Buick - Century :: Acceleration From A Stop Is Very Sluggish And Gear Changes Come Slowly
Oct 4, 2013
I am having some trouble with my 02 Buick recently. The acceleration from a stop is very sluggish and gear changes come slowly, although they still seem to shift smoothly. The first thing I did was check the fluid levels and I can find nothing wrong there. The trans fluid was last changed 3 years ago, but the level, color, and smell are all normal so surely that couldn't be the culprit ?Unfortunately, that about exhausts my diagnostic skill.
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2004 Buick Century. 3100 motor. 150k miles... Recently discovered strange noise but not sure exactly how long its been happening. (I listen to the radio pretty loud)
Engine sounds normal at start/idle (hot and cold). During acceleration I hear a constant ticking/tapping/clattering at a decent volume from 1st to 3rd..after 3rd it quiets down a bit but still constant. It goes away completely directly after shifting into 4th. I then cruise down the highway at 75-80 with no problem whatsoever.(It can also be heard if i rev the engine in park.)
The day I noticed it i immediately checked the oil. It was a little over a quart low. I filled it but the sound has not changed.
I wouldn't say its a full on knock but it does sound alarming like the engine could blow at any moment from 1st to 4th. Sounds perfectly fine after that.
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1999 buick century custom .. 3100 motor .. 200k+ miles ..
It all Started 2months ago.. once every few weeks my car would hesitate during acceleration (leaving a light for example) but just once.Then started it up one day and it was idling rough..also stalled out twice.
Dropped it off at a shop after hours so he could check it out in the A.M.he calls n says its not acting up at all.
Get the car back and drive it 2 more weeks..then it happens again. Rough idle and hesitating...take it directly to the shop but its acting normal again by the time I get there (starting to feel like im crazy)
So I take things into my own hands... I change air filter, clean MAF and throttle body. Change the plugs and wires.
start it up and it seemed to run better than it ever has.. for about 5mins.I took it for a test drive and it started sputtering and bucking and eventually died to the point of undrivable.
Got towed home.NOW it starts dang near everytime but runs EXTREMELY rough for a few seconds before eventually dying. It will run a bit longer if I unplug the MAF (45seconds maybe) but runs like fecal matter the whole time
I have swapped out the MAF, EGR valve and IAC valve with parts from a 97 century (which runs fine)And nothing seemed to change the condition.
Changed fuel filterchecked fuel pressure with key on (41psi)Also replaced the timing chain and gears (thinking it slipped) but it didnt make a difference.
I pulled codes but all it had was a P0102 (MAF low input)But I think that might be from it being unplugged so many times?
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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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My problem is my 6 CL died going down the road I got to stop light & she quitly died. I got it started after a few tries & made it to BK, kept trying to start sounded like choked for gas. Hour later starts goes 1/2 mil dies call towtrk. Changed fuel pump(not so bad) fired her up, first couple times ran a sec. and died.
3rd time a charm it started & idled (a lttl ruf) for 20 min.& wife takes it to gas station shut off & restarted no problem & back home. 1 hr later I get in to run an errand & it dies I push it hm pop hood seems awfully hot. Is there a way to test the CPS unit?
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My 1992 Buick Century frequently shuts down when coming to a stop or slowing down to make a sharp corner. I'm always able to restart it. I thought it was a torque converter lockup problem, but my transmission specialist said the transmission is okay. Last month, after the car died completely, I had the crankshaft sensor and harmonic balancer replaced by Firestone. Could it be the same parts that malfunctioned? Or, could it be another issue?
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I have 2003 Buick Century. I started having problems with the car after coming to a stop, accelerating - the car starts to go hesitates, then jerks a bit to go. This does not happen every time after a stop but when it does the service engine soon light comes on. Initially I got the P0401 code (I think) and took it in to a mechanic. They could not find anything wrong with the car but did clean out the EGR valve, that didn't work, they worked on my transmission and replaced other parts, still no success.
I took the car to another mechanic who replaced the EGR valve and several other small parts. I still had the problem but this time the error code was P0420. I took it back again and replaced the spark plugs, O/2 sensor, catalytic converter. That hasn't fixed the problem. The mechanic said that they have taken my car for several test drives and the car has not demonstrated the problem. The error message still reads P0420 even after all of the parts have been replaced. The 2nd mechanic has washed his hands of my problem.
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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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Have a 2004 Buick Century and the light that shows what gear you are in is out. Is it the bulb or what? Can it be a fuse?It started going off but came back on later Also how hard a job is it to change the bulb.
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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 2000 Buick Century that only has 70000 miles on it. I have an issue that when I drive the car for a while, the transmission will shift hard after stopping at a light or stop sign. It only does it through the first three gears. If I shut the car off and let it sit for a few minutes and start it back up, it shifts fine through all of the gears. I have not had the change to change the fluid and filter yet. The fluid looks clean and is always full. I have read that there has been a common problem with a pressure control solenoid in the transmission needing replaced to correct the hard shifting. I am not getting any kind of error codes from the PCM, so I am not sure.
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Recently my speedometer has been acting wacko...and continues to do so. Two to five minutes into a trip it will slowly increase or decrease in mph's and randomly stop (or continue) as it pleases regardless of how fast or slow I am traveling. Several mechanics checked it and test drove it and no one could figure it out. The devices they used to check the speedometer indicated it was functioning properly.
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I recently replaced the 181K mile valve-burned engine in my 2001 Honda CR-V with a 40K mile engine from Japan. Since the swap idle is slightly erratic, acceleration from a stop is sluggish and check engine light indicates "P1508 error code" which is "Idle Air Control valve circuit failure." Also have an issue with the A/C cycling on and off rapidly when idling that goes away as soon as the engine rpm is slightly increased. New OEM IAC valve is costly so I hesitate to replace it. All parts other than the engine itself are from my original engine in my CR-V.
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Just this past weekend my wife got her 2010 Golf Highline with the 6-speed tiptronic transmission. Just a quick question about the gas pedal. when it is on "D" it really feels heavy and sluggish when going from full stop to acceleration. the pedal feels so hard and when you step on it feels like its not going at all. but as soon as it goes on 3rd everything seems ok. and then we tried putting it into "S" (sports) mode and everything was really good and quick. but when on this mode you need to be really hard on the gas pedal for it to run smooth. so i guess my question is...is it really like that when driving in the "D" mode??
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I have an 08 460 LS. I am experiencing sluggish acceleration. It feels like the car is in the wrong gear and has no power. This is intermittent and most of the time ok. Occasionally it is jerky when pulling out when it has proper power.
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The check engine light is on, all the gear indicator lights are on and acceleration is sluggish. I'm taking it to the dealership tomorrow, but wanted to know where I stood before talking to them. I don't really trust them. Transmission? Gear shifter?
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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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