2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA stop start

If the light stops ashing and remains on steady,
see “If the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If the
Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still ashing,
follow the previous steps, and see your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You also may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling the Tank on page 5-8. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
SeeGasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, misring, hesitation
on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x
any mechanical or electrical problems that may
have developed.
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When this message is displayed, the system will not
limit wheel spin. The message will stay on for
60 seconds. Four chimes will also be heard. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
When the ignition is turned off, this message will be
displayed again for three seconds to remind you
that your traction control system is not working properly.
Be sure to have your vehicle serviced right away.
Traction Active Message
If your vehicle is equipped with the traction control
system, this message will stay on a few seconds after
the traction system stops limiting wheel spin.
This message will appear when the traction control
system is limiting wheel spin.
Battery Warning Message
When the vehicle is
started this message will
be displayed for
three seconds.
If the message is displayed when the engine is running,
you may have a problem with your charging system. If
there is a problem with the charging system, four chimes
will sound when the message comes on. The battery
display will also stay on while the key is in ON until the
engine is started.
If the message stays on after starting the engine it could
indicate a problem with the generator drive belt, or
some other charging system problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving with this message on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with this message
displayed, it helps to turn off all your accessories. United States
Canada
3-41

Playing a CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The
player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing.
If you want to insert a CD with the ignition off, rst press
the EJT button or the DISPL knob.
If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the
player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or the
radio is turned on, the CD will start playing, where it
stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
When the CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on
the display. As each new track starts to play, the
track number will appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single
CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the
smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced
due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality
of the music that has been recorded, and the way the
CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase
in skipping, difficulty in nding tracks, and/or difficulty in
loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a
known good CD.
Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught
in the CD player.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.1 PREV (Previous):Press this pushbutton to go to the
start of the current track if more than eight seconds
have played. TRACK and the track number will appear
on the display. If this pushbutton is held or pressed
more than once, the player will continue moving
backward through the CD.
2 NEXT:Press this pushbutton to go to the next track.
TRACK and the track number will appear on the
display. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than
once, the player will continue moving forward through
the CD.
3 REV (Reverse):Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at
six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to reverse at 17 times the
normal playing speed. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage. ET and the elapsed time of the track
will appear on the display.
4 FWD (Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at
six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to advance at 17 times the
normal playing speed. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage. ET and the elapsed time of the track
will appear on the display.
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Playing a CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The
player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing.
If you want to insert a CD with the ignition or the radio
off, rst press the EJT button or the DISPL knob.
If the ignition or radio is turned off with the CD in the
player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition
or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it
stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on
the display. As each new track starts to play, the
track number will appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single
CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the
smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced
due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality
of the music that has been recorded, and the way the
CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase
in skipping, difficulty in nding tracks, and/or difficulty in
loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a
known good CD.
Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught
in the CD player.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.1 PREV (Previous):Press this pushbutton to go to the
start of the current track if more than eight seconds
have played. TRACK and the track number will appear
on the display. If this pushbutton is held or pressed
more than once, the player will continue moving
backward through the CD.
2 NEXT:Press this pushbutton to go to the next track.
TRACK and the track number will appear on the
display. If his pushbutton is held or pressed more than
once, the player will continue moving forward through
the CD.
3 REV (Reverse):Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at
six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to reverse at 17 times the
normal playing speed. ET and the elapsed time of the
track will appear on the display. Release this pushbutton
to play the passage.
4 FWD (Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at
six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold this
pushbutton for more than two seconds to advance at
17 times the normal playing speed. ET and the elapsed
time of the track will appear on the display. Release
this pushbutton to play the passage.
3-85

Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briey when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down.
If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-7

Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also,
you will not have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do
not get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
running start that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and drop back again
and wait for another opportunity.
If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle,
wait your turn. But take care that someone is not
trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and
check the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not ashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you can
ease a little to the right.
4-14

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not overdriving
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much
throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you
will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored surface — and
slow down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system (ABS),
remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do
not have ABS, then in a braking skid, where the wheels
are no longer rolling, release enough pressure on the
brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores
steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily
when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-15

Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or turn as well
because your tire-to-road traction is not as good as on
dry roads. And, if your tires do not have much tread
left, you will get even less traction. It is always wise to
go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while
you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when
your reexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy
rain can make it harder to see road signs and traffic
signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and
even people walking.
It is wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank lled
with washer uid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to separate
from the inserts.
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going
through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you cannot, try to slow down before you hit them.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
4-18