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Comments
Is the click when you turn the key a light snap or is it a heavy click like the starter engaging but not turning?
My guess would be you might have burned something out in the alternator. But I think that shouldn't affect the starting, just the charging.
See if the click you're hearing is actually the starter. I might be another relay.
You sound proficient at working around the car. I'd try on my own car a direct connection to the starter terminal on the starter. I don't recommend that for others because you can contact the wrong thing--as you found out.
I'd do it with someone else touching the battery at the top so that the other end of my jumper at the starter wasn't hot until I was ready. I can't really tell what fusable link might have burned up or whatever in the alternator. If you set up your carspace email on your automatic carspace account (it's linked in the green bar at the top of page, right under the word home) send an email to my username with the at sign and carspace.com from your carspace account. I can suggest a couple of places to look for help.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I haven't noticed any drivability problems with the car, but it isn't my daily driver.
Also a bad connection at the MAF (wiring or connector) will throw the code
A bad MAF will also cause this as well as a bad PCM module.
The only way to know for sure is with a scan tool, a volt/ohm meter and use of a diagnostic tree of step by step measurements.
If you can hear the actuator in that door working and not opening the lock, this is the problem. GM sells these little things in sets of two. As for the door panel, take it to a dealer and have it done, you'll not like taking out the actuator either. The door latch and door lock actuator need to be replaced as an assembly.
Buick Park Avenue Door Lock Actuators
1. Remove the door handle trim plate (6).
2. Carefully remove the armrest cover plate (2) by prying upward from the access hole using a thin-bladed tool.
3. Remove the 2 fasteners (3) from the armrest.
4. Remove the courtesy lamp assembly (5).
5. Remove the fastener from behind the lamp assembly (4).
6. Remove the push in retainer from the defroster duct.
7. Lift straight up on the trim panel in order to disengage the hooks on the backside of the panel (4).
Buick Park Avenue Door Lock Actuators
8. Disconnect the electrical connectors.
9. Remove the door trim panel.
I found this out the hard way ,this was such a good explanation I wanted to share
it if you search images on google you sometimes get lucky.
when I removed the bat cable recently. I simply drilled a tiny hole in that plastic and
used a paperclip wire to grab and pull it gently it works fine now.
of it that controls the brass lever that pushes the rod that allows the latch to disingage
so that front door can be opened from outside the car. This is a Diamond White color
car ,hard to find a replacement in junk yard. I simplly drilled a small hole in the face
of the broken finger lever and screwed a brass screw i had in my junk can,wrapped
elec tape around until the with of the finger was the same as the manufactures' was.
The Actuator is more complicated Autozone 75617 Door Lock Actuator is only 1/2
the fix ,their is another part that this attaches to that is a dealer item that 245.00
that is necessary to fix it completely. I understand that you can re attach the 75617
by drilling the rivets and the re riviting it back before install has anyone tried this?
funky trans on start up there is a inline pump that could be sticky as well.
is not the motor. The problem is the track. The rubber weather strip gets old and brittle
and the window binds. The fix get a new one $110.00 replace it very easy took me
2 hours per window. Tools a credit card to help it into the plastic edge.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The hard part: does the car have spark when you turn it over? What is the fuel pressure on the fuel rail? Check if you have spark and fuel pressure. If you have those two items, and the cam sensor is new, then it sounds as if the timing chain may have broken. This would keep the cam from turning, allowing the ignition system to fire the spark plugs.
There is nothing on the 3800 that should keep it from starting simply because it lost a belt. In fact, it can run for a while with the belt off. If it stalled, it either overheated or something else coincidentally went wrong about the same time the belt shredded.
Good luck!
You live too far north? Seriously, define 'long time." You can have a cool but humid day, with the back window foggy or frosted and it will clear up very quickly.
But, the colder the air, combined with greater humidity, the longer it will take to clear the window. And, keep in mind, when you first start the car, it is just as cold and humid INSIDE the car as it is outside.
If you see someone with the same make and model, ask them how long it takes their car to clear the back window in your weather. Also, if you have another car in your driveway, turn them both on at the same time, and turn on the rear defroster at the same time. If they both take about the same amount of time to clear the windows, yours is fine. If Car A clears in 4 minutes, and Car B takes 15, you may have a problem with Car B.
If it is taking too long to clear, check the connectors on the glass for corrosion or loose wires, and check the grounding wire for the glass, probably mounted somewhere in the trunk near the glass.
You can check the timing chain's being intact by looking in through the oil opening while someone cranks you motor. You should see action in the rocker arms if the camshaft is turning.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
-- 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.
-- 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.
-- 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).
WOW, so many things to deal with. OK, lets start at the bottom and work up.
GOODYEAR: Understand that ANY car you take to Goodyear will need SOMETHING other than what you took it there for. A 2008 car with 40,000 miles will need new struts, according to them. Forget that advice. Your car MAY need them, but I seriously doubt it. 54,000 miles is WAAAAY too soon for struts at all four corners. Notice the price of the alternator at Goodyear? Now you know why the struts cost $1,500 there. THEY are the ones having a "good year" with prices like that.
-- "last night it went to 8...and finally stopped running." No electrical system will go to 8 volts; most cars need at least 11.2 to 11.8 volts for the computer to work. For the voltage to go that low, you need a MAJOR short circuit somewhere in the car's wiring harness or one or more dead cells in the battery. I suspect the battery because if it were in the wiring harness, you would a) be smelling a burning odor or b) calling the fire department. There is also a chance the problem could be in the large cable going to the starter motor, or the starter motor being bad (the short circuit is inside the starter motor).
-- "I had the alternator, battery and ignition tested again by AutoZone" FUGETABOUTIT. The guy checking your alternator at AZ was flipping burgers or delivering pizzas two weeks ago. He got maybe 15 minutes of training on how to hook up the machine; he is NOT, repeat, NOT a real mechanic in any way, shape, form or fashion.
BOTTOM LINE: You need a REAL mechanic. Find a good ASAE shop that puts a real warranty behind their work, usually at least 12 months or 12,000 miles. I have had good luck with NAPA shops here in the San Antonio area, but that may not be true for your area.
The bottom line is, your electrical problem, like most, can be difficult to pin down, but not impossible. For 2-4 hours of labor and a reasonable price for parts, your low-mileage Buick can run like new again, in the hands of a real mechanic. And, not to criticize you or your husband, so far, I don't think a real mechanic has touched your car by taking it to Goodyear or Autozone.
For example, a real mechanic would be checking the wiring harness the moment you said it used to belong to an elderly person who didn't drive it often. Why? Because cars like that can sometimes become homes for rats, squirrels, and other varmits who can often chew through the insulation on the wiring harness. No, I don't think there is a rat in the car NOW, but there may have been one while it was parked for months at a time.
Your repair bill may be $800-1,000 but it will be FIXED, not patched. And, that is a small price to pay for a car that only has 54,000 miles on it, when new cars cost $20K and up, right?
Good luck.
And I'd just reseat the fuel cap and clear the trouble code and see if it comes back. It is a pretty common failure, I've seen the fuel cap lanyard sometimes gets in the way and it pops the P-code. Or sometimes it just didn't get tightened enough. As yours may be 11 years old, and cold temps are the rule this time of year, the seal may be stiffening up.
I don't think they are related, but again I'd check the easy stuff first like reseating.
I have seen posts and videos about replacing parts of the sending unit, the slider, which wore. If you are very handy, don't need the car for a while, and want to research in advance that might be of interest to you. I can look up some of those links if you are interested.
Myself, I'd put in a full strength treatment of Techron Fuel System Cleaner by Chevron (available at Walmart, Advance, PepBoys) and see if the anti-sulfur part of the treatment's effects made any difference. Some senders reacted to the sulfur in gasolines and it's stated on the bottle that it may help that. Without research I assume the sulfur affects the contacts which slide to change resistance that affects the gauge.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The trickiest portion of the repair to me was removing the lock ring that holds the pump down into the tank. I'm sure there is a proper specialty tool to remove this, but I used a common brass drift punch and short throw hammer. You can see some pics to give you a rough idea how to remove it here Again, that is just to give you an idea. You don't actually remove the tank in the BPAs, just the access cover, lock-ring, and then the pump assembly.
The pump assembly is under pressure from an internal spring and when removing the lock-ring or replacing the lock-ring, you will wish you had a 3rd hand.
Please use caution as you will be venting gas fumes when you start to remove the pump itself and it is cramped quarters, but not impossible if you are a do-it-yourselfer. I did it...
There is a good write up that someone else did, as well as some helpful pics here: automotiveforums fuel pump replacement
I forgot to take pics when I did it.
It looks like the sensor assembly costs a little over $100 from gmpartsdirect.com, but I thought I'd seen the actual sensor part for a lot cheaper when taken from a GM truck tank. But unfortunately, memory is not what I need it to be, and I can't find a link to that thought.
As the writeup says, use plenty of ventilation, a nice breezy day would be good.
More tips: replace when the tank is near empty, and when you lift the pump assembly from the tank, do so slowly as the plastic unit holds a good bit of gas. You may also want to replace the sock filter while you have the pump out.
Hope this helps, write back if anymore questions. Sorry about the delay in responding.
Dont forget to write back with a success story!
I would not recommend using a screwdriver as his photos show. The brass drift will not spark as "steel on steel" may.
That sounds like a spark plug miss or a spark plug wire. If you have 13 years and the plugs and wires haven't been replaced in that time you definitely need wires. Get good brand Belden from NAPA or AC Delco replacements. Use the specified plugs for that year. Get the longer life iridium or platinum tip plugs. Check your wire routing and keep them away from the wire for the oxygen sensor on the back side of the motor. Check for jumping at the coil towers. Clean them. Remove the wires and check the tips for corrosion if they're fairly new.
For the other problem, clean the battery cables completely. Turn off the auto HVAC with the key on to protect it during restart later. Remove the battery cables and check for corrosion. If your positive side has double cables, cut into the plastic covering and be sure there is not corrosion between them. There's a lead spacer between the cables. Sometimes the corrosion there will cause poor contact on one despite being tight.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You need to check for power and for ground at the control in the door panel if it's set up the way I recall. Check the owners manual in the glovebox for fuses for power windows. There's a relay center on the firewall and the cover for that may list which large fuse there is for what. There also is a relay center and fuses on the passenger A-pillar. You take off a hush panel cover to get to it if I recall correctly. On top of the hush panel should be a diagram of which fuse and relay is which.
I haven't looked at a manual for 94 PA but I suspect, suspect the ground buss that's at the A-pillar where the plastic goes horizontal under the door sill and carpet edge may, may be a ground for power windows. If they worked erratically I'd suspect the grounds but no power as you're saying indicates troubleshooting first to be sure power is getting to the wires in the door panel. The switch panel can be lifted; there are snaps at each end usually that can be released with a little pressure from a putty knife to lift.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I don't know all the symptoms of other things, but from what people have posted, I would check the EGR sticking open. One person had the driver unplug the EGR and drive the car to see if that fixed the problem. I believe unplugging would set a code that would have to be cleared, but it would be an EGR code and you'd know that caused it.
Other things might be fuel pressure regulator. But that generally causes flooding on trying to start the car.
When you say it had a tune up, that is only plugs and new wires. Did it get quality wires and AC spark plugs? How many miles back.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I think it may be low on fluid, but I can't find the reservoir to check. I've looked under the hood 3 or 4 times, but no dice. If it makes any difference I have the 3800 Series II engine.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
I'll bet you're low on fluid. The slight seeps lower the fluid level over the years. It's been 10 years.
Pick up a long neck funnel somewhere so you can add power steering fluid to the thing.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Thanks sooo much for your reply! On the evening I posted my question, I went back to AZ and had another diagnostic test. That reading indicated that I needed to check my Catalytic "xyz" and Massive Airflow Sensor. I told the young man that I received the MAS reading a week or so before and because of that I purchased a new MAF sensor and had it installed. Now disgusted with these new "codes" I took the car to PB so they could a) just fix the darn thing and b) do inspection afterwards. Well, much to my dismay, they called me at work and said their diagnostic test sited that I needed a Body Control Module. They said they could not service my car nor issue me the inspection stickers because the SE Soon light was still on. They told me the best place for me to go is to a Buick dealership. One good thing, though, PB did not charge me the $89.00 + tax for the diagnostic test. When I called the nearest dealership (which is 1,000,000,00 miles away), they gave me a total price of $545.00 for the part and labor ($595.00 when I called a little later in the day to confirm). Disgusted again, I wound up calling an old mechanic friend. He told me to drop the car off on Friday morning and he would look at it. Well, that was April 3rd but I got my car back on April 5th and that was only because I wanted him to drive it around awhile just in case something was to come up. So far, Thank God, my car has been running fine. :lemon: And, at the very least, I have an old friend/mechanic back in my life.
Thanks, again, imidazol97
Any info or suggestions will be greatly appreaciated. :mad:
TIA
The temperature digits flash when the car is turned on, not when the auto button is pushed.
Thanks..
I do not know the physical layout of yours, but I would guess it's similar to the leSabres earlier because the 93s shared the same Factory Service Manual.
Getting under the passenger side dash may allow you to turn on the AC controls and watch the links move under the dash.
Here's a link to the picture of a later but similarly laid out unit. No guarantees.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/0900823d8017f925-1.gif
Here's a photo of car without the dash. Notice the link on top saying blend door lever and actuator-the two are connected by a link to move the total temp lever for driver.
At bottom the arrow that says programmer goes here, look at the left end of the arrow, you'll see a foam piece and a plastic rod sticks out of the heater there and connects to a second metal rod from the actuator when it's in place. That's the motor link to drive the passenger temp vane inside the heater box.
The actuators have little plastic gears inside that can crack and slip. By changing temp on your controls with the key ON you should be able to see movement in both links to control the vanes.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/heatercorehousing9cn.jpg
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'll leave a post to let you know. Thanks for the help.
The other doors, that close off the defroster to make air come out the vents, that close off the floor to force air up to defroster or open halfway for bilevel and windshield with floor, and that open to recirculate air from inside the car partly are all vacuum. They do not control the temperature at all. They have little plastic vacuum tubes that run from the programmer (heater computer) that's bolted on the corner of the heater box with one of the electric actuators inside.
If you take off the two plastic sound shields right and left, and spend some upside down time lying across the seat and get your head underneath the dash, you can check operation of lots of these parts by changing the heater controls with the key ON and the motor running to provide vacuum for those motors.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Check the right side and you'll see the side marker light go on and off when the headlights are on along with the turn signal bulb flashing. How they are done on different years I don't recall. But I'd try replacing all the bulbs and making sure they make good contact in the seats. Hope it's working when you're done replacing 4 bulbs or so.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Try looking on car-parts.com which searches recycling yards everywhere--the whole country or more.
I see quotes from $250 down to $50 and less for a column WITH key, so you don't have to redo the lock cylinder in the column.
I got 12 pages of listed columns for your 1998 Park Avenue.
They can be sorted by distance from your zip code or sorted by price.
You can call many of the yards or just go stop in. Maybe they have a lower price if one is close and you're there rather than an internet customer.
Ask your mechanic how much labor to replace the column.
www.car-parts.com
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Just thought some might be interested.
Jake