2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Fuelpropulsion System Problems

Fuel line leaking gas under engine.

I JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE 03/11/20 AND IT RAN GREAT TILL YESTERDAY WHEN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD EXPLODED AND CAUGHT FIRE TO THE ENGINE FROM THE FUEL LINES MELTED THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS GETTING A JUMP. IT SAYS THERE ARE NO RECALLS PENDING IT IS THE 3.8L AND IT LOOKED ORIGINAL ALL THE PARTS DID CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME OUT

THE INCIDENT HAPPENED THIS MORNING AS I WAS LEAVING FOR WORK. MY CAR WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY AND HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN IN 2 DAYS. I GOT IN THE VEHICLE AND PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND AS SOON AS I TURNED IT TO START THERE WAS A LOUD BANG THAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A BACKFIRE. THE ENTIRE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET HAD EXPLODED INTO PIECES AND WHITE SMOKE BEGAN TO RISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN I OPENED THE HOOD AND THE SMOKE CLEARED I BEGAN TO ASSESS THE ISSUE, I NOTICED THE MANIFOLD GASKET COVER HAD BEEN BLOWN COMPLETELY OFF AND THE MANIFOLD ITSELF WAS IN PIECES. I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON BUT UNCOMMON THING AMONG EARLY 2000'S GM VEHICLES.

2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA 3.4L IS DIFFICULT TO START, REPLACED MANY PARTS TO TRY AND FIX: FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP, SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES, OXYGEN SENSORS, FUEL EVAP VALVE, AND THROTTLE CONTROL. VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 52,XXX MILES. SECURITY LIGHT FLASHES, WAS ABLE TO PULL ERROR CODE P1626: THEFT DETERRENT FUEL ENABLE SIGNAL NOT RECEIVED. KEYS ARE ORIGINAL TO CAR, I HAVE TRIED TO RE-LEARN KEYS TO VEHICLE WITH NO SUCCESS. NUMEROUS REPAIRS ARE LISTED UNDER THIS ERROR CODE, INCLUDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE BCM, AND THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RESEARCHED FURTHER.

UNDER THE HOOD FIRE AND UNINTENDED KEY ROTATION. MAYBE 5 DAYS AFTER I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO TC CHEVY (IN ASHLAND OREGON) TO HAVE THE 2 RECALLS REPAIRED ON IT. I TRIED TO START MY CAR AND IT CAUGHT ON FIRE DOWN BY THE FRONT BUMPER AND THE FLAMES MADE IT TO THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOTOR AND IGNITED THE FUEL LINES CAUSING A MINI EXPLOSION UNDER THE HOOD, MEAN WHILE I'M SITTING IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR NEARLY HAVING THE LIFE SCARED OUT OF ME, I POPPED THE HOOD AND GRABBED MY HOUSE GARDEN HOUSE AND STARTED TO TRY AND PUT THE FIRE OUT AND MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE WHILE I WAITED FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO REACH MY HOUSE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWED UP AND WAS ABLE TO GET THE FIRE PUT OUT ALMOST TORCHING ONE OF THE FIREFIGHTERS HEAD...

VEHICLE IS IN PARKED AND IM ABOUT TO START THE VEHICLE IT SEEMS TO SLOWLY FAIL OR BACKFIRES DURING MULTIPLE TIMES OF TRYING. WHILE IN MOTION ON THE STREETS DRIVING AT 10-35 MPH OR IN MOTION ON HWY 40-65 MPH THE VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF OR SOMETIMES IT WOULD LOSS POWER EVEN IF MY FOOT IS ON THE GAS PETAL. ON HWY THIS COULD CAUSE A SERIES ACCIDENT

THE CAR WILL NOT START RANDOMLY FOR 10MINS SOMETIMES. OR SOMETIMES IT WON'T START FOR HOURS. THE SECURITY LIGHT FLASHES AND LOCKS UP. GM NEEDS TOO RECALL THIS, IT LEAVES US STRANDED SOMEWHERE RANDOM WHEN EVER IT LOCKS UP. UNABLE TO START THE CAR FOR A MINIMUM OF 10 MINUTES. WHEN YOU ARE PARKED AND TRY TO START THE CAR IT WILL FLASH THE SECURITY LIGHT. IT DOES NOTHING BUT PREVENT THE OWNER FROM USING HIS VEHICLE, MAKE GM PERMANENTLY FIX THIS ON THEIR DIME. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I'VE OWNED THE CAR.

YES MY ENGINE OIL IS LEAKING AND IT MAKING MY CAR HOT AND I THINK MY OIL PAN IS FULL OF OIL EVERY TIME I PUT OIL IN IT IT RUN STRAIGHT OUT AND I CAN'T DRIVE MY CAR MORE THAN 20 MINUTES STRAIGHT OR IT WILL JUST CUT COMPLETE OFF AND MY BRAKES IS GOING OUT THEY WANT STOP ON TIME

FOUND A GASOLINE LEAK AT THE QUICK CONNECT FITTING WHERE THE FUEL LINE MEETS THE FUEL RAIL ON TOP REAR OF ENGINE. I BELIEVE ITS THE FUEL RETURN LINE. THE QUICK CONNECT FITTING IS LEAKING FUEL DOWN ONTO ENGINE AND COULD DRIP ONTO HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD CAUSING A FIRE. CAR WAS STATIONARY WHEN I NOTICED THE LEAK. I SMELLED GAS FIRST THEN TRACED THE SMELL TO THE LEAKING QUICK CONNECT FITTING. THIS MAY BE RELATED TO THE RECENT GM RECALL OF VALVE COVERS LEAKING OIL CAUSING THE FIRES.

ENGINE RUNS HOT FOR SOME REASON, NOW ITS ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT CAME WEEKS LATER AFTER THE ENGINE PROBLEM WHICH IS IT WON'T CRANK NOMORE AT ALL IT HAVE TO BE A FUEL PROBLEM BECAUSE I SMELL GAS WHEN I TRY TO CRANK IT IN I RECENTLY JUST REPLACE A THE FUEL PUMP ABOUT 5 MONTHS AGO ..SO IF YOU GUYS CAN GIVE ME BIG HELP I WILL APPRECIATED IT NOT NO HELP THAT I COULD OF FOUND OUT FROM A BABY MOST LIKELY CHEVY NEED TO CONTACT ME TO FIX MY CAR BECAUSE THEY SOLD/RELEASED THE CARS OUT KNOWING OR NOT THAT THE CARS HAD A LIL WHILE OF LIFE I KNOW CARS FROM THE 90'S THAT'S NOT HAVING PROBLEMS LIKE THESE NEW CARS ''HELP ME PLEASE'' BEFORE I JUNK MY [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THERE ARE 3 RECALLS I HAVE FOUND THAT POSSIBLY ARE EFFECTING MY 2003 IMPALA BUT BECAUSE MY SPECIFIC VIN # DOESN'T FALL UNDER ANY OF THESE GM IS REFUSING TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS. 1)THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDS TO BE RESET. APPARENTLY WHEN IT GOES OUT THE CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES.....AND MY CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT IS ON BUT WON'T ENGAGE. PLUS MY MECHANIC SAYS THE BODY CONTROL MODULE ALSO IS WHAT IS COULD BE CAUSING MY HEATER FAN TO NOT WORK NOR MY INFORMATION DISPLAY TO WORK. BUT LOW AND BEHOLD WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT GOES OFF THEY BOTH WORK 2) THERE IS A RECALL STATING DROPS OF ENGINE OIL MAY LEAK ON EXHAUST MANIFOLD WITH HARD BRAKING AND I SOMETIMES SMELL OIL BURNING AFTER I DRIVE. IF IT WAS MY ACTUAL ENGINE LEAKING OIL I WOULD SMELL IT ALL THE TIME BUT I DON'T IT'S JUST AFTER I DRIVE...

THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMS TO BECOMING LOOSE, AFRAID TO DRIVE VEHICLE CAR SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING , HAD TO PULL OVER AND RESTART CAR. SMALL FUEL LEAK IN FUEL TANK. UPDATED 4/24/2015 *JS

FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEM CANT FILL VEHICLE FUEL TANK PUMP SHUTS OFF AND GAS SPRAYS OUT OF FILL TUBE POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. *TR