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Buick Century Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • dunkysladydunkyslady Member Posts: 1
    I have an 86 century limited...engine turns over but wont start..as per a diagnostic test I had the cam sensor and the crank sensor both replaced.. i took it from the mechanics to my house and then from my house to work..after work it wouldnt start. Any ideas as to what this could be.....PLZZZZZ help :sick:
  • doggaldoggal Member Posts: 17
    :( Can someone help me out here please. I am kinda worried. Would like to know what is going on.
    thanks and Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :confuse:
  • mtridentmtrident Member Posts: 2
    That's where it is alright. I haven't a clue how I'd get it out as there is almost no roo,. It looks like the glove box has to come out.
    In any case, I found out it is the intake gasket causing the problem, so I'm changing that this weekend. Thanks for the response!
    Dave
  • berkiespopberkiespop Member Posts: 3
    My 99 century is overheating and I have changed the water pump and thermostat and bled the system and it is not leaking water (visibly) but it still overheats. I took it to a radiator shop and spent $158 on sensors and testing fan circuits and all is ok, but it is still overheating. Can anyone help me before "I" overheat?!
  • kframekframe Member Posts: 5
    To berkiespop:
    Yes I have had a similar problem on a Lumina which caused a leaking head gasket! When replaced I found blocked water jackets around some cylinders. What was it blocked with you might ask? That famous Leak stopper crap that they sell. I had used this stuff to stop a leak, and it stopped it all right, along with blocking essential water passages! If you used this stuff I would think that you have the same problem.
    Try to flush out the system using Prestone radiator flush. Several times if needed. Also Back flushing is the best way to do this. I cant believe that a radiator shop didnt do this for you. I hope that is your problem, and that you get it cleaned out alright.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Any water in the engine oil?
  • berkiespopberkiespop Member Posts: 3
    I have used that stop leak and that is probably my problem. Thanks a million!
  • berkiespopberkiespop Member Posts: 3
    No sir.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Okay, is this a fast overheat (within 10-15 minutes) or a gradual overheat?

    Will it overheat in traffic but be okay on the freeway, or will it overheat regardless of how/where you drive it?

    Has anyone checked for combustion gases in the coolant?
  • sjquistsjquist Member Posts: 1
    Is ther any help on replacing the intake manifold gaskets in a 99 buick century ? How do you remove the rear valve cover screws?
  • buy1buy1 Member Posts: 1
    Just wondering if you ever found the cure for P401. I have changed the EGR, The Pipe to the Exhaust, The Map sensor, and a couple of other sensors that I am not sure what they are called. Help Please. :confuse:
  • rogerrabbit481rogerrabbit481 Member Posts: 2
    My daughters 2003 Buick Century is having heating problems. When she turns the heater on it will alternate between hot and cold air. Temp guage is in the correct operating range. Any ideas as to why it doesn't stay on hot?
  • jeffreypjeffreyp Member Posts: 2
    buick century in ac/mode the right side blows cold air, the left side blows hot air both controls areset on cold
  • jeffreypjeffreyp Member Posts: 2
    can any one help ,my century blows heat on one side then blows cold air on the other when both controls levels are in cold position,why////
  • rogerrabbit481rogerrabbit481 Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone have any idea about this problem?
  • joejbjoejb Member Posts: 4
    Sounds to me liker the bearings are going in the AC compressor.
    This is slowing your belt and causing associated electrical problems,
    the bearings ease up after a bit and problem slacks. Eventually the
    compressor bearings will seize and after a few minutes of engine
    running you'll have a complete engine failure: overheat, oil pressure
    power steering etc.
  • kframekframe Member Posts: 5
    Hi. The Temperature control on the dash operates a vacuum controlled door that mixes cold air with hot air. It is possible that yours has 2 doors. One may not be getting the vacuum to open or close the door. I'm not sure if yours might have 2 doors (1 left &1 right). That kinda would explain your problem though. Checking the vacuum on these "doors" might not be too easy. Definately requiring removal of under dash panels. Also a Vacuum Pump/Gauge would be helpful in determining weather the doors are operating correctly. Good Luck!
  • rmarcusrmarcus Member Posts: 2
    yes after a head gasket repair job. driving on freeway thought it was a wind gust until my speed was dropping. seemed like the harder i pushed on the gas peddlethe faster speed dropped. after stopping and restarting i could not go faster than 25 the more i tried to speed up the rumble seemed louder. so far i'm into 500;00in labor alone mechanics miffed. next step is timing belt or chain one mechanic thought 94 had fiber optic timing so ruled out any ideas out there new car maybe
  • tiredincotiredinco Member Posts: 1
    ...on the driver's side when driving, but not when applying brakes? Please tell me this isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg. The sound sounds like it's coming from the driver's wheel area. It doesn't do it all the time either...that's what's weird.
  • jonnylegjonnyleg Member Posts: 1
    i recently bought a 96 century with 50,000 miles. it starts and runs great with no serious damage. the car has stalled 4 seperate times and re-started within 5 mins. two of the four times. had it towed the other two times and it restarted normally 6-12 hours later. it seems to happen sporatically with no common traits. can anyone help. MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!
    jonnyleg
  • hagphagp Member Posts: 2
    Hello,
    I have buick 2005.
    I have changed the oil after the 'change oil' message has appeared and the message still appears.

    How can I make it disappear?

    Thanks
    hagp.
  • jeromy2jeromy2 Member Posts: 1
    The only solution I've heard of is the coolant named Descool. It has been taken off of the market and there are several lawsuits against them for ruining several vehicles. My brother is going through the EXACT same problem right now, and I have been racking my brain thinking about it. So far, this is the only thing I have come up with...Did you look at your water pump? I'm sure you did, but he said that he was hearing a gurgling after he shut it off coming from the coolant system. This I hope is the only thing wrong, the Descool coolant. Buick used it a lot. Was your check engine light blinking too?
  • jakespeedjakespeed Member Posts: 1
    has anyone else also experienced this problem with the pearcing whining?
  • sendmearidesendmearide Member Posts: 1
    I just had the same problem yesterday. The dealer wanted to charge $85 to turn it off. I took it to an Auto Parts store that we have in Ohio called AutoZone and they put it on their own handheld computer and cleared it for free. You might want to try that route. It couldn't hurt.
  • dhelmick1dhelmick1 Member Posts: 1
    Im working on a '94 Buick century 3100 V6 and having trouble changing the head gaskets. Is there a How To article or video that could help or any tips that I could use. Im having trouble getting it apart, where are the bolts to take them apart? Any help will be appraicated.
  • tools1tools1 Member Posts: 1
    Buick 2004 Century,sevice engine lite came on,put scanner on it,came up with P0480-cooling fan control circuit malfunction, what should I be looking for,wireing,relay or ?? Thanks :)
  • hagphagp Member Posts: 2
    Thank you all for you replies
  • igo2workigo2work Member Posts: 1
    I have a Buick Century 2003. After getting my oil changed at a quick oil change place, they told me to turn the ignition key to the on position (without starting the engine), and flooring the gas pedal 3 times in quick sucession. The oil change soon light then starting blinking and went off. Apparently, this reset the computer.

    Hope this works in your case.
  • emilyzemilyz Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone,

    One day a few weeks ago, all of my power windows on my 1988 Buick Century gave up working at once. This leads me to believe it's a fuse or circuit breaker issue but I'm unsure what to do next. The fuse diagrams I've found do not show a power window fuse that is accessible in the dash fuse box. The information I've found on the circuit breaker says that if the problem was overheating, that the breaker will reset itself. Does anyone have any leads on what I can try before bringing it in to have it looked at?

    Thanks in advance! :confuse:
  • ksouzaksouza Member Posts: 1
    My 93 Buick century front windows will not go down, but for some reason the front ones go down. Tried changing the fuse but that wasn,t the problem. I wondering if I have to buy new window switches. If anyone knows answers please help.
  • mjohn2020mjohn2020 Member Posts: 2
    My daughter recently was given a 1993 Century. She was told not to turn off radio by pushing power button because it wouldn't turn on again. Sure enough, she forgot and not it won't turn no how many times you press the power button. It's a Delco original equipment. Suggestions?
  • toddlewtoddlew Member Posts: 1
    im assuming you meant fronts wont go down but backs do. i had the same problem. the culprit was broken wires. If you open your door youll see the rubber boot covering the wires leading from your door to the main body of the car. I carefully sliced the boot length wise and found 3 broken wires. I used about a 3 inch piece of wire the same gauge as the existing ones and spliced them together. I searched for months and found the solution on another forum. It seems to be a fairly common problem. Hope it works for you.
  • scjkingscjking Member Posts: 1
    need help to re-attach inside rear view mirror in 98 buick century. Mirror came off and unable to remove the silvery piece to glue to the window. is there away without holding the whole mirror for an hour
  • scottm7635scottm7635 Member Posts: 11
    I hate to tell you this, but that silver piece is built into the windshields. It's like that on most newer model cars. I've had to fix one on my old LeSabre, and I just held it in place for a little wh8ile.
  • elbdog1elbdog1 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having problems with my 91 buick century. I can't drive 30 miles before my car overheats.One shop says that my crank censor was bad. I changed it and spark plugs and wires. I heard a popping noise from my ignition coil assembly and popping from four censors mounted on the frame of my car, by the radiator. Can anyone help me please. Once it overheats i have to stop for about 1 hour and it will fire right back up. :
  • cfrenchcfrench Member Posts: 7
  • cfrenchcfrench Member Posts: 7
    How do you get to the thermostat on a 2001 Buick Century to replace it.
  • sr0156sr0156 Member Posts: 1
    i just bought a 99 century custom owned by old folks so it was well taken care of its got 3.1 changed the canister underneath the bumber,it was full of sand and junk so we thought that was it. well three days later service engine light came back on. ive heard could be a small leak in a hose from canister to tank to engine, any suggestions?? excellent car driver side electric window button doesnt like to work either but this evap codepo440 is driving me nuts!!! id rather get some advice before going to the dealer and spending a thousand if ya know what i mean. thanks alot if you know anything id appreciate some advice. thanks
  • rjp1952rjp1952 Member Posts: 1
    I have replaced the instrument cluster on my 2001 Buick Century. The LED odometer and PRNDL was blanked out and I understood the way to fix it was to replace the instrument cluster. I expected the odometer reading to be driven by some on-board computer and it would be correct, but was surprised to see the odometer (although now lit up) was not what it should be (it was less than the original so definitely wrong). Any tips as to how to get it to line up with the original odometer?
  • scubarodscubarod Member Posts: 4
    hey, i had the same problem. i talk to a tech friend from mg and he told me that if i took it to the dealer i would get charged thru the roof. he told me to check the sensor wires. this is often the problem. they get worn and break. sure enough i took of the wheel and there is was....broken wire. I fixed the wire and problem went away. my abs warning and my trac off light . just last month it did it again. I check the other wheel and sure enough both wires were cut. I fixed them both...20 mins and all done. check it out and save some money!!!!
  • joejbjoejb Member Posts: 4
    Maybe just the gas cap?
  • rollerbladerwarollerbladerwa Member Posts: 3
    Hi, Did you ever figure out what caused this? i'm looking to buy a used Buick Century and it is doing the same thing. Also, the power windows do not work any hints?
    Thanks.

    Also, does this model need to have the timing belt replaced by a certain mileage?
  • rollerbladerwarollerbladerwa Member Posts: 3
    Hello,

    I have a 1998 Buick Century with power window problems. I read on this thread that you have been through this. I have a whole new window switch to put in on the driver's side, but the previous owner told me that he had replaced a relay in the fuse box and that it worked for one day and then burned out. He said he got another one, but that he could tell it was going to burn out as it was getting hot? I tried to call the GM dealer and they know nothing of a relay for the fuse box. Any hints of helps you could give would be greatly appreciated.
  • doggaldoggal Member Posts: 17
    Check the wire housing in the doors, especially the drivers side. In my car I slit open the black rubber housing and found that the wires where broken. I reconnected them with those electrical wire connectors you can get at radioshack in a box with a wire stripper/pincher. And now both my windows work.
    Cost, just the connectors/stripper package for about $10 and some of my time.
    Now I can again open my window at the drive-thru.
  • 1aviator1aviator Member Posts: 1
    After replacing the intake gaskets on my 2003 Buick Century 3.1 liter V6, it surges at higher rpms and will not develop full power. Any thoughts?
  • mappmapp Member Posts: 1
    On May 5th I took my 2000 Buick Century to a repair facility because my check engine light came on and the vehicle bucked at idle after driving for approx 15-20 minutes. The repair facility scanned the vehicle and advised me that the code pulled was for a injector # 2. They replaced the injector for the cost of $280.00

    On May 11th my check engine light came on again, stayed on for 2 days and then went off, but still would flicker off and when the vehicle accelerated. I took the vehicle back to the shop on the 13th and this time they advised me the problem was my Caddilay convertor (spelling ??) I told them that was probably what was wrong with it on May 5th but of course they advised me that they replaced the injector based on the scanned codes they received so I paid them $380.00 this time to replace the convertor.

    On June 9th my check engine light started to flicker when going uphill or accelerating at times, it seemed like the engine had a miss. I took it back to the same repair facility and this time they replaced my entire coil pack (according to them) at no charge to me this time . The vehicle seems ok so far but its only been a day.

    I guess my question is how likely is it that I needed all these different repairs in a months span? The car has 145,000 miles on it but up until this point it has not had any problems. I have owned it for a year and a half . Thanks in advance for any input on this.
  • charlinecharline Member Posts: 1
    I HAVE A 91 BUICK CENTURY WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER WINDOW SWITCH NOT WORKING OR EVEN MAKING A NOISE. FIGURED IT WAS THE SWITCH. HAD TO GO TO USED PARTS TO FIND A DIFFERENT ONE, REPLACED IT AND STILL DOESN'T WORK. TOOK IT TO DEALER WHO SAID IT WAS THE POWER WINDOW MOTOR. REPLACED IT. STILL DOESN'T WORK. OF COURSE, THE BUICK DEALERS DO NOT CARRY THESE PARTS ANY MORE, SO I AM HAVING TO RELY ON USED PARTS. HAVE CHECKED FUSES. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM. ANY ANSWER WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
  • rollerbladerwarollerbladerwa Member Posts: 3
    Sounds like a short in the wire from the door to the switch. There are several posts on here regarding this. I have a 98 Buick Century that none of the windows were working on. We replaced the switch which we got at the dealer's and it started working. But the next day the car wouldn't start. So now the windows work, but the car won't even turn over. It just clicks. We charged up the battery and got it to start, but then it just ran down again and won't start even after driving it a long ways to charge it up.. Something is shorted out I suppose does anyone have any hints? The parts dealer said to put a voltage meter on the battery and disconnect all the fuses except the power window circuit breaker and see if it was drawing power while it was not running. We haven't done that yet. I'm having it towed to the garage tomorrow. The parts dealer said to replace the whole wiring harness as there are probably shorts in there.?
  • doggaldoggal Member Posts: 17
    I can tell you with about 99% certainty that your wires in the black rubber wire housing in your driver side door are broken in half. I had the same problem. I slit open the black rubber thing and walla the wires where in 2 pieces. I connected according to wire type and color and got some of those electrical wire connectors by radioshack (comes with a plier kind of thing that is also a wire stripper) and my windows are working. Cost $10. and I am not a mechanic at all.
    By the way when you're done you need to close the rubber housing again. I used some electrical tape and went several times around to seal it nicely.
    Just my 2 cents
  • jaruylejaruyle Member Posts: 6
    Window in rear passenger side door has gone off track (we had to duct tape the window in place for now), and I wonder if anyone has guidance on how to remove the door panel in order to get inside and realign the door. As best I can tell so far, everything works, other than the glass has come off the bottom track. If anyone has guidance on that, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks
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