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New here- My new car and it's issues- 2003 Impala

5K views 40 replies 7 participants last post by  Ejbiers 
#1 ·
Hello, I'm new to this site, and I just bought a 2003 Impala 3.4L with 162,000 miles. So far I really like the car, it runs and drives great. I do however have a few questions... 1. how high should the temperature gauge read? It seems to hover about 1/4 of the way up while driving, but has gone up to 1/2 while idling for a few minutes. It seems a bit low to me. And 2. how long should it take to warm up? My last car was a little 4 cylinder that pretty much came up to normal operating temp in 5-10 minutes of idling, but this one seems to take much longer to start producing heat, about 4 miles of driving. My next question is pretty much just a confirmation of whether or not the intake gasket is bad... It is leaking oil on the outside of the engine, rather heavily, and has oil in the radiator and coolant tank. There is no coolant in the oil however.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Oil in your coolant points to a cracked block not intake manifold or head gaskets
Those leaking will cause coolant in your oil not vice versa.
This is not correct! Most of the time it's coolant in the oil but, in rare cases you can get oil in your coolant through the lifter rod valley. Although at the worst it would be a low amount of oil. My guess is it's actually sludge caused from dex-cool. Would also explain the cooling problems. Dexcool sludge is causing the thermostat to stick open.


To OP: I would have your coolant system flushed with a machine at a quick lube. Then drain coolant, replace thermostat and coolant temp sensor while your at it. Replace coolant with prestone :eek:k3:

Oil leak actually sounds like valve cover gasket.

Ejbiers: I specifically remember you telling me not to give advice on 8th gens as I don't own one and here you are doing the same crap
 
#3 ·
The oil leak seems to be coming from the front of the engine, near the top. From what I can see, the oil has pretty much coated the whole lower area of the engine in one way or another. I have checked the oil, and it is clean and clear, although it is due for an oil change. It doesnt seem to be leaking an excessive amount, because in a couple days there was no noticible drop in the oil level. The coolant was a bit low, but not low enough to cause it to overheat, so I filled it back up and it has been fine. The engine runs extremely smooth and accelerates well.
 
#5 ·
Lol

Dexcool doesnt cause that sludge condition. Its the stop leak tablets put in at the factory which i was gonna get into after a pic was posted

Also it takes oil at a higher pressure to squirt into the coolant which doesnt happen at the intake gaskets.

Also i dont own a 7th gen but have worked on many friends 3800 motors to know enough about them. And yes that includes to op's 3.4l
Congrats at starting another fight which you lost maybe youll learn to keep your mouth shut and just give advice if you have it not to pick fights.

Op if you could please post a pic of where the oil leaking on your engine.
And also check your transmission fluid for me.

If your cars running good the block isnt cracked but i have a hunch its trans fluid in your overflow tank not oil
 
#7 ·
Welcome! That's the same temp range mine operates at. It does take a while to warn up on a cold day also, I could use a thermostat and flush...
 
#10 ·
I wouldn't.

The longer you run it the more you run the risk of blowing the heater core,radiator,water pump, clogging your cooling system and overheating the car,ect


If you need a cheap solution do a flush yourself. It won't be as good as a professional flush but it will get the job done pretty good.
 
#11 ·
And keep an eye on your tranny fluid.

My dad and i had a 3.4 montecarlo we bought to flip and make money on really cheap and it had a problem where the internal trans cooler inside the radiator broke and was leaking trans fluid into the coolant.


It looked like motor oil was leaking in but it turned out to be trans fluid.


I'm not sure if your impala has it or not but just something to look out for.
 
#12 ·
I almost forgot about my next issue- when I turn the back window defroster on, the radio loses signal/turns to static/hissing. I havent left it on long enough to tell if it is actually working or not, I'm afraid there is a short somewhere and I dont want to blow the radio or start a fire!
 
#14 ·
I dont think it has an external antenna. I would guess that means it is in the defroster grid. And now, my latest issue... The air bag light came on today... My dad took the car to the store and when he came back he said the light was on, and I just drove it, and was still on. Any idea what is wrong amd how to turn the light off?
 
#20 ·
All tho ridiculously expensive, a gm dealer should be able to scan the bcm for codes regarding the airbag light.
 
#21 ·
Generally a bcm scan runs $100-110 at a dealer
 
#22 ·
Well at the moment I think the airbag light is the least of my problems, it didnt blow up un my face while driving, so its fine for now. I am going to change out the thermostat soon, it was pretty cold here today, and I drove about 20 miles and the temp gauge barely went over 140 degrees and the heat isn't working well at all. I checked the oil today and it was still full and clear, but the coolant was a tad low in the radiator(maybe 2 tablespoons) and the radiator cap had brown sticky crud on it. The coolant overflow bottle actually did not have a lot of oil in it, but the tank was actually coated on the inside with what looked like dark brown oil. I am certainly hoping it is as another member posted above and the valve covers are causing the oil leak, and the coolant is just sludgy and needs flushed. I could probably manage that myself... I just hope all the problems now arent signs of whats ahead... I dont want it to nickel and dime me to death. I also need to replace the muffler as it has a hole in it and is a bit loud... However everybody in my family loves the car, as do I, so I really want to fix it up.
 
#23 ·
That brown crud is likely the stop leak tablets from the factory or someone had mixed non dexcool into the system. Both of these create problems for your cooling system. It is likely that the previous owners did not flush the system every 100k like gm says to. Although I believe if your running dexcool you should flush it way before that. Towards the end of dexcool's life it gets nasty looking. Like I stated earlier have the system flushed, replace thermostat/gasket, and coolant temp sensor. These components are likely all coated with this sludge and are on their way out.

Regarding airbag: Do you have any other dash lights on? Have you ever had problems starting the car as in the starter doesn't turn but, everything else works? If so, it's likely the ignition switch.
 
#24 ·
The only other dash lights are the check engine (had it scanned and it was the egr?) and the change oil soon. I havent had any problem at all with starting, turn the key and its running. I have only had it about 5 days, so it is hard to say if there have been any problems. The starter was replaced the day before I bought it, the previous owner, who I go to church with, had it towed home because it wouldnt start, and his wife bought a new car. It had not been driven in 3 months, he replaced the starter and sold it to me cheap because I was in desperate need of a decent car. Of course it does need some work, but less work than any other car I looked at in the same price range.
 
#25 ·
The egr is a common problem. Alot of people just go and replace it ($150 or so) but, this is not necessary. Take it out (2 bolts and wire connector) , clean it with simple green or degreaser, put back in, and wala. Do yourself a favor and buy a "haynes service manual". It will make things alot easier for you and us as we wont have to explain.
 
#27 ·
Wow guys, oil contamination in the coolant is a classic symptom of a failed LIM gasket, all these other diagnosis's flying around are very unlikely. Anyway, the oil contamination could also be the cause of the failed thermostat. But there is no sense in taking care of these other issues and leaving the root, it will just keep doing it.
 
#28 ·
Well, at this point, I think I'm just going to flush the coolant and replace the thermostat, I wont have the money for the intake gasket for a few weeks, but now that its cold here again, the heat is taking at leat 6 miles to even feel warm, and the temp gauge is only going up about 1 or 2 marks from cold. I need to have the heat working anyway, and will keep an eye on the oil and coolant.
 
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