Buick Park Avenue Maintenance & Repair

sr5967 · July 2008

does anyone have any ideas what would make the a/c not engage and both electric fans not to come on either. just came back from a weekend trip all worked fine car set for two days then noticed a/c and fans not working any ideas would be very helpfull.

tankbeans · July 2008

Not knowing that much about cars, I would have to say that you may have a blown fuse or two. Unless you've tried that in which case I don't know.

Good luck finding the problem though.

imidazol97 · July 2008

It could be low freon charge. The pressure has to be a minimum to turn on the switch telling the system that it can operate. If you can determine that switch location, usually on the low pressure line, you can jump it to see if the compressor will start running.

It could be a blow fuse, as the previous post says. It could be stuck relay.

My bet would be on the low freon.

dtracy66 · July 2008

Hi guys,
My 2000 Park Ave is sputtering and it looks like I need a tune up! The quotes I have received for the work are incredible so I'd like to do it myself. Does anyone have instructions on how to replace the coils, wires and plugs and any other useful info I can use when embarking on this project on my own!

imidazol97 · July 2008

It would be better to diagnose what's causing the sputtering before hanging parts. Guessing can be expensive.

Tell us about the car and when it does what!

dtracy66 · July 2008

Well I had a co worker who is ASE certified look at it. No diagnostic but he suggested getting the coils replaced as two of them are definitely miss firing. We can see the blackening of the towers so we think that a replacement of the coils wires and plugs along with a new air filter would do the trick. I am no mechanic, however; I am pretty good with my hands and have a general knowledge of autos. I just wanted some feed back from the forum about the best way to go about it. Any info about how to go about it would be useful. We also can hear the coils arcing so we pretty much think that is the problem. I have just never changed the coils in this car or any car for that matter so I am not sure about the rings my co-worker told me about within the coils. I dont want to mess the car up it is a great car with a lot of miles on it, about 200k. Never had a problem out of it and dont want anything expensive to go wrong with it.

imidazol97 · July 2008

If you can hear a spark jumping gap inside the coils that's a good sign they need replacing. At 200K I'd do them all.

IF your spark plugs and plug wires aren't less than 70K miles old, they need replacing with original equipment quality--for the plugs use the correct AC/Delco plugs recommended in the book. Weak wires and plugs can affect the coils and make them go out from the extra load of firing the plugs through the poor conductor in the wires. The iridium plugs that AC should have in there are meant for 100K and do that easily. You can judge when you take them out.

If I recall the coils just unscrew with two screws. Be sure to clean the contact area on the plate under them and use dielectric grease there.

You might check the coils with resistance meters. Your problem could be all in the wires if they've been on a long time. Depends on how much you want to spend. The crossfiring on them may be because of the wires not carrying the current they produce easily.

Keep the oil changed regularly. Check the transmission fluid to keep it drained and a filter replaced IF it has been maintained all along. If it hasn't let it go. Do not allow anyone to sell you a transmission flush.

Let us know how it works out for you.

jakej_mn · August 2008

I have a 2000 Park with 95000 miles. It has been an excellent car with few maintenance problems. Lately, while driving the engine will die for no apparent reason. I just shift to neutral and then it starts up again. This has happened about 4 or 5 times now in the last 1500 miles. Any clues. Thanks.

bowfan · August 2008

I'd say the odds are about 100 to 1 that the crankshaft position sensor is going out on you. It is sometimes abbreviated as a CKP sensor. This happened to my father's 2001 and another symptom it would show was the tachometer would drop to zero. I drove his 2001 for a while as I tried a couple things to diagnose it. Typically, if I was driving over 50mph when it happened, it would just kill the tach but the engine might keep going, and the performance would decline - engine would ping and "service engine soon" light might indicate a problem code. If I was driving under 50mph, it would sometimes just kill the tach, but would also frequently kill the engine. :mad:

Someone in New Jersey tabulated the failure of the CKPs and if I remember correctly, there was a batch of them manufactured during a portion of 2000 that were 4 times more likely to fail than other dates.

My father followed up on a lot of advice, replaced numerous sensors that were supposed to be grounding the computer, or indicating a high temp to the computer. But when he finally broke down and replaced the CKP, the problem went away. The part costs about $25-30 at Advance and he had a small front yard mechanic install his for about $50. Most won't install it that cheap, it is about an hour to hour and a half job to replace it.

He's happy with it now, and feels comfortable driving it on 2,000 mile trips again. He just got back from one.

You can search the net and find some people have sites that have pics from when they changed their's out. Very common engine. The service manual says you need to have the computer 'relearn' something when you replace the CKP, but I'm pretty sure this guy never did that. When I've replace the CKP on other model cars, there was never a 'relearning'. Just install and go.

If you have your CKP replaced and that fixes it, please write back for future readers.

dkaiser1 · August 2008

The dash warning lights for the ABS system and Tractkion Controll Off lights come on and remain on when the vehicle ist started. If I turn the engine off they go out about half the time. Any suggestions at to what the problem may be

jakej_mn · August 2008

Thanks for the info. It was a great starting point. We did check the crankshaft sensor and found it to be OK. I was also told sometimes the waterpump can leak and short this sensor out, but we found no leaks.
However, something I didn't think about was checking the fuses. I had a bad key chip and thought the problem might be in the ingnition switch even after buying new keys. What I found was that over time the fuses had vibrated part way out with the ingnition fuse the furthest out. These were tightened and so far I have had no further problems. Thanks again.

fohlen · August 2008

the 95 buick was missing so took it to repair place and they replaced plugs wires fuel filter and flushed trany fluid and cleaned the fuel injectors. it has 57,000 original miles on it and it was getting 20miles to gallon after tuneup it now get 15.79 per gallon or 16 miles only what could be wrong? Thanks shirley

fohlen · August 2008

Took the buick back to auto repair and they checked it out because it was losing 4 mile per gallon after tuneup and they said they didnot look at the update bulletin, so this time they did look and say they think they found the problem after the tuneup and fixed the problem. Too soon to tell.

imidazol97 · August 2008

Did they say what had been done wrong or what was missed that would cause a drop in mileage? I am finding that hard to believe that there was something in a bulletin...

trandklev · September 2008

how do you get to the fuel pump is there an easy to take the tank out?

tks
tom

imidazol97 · September 2008

There's an access cover in the trunk under the mats.

parkaveproblem · September 2008

I have a 00 park ave with 110,000 miles. it drove fine untill last night the thing just started sputtering and then died out. It still starts up but does the same thing unless the rpm's are up high. the wierdest part about it is that the check engine light didn't come on. I tried to diagnose it anyways but it came up with no codes. I have replaced the spark plugs and wires, the coils looked fine,checked the pcv valve and that also looked fine. checked every vacuum hose that I could find and cleaned most of the sensors. I have also replaced the fuel filter and put in some fuel injector cleaner but it is still doing the same thing
any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

imidazol97 · September 2008

The only thing to try that you are able to do yourself without a fuel pressure gauge is to remove the wires from the MAF sensor on the throttle body. Disconnect that leads. And start the motor. See if it will run without it connected.

My other thought would be fuel pressure. It's a little young in miles and years for the crankshaft position sensor or camshaft sensor to be bad.

Note that pulling the wires for the MAF sensor will turn on the Check Engine light.

Another thing might be to remove the IAC, idle air control, also on the throttle body. See if it's stopped up with black, wet soot.

jakej_mn · September 2008

Well, all things considered it did work for awhile since my last post. Now my 2000 park avenue is dying again while driving. Sometimes in cruise - sometimes not -sometimes only once in 300 miles - sometimes 3 or 4 times in 50 miles. I had the fuel pressure checked. It is steady at idle and running down the highway. I also had the computer hooked up and no codes showed bad. The crankshaft sensor showed good. I have tried 3 different keys and the same happens. This happens with a full tank of gas or not. The car justs dies like the key would shut it off. I have to stop, put it in park, shut off the key, and then it will start right up again. Again I would appreciate any ideas. Thanks much. Jake

bowfan · September 2008

Hello Jake,

Sorry to hear it is still giving you problems. If you google a bit, you'll find many mechanics get a lot of mileage out of this problem until the crank position sensor is finally replaced. I'm not sure how the mechanic was able to test a part that is only intermittantly failing but was hesitant to tell you that for fear of sounding too negative and bursting your bubble.

I have the factory service manual and I can't find a section in it that tells how to test it. It does list a group of components to test: wiring harness, plug wires, misrouted wires, poor connection, ign coil. There is a replacement section tho.

Before you spend too much on other parts, or trips to the mechanic, I still recommend having the CKP replaced. It really is a very common failure, and fairly inexpensive to fix.

This engine is shared with many GM cars and the problem is not unique to BPAs. Look at the top solution to this problem in the Chevy Impala:

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Impala/2000/engine/stalls_while_driving.s- html

Thanks for updating, hope you get it fixed soon!

Brgds,
Brad

parkaveproblem · September 2008

Hey imidazol97,
Thanks a million, it ended up being the MAF sensor. After unpluging it the car ran beautifully and I was able to drive it home. I was going to take it out and clean it to see if it would start working properly again before dishing out the 150 bucks for a new one. kinda wierd though, even with the sensor unpluged the check engine light still didn't go on. Anyways thanks again for the help!!!! :shades:

imidazol97 · September 2008

You might check the connections to the ISC which is the unit under the three coils. The contacts occasionally don't (CONTACT) and then restart.

I just read another problem car with some miles that would die after running for a while because the fuel pump was heating up and not working right. The description was that it would start right back up. I assume that's because it cools quickly when it's not running. My suspiction was that it was a contact problem but either way the fuel pump fixed it. The only added part was that it sometimes would act like you were trying to give too much fuel. That was due to reduced pressure affecting the spray pattern of the injectors when the throttle body was opened up.
The one thing missing is yours seems to quit right now. No sputter. No poor running. Just quits.

A CPS, crankshaft position sensor, often gives trouble restarting. Cooling them with a splash of water onto the sensor at the edge of the crankshaft balancer will sometimes speed up the restart. But others have had problems and the car restarts right away.

Myself I would look carefully at the contacts on the Ignition spark control. The ground wire is black if I recall the post.

bnbernie · September 2008

The drivers door on my "91" Park Ave will not lock from the inside or outside.
Anybody have/had this problem?

bnbernie · September 2008

Re post 183.
The coil pack on mine was the problem. Runs great now.

chattafellow · September 2008

How can I reset the anti theft device in my 1992 Buick Park Avenue?

imidazol97 · September 2008

can they be reset? Maybe by disconnecting the battery for a good while to completely clear the computer of current memory. Be sure to turn off the HVAC before you disconnect it.

What is the symptom?

icemanstone · September 2008

Hello I am in a world of hurt. Recently I was rear ended and my bumper assembly collapsed because the energy bars and upper and lower impact bars were rusted. Fortunately all the damage to my vehicle was confined to the bumper area and did not damage the quarter panels or frame. The problem is when I took my car to the repair shop they say they cannot find any replacement parts for the car. GM has stopped making the rear bumper cover (the plastic wrap around assembly). I believe the repair shop because I did a search myself and came up empty also. Does anyone know of any place where I may find what I am looking for.
rear bumper
bumper cover
upper and lower impact bars
right and left energy absorbers
upper molding
lower bumper cover support

This car is in great shape both mechanically as well as inside and out to be just written off as a loss The engine and transmission are in great running condition.
thank-you for any info you may have vanman391

imidazol97 · September 2008

gmpartsdirect.com

rockauto.com

car-parts.com (recycling yards) a very interesting way to search for things.

icemanstone · October 2008

Thank you for the great info on finding parts for my "Ultra" however I believe I have found what I need from a local salvage yard. I will know in a couple of days when the parts arrive. Now I need to have them installed.

icemanstone

marty57 · October 2008

help me please! the fan will run for the air conditioner, but the other 2 fans will not run that keeps the motor cool! can any-one tell me what this might be? i hit the fuse cover a couple times and it clicked right on, tried it again today it didn't work. i feel there is a short somewhere. think maybe it might be a relay switch? what else can i try? help me please!<img src="

imidazol97 · October 2008

I'm not clear about what you're saying.

You are saying your fan for the heater inside and AC air is blowing just fine.

You are saying that the fans behind the radiator do NOT come on when the AC is turned on.

Am I right?

If so I believe there are two relays in the Relay Center that handle this. Give me some time. I have a 93 LeSabre/Park Avenue factory service manual.

If I'm not understanding, try explaining to me again.

jakej_mn · October 2008

I would like to thank everyone for their advice on my Park Avenue. I had the crank sensor changed and have gone 3 weeks and 1500 miles without of hitch.
I purchased the sensor off Ebay for 1/4 the cost of a new one from a seller who purchases overstock parts.
Once again --- Thanks.

Jake

skydiver4 · October 2008

Hi Folks,

My 1st post to Edmunds so please excuse me if I've ended up in the wrong forum!

anyway, I have a 1992 Park ave. Ultra and I've tried every thing between a new battery and starter (relays, etc...all the bells and whistles work but starter make's absolutly no noise) so I've bought a starter and it looks to me as if one of the bolts is under the front frame bar(? terminology) and I just can't get to it or I'm missing something about it. I mean there's only 2 bolts!

Anyone out there that has done this before? Especially in your on driveway? I would love any help that can be put forth. Even though it is the one with the supercharger, I would think the starter would be in the same pos. as other Park Aves. placement on the trans.

Or, if someone has a maintenance manual for a 92 P.A. Ultra I'd love to get my hands on one. As all of the car shops can get manuals for the 92PA, but they come back with, "except for the Ultra model".

And I love this car!

Thanks for any help you folks could generously give me............

Skydiver4

Mr_Shiftright · October 2008

When removing starter, note if any shims are used between the starter and mounting surface. If shims are found, reinstall in original locations.If starter is noisy during cranking, remove one .015 inch double shim or add one .015 inch single shim to the outer bolt. If starter makes a high pitched whine after engine start, add .015 inch double shims until noise ceases.

1. Disable airbag system as described under MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES/AIRBAG SYSTEM DISARMING.
2. Disconnect battery ground cable and raise and support vehicle.
3. Remove starter braces, shields or other components that may hinder starter removal.

DISARMING

The diagnostic energy reserve module (DERM) can maintain voltage to cause a system deployment for up to ten minutes after the ignition switch is turned off and the battery is disconnected. Servicing the SIR system during this period may result in accidental deployment and personal injury.

1. Ensure front wheels are pointed straight ahead.
2. Turn ignition switch to Lock position and remove SIR or AIRBAG fuse.
3. Remove lower left sound insulator.
4. Remove connector position assurance (CPA) lock and disconnect yellow two-way SIR harness connector at base of steering column
4. Support starter and remove mounting bolts.
5. Lower starter and disconnect solenoid wires and battery cable.
6. Remove starter from vehicle.
7. Reverse procedure to install.
8. Rearm airbag system as described under MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES/AIRBAG SYSTEM DISARMING.

ARMING:

1. Connect yellow two-way SIR harness connector and install CPA lock.
2. Install left sound insulator.
3. Install SIR fuse.
4. Turn ignition switch to Run position and ensure ``Inflatable Restraint'' lamp flashes 7-9 times and then remains off.

tankbeans · October 2008

Hello all-

It's been about 6 months since I posted about this problem. My mom and I finally got around to bringing this vehicle in to get looked at. After much trial and error those who were checking it said that it was the "crankshaft position sensor."

How much should it run to have this fixed? Just curious. They said that after an $85 diagnostic fee and some money spent on gas the whole bill would come to $350. Does this sound reasonable?

We haven't authorized the repair yet, so we're just waiting.

Thanks for your patience and assistance.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2008

it's $65 for the part and 1.1 hours labor.

So $85 diagnostic + $70 (with tax) for part + 1.1 hour labor at $100 an hour = $265.

If you are in places like California or NYC, labor rate may be higher.

tankbeans · October 2008

Thank you for your reply. I would guess that I'll have to just bite the bullet since this is something that I can't do. I guess my mom said they had given her a big list of codes that the car threw. I'll post those to see if there is anything else that I need to get taken care of soon.

Once again thank you everyone for your help. I know that I don't have a Buick, but I know that most GM cars are the same across the bored with cosmetic differences.

tankbeans · October 2008

As promised here are some codes. If it is possible I want to know which ones are most important and which ones can be skipped. Thank you in advance for your help. Also, how much it might cost to get the big ones taken care of.

P0706 Trans range sensor circuit--out of range
P0705 Trans range sensor circuit--(PRNDL input)
P0332 Knock sensor 2 signal short/low
P0327 Knock sensor 1 signal short/low
P0135 02 Heater circuit B1 S1
P0133 02 Heater signal slow B1 S1
P0102 Mass air flow circuit signal low

This is exactly what was written down. I omitted the code about the crankshaft sensor since that was replaced. Thanks again for helping out. I know with older cars certain things aren't worth fixing.

Also, how difficult is it to change brakes on this car? They said that the car pulses when braking. I've never done it.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2008

Well I guess the question is---is the engine light on? AND....how does the car run? Were these codes cleared? Did the light come back on?

The brakes shouldn't be too hard. You need new brake rotors, sounds like they are warped.

tankbeans · October 2008

So far, and I've not driven it since the fix, my mom says that it's fine. I know that before the fix it was running okay when it ran. I have noticed that the shifting from park to drive has always been a bit rough, especially when on a slight incline, nose pointed up. I don't know if the lights have come back on, they were cleared though.

Are these the type of rotors that you need a machine to remove, like the front rotors on a 95 Accord EX (pressed on I think is what they referred to those as.), or are they the ones that slide off after you remove the pads. I think I'm getting to the point where I can do that. Would having bad brakes cause the car to pull to the right if you don't have you hand on the wheel? I ask because we once had a van with a rotor that was completely rusted through, nothing was grabbing anything, and the steering would always pull severely to the left, the side with the good rotor, when the hand was off the wheel.

Sorry to pick your brains, but I have little money to play with and my mom has less. We just need to keep it running.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2008

Let's deal with this in our Answers Department. Be sure to post the year, make and model and specify you want instructions on replacing pads and rotors:

ANSWERS DEPARTMENT

tankbeans · October 2008

Will do. Thanks.

dority1963 · October 2008

Does anyone know the procedure for replacing the belt on a 1996 park avenue?

tamika213 · October 2008

tamika213 · October 2008

I HAVE A 1998 BUICK PARK AVE AND MY REAR WINDOW TAKES A LONG TIME TO DEFROST WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM

mrtee1 · November 2008

Does anyone know about the steering sensor on a 03 buick park ave ultra?

tankbeans · November 2008

...that the check engine light hasn't come on once since I had the crankshaft position sensor replaced on the 98 Regency. Hoping I didn't just jinx it, but it seems to be running fine. Now I just have to gather up the money to put some brakes on it. They're squealing something fierce.

imidazol97 · November 2008

I saw your post and have been looking for a writeup on how to do it. I found it here at this location link titletarget="_blank">http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=2652

I suggest trying the locknut on the stud to see if it turns the stud out or it you'll need a torx or the socket size that will jam onto it they mention in the writeup.

Another thing missing in the article is a supporting the motor slightly. Find a spot to lift with a small jack--some mechanics would tell you to put a block of wood under the oil pan give a small upward lift there but the factory service manual recommends not because it's easy to dent in the oil pan. The little lift is needed to help slide in the space at the end. They end up buffing the ends to make it fit. I have a hint because I watched my dealer change it at 60K on my 1998 leSabre. They lifted the left side of the car with a jack under the door where you would jack to change a tire onthe left side. That lifts the left side and takes the motor up with it giving support to the motor and tending to pull the lower part of the mount where the spacer sleeve is apart--giving more room for the spacer. They did not use a jack under the right wheel and just turned the front wheel all the way to the right to allow the mechanic to work. Good luck.

jobug6 · December 2008

I bought a 94 PA in May 2008, with 54,000 miles on it. The lady who owned it died, but she had maintained it fairly well. The main computer had been replaced in 2007. After i bought it, we replaced all hoses (originals), the water pump, and the battery. A few weeks ago, the alternator gage starting wavering wildly with the light sometimes going on and the battery kicking in. when I would arrange to take it to the mechanic, it ran normally. The mechanic tested the charging system and battery and it all was good. When the problem came back, I had the alternator, battery and ignition tested again by AutoZone - all tested good but the guy said the diode in the alternator could be going out. The car continued to have spells of the alternator gage coming on and the lights dimming. Had more than 2 weeks of normal operation - one bad day - then last night the gage went to the 8, the light came on, my headlamps dimmed and it finally stopped running. My husband came and jumped it and took it to the Good year garage across from where it died, they tested the alternator, said it was gone and replaced it for 2.5 times the price of buying one at Autozone. When I picked the car up, it seemed fine until I'd driven 40 of the 50 miles back to my home. Then it all started up again. I'm beginning to think I should try to sell it rather than put more money into it. (The mechanic I mentioned earlier also told me it needed new struts front and back and new shocks - but said I could put those off since they'd cost around $1,500).

patnjoe · December 2008

Please help. I just completed replacing the water pump, LIM gaskets and UIM on my 1995 Park Avenue. The job went great, runs beautiful, no leaks anywhere. I put the alternator power lug on in a slightly wrong orientation so the engine cover would not go on due to interference. So like an idiot without disconnecting the battery, I started to loosen up the alternator nut and accidentally touched the wrench to the fuel rail where it goes over the UIM. There was a little spark between the wrench and the fuel rail and I knew I screwed-up. Car would not start. The starter solenoid clicks, but the starter won't turn. Every other power user in the car seems to be working fine. I checked every clear (colored) fuse in both fuse blocks, they are all good. My guess is that I either cooked a relay or a fusable link. The car has 88K miles. Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help.
Thanks and regards, Joe

Buick Park Avenue Maintenance & Repair

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