Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Buick Century Maintenance and Repair

24567…12

Comments

  • chuck15chuck15 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1994 Buick Century and wanted to put new tires on it that are wider than the standard 185 - 14s which are standard. Would any one know if this is possible and/or how wide I could go before the tires rub on the fender wells?
    Thanks
  • jasonp31gjasonp31g Member Posts: 1
    I began having a starting problem with my 99 Century about 18 months ago. The car would crank but the engine wouldn't fire. This would happen almost randomly and without warning. However, after a little time lapsing (an hour to a day) it would start and run normally, but then suddenly not start. I had a fuel pump replaced a year ago, and it ran fine until last week, when the problems returned. I had the fuel pump replaced again, and less than four days later the problem returned. It is currently at the dealer and they don't seem to be able to find the problem.

    I would appreciate any input anyone would have! Thank you!

    Jason P.
  • paul41paul41 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1993 century. Replaced starter (shouldn't have. not the problem) Engine will turn over 3/4 of a turn then won't move. I took the serpentine belt off and can turn the crank until I reach that particular spot and wham it takes all I can do to continue the rotation. Can my problem be the crankshaft sensor and if so can somebody explain to me how to get that harmonical balancer off? I got this vehicle from a man who was driving it and doesn't have a clue what was wrong with it. Honest guy that I work with. Trying to get it running for my son's first car. Body and interior are excellent. Help!
  • teel1teel1 Member Posts: 1
    My mother is having the same problem, tho her car will start every time. Sometimes the light comes on, sometimes not. She's had it to the dealership 4 times, they changed the starter out, messed with some wires, said they repaired it each time, but they have absolutely no idea what is wrong, and would have continued selling her new parts with no idea what they were doing. Same with another dealership she is now going to; car in shop 3 times, they don't know but continue "repairing" it and charging her.
    My advice- call Buick, or know what needs to be repaired before taking it in and letting them experiment while billing you.
    Also, look in your car manual, theres a short paragraph about the security system temporarily disabling the starter so someone can't try a bunch of keys until one may start it. Wondering if possibly the remote keyring simply needs a new battery...only thing we haven't tried.
    If I find out whats wrong with hers,will let you know...she has it in the shop again today! Would really appreciate any clues you may find. My email is southcross7@aol.com, Thanks, Jane
  • davesregaldavesregal Member Posts: 1
    HI
    I HAVE A 1986 BUICK REGAL WITH A V8.IT HAS ABOUT 105K ON IT.RUNS GOOD UP UNTIL A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.THE CAR IS PINGING ALOT UNDER LIGHT ACCELERATION.IT ALSO HAS NO POWER.I CAN JUST ABOUT MAKE IT UP A HILL.THE HARDER I STEP ON THE GAS THE SLOWER IT GOES..ANY THOUGHTS..MAYBE A CLOGGED EXHAUST OR AN EGR PROMBLEM?ANY THOUGHTS WOULD BE GREAT THANKS DAVE
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Clogged catalytic coverter is a good possibility. You can install a by-pass pipe and see what happens. Not an EGR problem I don't think if you have such a serious power loss. Also could be engine management and timing control issue. Bad timing can make a car run really lousy.
  • dave8697dave8697 Member Posts: 1,498
    I have a '96 riviera 3800 series II w/supercharger. In October, around when the temperature outside fell into the 60's, my electrical cooling fan started to come on all the time, including cold morning startups. In the previous year and a half of owning the car I've never heard the cooling fan running. I live out in country and drive 70 mph everywhere. There is no obstruction or water pump problem or low coolant issue. Mileage may have also dropped by 1-2 mpg since this fan started being on all the time. Temp guage still always at 195 degrees F. Shouldn't the fan only come on when the coolant or some part of the engine gets above a certain temperature? Any clues as to what might be wrong or how to fix or test?
  • jrsimmajrsimma Member Posts: 2
    Did your dad ever get this resolved? I have same problem.

    Thank you,

    JR
    jrsimma@yahoo.com
  • keydockkeydock Member Posts: 1
    1999 Buick Century, 45,000 tender miles, we bought the car new. Yesterday while my wife was entering the freeway, the car decided it wanted to go 75. She got the car stopped by turning off the key and pulling off the side of the road. She restarted the car and as soon as she put it into drive and touched the accelerator peddle it wanted to go 75 again. We had it towed to the dealer and they found nothing.

    I'm thinking the computer told the cruse control to kick in. That's what she said it felt like. And the break light was on after she finally got it stopped. We just had a 1 week old $600.00 break job done. I see the rear breaks are another problem with this car.

    I've been searching the forms all day and yours is the first one that sounds like what happened to us.

    P S look under the dash, the mat cannot cause this problem.

    I may not have the car after tomorrow. Somebody else can kill their family in this thing.

    Keydock
  • myervinmyervin Member Posts: 1
    My problem is similar to alot of others in here but a bit different. My problem is all of a sudden, like twenty mins apart, my tail lights, running lights and dash light all decided not to work anymore. The headlights, brake lights and turn signals all work fine. I have changed the fuses in the fuse box inside the car. Any suggestions on this problem or ways to repair cheaply will be greatly appreciated. :cry:
  • wefixemwefixem Member Posts: 1
    Jason;

    Try replacing the crank shaft sensor and this may
    fix your problem.

    Good Luck kendall
  • jay49jay49 Member Posts: 2
    I've got the same problem as myervin (message 65). My dash lights, and tail lights don't work 99% of the time. I've checked fuses, they're fine. I heard that there's a bunch of wires on the passenger side under the hood, not easy to get to, and that their could be a loose wire. I've checked them the best I can. Try delivering newspapers at 4am at this time of year, and see how many looks you get. Not fun.
    Any help would be appreicated.
  • wfergusonwferguson Member Posts: 1
    my headlights wentout suddenly. all other lights worked. whalf hour or so later they came back on. It happened again last night. Someone suggusted a bad on off switch. 2002 buick century. any ideas?
    Thanks,
    W Ferg.
  • usmar4lusmar4l Member Posts: 2
    Is there anyone who had this problem: My engine fans come on as soon as I start my car, this prevents my car from getting warm enough to provide heat in the winter time. One solution that I have came up with is to remove two main fuses, but the problem with that is when I do get caught in rush hour my car runs to hot. If anyone has had this problem or just know the solution could you please help me?
  • maryh2maryh2 Member Posts: 1
    Our gas gauge needle has rotated all of the way around and is now on the wrong side of the stop pin. We were told that the dash has to be taken apart to repair this for $100 and there is no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. This also happened about a year ago after our battery was changed, it was repaired with no extra charge at that time. Every hear of this happening? Are we getting a true story? For the moment we are keeping track of the number of gal of gas used with the computer. Any suggestion?
  • molerjmolerj Member Posts: 9
    2002 Buick Century. The highbeams go out completly. If I switch to lowbeams they stay on. Switch back to highbeams & they may stay on for a while but in time will go out again. This problem started about a yr. ago & only happened a few times. Now it is becoming a real problem. Any ideas on the fix?
  • molerjmolerj Member Posts: 9
    Same car with headlight problem 2002 Buick Century 3.1. 78,000 miles. Noticed lately that it lacks power going up hills. It won't much go above 35 unless I kick it into overdrive. Also a slight miss is sometimes noticeable when driving on highway. Fuel filter? Spark plugs? Also researching the plugs I found the iridium plug is the OEM plug? Should I stay with that or go platinum or regular? One last ? does the engine need rolled back to change the back 3 plugs?
  • thefrisbythefrisby Member Posts: 1
    So yesterday when I started my car, then turned on the lights, shifted into reverse, and was about to turn off the parking break...my car just turned itself off. When I tried to start it again nothing would work except for the clock which had reset itself...but that slowly turned off.

    i tried to jump it from a honda civic, but nothing happened. my buick's power locks won't even work. everything looks connected around the battery, but i have no idea...

    I got a ride home, but i'm thinking i'll have to get it towed today...any ideas how much this might cost me/what might be wrong?
  • jay49jay49 Member Posts: 2
    My situation is #67 of 73. I just got my car out of the shop for the tail lights not working. Have your headlight switch, and the connector checked. It fixed my problem.
  • sangstersangster Member Posts: 1
    I am thinking about buying a 2000 Buick Century with low kms. I was reading some of the entries on the forum and now I'm worried about making a bad decision. I know all cars have their problems, but the uncontrollable acceleration problems some people have been having seem very scary to me. Should I buy a Buick Century?
  • usmar4lusmar4l Member Posts: 2
    The problem (usmar4l) that I have with my Century has been the only one, besides that I think that it is a wonderful car to drive and the price and quality can't be beat. I brought my car used with low miles, and have put plenty of miles on it and the problem with the heat has been the only downfall.
  • guardrailguardrail Member Posts: 3
    Hey, usually when the crank sensor fails the car will start and run till its warmed up than quit(loses spark and fuel injectors). I am not going to guess whats wrong with your car (hopefully not liquid locking the cylinders from a head gasket=pull spark plugs). Anyhow I recommend creating your own starter circuit. Bypass the ignition and starter cut relays by shorting the starter solenoid. Sometimes a screwdriver will fit but you may need a jumper wire. On the solenoid go from the top large stud (batt voltage) to the small solenoid control stud(the one with the wire from the passenger compartment). If it cranks and all is well the problem is with the crank control circuit. If it still fails check the starter engine and transmission. This trick will tell you where to go. Check that you can turn the engine over by hand. The alternators use to seize up causing this problem as well but u took the belt off. Keep digging, good luck.
  • ferree4allferree4all Member Posts: 1
    I own a 99 Buick Regal 3.8 automatic. Lately when I turn the car on the abs light ,check engine light and the trac off light will stay on, and when I press on the brake to put car into gear I can not push the little button down on the floor shifter. If I turn car off and then turn back on all light go off like they are suppose to and I can put into gear to drive car.
    Also when I am driving below 40-45 mph and use my turn signals occasionally my car will die, above that speed the car will stay running but my headlights will go out and all the dashboard warning lights came on, like when you first start up your car.
    I have seem this problem listed on a few sights, but no one responded on solutions. please help
  • ntaylor123ntaylor123 Member Posts: 1
    i have a buick regal ls 2004 and i brought it 8/05 lately i have been hearing some kind of clicking noise with in the dash i don't know if it only happens when i have on the heat or defrost or whether it is coming from me playing the radio. at first i thought maybe the speakers were busted but then i would not be able to hear the music at all, and when i pay close attention it seems like i only hear the clicking noise when i have the heat on. have anyone ever experienced this problem if so what can i do or should i take it to the shop. my fear is me not being able to point out the problem when i take it to get looked at, that has happened to me before with a previous car, when the car is with you, the problem exists and then when you take it to the shop it doesn't happen. please help me.
  • awybornyawyborny Member Posts: 1
    I'm having a strange problem, I own a 95 Buick Century that till this point has given me no problems. Occasionally after a short period of driving at night the dash lights will turn off along with the high beams. I can get the dash lights back on by manually turing on the car lights (normally they are automatic), but the highbeams won't come back. I have checked the fuses and they all seem fine so I don't know what else could be wrong. Any insight would be appretiated.
  • horns1976horns1976 Member Posts: 56
    We have a 1998 Buick Century with only 34K miles. Lately, have been experiencing the following problem. When the engine is cold or has been sitting for an hour or so after driving and you start the engine and put the car in reverse with your foot on the brake, there is a rattle that sounds like it's coming from the firewall area. When you let off the brake, the rattle may or may not stop. When the engine is warm, there is no rattle nor is there a rattle when the car is in drive.

    The front disc brakes pads were replaced in December and the rotors were turned at that time. Don't know if this has anything to do with the rattle but I include here for information purposes.

    Yesterday, I took the vehicle to my local mechanic that did the front brake job. He searched ALLDATA but did not find my problem. Of course, I was unable to recreate the problem for him because engine was not cold enough. He told me not to worry about it. He said, "If something breaks, then we'll fix it."

    Anyone else experienced this problem?? Any suggestions?? :confuse:
  • accord2accord2 Member Posts: 2
    A rod in my mom's 2002 Century blew yesterday. She got it to the Buick dealer and is having an engine put in for $2000.00 w/40,000 warranty on it. The car has 56,000 miles and she has changed the oil every 3,000 miles. The service manager told her it just was a "freaky" thing that happened-no other explanation. I think that's a lot of BS. It seems to me that at 56,000 miles this should not have occured. Also a few months ago she had a valve replaced for $600.00. Has anyone else had this problem? This car is a piece of crap!!!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    you can't know unless the old engine were stripped down and examined by an expert to determine cause of failure...if you suspect dealer negligence you could have this done...but it could very well be just a freaky metallurgy failure...statisically this happens to anything made...

    It's a murky subject and the only way it gets unmurky is to apply scientific analysis to it.
  • molerjmolerj Member Posts: 9
    Update; changed plugs & fuel filter, no help. Took it to a chevy garage, they ran a scan & said the catalytic converter was the problem. It was & was covered under warranty. Period was up to 80k miles & I had 79,600. Got lucky for a change & car is back to normal now.
  • molerjmolerj Member Posts: 9
    update; I removed the dimmer switch,(not a real easy job, but was able to do it without removing steering wheel as the manual suggests). Sprayed it with contact cleaner & as of a month now I haven't had any more problems. New switch was in the vicininty of 300.00 so hoping this works.
  • accord2accord2 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the info. I'll share it with my mom.
  • slobasloba Member Posts: 3
    Few weeks ago I noticed something like balloon under the driver`s carpet. I mean the place right under my left foot while I am driving. I did not do anything unusual to generate this thing.
    Is there some important part in that space under the driver`s carpet?

    thank you in advance!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Has your car been on a service lift lately?
  • slobasloba Member Posts: 3
    thank you for help!

    no, absolutely not.
    as i said, this "airbag" under carpet came up suddenly and according to me without any particular reason?!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Have you examined the car from underneath yet?
  • slobasloba Member Posts: 3
    Yes of course, and everything is as it used to be.
  • bradyjbradyj Member Posts: 1
    I have a similar problem but it is inconsistent. My 2000 Century vibrates on and off at highway speeds between 65 and 75 mph. The wheels are balanced and the tires new but the steering conumn still shakes sometimes. Sorry I have no input for you but if you have had a resolution maybe you could share it.
  • redwood_girlredwood_girl Member Posts: 2
    what started out as particles in my rad fluid has become a nightmare. :mad:

    I have a 2002 Buick Century with 117,000 km (highway)and now I have a huge repair bill coming. I have oil leaking into the antifreeze which requires a head gasket repair.

    Has anyone heard of this before? :sick:

    :lemon:
  • michulaginmichulagin Member Posts: 2
    how do i remove the glove compartment container in my 1999 buick century
  • pat4733pat4733 Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem after buying a new battery. you might want to try removing your battery cables and making sure they are getting a good connection. I am adding to this what I wrote to someone else concerning my problem with the flopping gauges and no-start, that may have been all they did the first time they fixed the problem.

    Regarding the problems concerning no start, poor battery cables and gauges that flop to the wrong side, etc. and of course the call for help. I have a 2002-century that started erratically. Based on the age of the battery, I decided a new battery was in order and bought one at Sams Club. Everything was fine for a couple of day, then again the no start problem.
    I stopped at Sams Club and had them tighten the cables, but even after being tightened, there was still a problem with no start
    I had to have one tow and three boosts from AAA. It had to be towed because when it started the gauges all flopped to the right and the driver felt it was best not to run until I found the problem, which I did the next day.
    I reached down and grabbed the cable under the post and with a yank and could feel that it was loose, although the bolt felt tight with the wrench. I felt this could only be caused by the fact the boot wasn’t fitting into the small channel on the battery that is made for it.
    About twenty years ago a friend of mine wholesaled used cars and I would often help him go get the cars he bought, he bought many a Gm that wouldn’t start, they couldn’t even get them through the auction unless they pushed them, we would clean the batteries and cables, but that alone wouldn’t get many of them going, nor would a boost get them going, we would have to cut the ridge off the rubber boot that sealed the battery from outside elements, the boot had got formed to the channel on the battery but wouldn't fit a new battery , and often wouldn’t fit the same battery anymore, this may have come about from the cleaning which would move the boot. Some we even had to put washers on to get the cable/boot a distance from he terminal.
    The channel where the boot fits in to seal between the battery post and plastic on the Sams Club Battery was very narrow, maybe a sixteenth of a inch, I went to Costco and looked at their battery for my model and the channel was about twice as large or more, which made for a better chance of connection, and the post appeared to stick out more, although I didn’t measure it. I bought the Costco battery and put it in and tightened it and it worked perfectly that was three months ago. I took the Sams Club battery back and told them the problem and they said all their batteries had the narrow channel, then they cheerfully refunded my money. I suspect the company that is making the Costco battery is aware of the problem and that is why they have the wide channel. Good luck
    . .
  • hcohnhcohn Member Posts: 2
    I own a 95 buick century with 75k on it. I've replaced the transmission and alternator in the past four years. Tonight my headlights, turn signals, high beams, break lights, interior lights including the panel stopped working. In addition to that my brake light is on and my electric controls for my seat dont work.

    If this problem can be fixed easily I would like to do it myself. The fuses have been checked and seem to be ok. The on/off switch has been suggested as the problem.

    I have read previous post about electrical problems but have not seen anything including all lights at once. If anyone can give me some insight soon it would be appreciated. Thanks
  • lemur83lemur83 Member Posts: 1
    ok seriously i have a wierd problem. i own a 99 buick century, and can not use any accessories in it. basically what is happening is when i plug something into my cigarette lighter it only has power when the car is off. when i turn the car on it seems it shuts off the power to the lighter and thus any accessories. I havent found anything in the manual or the web on how to rectify this situation, if anyone can think of how to fix this, help is much obliged. real pain to not be able to use a cell phone charger or power adapter or anything.
  • redbird48redbird48 Member Posts: 17
    I HAD THIS PROBLEM ALSO ON MY 2002 BUICK CENTURY AT ABOUT 58,000 MILES. I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING OR ENGINE MISS OR POWER. THE WAY I TOOK CARE OF THIS PROBLEM WAS TO DRAIN ABOUT 1 GALLON OF COOLENT FROM THE SYSTEM AND POUR ABOUT A QUART OF LIQUID CASCADE AUTOMATIC DISH WASHING SOAP IN THE RADIATOR . YOU NEED TO REFIL THE SYSTEM WITH PLAIN WATER AND BLEED ALL THE AIR OUT OF IT. IF YOU DO NOT BLEED THE AIR OUT IT WILL OVERHEAT QUICKLY. AFTER YOU GET ALL THE AIR OUT DRIVE IT ON THE HIGHWAY AND GET THE CAR UP TO NORMAL OPERATING TEMP FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO. I LEFT MINE IN FOR ABOUT 200 MILES. THE REASON BEHIND CASCADE IS IT WILL NOT FOAM LIKE SOAP AND IT BREAKS THE OIL DOWN. AFTER HIS IS DONE HAVE THE SYSTEM FLUSHED AND REFILLED WITH DEXCOOL ANTIFREEZE. AFTER I DID THIS 5000 MILES LATER NO OIL IN COOLANT. I DON'T KNOW WHY,BUT NO MORE OIL.
  • redbird48redbird48 Member Posts: 17
    P.S. REDWOODGIRL...I FORGOT TO MENTION TO BE SURE TO TURN YOUR HEATER ON TO GET ALL THE OIL OUT OF YOU HEATER CORE ALSO BEFORE YOU FLUSH AND REFILL THE SYSTEM WITH NEW ANTIFREEZE. I HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU LIKE IT DID FOR ME...GOOD LUCK REDBIRD48
  • hcohnhcohn Member Posts: 2
    So I took the car in to the shop and they said it was a bad connection and it had to be rewired. it will cost about 210 I hope thats all that needs to be done.
  • tad56tad56 Member Posts: 1
    Have taken our '99 Century (70,000 miles) to dealership twice. Both times they insisted that the tires were out of round, unbalanced. Not at all the case. (I'd just put new tires on the first time. Put more new ones on the second time. Problem not solved.) PROBLEM: When driving between start and up to about 25 miles per hour, the car feels like the front right and back left tires a waaaay out of round. I can watch my hands moving back and forth on the steering wheel. When getting up to normal speed (45ish +) roughly 90% of the problem goes away. Dealership says they've checked everything and have no idea. (I'll save the electric window system failures for another time.) Any ideas? Thanks in advance for the help.
  • redwood_girlredwood_girl Member Posts: 2
    I had the head gasket replaced, that fixed the problem. Too cold here to run water through the rad.

    You would think something as important as the head gasket wouldn't look so flimsy!!!!

    But the car is all good now, runs like a champ! :D
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    That condition is almost always caused by a defective tire (usually a shifted belt) or excessive lateral runout in a wheel. Simple task to check the wheels with a runout gauge to verify they're running true.
  • caridiot1caridiot1 Member Posts: 1
    I've got a 98 Buick Century and the mechanic said I needed the owners manual to turn off the light. I bought the car from my grandfather who has alzheimers and he's lost the manual and (obviously) doesn't know where it is. Anybody know how to turn the light off? :confuse:
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    The powertrain control computer has detected an out of range signal from one of it's monitored sensor circuits, stored a diagnostic trouble code, and turned on the CEL. Start by having the codes retrieved (AutoZone will do it no charge) and repairing the fault.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles