Buick - Lesabre :: 1998 - Stalls But Won't Start For Hours?
Nov 8, 2016
My dad has a 98 Buick La Sabre that will shut off at times. It once shut off as he was turning on the air cond. last summer. Right after it stalled and would not start he attempted to open the windows but they would not work. After a few hours and cooling off it started and the windows worked again. He took it to a shop who said it was the map sensor. They changed it but the problem happened again a few weeks after. The fuel pump has recently been changed along with the fuel filter.
One mechanic suggested it could be the ignition control modular or knock sensor. He recently got a different car so I an going to test drive it for a while. If it shuts down I will test for spark to confirm it is not a fuel problem. I will also try swooping relays to see if that is not the problem. I will be cleaning all the connections I can find with contact cleaner as it can't hurt.
What could be the problem. Could it be a short, a bad wire that once it gets to much of a load on it cuts the engine off?
View 19 Replies
Advertisement
My 1995 Buick Lesabre will intermittently drain the battery after sitting for about 12 hours. It is unpredictable. The battery was newly installed in December, 2010 and the alternator was tested at that time and about three weeks ago and proved to be recharging properly. This battery kill happens even when there is no visible sign of current usage, such as a dome light being left on. What I should look for in order to to find the source of the current drain?
View 2 Replies
I have recently noticed that my car will stall out when I get up to about 20 mph. My car starts fine, no check engine light on. I has a tendency to just die in the middle of the road at times too. I have changed the spark plugs, spark plug wires, and a new fuel filter. Do I need to change the mass air flow sensor? Or the crank position sensor? I have no problems starting the car either. Runs good when it runs.
View 10 Replies
Last November my car began stalling while idling at stop lights. It didn't happen all the time, just occasionally. The car would start back up without too much difficulty. I took it to a GM dealer who cleaned the throttle body and decarburized the intake and exhaust valves. They also removed an aftermarket security system which had been installed by the previous owner which they claimed may have interfered electrically with the engine. They reported a history of code P0128 (thermostat sticking open) being stored in the ECM. I did not have the thermostat replaced.
The work the dealer performed did not resolve the issue. During the winter, I've been letting the car warm-up for a few minutes before driving. While warming up, the rpms will sometimes increase or decrease 200-300 rpm then return to normal idling a few seconds later. Sometimes when the rpms dip down low enough, the engine sputters and either recovers or stalls. On most days I don't have any issues and the car runs fine. The check engine light sometimes comes on while this happens, and sometimes it doesn't.
View 1 Replies
I'm driving a 95 buick lesabre, good condition, clean, 130k miles on it. 2 months ago the car started stalling and then it died. Took it to a shop, replaced all original fuel pump and fuel lines. Repeat this about 3 more times, all in all, the fuel pump, fuel lines, map sensor, mass airflow sensor have been replaced. Yesterday, the same thing happened. Took it to a different mechanic, he says he drove it for two days and couldn't find anything wrong with it. Is there anything specific in a 95 lesabre that could be causing this? It drives fine for a while, and then out of nowhere it starts to stall, then the car dies and check engine light comes on. Gas is kept above half a tank due to winter conditions and the fact that it's an old car.
View 8 Replies
Where is the relay box for turn and hazard signals in 98 Buick LeSabre custom? my hazards ans signals don't work switched fuses but didn't work. Where the box is I've never owned a Buick til now. there isn't one under the hood just the main on the driver's side.
View 1 Replies
My '98 Buick's AC works well when I take it to a mechanic. But when I leave after they say, 'it seems fine now,' a few miles later the cold air starts blowing through the defroster vents, still nice and cold. Then it comes back down to the dash and then goes back up to the defrost. But sometimes it stops blowing altogether, it doesn't blow anywhere! Nothing, not even warm air. And then later everything is fine again, until it happens all over again and I take it to another shop when I hear 'it seems fine now.'.
View 2 Replies
My wife's 98 LeSabre will occasionally cut out or stall. It usually happens at low speeds and she thinks it may be more frequently on a right hand turn. The engine can always be restarted immediately. There is no other symptom, no check engine light on when running. The car runs well and has ~125000 miles. Sounds like an intermittent connection or short but where?
View 2 Replies
My sons 97 LeSabre runs and drives like a top most of the time. Twice now though over the last three months it has died on him. Both times the car stalling out has been preceded by a high pitch whining noise that seems to be coming from the fuel pump. The first time, it would restart and run for a few minutes with the whining sound then die again. We towed it and let it sit a couple days and found that cleaning the MAF sensor may fix it. We did this and it worked.However, yesterday afternoon he and a couple friends ran into town, about a 20-mile drive, to run a couple errands. Drove around in town for about 30 minutes and it started the high pitch whine from the tank again and made it a couple miles across town before it died again. Pushed it around the corner to a gas station and parked it. A few hours later, my wife and I went to go get it, didn't know if I would have to push it or tow it, but I turned the key and it started immediately with no whining noise, so I drive it the 20 miles home without incident. The outside temperature yesterday was in the mid 90's and humid, and thinking back to the first time the car did this, the weather and circumstances were almost identical? When used to go to work out, or to work, or just little drives around there seems to be no problem. The car has even run this 45-50 mile round trip without incident numerous times, but at different times of day with cooler temps, and some lengthy waits between driving times.Does this sound like a fuel pump or sensor that could be failing? And why would it only act up under high temp situations? Almost like it was vapor locked, it had plenty of fuel, and didn't make a difference earlier in the heat even opening the gas cap to relieve any pressure? Completely stumped here?
View 5 Replies
I have a 1998 Buick lesaber it ran hot the other day [temp light came on] do I pulled in to gastation and the overflow tank was empty I filled it to the hot line and ran it for a few minutes light went off drove 8 blocks to my house let it cool down and opens the radiator cap no coolant. I checked the overflow tank empty too. So I got some coolant from my garage and poured it into the radiator as I was pouring it started to leak out somewhere on the upper passenger side of the engine under the plastic noise cover and behind the pulleys. This happened while the car was not running. It's my family's only car so I can't tear it apart until the weekend but where to start or what parts to have on hand.
View 9 Replies
I am currently driving a 98 Buick with the 3.8 V6 and 120,000 on the clock. The car runs 100%, and its paid for
My problem is I seem to be losing coolant, at the rate of about the entire overflow in 2 weeks (I only drive on avg 15-20 miles a day). The problem is I have no leaks. I even went so far as to pull the spark plugs and they all looked good (none of them looked "steam cleaned"). I put florescent dye into the rad, and I can’t find a drop of coolant anywhere. The intake gaskets have already been done on this car, and I triple checked around it with the die.
Rad, and hoses all check out, no dye in the oil, no dye at the heater core/AC drain under the car, the core plugs are fine, around the head gaskets seem fine as well.. I CANT FIGURE THIS OUT !! I am 100% losing coolant, but I can’t find hide nor hair of it..
I know I can keep adding coolant, but I like my cars as leak free as possible and if it is something bad, I want to know about it now not later.
View 17 Replies
Engine light won't go off - printout says it's running lean - replaced mass airflow sensor, upper & lower O2 sensors, spark plugs, wires and coils. What else I need to do to get the light to go out so it'll pass inspection?
View 4 Replies
I am having problems with with the rear defroster and the a/c in my '98 Buick Lesabre, they went out at the same time, and I checked the fuses in the fuse box, and the meter says they are all good, the fan motor isn't running either, and I think that they are all tied together.
View 14 Replies
I have a '98 Buick LeSabre, 112,000 miles and it's white. When I put the ignition key in and turn it without starting it completely I get a humming noise coming from the rear of the car. It lasts about 5 seconds and stops. When I start the car it begins again and continues all the time I'm driving. A friend suggested it might be the fuel pump.
View 1 Replies
My car would not start yesterday, and I realized the fuel pump was not running. So I bought a new fuel pump today and put it on, the car still won't start, the fuel pump still does not run and I have been told to check the relay. I cannot find the relay for this car.
View 7 Replies
I have a 2002 Buick LeSabre. Back information is this. the car has had a coolant leak for years, very slow though. Last night while working (I drive for a living) the thermostat climbed up to hot and then immediately went back down to the middle range where it normally goes, so I thought I was fine. It then climbed back up and staled out. It started again nearly immediately and I made it back to my work. About 30 minutes later I began to drive home. The temperature gauge started to climb up again, and then immediately went back to normal running temperature. I kept an eye on it.
About 2 minutes later it shut off completely. I had dash lights, head lights, and emergency flashers. Trying to restart it killed my battery and I had it towed home. This morning I put water in it (it was a gallon low even though I had filled it three days prior). I got a jump start but the car wouldn't start. It cranked and cranked but would not start. I did notice a leak of water from near the bottom of the engine. I am curious as to what the problem may be and why it is not starting now.
View 5 Replies
The car (97 Buick Le Sabre with 3800) ran fine and started fine until one day last week it did not turn over. After about 10 minutes it was tried again and this time it did start. It was used regularly with no issues for the next few days. Then one morning it didn't start (or turn over) and hasn't really been successfully started since. The battery is good and cable connections too. So my mechanic figured it was probably the starter. Since I had this weekend free, me and my friend replaced the starter. But it still did not start. We then turned the ignition to run and crossed the solenoid terminals with a metal tool and then the engine turned over and ran for a brief period (around 5 to 10 seconds) but then killed.
This procedure was duplicated a few times. So we figure it wasn't the starter, the battery, or most of the larger cable connections. The tension wheel had failed on it in the recent past so we wonder if when the belt blew out if it had hit and weakened a wire somewhere that has now failed but difficult to locate. We also wonder if the car's security system maybe failed and it thinks the car has been stolen. This might explain why it won't start or stay running when ignition is circumvented. Note: the panic button on the key fob works properly. All of the fuses were checked and none were found to be blown out. What the root cause of this problem might be and how to repair it?
View 7 Replies
1996 Buick Le Sabre. About 1 time in 10, the car will not start. The starter is fine; seems to get no gas. Took it to garage for diagnosis. They could find NO problem: but replaced plugs and wires anyhow. Car still refuses to start -- just about 1 time in 10. It seems to have a bigger problem if the car was parked going UPHILL. This is not always the case. Is it likely to be the fuel pump? Is there no way to check this without simply replacing the fuel pump?
View 4 Replies
I have a 2001 Buick LeSabre (Limited), with 101,000 miles. It runs great and a very reliable car except:
After going for some driving in town during a warm day (60 F or above) doing business, the engine gets warm but within normal temperature range, and after making a stop to get groceries for eample, I have to be very careful when starting the car again. If I let the starter go for more than a quarter tourn (crank), the engine gets week and acts like it is flooded with gas, just like when we had carburators in old car and it dies after a few shakings.
So I have to wait for 15 minutes at least before I restart the engine but doing so I have to be really careful again not to let the starter crank for more than a quarter turn. However, this problem does not happen during cold weather days (say below 40 degrees F). What is going on with my car?
View 2 Replies
My buick has a weird problem, basically it wont start the security light comes on, nothing and i mean absolutely nothing works inside of the car and the power window circuit breaker under the back seat is burning hot, obviously its an electrical problem but I am thinking its the body control module but I want to be sure .... what it could be?
View 5 Replies
I have an old 98 Lesabre, and it runs and drives great. When I first got it I had to do the Vacuum line mod on the programmer to get the HVAC to blow out the face vents. That was the best $1.60 and 30 min I spent on a car
That mod still works and was done about 1.5 years ago, the ENTIRE time i have owned the car the temp blinks when I start the car, but the HVAC has always worked fine so I paid no attention to it. That is until 3 weeks ago when I had to replace my intake manifold. I disconnected the battery without turning the system to "off". I have been doing a bunch of reading online, and it seems I may have thrown the system's sync off by doing this.
Right now my problem is this, colder air coming from the pass side then the driver’s side. When I start the car it will seem synched for a few seconds, then it will start blinking and both vents will go FULL COLD, eventually it brings the temp back up the d-side gets hotter than the p-side. I have done the following:
- gone through AT LEAST 50 on/off cycles
- Removed the 9c fuse to try to reset
- Pulled down the glove box door and watched both the upper and lower blend doors go through there whole range of movement (which they do)
- Tried to re-sync by pushing the temp full hot, then full cold a few times in a row.
Besides getting this scanned by a tech 2, which is my last resort, is there anything else I can do?
View 1 Replies
