Buick - Century :: 2001 - Sounds Like A Jet Engine
Feb 27, 2013
I have a 2001 Buick Century that started making a noise from what seems to be the engine. It sounds like a jet engine when I accelerate. The noise is still there when I cruise, but it evens out. It is loudest when going between 40 and 50mph. The car is not overheating, and other then the noise it drives fine. My husband at first thought it sounded like the catalytic converter had been stolen, but he rarely knows what he is talking about. What could it be?
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Replaced sensor, light stays on.Removed sensor, grounded the probe, light goes out.Replaced antifreeze, bled system twice, no air or oil.Getting desperate. Removed and cleaned battery to body ground strap.Removed and cleaned battery to engine ground strap.Today found out there is no error code in the OBC but the light is still!
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There's been an interesting progression of trouble with my 2001 Buick Century:
My heat/AC had been working fine for years. About a year ago, the dial which controls the force of air (off, low, high, max, etc.) broke. But the 'off' and 'max' portions still worked. I could get full blast, or nothing. I didn't do anything, because I could still get what I wanted.
Just yesterday, I switched my heat to max - and nothing! No air comes out at all now. Obviously this is problematic for the upcoming winter.
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I drive a 2001 Buick Century. Sometime last month (or maybe the month before), my digital odometer was on the fritz. There's a little sub-partition to my dash that houses my digital odometer as well as the indication as to what gear i'm in (PRND32). So it started fading a little, then on some days it wouldn't light up at all. I know the odometer is still working, because on the days when it would light up, it didn't pick up where it left off, rather it had been working the whole time I couldn't see it. And this started going in and out more and more frequently until now it hasn't lit up in about a month.
So, i take my car into my mechanic for an oil change (just had to guess at how close i was to 3,000 miles) and I ask him about it. He tells me that it'd cost so much in time and parts that I might as well not even fix it.
So now what? I'm fine just driving around without it. I know what gear I'm in without my car having to tell me, and I guess I can just estimate when to get my oil changed, although it's rather inconvenient. But what do I do when I want to sell it or trade it in? The longer I go without knowing my mileage, the farther afield an estimate will be.
You know, what I was thinking is that I really just need someone to run a red light and total my car. Then insurance would cover me and the odometer would be low on my list of worries. I just hope the airbags still work...
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I have a 2001 Buick Century, ~120,000 miles that a couple months ago started smelling like gas or exhaust+gas when the heat was turned on. I've changed the cabin air filter. I don't know how much that could have ever worked. I couldn't find a gas leak in the engine compartment, but I didn't give it a really close inspection. Where should I check for the most likely leak? Or could it be more of a problem with the cabin air intake?
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I have a 2001 Buick Century which is more or less reliable. Last year the fan stopped working on the first (low) setting, but continued to work on levels 2-5. Air came out of all of the vents, using the fan, A/C, or heat with no problems. A few days ago, level 2 stopped. The next day levels 3 and 4 stopped. The fan still works on the highest setting, but it's just starting to be summer in Minnesota and I'm worried that level 5 will stop on the hottest day of the year. Is this a simple fuse problem I can fix myself? Complicated repairs are probably beyond me, but I can do basic repairs.
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My current issue is as such: I started my car the other evening after a long day at work to find that when I started the car (I always leave the heater/AC control in bi-level mode with the a/c on with the fan at low or not on at all, unless I need the floor heater or the defroster) the interior of the windshield as well as the side windows instantly became fogged up. It took close to 10 minutes for the windshield to defog. Upon arriving home from work, I checked the reservoir where the coolant is recirculated and found that it was bone dry.
After the vehicle had cooled down, I popped the radiator cap and indeed the radiator fluid level was down. I replaced close to a 3/4 gallon if not a tad bit more of 50/50 mix. The next morning I started the car and the problem was still there and it took a few minutes for the heater to heat the car. Last evening and then again this morning, after the engine cooled to ambient temp, i squeezed the upper and lower hoses and there was still coolant in both hoses and thought this was odd, but I started the car w/o the fan on and the problem seemed to go away, but I noticed it didn't take any time for the car to heat up. Taking all of these things into account, is this a heater core(no coolant in cabin) or water pump problem or simply a bad thermostat?
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I own a 2001 Buick Century Limited that has 208k miles on it. A couple days ago I started the car up at a friends house and noticed that it had a loud rough idle and that the check engine light came on. When I drove the car home, the CEL would flash when I accelerated and I could smell something burning. When I released the gas pedal and coasted, the flashing CEL would return back to a solid state but I could still smell the burning. When I would accelerate, the CEL would start to flash again. Whenever I was stopped at a stop sign, the flashing CEL would again be solid and there would be a loud rough idle along with the same burning smell. Am I looking at an engine replacement or an easy fix? One problem or could it be multiple problems?
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My backup lights only work when I have one bulb or the other installed but not both. The other 4 mini lights in the same circuit on the trunk work. The backup lights do not work at all when the headlights are on. Could it be the backup light relay and where is that located? I checked wiring on the trunk and multiple bulbs.
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I have the GM shop manual and I have gone through the flow chart for an engine which cranks but does not start. I have confirmed that there is fuel pressure and spark, but the injectors do not fire when cranking. I have gotten to the final troubleshooting step of disconnecting the crank angle sensor connector, jumping A and B terminals on the connector, and momentarily grounding the jumper with a test light. The injectors fire as confirmed using the GM injector test light (in place of an injector). The flow chart conclusion is that the crank angle sensor is bad or misadjusted or the connector is making a bad connection. I have replaced the sensor twice and adjusted it using the GM adjustment tool. The connector terminals appear clean and undamaged. 1989 Buick Century 3.3 liter ...
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2000 Buick Century Custom with 140K miles: Service Engine Light came on. Re;placed gas cap, light still on. Took to dealer who replaced HO2 sensor, light still on. Took to dealer who found no problem but charged $100 for looking. Light still on. Took to dealer who said it needed two major parts. Light still on. Took to another mechanic who could find nothing wrong. Light still on. Is there hope?
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The Buick Century has about 22,000 miles. The Service Engine Soon light has appeared on the dash. The instruction manual is not clear. What would you recoomend? What might cause the light to appear?
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Last month I changed the oil and filter in my 1992 Buick Century with 264000 miles. I used a name brand (Citco) of the correct oil, 10W-30, API Service SN. I bought the oil on sale at a local supermarket. Now, I hear a loud tapping sound from the engine, especially when it's cold. It dosen't sound as loud after warm-up. The tapping increases in frequency when I rev up the engine. I don't intend to keep this old car much longer, but is this problem an immediate concern? Could it be a valve problem? Could it Could I have bought some bad oil with a conterfeit label? Other than this noise, the car runs okay.
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Buick Century 1987 - 2.8L
Sending unit measures: Empty 9 ohm - Full 88 ohm
Fuel pump working while engine is running or key switch in ON position (working properly).
Issue: Fuel needle fluctuates while car is in movement and the engine stops when the car is going downhill and suddenly is braked (half tank), Is normal this behaviour in this car? Is this car equipped with a 'anti-slosh module'? if yes, where it is located?
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I had this problem a few times in the past. Sometimes my 1992 Buick Century will shut off for no apparent reason while idling. When I restart it, the engine will race for a few seconds before slowing down to normal idle speed. Could this be caused by a glitch in the car's computer?
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The car died on me the other day at a stoplight but started up again (It resisted for a sec but then caught). Now it's taking a bit to start and sounds very faint when it finally catches and the turn over is slow. I'm no mechanic but I can replace parts. I'm just wondering if it's the fuel pump or injectors, maybe low fuel pressure. I haven't had a chance to do anything to it. Where to start?
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I have a 1999 Buick Regal GS and it feels like I'm continuously riding the brakes at random times and engine sounds like its working harder than usual to get the car to move. I thought I had this problem solved by replacing the master cylinder but I seems to be happening again. The reason I replaced the master cylinder was because I came out one morning about 2 months ago and started down my driveway to get the mail (I live on a steep hill) and I thought I had a broken line or something because I had almost no pedal and it was sinking to the floor. What confused me the brakes seemed good the day before when I drove about 40 miles round trip to town and then parked it overnight. (except for the brakes sticking feeling) I had the car put on a rack and found nothing more than a slow leak at the proportioning valve but I noticed on the way to the shop the car was no longer hard to move and was smoother rolling than it had been in a long long time.
The brake fluid was a little low but when I filled it to the max level the pedal still felt soft and would sink unit I had the master cylinder replaced, With the sinking pedal and all I was thinking its probably a bad/sticking master cylinder that maybe could have been applying slight pressure to all the brakes at once and now it was released. I purchased a reman master cylinder from advance and had it put on and it seemed to work great and my car was still rolling freely. The proportional valve is still leaking (small drip when pressed) but I didn't think it could cause all these problems. I usually have to pump the brake before I leave of a morning or my pedal will be soft and sink but not all the time.
Recently I noticed my car is starting to feel like it is sticking again and my last mpg estimate was 17mpg, I might be a little hard on the throttle at times but not all the time. The rims feel equally warm after driving but not real hot. I have replaced a lot of parts over the last 2 years so most of the braking parts are near new. All the brake lines have been replaced along with the hydraulic hoses. Front calipers are new Rear caliper I rebuilt myself Master cylinder was replaced over a month ago. Could it be the abs unit or the brake booster? A week ago the car rolled freely but the pedal was starting to feel hard like the symptoms of a bad brake booster.
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I have a 2000 Buick Century that I cannot get to start. While my wife was driving home it started to sputter (like running out of gas) and did a little back firing. She made it home and I put in some gas (Just to make sure) and the care cranks over but will not start. I have replaced the fuel filter, checked the spark plugs and replaced the CAM Sensor. The car still will not start.
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My wife has a 2000 Buick Century with about 150,000 miles on it. It has been relatively trouble free. Recently, the "low coolant" light began to come on.She took the car into a garage where she was told there was oil in the coolant and the sensor had been compromised. The cooling system was flushed and cleaned and a new sensor installed. The "low coolant" light continued to come on. She took the car back in. She was told the wrong sensor had been installed. When she went back for the car the second time, she was told the oil in the coolant was preventing the new sensor from working and there was nothing more the garage could do. I went in and asked questions, primarily how serious was the condition, and couldn't get a straight answer.
We are due to drive to Florida in November. My wife would like to take it to a garage there. Is it save to drive it as is? What are the implications of oil mixing with coolant? What is causing it to happen?
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My 03 Buick century is overheating. I changed the thermostat and the water pump. And still overheats as soon As I start driving. I am also getting when it is overheating some misfiring in cylindar 1. I am going to reflush and bleed the coolant even though it seems to be full . i dont think it is disappearing. Is it Possible i have a blown headgasket or intake manifold leak?
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I am having a very tricky problem with my Buick.
For approximately the last 4 months, it has been (at least according to the heat gauge on the dash) running pretty hot. Not overheating, but getting close. And it doesn't take long for it to get there. This all seems to have begun right around the time that my father and I flushed the coolant system.
Since then, I have replaced some parts, and learned a few things in the process.
I learned that there are bleeder screws which can be opened to let air bubbles out. And I have heard that the 3.1L is especially susceptible to them.
New parts which I have installed:
- thermostat
- coolant temperature sensor
- radiator cap
- upper radiator hose
- lower radiator hose
I have checked the water pump and it seems to be perfectly fine. No leaks. No signs of bad bearings. And it circulates coolant just fine. I have not been witness to either cooling fan, primary or auxiliary, switching on in a while.
The exact symptoms are these:
The heat gauge does not take long to get to mid-way point, but will sit at that point for a bit if the vehicle remains stationary. Once the vehicle is in significant motion, the heat gauge will climb fairly quickly, especially with moderately high RPMs. It WON'T touch the red though, but will get very very close to it. The car runs fine. It does seem to be a bit underpowered, but I am comparing it to my fiance's 1996 Olds Cutlass Ciera, which I believe has a different transmission. My Buick does not seem to have lost power since this problem arose. The cooling fans no longer kick on. The oil appears fine. The coolant as well. With the radiator cap off, coolant does not bubble out or shoot out.
I made sure after changing upper and lower hoses to fill the radiator, let the car run long enough for the thermostat to open, and then slowly poured more coolant into the radiator until it was full again. And the reservoir is at proper level and the the reservoir hose s not clogged.
I am not SURE, but I don't believe the radiator is clogged. I believe that covers it, at least as well as I can.
BTW, I do not know where the fan relays are, otherwise I would test the fans to see if they still work.
What the heck is up with my Buick? Also, it has 97,xxx miles on it, and the transmission fluid is at proper level and looks normal.
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