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Chevrolet Lumina Maintenance and Repair

135

Comments

  • brian78brian78 Member Posts: 2
    My 2000 chevy lumina with 151400 miles jerks when shifted in to gear. It also jerks hard when shifting 1/2 the time through all gears. I can hear it whine most of the time as well. I have just bought the car from a dealer "as is" and they wont help me at all. What is the problem? And do I need it fixed imedently? The problem is no worse or better than when I bought it about 1000 miles ago.
  • tagregorytagregory Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1999 Chevy Lumina with over 200,000 miles. It will cut off while I am driving. The word VOLTS and picture of oil can will light up.
    Sometimes I will feel the car jerk so I will ease off of the gas pedal and it won't cut off. The fuel line was repaired about a month ago and the mechanic recommended replacing spark plugs and wiring. Any ideas as to what the problem could be? Thanks.
  • woodyonewoodyone Member Posts: 8
    I have a 2000 Lumina. It also will whine at times and jerk when shifting. It is related to the transmission. Check the level of fluid. I have put an additive in the transmission fluid which thickens the fluid. It has helped my Lumina. It could be more trouble in your case but I chose the least expensive treatment first.
  • hjcfzhjcfz Member Posts: 1
    Leaking coolant from right hand side of motor(belt side) close to bottom of motor where all the pulleys bolt onto block appears to be some gasket top to bottom of the motor and my leak is near where the oilpan bolts to block, any ideas what this gasket is called, the water pump and Ac appears to be bolted to this plate.

    hjc
  • bob1953bob1953 Member Posts: 1
    the other day my wife's car over heated she pulled over and called me .It was about 1gal.low on antifreeze i filled it .drove home aprox.,15 mi. sat in garage all night no leaks.next day heated up again this time only about 1 qt.low today I got a chance to check it out.
    has 3.1 engine
    no antifreeze in oil.
    white smoke coming from exhaust
    is this a head gasket
    i would like a second option before I tear into it
    thanks
  • luminaguy93luminaguy93 Member Posts: 4
    Sounds about right to be a head gasket, better check all top end gaskets, it could be just a intake gasket, but if the motor has more than 120k change them all just to prevent any future problems, thats if it is affordable, i know the economy isn't the best right now.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Please note this entry from Wikipedia:

    "From the mid-1990s to 2003, some versions (the plastic intake manifold version) of this engine are involved in intake manifold gasket defects which caused coolant leakage often leading to engine failure. A series of class action lawsuits, implicating deterioration of the nylon/silicone material of the gasket & the heat warping of the plastic intake manifold upon exposure to Dexcool antifreeze, are pending on this issue. Tell-tale signs of such eventual related damage are a white foam that appears on the inside of the oil filler cap and the gradually increasing loss of antifreeze coolant (due to seepage into the intake passages which will lead to engine lock up failure in such cases). External seepage is also found near the valley edge of the lower intake manifold."
  • tdsuntdsun Member Posts: 2
    Our daughter owns a 1990 Chevy Lumina, with 25,000 miles.
    When it shifts into passing gear, it dies. Other than that it works great.
    Any thoughts? thanks.
  • mcneecemcneece Member Posts: 1
    i have a 93 lumina and have replaced all of the sensors on it. it sputters and idles high and wont go in to gear sometimes. But will run fine for 10-15 min i know the transmission is good but i think the computer is bad any suggestions would be very helpful thanks
  • luis9luis9 Member Posts: 1
    the bloq is getting oil to the water :confuse:
  • teecrawteecraw Member Posts: 5
    Hey fellas,
    Wife's got a 99 lumina 3.1 liter with a rebuilt engine that has approx. 25,000 miles. Always seem to perform well with little maintenance and always kept fluids checked. Yesterday she states that all at once it started stalling, missing and making awful noise. This was about a mile from house. After a few stalls she made it home.
    EXACTLY as described when I fired it up however, along with the bucking, missing and stalling comes an awful noise... a tapping that won't go away.
    I was hoping perhaps I might get lucky and the noise could be from misfires and fuel restriction. Changed fuel filter today and cleaned throat with B-12. Same thing.
    Seemed noise was coming from front of engine around idler pulley. Checked it and no problem with idler. Took entire belt off and started again and noise is still prevalent with same miss, buck and stalling present.
    Disconnected front plug wires (wires closest to bumper) and they are firing strong. I'm in a wheelchair and the other wires below coils are rather tough for me to get to. Got to climb on engine to pull a wire but too much trouble to get out, start engine and get back on top to pull another to check for fire. I don't really think that is causing the noise (misfires) and it is certainly coming from engine. Perhaps I am wrong. Could anyone enlighten me a bit as to the causation of this?
  • teecrawteecraw Member Posts: 5
    Ok. I think I will put a compression tester on all cyls and see what I get. I suspect a broken valve spring or something of that nature. Sound is not constant rythmic but rather irratic tapping getting louder at times and softer at others kind of like a valve has dropped and piston is hitting it. Missing as if I have a plug wire off.
    Any suggestions as to what I should be getting when testing compression if this is the problem?
  • teecrawteecraw Member Posts: 5
    Alright. With throttle body butterfly open I performed a compression test on all 6 cyls. #2-195lbs, #4-180lbs, #6-140lbs, #1-195lbs, #3-164lbs, #5-110lbs.
    With symptoms described in first message and numbers above, does anyone have any thoughts?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'd say you have either a sticking valve lifter (or more than one) or some bad camshaft lobes or a loose rocker shaft perhaps. This isn't related to misfire, but rather to noise and perhaps stalling. You might need to have someone pop the valve covers off and look around here.
  • teecrawteecraw Member Posts: 5
    Removed valve covers (pain in the@#!) yet did not see anything unusual. Spun over engine a few times. Minimal side to side movement on rocker arms. No signs of broken springs. Everything appears tight. Not sure how I check for collapsed or sticking lifter. ????
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might have to put a torque wrench on the rocker arm bolts...see if any stud has pulled?

    Also can you see the valve stems go up and down when you crank the engine? Any one hanging up?

    Unfortunately, you have an UHC (underhead cam--that's kind of a joke I'm making here) so you can't view the cam lobes.

    I guess you could run some additive that is extremely high detergent--no harm done at this point.

    Otherwise, with such a variation in compression (did you test WARM, throttle open?), you may have to pull the heads if nothing apparent shows up.

    My only other idea is that your exhaust system is totally plugged up, creating huge back pressure and keeping the cylinders from proper evacuation of gases.
  • wtavcarwtavcar Member Posts: 3
    I have a 1999 Lumina LS w/3.1V6. It has 113K km (70k mi). I am in Canada so metric everything. I assume, based what I have read, it has the 4T65-E transmission. Its about three months now that I am having intermittent missing from the engine at certain speeds, namely 70 km (42mi) or higher.

    With a cold car all is good. After a few miles it starts to intermittently miss and at certain circumstances. It is used mainly for work commute and is rarely used over 50 mph. At below 70kph (42mph) no problems. Starts are good, shifts are good (with the occasional hard shift) nothing exciting. When I get to the end of the 70k zone and accelerate gently, primarily uphill onramps, it will occasionally jerk numerous times, shift up then silence.

    I brought it to a transmisison shop. They drove it and said it shifted fine. They recommended a fuel filter change and plug/wire verification. Since it was the cheapest route I did. New fuel filter and plugs/wires were checked. It "seemed" to respond better to shifts so i thought case closed. That was 2 weeks ago. Yesterday it did it again.

    btw, The transmission oil was flushed at roughly 75k km (46.5k mi). It was done at a Penzoil location. They did NOT change the filter. A machine was plugged into the transmission cooler lines at the rad. They pumped out the old and replaced it with new oil. They said the filter was good for 100k km (60k mi).

    After some "googling" I came accross something that "seems" to point to the problem.

    At "autos.msn.com" there was something about the 1997 Lumina that talks about "can cause the vehicle to loose TCC operation or feel like an engine miss while driving between 40 and 60 mph." It talks about a TCC Regulator Valve. The 1999 write-up talks about a Transmission Pressure Control Solenoid (PCS). With all I have read 2 TSBs were mentioned:

    00-07-30-002B & 02-07-30-022B

    Other items I did read was that another filter/oil change might help since it may be a sticking internal valve and a filter change (since it was never done) would help. I called GM and a tranny mech. pointed out that oil/filter change would not help.

    I went as far as got my hands on a engine computer, to check if any codes were registered. Nothing

    I am at a standpoint. The car is well maintained and changing the car at this point is out of the question (if possible). Dropping in a new tranny (~$2000) would cost more than the value of the car. With it's low mileage for its age it's a shame to dump it.

    Any advise would be GREATLY appreciated.

    Thanks
  • tdsuntdsun Member Posts: 2
    Lumina - we have had our daughter's car in the shop since late August and just received it back. It too had engine stall once reaching passing gear. After much trial and error and $1450 it is working again. The mechanics discovered 4 of 6 fuel wires were shorting out once it warmed up. Hope this helps you.
  • Robertz69Robertz69 Member Posts: 2
    it mite be the cam sensor that causes it not to have spark
  • Robertz69Robertz69 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 94 lumina z34 replaced cam sensor after no spark ran for 40 mi before it died again changed injectors, computer, fuel pump, plugs and wires, upper and lower intake gaskets, coil pack, and timing belt i now have dead spot in one or two of the cylinders and still wont start can anyone tell me wats wrong really frustrated with it
  • megin111megin111 Member Posts: 1
    my DIL has a 96 lumina car. was driving drunk and somehow managed to ram a tree limb up under the car. has had transmission problems ever since. It does not shift correctly. Son, budding mechanic, tried fixing solenoid. not the problem. any ideas?
  • Harley_DanHarley_Dan Member Posts: 1
    There really isn't too much to replacing it but you have to make sure the system is discharged first. You will need a shop to do this, more than likely. Is is simple after that. You just have to remove the refrigerant lines going to it and remove the bolts on the brackets. Be sure to plug the refrigerant lines with something, so that debris and dirt doesn't get into the lines. If you have a serpentine belt on your model, you will have to loosen the tension to get the belt off of the compressor wheel. After putting the new one on....try and have the same shop recharge the system and check for leaks. I hope this helps some.
  • mcdiarmidmcdiarmid Member Posts: 13
    I`m sure you`ve figured this out by now. I just came across your post. It`s a head gasket, right? And the sound you heard was a piston that had melted and damaged the head. Am I right? It sounds exactly what happened to my `95. I did manage to fix it myself...the only other option was to replace the engine.

    Ian
  • teecrawteecraw Member Posts: 5
    It was a spun bearing. Re-Built engine came from Northwest Motor Exchange and had approx. 30,000 mile before it spun a bearing. Sold entire car to someone who had engine replaced. Hope they did not get engine from same place and hope they get more than a lousy 30k from it.
    Bought wife a new, used Acura.
  • fordmstng66fordmstng66 Member Posts: 1
    I have a95 lumina car, and when i start it i hear a clunking noise, when it is in neutral, but when i put into gear, it goes away. Does anyone know if this is the Transmission, or the motor. the car has 216,000 miles on it, and is a v6. thanks

    mike
  • rogerwilco007rogerwilco007 Member Posts: 1
    1998 Lumina ; Brake lights do not come on when pressure is put on brakes. Only the light mounted on back window lights up. The rear brake lights work when I turn on the left turn signal. Is this the same issue that someone else here posted. Is the problem the turn signal switch located in the steering colum which will require most people to have a pro replace?
    Thanks !
  • jagrules1jagrules1 Member Posts: 1
    has any one experienced leaking freeze plug on 1996 lumina 3.1 front side of veh. leaking coolant down front side of engine near a/c pump
  • guttergurlguttergurl Member Posts: 3
    im so lost with my pain in the butt car. can someone please help me.... how do i find an air leak on my 1996 lumina ls? i can hear it leaking from somewhere but not sure where and also if i keepp the car at the same speed for more than maybe ten seconds it feels like its hesitating
  • guttergurlguttergurl Member Posts: 3
    im so lost with my pain in the butt car. can someone please help me.... how do i find an air leak on my 1996 lumina ls? i can hear it leaking from somewhere but not sure where and also if i keepp the car at the same speed for more than maybe ten seconds it feels like its hesitating
  • clarencebclarenceb Member Posts: 1
    need torque specs. for 3.1 engine
  • kmcneishkmcneish Member Posts: 2
    My dad bought a 2001 Chevy Lumina. Ever sense he got the car the car seemed like it would shift back and forth out of gear to frequently, and when you are going down the highway. The car seems to buck or jerk. Some days it won’t do it some days it will. My dad has had it to seven different mechanics half of them said it did not throw a code on the computer ,the other half said that they didn’t even notice anything when they drove it. Finally my dad took the car into Auto zone and they put a tester on it and it throw a code saying torque converter locking up. He finally said the heck with it and put almost a new transmission and torque converter in it , and the car still does the same thing. Does anybody have any solutions? My dad has thrown close to 3,000 in the car he has also changed the plugs, the wires ,he has checked the coils ,he has replaced the engine temperature sensor, but the car still bucks and jerks going down the highway and it seems like it shifts constantly back and forth from overdrive to drive to frequently.
  • nolastcallsnolastcalls Member Posts: 1
    yes, I had the same exact problem happen to me, I had the turn signal switch replaced for $300 at a local garage, and now it works just fine.
  • gsoridleyridergsoridleyrider Member Posts: 1
    Thanks to the dexcool extended life antifreeze, I have replaced the intake and cylinder head gaskets, the car had 158K on it. Before the head gasket failed it was throwing a P0401 code. While the engine was torn down I went ahead and replaced the EGR valve too. After cleaning everything out & putting it all back together, after about 1 mile the SES light came on and it is still throwing a P0401 Insufficient flow code. Anyone have an idea what to do now?
  • mcdiarmidmcdiarmid Member Posts: 13
    First of all, I have 2 Chev products and I don`t believe that Dex-Cool is the reason for the gasket failures. Lawsuits have already been won against GM that implicate the material in the gaskets, not Dex-Cool. I`ve replaced the lower intake and head gaskets on both my Lumina and Impala..... The code your Lumina throws indicates a problem with the EGR valve...since you`ve replaced it, it may be your MAP sensor which monitors the EGR function.
  • jmckenzie1jmckenzie1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1990 Lumina 3.1 liter, and im having a problem with the rear driver side brake light, the tail light works just the brake light. Ive bought new lights and thats not the problem. Can anyone help me?
  • notafan0102notafan0102 Member Posts: 1
    Hey, does anyone know the access code to reprogram the security lockout?
    I took it to a Mech and he said that the security lockout has to be recoded to
    the key... is there a way to bypass it or something? :sick:
  • troubled2utroubled2u Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 Lumina and well the darn two break lights do not work however the thrid top mount does work. I checked the fuses and the area in which the fuse ets in for corrosion and everything works and looks fine. I put in all new bulbs and still nothing. I checked the wiring harness and well it is working fine too so can someone please help this disabled man out, sure would appreciate it. :confuse:
  • guttergurlguttergurl Member Posts: 3
  • sifuenjasifuenja Member Posts: 1
    Hi I had the excact same problem look behind your spark plug ignition wires there is a hose that is loose you just have to plug it back in that should fix it. If that does not work make sure you have a good seal on you pcv valve you can go to a near by autozone and they can point it out for you. If you need any pics send me an email to [email protected] and I'll send over pics.Hope this helps!
  • mike356mike356 Member Posts: 2
    yo if it turns over, go by some starting fluid, and spray it in the vacuum lines, leave them unplugged and then start it. it should start if not do it again for like 3 seconds and should start then. if not then i dont know. i've got bad fuel injectors and i've tried all the cleaners for fuel additives and so on. they dont help the starting process
    i recomend you buy starting fluid and spray the vacuum lines.. IF it starts, plug the lines back in and she'll run just right.
  • ledzep2ledzep2 Member Posts: 1
    I can't get a straight answer on whether I need a left front strut,left front axle, ball joints or cv joint. How can I tell which I need or who is telling me the truth? :confuse:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well let's see.

    STRUT --You can bounce up and down on the left front of the car, listen for noise, or compare the resistance to the other corners of the car. You can also shine a flashlight on the strut and look for oil dripping out of it.

    AXLE -- there is no way NO WAY to visually tell if an axle CV joint is bad unless you disassemble it. But you can see if the axle boot is torn, which may only mean to replace the boot, not the whole joint, and you can drive the car in very tight left or right circles and listen for a steady clunking noise which appears in a regular rotational sound of clunking, and goes away as you straighten the wheel. For a bad LEFT axle CV joint, you'd make tight RIGHT circles.

    BALL JOINT -- a jack can be placed under them and the wear (slack) in them can be measured or estimated. Anything more than 1/8" play up and down is probably too much. If you can't see it move, then no sale.

    If a shop cannot demonstrate to you the basis for their diagnosis, other than crystal ball, intuition, or dart board, then don't believe them.
  • maxhudson_1maxhudson_1 Member Posts: 4
    I gotta 92' chev lumina euro 3.1 and the engine doesn't idle and when we took the vacum tubes off the carb gas seems to be leeking out as soon as you turn the key so its been flooding the engine we think its the fuel pressure regulator but not totally sure someone wanna help out?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Don't think you have a carburetor on that puppy.
  • maxhudson_1maxhudson_1 Member Posts: 4
    well carb control intake whatever
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Multi Port Fuel Injection

    You could have a sticking injector. Maybe this description will inspire you a bit:

    OPERATION:
    The fuel supply system begins with gasoline in the fuel tank. An electric fuel pump, located in the fuel tank with the fuel level gauge sending unit, pumps fuel to the fuel rail through an in-line filter. The pump is designed to supply fuel at a pressure above the pressure needed by the injectors. A pressure regulator located on the fuel rail keeps the fuel available to the injectors at a constant pressure. The unused fuel is returned to the fuel tank by a separate line.

    MODES OF OPERATION:
    The ECM uses voltage inputs from several sensors to determine how much fuel to give the engine. The fuel is delivered under several conditions, called "Modes." All modes are controlled by the ECM, and are described below.

    Starting Mode:
    When the ignition is first turned "ON," the Electronic Control Module (ECM) turns "ON" the fuel pump relay for two seconds, allowing the fuel pump to build up system pressure. If the engine is immediately started, the fuel pump will continue to operate. If the key is left in the "ON" position, but the engine is not started, the ECM will turn the pump "OFF." The fuel pump will remain "OFF" until the ECM detects the crank signal, or in the case of a faulty fuel pump relay, the oil pressure switch detects approximately 4 psi of oil pressure which will then bypass the fuel pump relay.

    Fuel delivery from the port injectors (which deliver fuel in all operating modes) is controlled by changing the amount of time the injectors are turned on or "pulsed" by the ECM. The ECM checks the coolant temperature sensor, throttle position sensor, and the crank signal, and determines the proper air/fuel ratio for starting. This ranges from 1.5:1 at -36°C (-33°F) to 14.7:1 at 94°C (201°F).

    Clear Flood Mode:
    If the engine floods, clear it by pushing the accelerator all the way down. The ECM then turns "OFF" the injectors. The ECM holds this injector flow rate as long as the throttle stays wide open and the engine rpm is below 600. If the throttle position becomes less than 65%, the ECM returns to the starting mode.

    Run Mode:
    The run mode has two conditions, called "OPEN LOOP" and "CLOSED LOOP."

    OPEN LOOP: When the engine is first started, and engine speed is above 400 rpm, the system goes into "OPEN LOOP" operation. In "OPEN LOOP," the ECM ignores the signal from the Oxygen sensor, and calculates the air/fuel ratio based on inputs from the coolant temperature, throttle position, and the mass air flow (MAF) sensors.

    The system will stay in "OPEN LOOP" until the following conditions are met:

    1. The Oxygen sensor has a varying voltage output, showing that it is hot enough to operate properly. (This depends on temperature.)
    2. The Coolant temperature is above a specified temperature.
    3. A specified amount of time has elapsed after starting the engine. CLOSED LOOP: The specified operating conditions vary with different engines, and are stored in the memory calibration module (Mem-Cal). When these conditions are met, the system goes into "CLOSED LOOP" operation. In "CLOSED LOOP," the ECM calculates the air/fuel ratio (injector on-time) based on the signal from the Oxygen sensor. This allows the air/fuel ratio to stay very close to 14.7:1.

    Acceleration Mode:
    The ECM responds to rapid changes in throttle position and air flow, and provides extra fuel.

    Deceleration Mode:
    The ECM responds to changes in throttle position and air flow, and reduces the amount of fuel. When deceleration is very fast, the ECM can cut off fuel completely for short periods.

    Battery Correction Mode:
    When battery voltage is low, the ECM can compensate for the weak spark by:

    1. Increasing the amount of fuel delivered.
    2. Increasing the idle speed.
    3. Increasing the ignition dwell time.
  • maxhudson_1maxhudson_1 Member Posts: 4
    So how do you think i should go about fixing that how would i do it?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I guess you could start by checking fuel pressure at the fuel rail using a fuel pressure gauge, to see if it's too high. You probably need a workshop manual if you're going to tear into the fuel injection system on your own.
  • maxhudson_1maxhudson_1 Member Posts: 4
    Well what are the odds that its the fuel pressure regulator compared to the odds of it being a sticking injector?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's a good question. I don't really have the experience with that car to answer with any legitimacy.

    Why don't you re-post your original question, with all the details, to our Answers Department? Maybe one of the technicians who visit there has a better idea for you:

    ANSWERS DEPARTMENT
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