 5-91.
Notice:Don't use abrasive cleaners on glass,
because they may cause scratches. Avoid placing
decals on the inside rear window, since they
may have to be scraped off later. If abrasive cleaners
are used on the inside of the rear window, an
electric defogger element may be damaged. Any
temporary license should not be attached across the
defogger grid.
5-87

Vehicle Identi®cation
Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN)
This is the legal identi®er for your vehicle. It appears on
a plate in the front corner of the instrument panel, on
the driver's side. You can see it if you look through the
windshield from outside your vehicle. The VIN also
appears on the Vehicle Certi®cation and Service Parts
labels and the certi®cates of title and registration.
Engine Identi®cation
The 8th character in your VIN is the engine code. This
code will help you identify your engine, speci®cations
and replacement parts.
Service Parts Identi®cation Label
You'll ®nd this label on the inside of your trunk lid. It's
very helpful if you ever need to order parts. On this
label is:
·your VIN,
·the model designation,
·paint information and
·a list of all production options and special
equipment.
Be sure that this label is not removed from the vehicle.
5-93

Power Windows and Other Power
Options
A circuit breaker in the driver's side instrument panel
fuse block protects the power windows and other power
accessories. When the current load is too heavy, the
circuit breaker opens and closes, protecting the
circuit until the problem is ®xed.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in your vehicle are protected from
short circuits by a combination of fuses. This greatly
reduces the chance of ®res caused by electrical
problems.
Look at the silver-colored band inside the fuse. If the
band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you
replace a bad fuse with a new one of the identical
size and rating.
5-95