Engines - Buick - Century :: 1996 - P1406 Code Along With Occasional P0300 Pending
Nov 1, 2011
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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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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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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Ok, my 1996 Buick Regal is acting up. I got a CEL, which was a P0306 (Cylinder #6 misfire), took the car to my shop, and they diagnosed as a faulty Ignition Control Module. Fast Forward, a day later, the car now has a hard start problem and throwing the same code, plus a P0102 Mass Airflow Sensor.
So my questions are:
1) Could a faulty ICM cause a single cylinder misfire, did they just replaced a random part? I would think a bad ICM would a multiple misfire considering on this car each coil controls 2 cylinders.
2) Are the two codes related? ie fix one, and the other would go away? or are they separate issues?
3) What could be wrong with my car?
This mechanic has been in my family for years, however, I'm not very pleased that a day later, my car seems to have more problems than before. Am I being too harsh?
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I recently replaced my MAF on the car with part number 06A 906 461 A which is not the 07D 906 461 part number. I take it that this is wrong because i am getting power surging in the car at WOT and I have a pending DTC code P0103.
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I have a 1995 buick Lasbre and my engine light is on my car would cut off every once and a while. but when it does it cranks right back up like its a sortage in the wires people say it is an electrical problem i thought it was my crank sensor but my car has never had a problem cranking up it sounds wonderful when it cranks up so whats my problem....
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What are possible causes for"check engine light" being on continuously. 1997 Buick
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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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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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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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