2011 CHEVROLET IMPALA engine

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-21
Electronic Stability
Control (ESC)
Indicator Light
This light comes on briefly while the
engine is started. If it does not, have
the vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the system is working normally the
indicator light will then go off.
This light can come on after the
vehicle is first driven and the
STABILITRAK NOT READY
message appears in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on
page 9‑31for more information. If the light stays on, or comes
on while driving a SERVICE
STABILITRAK message appears in
the DIC. This indicates that there
may be a problem with the
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system and the vehicle may need
service. When this warning light is
on and the SERVICE STABILITRAK
message appears on the DIC, the
ESC system does not assist in
controlling the vehicle.
When the system is active, the light
flashes while the system is assisting
in controlling the vehicle.
See
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) on page 9‑31 andRide
Control System Messages on
page 5‑32 for more information.
Traction Control System
(TCS) Warning Light
For vehicles with a Traction Control
System (TCS) and StabiliTrak®
warning light, this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
When the system is active, the light
flashes while the system is limiting
wheel spin or assisting with
controlling the vehicle.
If it stays on or comes on while
driving a SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL message appears in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-22 Instruments and Controls
This indicates that there could be a
problem with the traction control
system and the vehicle may need
service. When this warning light is
on and the SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL message appears on
the DIC, the system does not limit
wheel spin.
If the traction control system is
manually turned off, this light comes
on and the TRACTION CONTROL
OFF message appears on the DIC.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑29 andRide Control
System Messages on page 5‑32 for
more information.Engine Coolant
Temperature
Warning Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the vehicle.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by the dealer. If the system
is working normally the indicator
light goes off.
Notice: Driving with the engine
coolant temperature warning light
on could cause the vehicle to
overheat. See Engine Overheating
on page 10‑19. The vehicle's
engine could be damaged, and it
might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Never drive with
the engine coolant temperature
warning light on. The engine coolant temperature
warning light comes on when the
engine has overheated.
If this happens pull over and turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
See
Engine Overheating on
page 10‑19 for more information.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with a Tire Pressure
Monitor System, this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
It provides information about tire
pressures and the Tire Pressure
Monitor System.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.

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Instruments and Controls 5-23
A tire pressure message can
accompany the light. SeeTire
Messages on page 5‑34 for more
information. Stop as soon as
possible, and inflate the tires to the
pressure value shown on the Tire
and Loading Information Label.
See Tire Pressure on page 10‑44
for more information.
When the Light Flashes First and
Then is On Steady
This indicates that there may be a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System. The light flashes
for about a minute and stays on
steady for the remainder of the
ignition cycle. This sequence
repeats with every ignition cycle.
See Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑47 for
more information.Engine Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your dealer. If the system is working
normally, the indicator light then
goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and it might
have some other system problem.
Security Light
For information regarding this light
and the vehicle's security system,
see
Anti-Theft Alarm System on
page 2‑12.

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.

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 (28,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-28 Instruments and Controls
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, seeEngine
Oil Life System on page 10‑10.
Units
Press the vehicle information button
until UNITS displays. This display
allows you to select between
English or Metric units of
measurement. Once in this
display, press the set/reset button
to select between ENGLISH or
METRIC units.
Tire Pressure
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), the
pressure for each tire can be viewed
in the DIC. The tire pressure will be
shown in either pounds per square
inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa). Press
the vehicle information button until
the DIC displays FRONT TIRES
PSI (kPa) LEFT ## RIGHT ##. Press
the vehicle information button again
until the DIC displays REAR TIRES
PSI (kPa) LEFT ## RIGHT ##. If a low tire pressure condition is
detected by the system while
driving, a message advising you to
add air to a specific tire will appear
in the display. See
Tire Pressure on
page 10‑44 andTire Messages on
page 5‑34 for more information.
If the tire pressure display shows
dashes instead of a value, there
may be a problem with your vehicle.
If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer for service.
Change Compass Zone
Your vehicle may have this feature.
To change the compass zone
through the DIC, see Compass on
page 5‑5.
Calibrate Compass
Your vehicle may have this feature.
The compass can be manually
calibrated. To calibrate the compass
through the DIC, see Compass on
page 5‑5.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.Vehicle Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC
to notify the driver that the status of
the vehicle has changed and that
some action may be needed by the
driver to correct the condition.
Multiple messages may appear one
after another. Some messages may
not require immediate action, but
you can press the set/reset button
to acknowledge that you received
the message and clear it from the
DIC display. Pressing any of the
DIC buttons also acknowledges and
clears any messages. Some
messages cannot be cleared from
the DIC display because they are
more urgent. These messages
require action before they can be
cleared. You should take any
messages that appear on the
display seriously and remember that
clearing the messages will only
make the messages disappear, not
correct the problem. The following
are the possible messages that can
be displayed and some information
about them.

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
5-30 Instruments and Controls
RIGHT REAR DOOR OPEN
This message displays when the
passenger side rear door is not
closed properly. Make sure that the
door is closed completely.
TRUNK OPEN
This message displays when the
trunk is not closed completely.
Make sure that the trunk is closed
completely. SeeTrunk on
page 2‑10.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
ENGINE HOT A/C
(Air Conditioning) OFF
This message displays when the
engine coolant becomes hotter than
the normal operating temperature.
To avoid added strain on a
hot engine, the air conditioning
compressor is automatically turned
off. When the coolant temperature
returns to normal, the A/C operation
automatically resumes. You can continue to drive your
vehicle. If this message continues to
appear, have the system repaired
by your dealer as soon as possible
to avoid compressor damage.
ENGINE OVERHEATED
IDLE ENGINE
Notice:
If you drive your vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
Do not increase the engine speed
above normal idling speed.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑19 for more information.
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down.
ENGINE OVERHEATED
STOP ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine is overheating,
severe engine damage may
occur. If an overheat warning
appears on the instrument panel
cluster and/or DIC, stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑19 for more information.
This message displays along with a
continuous chime when the engine
has overheated. Stop and turn the
engine off immediately to avoid
severe engine damage. See Engine
Overheating on page 10‑19.
SERVICE A/C
(Air Conditioning) SYSTEM
This message displays when the
electronic sensors that control the
air conditioning and heating
systems are no longer working.

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Instruments and Controls 5-31
Have the climate control system
serviced by your dealer if you notice
a drop in heating and air
conditioning efficiency.
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when
service is required for the vehicle.
See your dealer. SeeEngine Oil on
page 10‑8 andScheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2 for more
information.
Acknowledging the CHANGE
ENGINE OIL SOON message will
not reset the OIL LIFE REMAINING.
That must be done at the OIL LIFE
screen under the vehicle information
menu. See “Oil Life”underDriver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑24 andEngine Oil Life
System on page 10‑10.
OIL PRESSURE LOW
STOP ENGINE
Notice: If you drive the vehicle
while the engine oil pressure is
low, severe engine damage may
occur. If a low oil pressure
warning appears on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), stop the
vehicle as soon as possible.
Do not drive the vehicle until the
cause of the low oil pressure is
corrected. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑8 for more information.
This message displays when the
vehicle's engine oil pressure is low.
The oil pressure light also appears
on the instrument panel cluster.
See Engine Oil Pressure Light on
page 5‑23.
Stop the vehicle immediately, as
engine damage can result from
driving a vehicle with low oil
pressure. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer as soon as possible
when this message is displayed.
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays when the
vehicle's engine power is reduced.
Reduced engine power can affect
the vehicle's ability to accelerate.
If this message is on, but there is no
reduction in performance, proceed
to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the
next time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced
speed while this message is on, but
acceleration and speed may be
reduced. Anytime this message
stays on, the vehicle should be
taken to your dealer for service as
soon as possible.