In Need Of Serious Help

Hey guys im new here and got some questions. Im not all that good with cars, but i know the basics. I'm havin some problems with my 2001 Impala 3.4. 75,000 miles.
Recently I have noticed a serious loss in power of the car. My car is chugging gas like its water...and i mean chugging. I would say im right now im getting about 11 mpg. Now i know it shouldnt be that low... its ridiculous. When I accelerate i hear this loud whooshing sound coming from the engine and its getting worse everyday. I just recently changed the plugs, wires, fuel filter, and air filter. Thinking maybe that would help the gas waste. But no. Its getting worse now. What the hell could be wrong with the car? Someone had mentioned to me that the intake manifold gasket could be shot, and that thats why the car has lost so much power, and is wasting soooo much gas. Guys please help what do you think could be wrong here? What should I do? whats the best place to take it to get it checked out without being ripped off? :eek: :eek: :eek: :banghead: :banghead:
-Mark

Although it is true that the intake manifolds on these engines have issues it I do not believe it will make the engine guzzle fuel. My intake gasket went to crap but did not affect the gas use at all. More then one person on this site have suggested that that the catalytic converter can come apart and clog itself or the muffler, thus causing a serious lack of power and fuel mileage issues. If true it would seem that this may be your problem as well.

Hey guys im new here and got some questions. Im not all that good with cars, but i know the basics. I'm havin some problems with my 2001 Impala 3.4. 75,000 miles.
Recently I have noticed a serious loss in power of the car. My car is chugging gas like its water...and i mean chugging. I would say im right now im getting about 11 mpg. Now i know it shouldnt be that low... its ridiculous. When I accelerate i hear this loud whooshing sound coming from the engine and its getting worse everyday. I just recently changed the plugs, wires, fuel filter, and air filter. Thinking maybe that would help the gas waste. But no. Its getting worse now. What the hell could be wrong with the car? Someone had mentioned to me that the intake manifold gasket could be shot, and that thats why the car has lost so much power, and is wasting soooo much gas. Guys please help what do you think could be wrong here? What should I do? whats the best place to take it to get it checked out without being ripped off? :eek: :eek: :eek: :banghead: :banghead:



-Mark




Whoa....before you get ahead of yourself. Error Codes??? What are they? Your problem could be as simple as a O2 sensor. 75K....hmmm, has it ever been changed? Usually an indication of a bad O2 would be that the vehicle seems to run good cold and gets worse as it warms up. In open loop as it is called the sensor is not used till it gets hot enough. The computer uses a default voltage until then. In closed loop, the sensor takes over and controls fuel. If you don't have a code reader or computer take it to advanced auto, I believe they will read the codes for free.

. When I accelerate i hear this loud whooshing sound coming from the engine and its getting worse everyday. I-Mark
I may be wrong but I was baseing part of my answer on this particular symptom, which I do not believe would be caused by an O2 sending faulty info.

Hey guys im new here and got some questions. Im not all that good with cars, but i know the basics. I'm havin some problems with my 2001 Impala 3.4. 75,000 miles.
Recently I have noticed a serious loss in power of the car. My car is chugging gas like its water...and i mean chugging. I would say im right now im getting about 11 mpg. Now i know it shouldnt be that low... its ridiculous. When I accelerate i hear this loud whooshing sound coming from the engine and its getting worse everyday. I just recently changed the plugs, wires, fuel filter, and air filter. Thinking maybe that would help the gas waste. But no. Its getting worse now. What the hell could be wrong with the car? Someone had mentioned to me that the intake manifold gasket could be shot, and that thats why the car has lost so much power, and is wasting soooo much gas. Guys please help what do you think could be wrong here? What should I do? whats the best place to take it to get it checked out without being ripped off? :eek: :eek: :eek: :banghead: :banghead:
-Mark
Your catylytic convertor has failed/blocked, GM has extended the warranty on these to 120k. Get it to A Chevy dealer. Could have saved yourself a lot of problelms by letting a pro check this out for you first.

So your saying all i have to do is just take to any chevy dealer and they will repair for free if in fact it is the catalytic converter that is faulty?

Yes, there is a special policy on 2001-2 cats in that body style.

maxwedge... so you think its the cat converter huh?

Sounds like a bad CAT to me. Get it checked out. See GM notice below.


Dear General Motors Customer:

As the owner of a 2001-02 Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo; Pontiac Grand Prix; or Buick Regal model vehicle, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, your satisfaction with our product is very important to us.

This letter is intended to make you aware that some 2001-02 Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo; Pontiac Grand Prix; and Buick Regal model vehicles, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, may have a condition where the catalytic converter is replaced due to complaints of lack of power or illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL). This may be due to the front endcone insulation from the catalytic converter breaking away and blocking the front of the first catalyst brick and preventing the free flow of exhaust gas through the converter.

This is not a recall. Do not take your vehicle to your GM dealer as a result of this letter unless you believe that your vehicle has the condition as described above.

What We Have Done
General Motors is providing owners with additional protection for the Catalytic Converter. If this condition occurs on your 2001-02 Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo; Pontiac Grand Prix; or Buick Regal model vehicle, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, within 10 years of the date your vehicle was originally placed in service or 120,000 miles (190,000 km), whichever occurs first, the condition will be repaired for you at no charge .

What You Should Do
Repairs and adjustments qualifying under this special coverage must be performed by a General Motors dealer. You may want to call the service department at your dealer to find out how long they will need to have your vehicle so that you may schedule the appointment at a time that is convenient for you. This will also allow your dealer to order parts if they are not already in stock. Keep this letter with your other important glove box literature for future reference.

I may be wrong but I was baseing part of my answer on this particular symptom, which I do not believe would be caused by an O2 sending faulty info.

You may be right Jim...but how do we know anything at all without the codes? I've had cars that send the other sensors bananas because of a bad O2. First thing the dealer is gonna do is hook it up and charge you for it.

You may be right Jim...but how do we know anything at all without the codes? I've had cars that send the other sensors bananas because of a bad O2. First thing the dealer is gonna do is hook it up and charge you for it.
Many vehicles can be diagnosed by symptom.
A clogged converter may never set a code with the vehicle.
If it is the cat, the diagnosis and repairs if covered under the special policy will be done at no charge to the customer.

Marus posted up on here to get an idea of what hes up against. It would be kind of a cop-out to just tell him to take it to the dealer and let them run diagnostics. We can give him some ideas, going off we and others have found out, to try to match to his symptoms though...

Marus posted up on here to get an idea of what hes up against. It would be kind of a cop-out to just tell him to take it to the dealer and let them run diagnostics. We can give him some ideas, going off we and others have found out, to try to match to his symptoms though...

It's not a cop out, look at the symptoms, loss of power, poor fuel economy and a whooshing sound from the engine.
Sounds like a clogged cat to me.
Bnaylor and Maxwedge have also said the same thing and I agree with them.
Plus this is a known condition and GM has offered to fix it for free for 10 years or 120K.

Or he can start throwing parts at it until his bank account runs dry.:nono:

Many vehicles can be diagnosed by symptom.
A clogged converter may never set a code with the vehicle.
If it is the cat, the diagnosis and repairs if covered under the special policy will be done at no charge to the customer.

I understand that...my only concern here if it is in fact the cat, would be, why it went bad in the first place. Defective ... maybe or, something else caused it. In this case if something was to go wrong with the emmission system causing unburned fuel to enter the cat, it could cause it to go bad. Wouldn't we want to rectify that before making any repairs?

I understand that...my only concern here if it is in fact the cat, would be, why it went bad in the first place. Defective ... maybe or, something else caused it. In this case if something was to go wrong with the emmission system causing unburned fuel to enter the cat, it could cause it to go bad. Wouldn't we want to rectify that before making any repairs?

From bnaylors post earlier
This letter is intended to make you aware that some 2001-02 Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo; Pontiac Grand Prix; and Buick Regal model vehicles, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, may have a condition where the catalytic converter is replaced due to complaints of lack of power or illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL). This may be due to the front endcone insulation from the catalytic converter breaking away and blocking the front of the first catalyst brick and preventing the free flow of exhaust gas through the converter.



GM spelled out why it failed

Remove the front o2 and drive it, if veichle come alive and has a lot more power than you can suspect the cat. be very careful not to damage the 02, some do not want to come out, could damage threads, if you cannot remove it unbolt the cat from manifold and drive.

MERLIN, I guess you didnt read my first post on this thread...
Although it is true that the intake manifolds on these engines have issues it I do not believe it will make the engine guzzle fuel. My intake gasket went to crap but did not affect the gas use at all. More then one person on this site have suggested that that the catalytic converter can come apart and clog itself or the muffler, thus causing a serious lack of power and fuel mileage issues. If true it would seem that this may be your problem as well.

ok well guys... i dropped her off at the dealer earlier today, the car was becoming much worse... i couldnt drive much more on the road.. people started to honk. ill find out tomorrow whats up with it, and will for sure post to let you know what the deal was.

appreciate your keeping everyone updated on what exactly is found to be wrong with the car. All to often someone will pop on here with an issue but we never hear back as to exactly what if anything was ever corrected.

AHHHHHH It was the cat converter! Maxwedge gets the A for the day. Thank you guys for all your help! I paid nothing. Covered under warranty! Thanks again guys.

AHHHHHH It was the cat converter! Maxwedge gets the A for the day. Thank you guys for all your help! I paid nothing. Covered under warranty! Thanks again guys.
Glad everything worked out..got your vehicle fixed at a dealer and didn't cost you a dime.

Nice call guys! I learned something here. I know where to come when I need help. :worshippy

I understand that...my only concern here if it is in fact the cat, would be, why it went bad in the first place. Defective ... maybe or, something else caused it. In this case if something was to go wrong with the emmission system causing unburned fuel to enter the cat, it could cause it to go bad. Wouldn't we want to rectify that before making any repairs?

VERY good point. As I am reading this I feel badely for you because your car DOES have more wrong with it then the CAT going bad. Your Cat went bad becasue this car has a known coolant leak problem. Your coolant is leaking into the exhaust and it has broke down your CAT and colgged it up. I can say this with much certainty because there is a lawsuit against Chevy right now for this problem. My 2002 Impala never showed coolant on the garage floor but when They tried to suction the coolant out at the shop to replace it they could tell it was leaking. Sure enough if you do a web search about this car and a coolant leak problem you will get tons of info. Chevy recalled the 3.8 liter for this problem but not the 3.4 because they would have lost a fortune. There for, like me, you may not notice a coolant leak but it has leaked into your exhaust. You will need to have it suctioned to check but I will be willing to bet you have a cooant problem.

I don't know what it is with GM and Ford with their inferior gaskets. I know the "other" cars use real gaskets and they don't have the problem. C'mon GM.....C'mon Ford, spend a few extra dollars and get it right. :banghead:

I don't know what it is with GM and Ford with their inferior gaskets. I know the "other" cars use real gaskets and they don't have the problem. C'mon GM.....C'mon Ford, spend a few extra dollars and get it right. :banghead:

I agree. I'd even pay the few extra dollars it cost to have better gaskets.

I agree. I'd even pay the few extra dollars it cost to have better gaskets.
Do you know how much more it would cost to prevent these kinds of things? First you would have to do a ton testing to find all the problems that could possibly crop up in any given automobile. Next you would not be able to go with the low bidder anymore due to lesser quallity control standards. All these things would add greatly to the overall cost of the automobile. A cost that I'm sure you would not want to stomach.

About 1 year ago the CAT went bad on my 2001 LS, 3.8L and Chevy replaced it... Many here will remember my story... Since then the car has run like a rocket. It never threw any codes either. Also, I have no coolant problems, no coolant lose as far as I can detect. I replaced the T'Stat about 5 months ago and the coolant was perfectly clean looking with no obvious gunk around the old thermostat or under the radiator cap. Also, my oil looks fine each time I change it.

There is no doubt the CAT can go without a coolant problem. Not sure if your car was one that was recalled for it (not all were) but MANY have it and my CAT in ruined due to the coolnat leak. Congrates on not haveing a coolant problem. Mine has been a pain in the you know what!!