Century :: 1997 Buick Turned Over Then Backfired Through EGR Valve
Nov 22, 2015
My nephew was driving down the road, car suddenly died. Went to take a look at it, gave it a jump, the car turned over, then backfired thru the EGR valve, plus seen the wires heat up, not completely sure if they melted or not.
Got the car back to the house, popped the hood, thinking it is a simple coil pack issue, and would get him rolling again. Since my diagnostics were measured by a multimeter, the results are normal. I pull a plug, hadn't been changed in over 20 years. I change the plugs, check spark, plenty, and no start. Ok, do I have gas, yes. Do I have compression, yes. Crank the car over, seems like it is missing on most cylinders, or wants to start, but doesn't.
Going back to the egr valve, when I pulled it out, it was wet, had some kind of yellowish sludge in it. Bought some break cleaner, cleaned out the ports, and installed a new egr. What the heck is the yellow sludge? Blown intake or this 3.1 engine?
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I have a 1987 Buick custom 3.8L that will not run or start with the EGR valve connected to the evr selenoid. How can I verify if it is the EGR valve or the vacuum solenoid? When I connect the egr to the vacuum solenoid the valve opens all the way up and the engine stalls.
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I'm looking to sell my dad's '97 Buick Century Limited, but it has a problem with the steering. The short of the problem is that when you step on the gas the car steers to the left but only when you get on it. The more you get on it the more it goes left.So a little more detail here. So if the steering wheel is aligned correctly, it sits at 9 and 3 o'clock, but it isn't, it sits at 8 and 2. It goes pretty much straight at that position; it would take a couple blocks at least to go from the left side of a lane to the right. It doesn't pull hard or anything, you can easily steer it with one finger.
So the problem comes when you get on the gas, either stopped to cross a road or going 55 to pass on a highway. When you get on it the car starts to vere off to the left if you don't let the steering wheel automatically correct itself back to a 9 and 3 position. So it still goes straight unless you don't let the wheel move. The more you get on it, the more the steering wheel goes back to 9 and 3 position. So if you don't floor it, it won't go all the way back to 9 and 3. As soon as you take your foot off the gas it will automatically correct itself back to the 8 and 2 position. However when you are just cruising the wheel is at 8 and 2, doesn't matter if your going 15, 30, 50 or 75 mph.
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I have a '97 Buick Century. I noticed the smell of coolant, and the "Low Coolant" light flashed on the dashboard. However, according to the temp gauge on the dashboard, the car was at normal temperature. I pulled over and opened the hood. The coolant in the overflow tank (not the radiator) was boiling, and sputtering out.
I took the vehicle to a nearby shop, where they said it needed a new "Coolant Level Switch." They told me they put a new one in and did a coolant flush, and sent me on my way.
About a mile down the road, the "Low Coolant Light" came on again. I pulled over and found that there was ZERO coolant in the engine. I filled it myself, and continued driving. Over the next few days, I checked the coolant every day and it stayed normal. I drove a bit, but never more than a few minutes, so the car didn't have a chance to overheat.
Then, today, I drove it a good distance for the first time since the original incident. After a few minutes of driving, I smelled coolant and pulled over. The coolant in the overflow tank was once again boiling and bubbling out. What it might be?
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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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2002 Buick century will sometimes not start. Seems to correlate with warmer weather and happens after long drives. I try to restart within 10 minutes of turning off and it will start and then in a few seconds the car shakes and the engine dies. I can restart multiple times, but it will always die in a couple of seconds. If I wait an hour and retry, no problem. Once someone banged on the gas tank and that solved it. Mechanic cannot diagnose problem unless it dies while he is there. Should I replace the fuel pump or could it be something else?
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My grandpa's old wood paneled station wagon is sick. The idle seems to be getting rougher and rougher with every time I kill the battery (I've somehow left my headlights on four times in the past two months and needed a jump). It's to a point now where if I don't throw it in neutral at stop lights and keep a tiny bit of gas on the engine it stalls out.
Notes:*When it first gets jumped after being dead, if I stop even for a second, it dies instantly.*While cruising - it is fine. *It idles smoother stopped in neutral than it does stopped and in drive. *It seems a bit rougher with the engine is cold, but still rough and can stall with the engine hot. *Some random times it idles just fine (like for example the first few seconds on start up, and then it sounds like the engine is decreasing in rpm automatically, and then it is rough again).
Could the dying battery and rough idle be related?? The battery guy says "if it starts fine, the battery is fine" (it does start fine, although keeping the radio on for 20 minutes without it running will kill it).
Also other problems with my car in case this has anything to do with it: *I have a leaky tail pipe*my ABS has recently been randomly engaging at low speeds (next problem to work on...)
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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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Most of the time it has no problem what-so-ever, but once in a while it just doesn't start. It will turn over and over but that's it. Most of the time if I just let it sit for a few minutes (5-20) it will start right up no problem, but I've noticed when it does it often revs up as if I had my foot on the gas. (that took me a while to realize since I often touch the gas anyway.) Once it's running it runs great. The idle settles down to normal after a few seconds and the car runs as if there was no issue. It does this randomly.
I can drive it for days or hours with no problem, and then suddenly it just decides to leave me stranded. Usually i wait and it gets me home, but a couple times it didn't. I've drained the battery twice on two different occasions months apart trying it, and waiting and trying it. Both times with barely enough juice the following day to turn it over, it fired right up, rev'd the engine, then ran fine. I don't think it's an issue with fuel because on one occasion while trying to start it I laid into the peddle until I could smell gas under the hood- and it never has issue while running, only on start-up.
So far the only thing I've done is replace the spark plugs- it runs better now, but doesn't start any differently.
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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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The vehicle in question is a 96 Buick Century. I don't use it a whole lot, but occasionally lend it out or use for some undesirable task. Anyway, I have to get it to pass inspection.
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So I have squealing in the front of the transmission under hard acceleration. It also happens when I rev the engine while in Park. Could it be in the transmission or would just replacing the torque converter work? This is an 01 buick century with 150k miles.
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Driving this 1996 Buick Century limited,4 cylinder car normally, the car will just stop running without any warning, nor rhyme nor reason. Most of the time this has occured, a tow truck has been called, but prior to towing, the car started normally and ran without problems for quite a while. The car has been in the chevrolet garage multiple times, at least over nine, for this problem, but will never show up for the mechanic. There is no specific driving pattern to cause this to occur: it dies in normal driving on the street, starting from a stop, in parking lots,
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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 have a 98 buick century has around 180000 miles and it ran perfect, then two days ago i changed my spark plugs b/c they were 2+years old i got NGK Vpower and gapped them to .06. i had to roll the engine forward when i got to the back 3 plugs. so anyways after all pugs were changed i took it for a drive it was running fine, then i noticed when i got on the highway when i had to accelerate it missed a few times then on down the road it would go fine until i had to give it a little gas.
It jerks a little bit and it sounds like shit. But it idles alright and light acceleration thru town is fine. i also had it tested at autozone and i got a bunch of stuff about vacuum something and 02 sensor but nothing about misfire or coil pack malfunctioning. all the vacuum tubes on the engine are all sealed that i can see. and like i said it ran perfect before hand so i know its nothing internal. i just cant figure what happened.
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I have a 2004 Buick Century with about 48,000 miles on it..the A/C blows very cool but not cold,it should be colder..i also have a 2003 century that blows icy cold.. I hooked up a cheap gauge to the low side service port on both vehicles and got about the same reading. Other then being slightly low on refrigerant is their anything else that would cause the A/C to blow cool air rather then icy cold? The compressors seem to kick on the same on both vehicles. I really don't want to add refrigerant if it's not low...
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I have a 1992 Buick Century with a 2.4L 4-cylinder engine with 68,616 miles on it. It was running fine yesterday. Today I went to back up and I no longer have a reverse gear. I drove all the way to work in forward (10 miles) but get no reverse. What am I looking at here?
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Currently I have a 1998 Buick Century Custom having turn signal issues.
The front left blinker is not blinking. Understandably, with this malfunction, the rear left blinker blinks rapidly when the turn signal switch is in the left turn signal position. However, when I put the hazard lights on, BOTH rear blinkers blink normally as does the front right blinker.
When the headlights are on, the amber-colored blinker bulb remains lit (left front).
The right side front and rear blinkers work great.
I have checked the fuses, replaced the bulb and cleaned the socket of the front left blinker and still have no results. While my next guess would be that the flasher unit is the problem, I don't believe the rear, or front right blinkers would blink if that was the problem.
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