I talked to willwren on the phone just now about an issue with my 01 Impala that will not start at very random times. Originally the fuse to the automatic door locks kept blowing and the dealer fixed a faulty harness they found mice chewed on. Now it keeps blowing the fuse to the automatic door looks so I just deal with manually locking the doors. Here'* the biggie though; yesterday after driving a bit and stopping at a gas station it would not start after filling it up. The dealer towed it back and it started right up without any problems.

This is a very random issue and this is about the 2nd or 3rd time its happened. Bill suggested it was the fuse box panel contants under the hood that are faulty not making a good connection. This could cause arcing and maybe an engine fire. Pushing these contacts together with a screwdriver is the suggested "fix".

Please let me know ASAP what is happening and how to fix it. It'* currently in the shop still and they are checking security codes for some reason.

Kyle...I tossed a link to your thread at an Impala buddy from the CT GP club.

Only other advice I could give would be to look up Paul'* thread about his car dying and the finding of the fuse box.

We suspect this was also the cause of Mike_Pepperni'* fire and total loss. You have the same main distribution box as the 2k SSEi'*, and the newer GTP'* as well.

The dealer is stumped. I took the car back and checked the fuses, nothing is out of place or loose. The 2000SilverBullet thread I found said it was fuse #19, but I don't see a fuse labeled that on the 2 diagrams in my box. I did see 1 labeled PCM but it was a mini-fuse and checked out fine. The others I checked that were box fuses such as IGN were also fine.

One helpful mechanic I know at the dealer suggested maybe the ignition "sensor" (?) might be going bad, which happened on his son'* Alero. Basically they would have to replace the entire key assembly, which is pricey. Apparently these things take awhile to go bad....but what the hell, a 2001 already going bad? Something is fishy.

I'm not sure where to go from here and need advice because the prongs the fuses connect into are making good contact. However, I do have a lead... The automatic door lock fuse continues to blow each time I throw a new 20amp mini-fuse in and try the locks. Also, I don't know if this means anything, but when the car wouldn't start at the gas station the radio wouldn't come on. Everything else to my knowledge did (interior lights, gauges, etc). Any ideas where I can go from here? I don't wanna become a white fireball going down the highway.

Next time it won't start you need to be prepared to check for spark & fuel.

My other suggestion would be to see where the radio grounds at. It may share a ground with an ignition or fuel component. A fairly common problem we see on the Bonnevilles is corrosion on the ground bus for the fuel pump. When a poster tells us the power windows & locks quit when the engine stalled we know right where to look.

Try swapping the associated relay with another of the same type. It may say IGN or IGN1.

I work with a guy that has/had the same problem off and on for almost 1yr. The dealer replaced the engine harness (including fuse block) and didn't fix the problem.

00-02 Impala'* have a problem with bad BCM'*. There'* really no way to check it without:
1-replacing it
2-have it hooked up to a tech2 when the issue occurs

Not saying this is your problem, but sounds similar.

Good Luck

I have access through our library to an online database with automotive wiring diagrams. Some of the cars have tons of diagrams & some have none. We got lucky, they had every diagram I wanted to see for the 2001 Impala LS. I wondered if the door locks had anything to do with the problem. The door locks have at least three components that ground at G202, the radio grounds at G202, annnnnnd (drum roll please) the fuel pump relay grounds at G202.

Great find!