Buick - Century :: 1996 - Car Just Quits Without Any Warning
Jan 25, 2011
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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I have a 1996 Buick Century that I started having problems with tonight.
As I was driving, I pressed the brake pedal down and it felt like I lost most if not all of the pressure in the brake system and it was a bit difficult to come to a complete stop for the rest of the trip.
I admit that the system hasn't been maintained in quite some time, but I recently filled up the brake fluid reservoir (2-3 weeks ago) after the brake dashboard light came on and the brakes worked just fine after this.
What is wrong with my car, and how do I fix it as cheaply as possible (or is it a cheap fix?)?
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Added the cruise control brain, the actuator, and the column switch, all parts from the salvage yard, but I haven't been able to get it to work, so far.
Cruise indicator light does not illuminate on the dash when following the GM shop manual "Additional System Check" on page 8A-34-3. Everything meters out, following the troubleshooting guide, so it seems to be hooked up OK. Had a local shop check it - they said the voltage is present at the cruise control module, but they couldn't go any further.
Am I missing a part? A fuse? Do I need to somehow tell the PCM there is now cruise on this vehicle?
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1996 Buick Century has a humming noise while driving at normal speeds and curving or turning slightly to the left only. It will not do this while turning left from a stop or slow turn, but only at moderate or hi-way speeds. You can make the sound while changing lanes, passing or curving to the left. This is only noticeable on actions involving left turn or merging motions.
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I have a 96 Buick century that the headlights will dim during acceleration and stay dimmed till I let off the throttle. Or they will essentially blink bright and dim at highway speeds. The weird thing is, at idle, the lights are fine!
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I have a 1996 Buick Century Custom 3.1L V6 with about 93k miles. As background, I've done quite a bit of work to the car in the last month and a half - replaced the engine with a rebuilt, replaced the catalytic converter (that was damaged when the old engine misfired badly), replaced my ignition control module and two coils, and replaced my fuel injectors as a couple weren't firing well. In addition, I replaced my EGR valve to resolve a P1406 (EGR Valve Pintle Position Sensor) code that came up last month (the original EGR valve looked to have quite a bit of carbon buildup, and was likely original to the car from 1996).
That replacement was done about 9/25, and my check engine light came on again this week. Now it's showing a P1406 (EGR Valve Pintle Position Sensor) code, and occasionally (maybe every 2-3 starts) will also have a P0300 random intermittent misfire and P1406 code shown as pending. In terms of running/performance, if I leave the car in park and give it gas once I get the pedal to about 1/2 down, around about 1800 RPM, it sounds almost like it's coughing, and that's also the case if I leave the car running and go listen/feel at the tailpipe, the exhaust seems to pulse rather than being just a steady stream. Performance wise on the road I haven't noticed any major problems - the car seems to run alright, I haven't noticed any serious misfires or performance problems, seems to have good acceleration, etc.
The one thing I will mention is when the catalytic converter was replaced the shop mentioned that my O2 sensors may need to be replaced as well down the road, as it's possible that they were damaged when the old catalytic converter was. When I checked the live data on my scan tool I do see what seem to be good values from both O2 sensors.
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Ran scanner and it showed codes C1215, C1226 and C1233. We checked the passenger front and found the wire to the sensor hanging off. It was damp inside so we dried it as much as we could. We reconnected the wire and tested. The light still on. We ran the scanner again, Only one code came up C1233. The book says ( Right front wheel speed circuit open or shorted)
C1233 - Right Front Wheel Speed Circuit Open or Shorted
Read more at: [URL] .....
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Only two weeks ago I had the crankshaft sensor and the ignition module replaced in my 1992 Buick Century (3.3L V6). Without any warning, the car abruptly died while cruising. Are there any things outside of the ignition module or cranshaft sensor that can cause these things to fail? Was the mechanic supposed to disconnect the battery before replacing these items? Can a short-circuited spark plug cause the ignition module to fail? Can a mis-alignment of the sensor cause any damage? Could there be a hidden frayed wire that short-circuited?
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I had my ABS and Traction Control system checked a few times for buzzing sounds and ABS warning light coming on occasionally. My mechanic assured my all the speed sensors and connections were good. I recently noticed there was uneven tire wear on the right front tire. Could a severe misalignment of the front wheels cause the ABS warning light to come on?
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I have a 98 Buick Century, with about 250k miles on it. Recently when I first start the car and drive a few miles the temperature gauge keeps rising until it is in the red zone and a warning light comes on. When I pull of to the side of the road after a bit it begins to slowly drop and I can begin to drive again. The gauge will then normally stay a bit above halfway for the remainder of the trip, the gauge has sometimes done a bit of jumping around between 3/4 and half sometimes though. The only work that I have had done on it recently is to have some work done on the ac system.
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2000 Buick 3.8. stop for gas, red light, etc. engine quits. 1st repair shop said fuel pump bad. Replace filter pressure okay. car starts later, quits multiple times. 2nd repair shop, car quits while there. Mechanic comes out with tester and says "no spark", ignition module bad, also spark plug harness bad. Replace just wires, and car runs for 9 months, no trouble. Now car quits while driving, no sputtering, just quits! Wait awhile, car starts, but 30 miles later, quits. Seems that hot weather has something to do with it, although it quit on a cold rainy fall day and had a hard time starting again. It did start and ran for 300 miles before acting up.
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Car:2000 Buick Regal54,000 miles3.8 V6, Vin K
Problem:The engine quits running. Idle, part throttle, moving, stopped, open or closed loop doesn't matter. Sometimes it will re-fire immediately, other times it may take a dozen or more attempts.
There is no MIL, and my TECH 2 is finding no issues.
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I have a 1995 buick roadmaster with 308,000 miles. The car quits intermittently but starts up immediately thereafter. Seems like an electrical issue but it doesn't act like the distributor is malfunctioning or fuel stoppage since it doesn't shudder prior to quitting. I have had the car since new, we love it and would like to keep it.
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My 87 lesabre has run great for many years, but lately, it has been quitting on me. It happens randomly, usually while driving slower or idling. It just suddenly quits almost as if it's out of gas. It usually starts right back up, sometimes have to wait 20-30 seconds. It runs fine, not sluggish or anything, up until it quits. Had a couple mechanics look at it, when I told one about it he thought for sure it was going to be the fuel injectors but they all checked out fine.
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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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