fuel CHEVROLET IMPALA 2011 9.G User Guide

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-12 Instruments and Controls
Speedometer
The speedometer shows the
vehicle's speed in both kilometers
per hour (km/h) and miles per
hour (mph).
Odometer
The odometer shows how far the
vehicle has been driven in either
miles (used in the United States) or
in kilometers (used in Canada).
This vehicle has a tamper-resistant
odometer. If the odometer displays
ERROR, it probably has been
tampered with and the numbers
might not be accurate.
If the vehicle needs a new odometer
installed, it must be set to the
mileage total of the old odometer.
If that is not possible, then it will be
set at zero and a label must be put
on the driver door to show the old
mileage reading of the vehicle when
the new odometer was installed.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the
engine speed in revolutions per
minute (rpm).
Notice:If the engine is operated
with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area, the vehicle could
be damaged, and the damages
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in
the shaded warning area.
Fuel Gauge
English
Metric

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Instruments and Controls 5-13
When the ignition is on, the fuel
gauge indicates about how much
fuel is left in the fuel tank.
An arrow on the fuel gauge
indicates the side of the vehicle
the fuel door is on.
Here are four things that some
owners ask about. None of these
show a problem with the fuel gauge:
.At the gas station, the gas pump
shuts off before the gauge
reads full.
.It takes a little more or less fuel
to fill up than the gauge
indicated. For example, the
gauge may have indicated the
tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than
half the fuel tank's capacity to
fill the tank.
.The gauge moves a little when
while turning a corner or
speeding up.
.The gauge does not go back to
empty when the ignition is
turned off.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge
English
Metric
This gauge shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gauge pointer moves toward the
“H” (United States) or torward the
shaded thermostat (Canada), it
means that the engine coolant has
overheated. If the vehicle has been
operating under normal driving
conditions, pull off the road, stop
the vehicle, and turn off the engine
as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑19 for more information.

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Instruments and Controls 5-17
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
The light should go out once the
engine starts. If it stays on,
or comes on while driving, there
could be a problem with the
charging system. A charging system
message in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) can also appear.
SeeBattery Voltage and Charging
Messages on page 5‑29 for more
information. This light could indicate
that there are problems with a
generator drive belt, or that there is
an electrical problem. Have it
checked right away. If the vehicle
must be driven a short distance with
the light on, turn off accessories,
such as the radio and air
conditioner.
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp
A computer system called OBD II
(On-Board Diagnostics-Second
Generation) monitors operation of
the fuel, ignition, and emission control systems. It ensures that
emissions are at acceptable levels
for the life of the vehicle, helping to
produce a cleaner environment.
This light should come on when the
ignition is on, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the Malfunction Indicator Lamp
comes on and stays on while the
engine is running, this indicates that
there is an OBD II problem and
service is required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by
the system before any problem is
apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage
to the vehicle. This system assists
the service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.Notice:
If the vehicle is
continually driven with this light
on, after a while, the emission
controls might not work as well,
the vehicle fuel economy might
not be as good, and the engine
might not run as smoothly. This
could lead to costly repairs that
might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Notice: Modifications made to the
engine, transmission, exhaust,
intake, or fuel system of the
vehicle or the replacement
of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) can
affect the vehicle's emission
controls and can cause this light
to come on. Modifications to
these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by
the vehicle warranty. This could
also result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/
Maintenance test. See
Accessories and Modifications on
page 10‑3.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing:A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required.
To prevent more serious damage to
the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as
soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park the
vehicle. Turn the vehicle off, wait at
least 10 seconds, and restart the
engine. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps and
see your dealer for service as
soon as possible. Light On Steady:
An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might
be required.
An emission system malfunction
might be corrected:
.Make sure the fuel cap is fully
installed. See Filling the Tank on
page 9‑38. The diagnostic
system can determine if the
fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap allows fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn
the light off.
.If the vehicle has been driven
through a deep puddle of water,
the vehicle's electrical system
might be wet. The condition is
usually corrected when the
electrical system dries out.
A few driving trips should turn
the light off.
.Make sure to fuel the vehicle
with quality fuel. Poor fuel quality
causes the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and can
cause: stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these
conditions occurs, change the
fuel brand used. It will require at
least one full tank of the proper
fuel to turn the light off.
See Recommended Fuel on
page 9‑35.
If none of the above have made the
light turn off, your dealer can check
the vehicle. The dealer has the
proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any
mechanical or electrical problems
that might have developed.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls
High-Beam on Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 6‑3 for more
information.
Front Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp lights come on when
the fog lamps are in use. The lights go out when the fog
lamps are turned off. See
Fog
Lamps on page 6‑5 for more
information.
Cruise Control Light
The cruise control light comes on
whenever the cruise control is set.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑32 for more
information.
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
Your vehicle has a Driver
Information Center (DIC).
All messages will appear in the
DIC display located below the
speedometer in the instrument
panel cluster. The DIC buttons are
located on the instrument panel, to
the right of the instrument panel
cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition
is on. After a short delay, the DIC
will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
The DIC displays trip, fuel, and
vehicle system information, and
warning messages if a system
problem is detected. The bottom line
of the DIC shows the shift lever
position indicator. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑25 for
more information.

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Instruments and Controls 5-25
If your vehicle has these features,
the DIC also displays the compass
direction and the outside air
temperature when viewing the trip
and fuel information. The compass
direction appears on the top right
corner of the DIC display.
The outside air temperature
automatically appears in the bottom
right corner of the DIC display.
If there is a problem with the system
that controls the temperature
display, the numbers will be
replaced with dashes. If this occurs,
have the vehicle serviced by
your dealer.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. SeeVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑36 for
more information.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel, to the right of the
instrument panel cluster. DIC Buttons
The buttons are the trip/fuel, vehicle
information, customization, and
set/reset buttons. The button
functions are detailed in the
following pages.
3(Trip/Fuel):
Press this
button to display the odometer, trip
odometers, fuel range, average
economy, instantaneous economy,
Active Fuel Management™ indicator
on vehicles with this feature, and
average speed.
T(Vehicle Information): Press
this button to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings, and
compass zone and compass
calibration on vehicles with
this feature.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on your vehicle.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑36 for more information.
V(Set/Reset): Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
3(Trip/Fuel): Press this
button to scroll through the following
menu items:
Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either miles (mi) or
kilometers (km).

Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Trip A and Trip B
Press the trip/fuel button until
TRIP A or TRIP B displays. This
display shows the current distance
traveled in either miles (mi) or
kilometers (km) since the last reset
for each trip odometer. Both trip
odometers can be used at the
same time.
Each trip odometer can be reset to
zero separately by pressing the
set/reset button while the desired
trip odometer is displayed.
The trip odometer has a feature
called the retro-active reset. This
can be used to set the trip odometer
to the number of miles (kilometers)
driven since the ignition was last
turned on. This can be used if the
trip odometer is not reset at the
beginning of the trip.
To use the retro-active reset feature,
press and hold the set/reset button
for at least four seconds. The trip
odometer will display the number of
miles (mi) or kilometers (km) drivensince the ignition was last turned on
and the vehicle was moving. Once
the vehicle begins moving, the trip
odometer will accumulate mileage.
For example, if the vehicle was
driven 8 km (5 miles) before it is
started again, and then the
retro-active reset feature is
activated, the display will show
8 km (5 miles). As the vehicle
begins moving, the display will then
increase to 8.2 km (5.1 miles),
8.4 km (5.2 miles), etc.
If the retro-active reset feature is
activated after the vehicle is started,
but before it begins moving, the
display will show the number of
miles (mi) or kilometers (km) that
were driven during the last
ignition cycle.
Fuel Range
Press the trip/fuel button until
FUEL RANGE displays. This
display shows the approximate
number of remaining miles (mi) or
kilometers (km) the vehicle can be
driven without refueling.The fuel range estimate is based on
an average of the vehicle's fuel
economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining in
the fuel tank. This estimate will
change if driving conditions change.
For example, if driving in traffic and
making frequent stops, this display
may read one number, but if the
vehicle is driven on a freeway, the
number may change even though
the same amount of fuel is in the
fuel tank. This is because different
driving conditions produce different
fuel economies. Generally, freeway
driving produces better fuel
economy than city driving.
If your vehicle is low on fuel, the
FUEL LEVEL LOW message
displays. See
Fuel System
Messages on page 5‑32 for
more information.

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Average Economy
Press the trip/fuel button until AVG
ECONOMY displays. This display
shows the approximate average
miles per gallon (mpg) or liters per
100 kilometers (L/100 km). This
number is calculated based on the
number of mpg (L/100 km) recorded
since the last time this menu item
was reset. To reset this display
to zero, press and hold the
set/reset button.
Instantaneous Economy
Press the trip/fuel button until INST
ECONOMY displays. This display
shows the current fuel economy at a
particular moment and will change
frequently as driving conditions
change. This display shows the
instantaneous fuel economy in
miles per gallon (mpg) or liters per
100 kilometers (L/100 km). Unlike
average economy, this screen
cannot be reset.Average Speed
Press the trip/fuel button until
AVERAGE SPEED displays. This
display shows the average speed of
the vehicle in miles per hour (mph)
or kilometers per hour (km/h). This
average is calculated based on the
various vehicle speeds recorded
since the last reset of this value.
To reset the value, press and hold
the set/reset button. The display will
return to zero.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.
Vehicle Information Menu
Items
T(Vehicle Information):
Press
this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Oil Life
Press the vehicle information
button until OIL LIFE REMAINING
displays. This display shows an
estimate of the oil's remaining useful life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE
REMAINING on the display, that
means 99% of the current oil life
remains. The engine oil life system
will alert you to change the oil on a
schedule consistent with your
driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See
Engine Oil Messages on
page 5‑31. You should change the
oil as soon as possible. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑8. In addition to the
engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Scheduled Maintenance on
page 11‑2 for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL
LIFE yourself after each oil change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the OIL LIFE
accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.

Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-32 Instruments and Controls
Fuel System Messages
FUEL LEVEL LOW
This message displays when your
vehicle is low on fuel. Refill the fuel
tank as soon as possible. SeeFuel
Gauge on page 5‑12 andFilling the
Tank on page 9‑38 for more
information.
TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message may be displayed if
the gas cap is not on, or is not fully
tightened. Check the gas cap to
ensure that it is on properly.
See Filling the Tank on page 9‑38
for more information.
Key and Lock Messages
REPLACE BATTERY IN
REMOTE KEY
This message displays when the
battery in the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter needs to
be replaced. To replace the battery, see
“Battery Replacement” under
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
Lamp Messages
AUTOMATIC LIGHT
CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the
automatic headlamps are turned off.
See Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑2 for more information.
AUTOMATIC LIGHT
CONTROL ON
This message displays when the
automatic headlamps are turned on.
SeeExterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑2 for more information.
TURN SIGNAL ON
This message displays as a
reminder to turn off the turn signal
if you drive your vehicle for more
than about 1.2 km (0.75 mile) with
a turn signal on. See Turn and
Lane-Change Signals on page 6‑5. This message displays and a chime
sounds only when the ignition is in
ON/RUN. The message will not
disappear until the turn signal is
manually turned off, or a turn is
completed.
Ride Control System
Messages
SERVICE STABILITRAK
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message displays if there has been
a problem detected with ESC. The
ESC/TCS light also appears on the
instrument panel cluster. See
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑31
for more information.
If this message turns on while you
are driving, pull off the road as
soon as possible and stop carefully.
Try resetting the system by turning
the ignition off and then back on.

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Instruments and Controls 5-41
To select a setting, press the
set/reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
FACTORY SETTINGS
This feature allows you to set all of
the customization features back to
their factory default settings.
Press the customization button until
FACTORY SETTINGS appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
RESTORE ALL (default):The
customization features will be set to
their factory default settings. DO NOT RESTORE:
The
customization features will not be
set to their factory default settings.
To select a setting, press the
set/reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EXIT FEATURE SETTINGS
This feature allows you to exit the
FEATURE SETTINGS menu.
Press the customization button until
FEATURE SETTINGS PRESS
V
TO EXIT appears in the DIC display.
Press the set/reset button once to
exit the menu.
If you do not exit, pressing the
customization button again will
return you to the beginning of the
FEATURE SETTINGS menu.
Exiting the Feature
Settings Menu
The feature settings menu will be
exited when any of the following
occurs:
.The vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park).
.The vehicle is no longer in
ON/RUN.
.The trip/fuel or vehicle
information DIC buttons are
pressed.
.The end of the feature settings
menu is reached and exited.
.A 40-second time period has
elapsed with no selection made.