open hood CHEVROLET IMPALA 2007 9.G Owners Manual

Notice:Your engine is designed to work with
the electronics in your vehicle. If you add
electrical parts or accessories, you could
change the way the engine operates. Before
adding electrical equipment, check with your
dealer. If you do not, your engine might not
perform properly. Any resulting damage would
not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty.
Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may have this feature. In very cold
weather, 0°F (−18°C) or colder, the engine coolant
heater can help. You will get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually, the coolant heater should be plugged in a
minimum of four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
At temperatures above 32°F (0°C), use of the
coolant heater is not required.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical
cord. The cord is attached to the underside
of the diagonal brace, which is located above
the engine air cleaner/lter assembly.3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC
outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded
outlet could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong kind of extension cord
could overheat and cause a re. You
could be seriously injured. Plug the cord
into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will not
reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and store the cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts. If you do
not, it could be damaged.
115

ERROR
This message displays while viewing the odometer
or trip odometers if there is a problem with the
instrument panel cluster. See your dealer for
service.
FUEL LEVEL LOW
This message displays when your vehicle is low
on fuel. Rell the fuel tank as soon as possible.
SeeFuel Gage on page 190andFilling the Tank
on page 302for more information.
HOOD OPEN
If your vehicle has the remote start feature, this
message displays when the hood is not closed
properly. When this message appears, make sure
that the hood is closed completely. SeeHood
Release on page 305.
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE WITH CARE
This message displays when the outside air
temperature is cold enough to create icy road
conditions. Adjust your driving accordingly.
LEFT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message displays when the driver’s side rear
door is not closed properly. When this message
appears, make sure that the driver’s side rear door
is closed completely.
OIL PRESSURE LOW STOP ENGINE
Notice:If you drive your vehicle while
the engine oil pressure is low, severe engine
damage may occur. If a low oil pressure
warning appears on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), stop the vehicle as soon as
possible. Do not drive the vehicle until the
cause of the low oil pressure is corrected. See
Engine Oil on page 310for more information.
This message displays when the vehicle’s
engine oil pressure is low. The oil pressure light
also appears on the instrument panel cluster.
SeeOil Pressure Light on page 188.
Stop the vehicle immediately, as engine damage
can result from driving a vehicle with low oil
pressure. Have the vehicle serviced by your dealer
as soon as possible when this message is
displayed.
203

Gasoline Specications
At a minimum, gasoline should meet ASTM
specication D 4814 in the United States or
CAN/CGSB-3.5 in Canada. Some gasolines may
contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT). General Motors recommends against the
use of gasolines containing MMT. SeeAdditives
on page 299for additional information.
California Fuel
If your vehicle is certied to meet California
Emissions Standards, it is designed to operate on
fuels that meet California specications. See the
underhood emission control label. If this fuel is not
available in states adopting California emissions
standards, your vehicle will operate satisfactorily on
fuels meeting federal specications, but emission
control system performance may be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp may turn on and your
vehicle may fail a smog-check test. SeeMalfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 185. If this occurs, return to
your authorized GM dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is caused by the type
of fuel used, repairs may not be covered by your
warranty.
Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United
States are now required to contain additives
that will help prevent engine and fuel system
deposits from forming, allowing your emission
control system to work properly. In most cases,
you should not have to add anything to your fuel.
However, some gasolines contain only the
minimum amount of additive required to meet U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
To help keep fuel injectors and intake valves clean,
or if your vehicle experiences problems due to
dirty injectors or valves, look for gasoline that is
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. Also,
your dealer has additives that will help correct
and prevent most deposit-related problems.
299

Filling a Portable Fuel Container
{CAUTION:
Never ll a portable fuel container while it
is in your vehicle. Static electricity
discharge from the container can ignite the
gasoline vapor. You can be badly burned
and your vehicle damaged if this occurs.
To help avoid injury to you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
Do not ll a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup
bed, or on any surface other than the
ground.
Bring the ll nozzle in contact with
the inside of the ll opening before
operating the nozzle. Contact should
be maintained until the lling is
complete.
Do not smoke while pumping gasoline.
Do not use a cellular phone while
pumping gasoline.
Checking Things Under
the Hood
{CAUTION:
An electric fan under the hood can start up
and injure you even when the engine is not
running. Keep hands, clothing, and tools
away from any underhood electric fan.
{CAUTION:
Things that burn can get on hot engine
parts and start a re. These include
liquids like fuel, oil, coolant, brake uid,
windshield washer and other uids, and
plastic or rubber. You or others could be
burned. Be careful not to drop or spill
things that will burn onto a hot engine.
304

Hood Release
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the interior hood
release handle with
this symbol on it.
It is located to
the left of the
parking brake
pedal.
2. Then go to the front of the vehicle and
release the secondary hood latch, located
near the center of the hood front, by pushing
the latch to the right.
3. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the ller caps
are on properly. Then pull the hood down and
close it rmly.
305

Engine Compartment Overview
When you open the hood on the 3.5L engine (3.9L similar), here is what you will see:
306

When you open the hood on the 5.3L V8 engine, here is what you will see:
308

If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
{CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can
burn you badly, even if you just open the
hood. Stay away from the engine if you
see or hear steam coming from it. Turn it
off and get everyone away from the
vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign of steam or coolant
before you open the hood.
If you keep driving when the vehicles
engine is overheated, the liquids in it can
catch re. You or others could be badly
burned. Stop your engine if it overheats,
and get out of the vehicle until the engine
is cool.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
SeeOverheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode on page 326for
information on driving to a safe place in
an emergency.
Notice:If your engine catches re because
you keep driving with no coolant, your vehicle
can be badly damaged. The costly repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. See
Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode
on page 326for information on driving to a
safe place in an emergency.
324

If No Steam Is Coming From
Your Engine
An overheat warning can indicate a serious
problem.
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or
hear no steam, the problem may not be too
serious. Sometimes the engine can get a little too
hot when you:
Climb a long hill on a hot day.
Stop after high-speed driving.
Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
If an overheat warning occurs without any sign of
steam, try this for a minute or so:
1. In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in
NEUTRAL (N) while stopped. If it is safe to do
so, pull off the road, shift to PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) and let the engine idle.
2. Set the heater at the highest setting and the
fan at the highest speed and open the
windows as necessary.If the overheat warning no longer exists, the
vehicle can be driven. Just to be safe, drive slower
for about 10 minutes. If the warning does not
come back on, the vehicle can be driven normally.
If the warning continues, and you have not
stopped, pull over, stop, and park the vehicle
right away.
If there is still no sign of steam, idle the engine
for three minutes while parked. If the warning
is still there, turn off the engine and get everyone
out of the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see
“Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode”
later in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get
service help right away.
325

Notice:Ignoring these steps could result in
costly damage to your vehicle that would
not be covered by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or
pulling it will not work, and it could damage
your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a
12-volt battery with a negative ground system.
Notice:If the other vehicle’s system is not a
12-volt system with a negative ground,
both vehicles can be damaged. Only use
vehicles with 12-volt systems with negative
grounds to jump start your vehicle.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper
cables can reach, but be sure the vehicles are
not touching each other. If they are, it could
cause a ground connection you do not want.
You would not be able to start your vehicle, and
the bad grounding could damage the electrical
systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling,
set the parking brake rmly on both vehicles
involved in the jump start procedure. Put an
automatic transaxle in PARK (P) or a manual
transaxle in NEUTRAL before setting the
parking brake.Notice:If you leave your radio or other
accessories on during the jump starting
procedure, they could be damaged. The repairs
would not be covered by your warranty.
Always turn off your radio and other
accessories when jump starting your vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles.
Unplug unnecessary accessories plugged into
the cigarette lighter or the accessory power
outlets. Turn off the radio and all lamps
that are not needed. This will avoid sparks
and help save both batteries. And it could
save the radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries.
Find the positive (+) and negative (−)
terminal locations on each vehicle.
You will not need to access your battery for
jump starting. Your vehicle has a remote
positive (+) jump starting terminal for that
purpose. The remote positive (+) terminal is
located in the engine compartment on the
passenger’s side of the vehicle, on the
underhood fuse block. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview on page 306
for more information on location.
339