Buick - Century :: 2001 - Gas / Exhaust Smell From Heater
Mar 10, 2012
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 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 2003 Buick Century heater works fine while accelerating but as soon as I release the gas the air begins to cool, swiftly. I have had the radiator flushed and the coolant topped off but the problem persists.
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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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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 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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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 a 01 Grand Prix GTP and there is a smell coming out of the vents when the heater is on. It smells like exhaust. What might be causing this?
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Why when I come to a stop with the heater on, the car smells like exhaust? I took in into our local Subaru shop and they couldn't find anything wrong. When I'm driving it's fine, but in town or in traffic, I have to keep shutting off the heater. If I forget, the car fills up fumes and I have to drive with the windows down or my daughter's asthma flares up.
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'01 Dodge Caravan smells like something is burned or burning when the heater is on. Both heater motors run fine on all speeds, no noises, but doesn't seem to be heating like it should.
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As I mentioned earlier I have a 2001 Ford Focus and for the past month I've been smelling gasoline in the interior of the car, especially when the heater is running and the car has just started. My mechanic, as yet, had been unable to discover a source of the gasoline fumes. The fumes are so strong that if a source cannot be found the car is, for all-intents-and-purposes undrivable. If this problem cannot be resolved, there is a real possibility that I'll have to get a new car. What, if any thing, do I tell prospective buyers, should I decide to sell the car?
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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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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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