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Buick Century Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • 5213252132 Member Posts: 62
    I'm new to this forum (I'm usually at Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee). Does anybody know what component(s) are at fault in NHTSA TSB 10004775? I have all the problems listed in this TSB. Please help!!! :sick: I have a 2002 Buick Century.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's an NHTSA #. We'd need the Buick factory # to find that and display it for you.

    Factory #s look like this:

    03-09-41-003A
  • 5213252132 Member Posts: 62
    Here is the factory# 030845004
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's still a NHSTA #,

    The Buick # is 03-05-25-008

    Bulletin No.: 03-05-25-008

    Date: October 01, 2003

    TECHNICAL

    Subject:

    Intermittent/Constant ABS MIL Illuminated (Replace Both Front Wheel Speed Harnesses)
    Models:
    2001-03 Buick Century, Regal
    2001-03 Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo
    2001-02 Oldsmobile Intrigue
    2001-04 Pontiac Grand Prix

    Condition

    Some customers may comment on an intermittent or constant ABS malfunction indicator light.

    Cause

    The front wheel speed sensor harness may wear or come into contact with the tie rod end stud. Additionally, the harness may, in some instances, loop over the tie rod stud. In this case, the wheel speed sensor should be examined for damage.

    Correction

    Replace original wheel speed sensor harnesses by splicing in revised wheel speed sensor harnesses. The new design harnesses are of a different length and have revised retention clip locations. Use the following procedure to replace the harnesses.
    1. Raise and suitably support the vehicle on a hoist.

    2. Disconnect the left wheel speed sensor harness from the sensor/bearing assembly.

    3. Remove the harness retainers from the lower control arm.

    4. Follow the harness back to the point where the harness enters the larger engine harness conduit.

    5. Cut the electrical tape and open the conduit. Select a location where the splice will be within the engine harness conduit. Cut the original harness off.

    6. Using GM/Packard Seal and Crimp Connectors, splice the two wires from the new harness to the old. Specific instructions for use of the Seal and Crimp Connectors are printed on the inside of the cardboard overleaf sealing the bag in which the harness is shipped. If Seal and Crimp Connectors are not available, you may use the crimp and solder type included with the harness kit.

    7. Retape the conduit closed making sure to create an effective seal against road splash.

    8. Route the replacement harness following the same path as the original. Fully seat the 4 retainers into the control arm.

    Note: In the next step you will be required to measure the distance between the last retaining clip in the control arm and the end of the electrical plug that connects to the wheel speed sensor. Failure to properly perform this measurement and suitably adjust the harness may result in entanglement or infringement on the tie rod stud.

    9. Hold the end of the new electrical harness and stretch it firmly. Due to manufacturing tolerances, you will need to measure from the end of the plug (that attaches to the wheel speed sensor) to the rear edge of the first retaining clip. This distance must not exceed 24.7 cm (9.75 in). If the distance is equal to or greater than 24.7 cm (9.75 in), you must move the retaining clip to allow more slack at the control arm and less between the wheel speed sensor and the retainer. Repeat the measurement until properly adjusted.

    10. Disconnect the right wheel speed sensor harness from the sensor/bearing assembly.

    11. Remove the harness retainers from the lower control arm.

    12. Follow the harness back to the point where the harness enters the larger conduit.

    13. Cut the electrical tape and open the conduit. Select a location where the splice will be within the larger harness conduit. Cut the original harness off.

    14. Using GM/Packard Seal and Crimp Connectors, splice the two wires from the new harness to the old. Specific instructions for use of the Seal and Crimp Connectors are printed on the inside of the cardboard overleaf sealing the bag in which the harness is shipped. If Seal and Crimp Connectors are not available, you may use the crimp and solder type included with the harness kit.

    15. Retape the conduit closed making sure to create an effective seal against road splash.

    16. Route the replacement harness following the same path as the original. Fully seat the 4 retainers into the control arm.

    Note: In the next step you will be required to measure the distance between the last retaining clip in the control arm and the end of the electrical plug that connects to the wheel speed sensor. Failure to properly perform this measurement and suitably adjust the harness may result in entanglement or infringement on the tie rod stud.

    17. Hold the end of the new electrical harness and stretch it firmly. Due to manufacturing tolerances, you will need to measure from the end of the plug (that attaches to the wheel speed sensor) to the rear edge of the first retaining clip. This distance must not exceed 24.7 cm (9.75 in). If the distance is equal to or greater than 24.7 cm (9.75 in), you must move the retaining clip to allow more slack at the control arm and less between the wheel speed sensor and the retainer. Repeat the measurement until properly adjusted.
  • 5213252132 Member Posts: 62
    Thanks for that! But how do I fix the service engine soon light and and trac off light that is also associated with the bulletin? Im going to check the codes soon!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well it looks like the lights will continue to illluminate until you fix the root cause, even if you reset the light.
  • 5213252132 Member Posts: 62
    Thanks a million! :)
  • aboxabox Member Posts: 1
    hi, this is my first time here, i need help,

    anyone has ...a parts and maintenance manual.

    Buick Century Limited 94
    Chasis: 4H69ERV306010

    THANKS

    [email protected]
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'd suggest eBay.
  • century73century73 Member Posts: 1
    Hi, All,

    I'm looking to have some body work done on my wife's 1973 Buick Century. I've checked the J.C. Whitney web site, but they don't have panels for this particular model. Does anyone know of another source for these items? Thankx.

    Bob
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I doubt anyone would make aftermarket panels for this car. You might score some used fenders or a rear clip from Hemmings Motor News.
  • seayackerseayacker Member Posts: 2
    2005 buick century. It has been parked for about 1 1/2 weeks. Went to drive it today and the heating/air conditioning system will not work if the head lights are on. works fine when running lights are on?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'd test and charge up the battery before doing anything else.
  • seayackerseayacker Member Posts: 2
    Doesn't appear to be the battery. Drove the car for about 12 miles, did some shopping then drove home the 12 miles and still had the same problem. Wouldn't the battery have recharged by then?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Oh no, you can't charge a dead battery that quickly with an alternator, nor should you even try to do that. You could damage both the battery and the alternator.
  • bill204bill204 Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone help me with the problem I am having with my vents on my century. I can not control the vents from the windshield to the dash to the floor. Something has to have gone bad but I dont know what would cause this. I can fix most problems with a car, but if I dont know what to fix it is not real easy. Any suggestions would help.
  • kedgarkedgar Member Posts: 1
    I need help. I have a 1994 buick century recently died and runs very rough and low rpms when I pump the gas petal very quickly. It dies as soon as I quit pumping the petal. I replaced the fuel filter. Same result. I only checked the fuel pump by disconnecting the the back end of the fuel filter, but the flow of fuel is very strong. Any suggestions? I need this car running so I don't have to continue to drive my F350 diesel.
  • dave_1dave_1 Member Posts: 2
    i have a 1991 buick century with a bad compressor. i have found a replacement but i was asked whether it is a flat washer or o-ring type compressor. is there any way to tell the difference without pulling the compressor off. i drive it to work daily so i can't take the downtime to pull it and have it checked. any help would be appreciated.
  • toprailtoprail Member Posts: 1
    The part on which the shock absorber sits is rusted out. It is attached to the rear axle. What do you call this piece and can you buy another without buying the entire rear axle?
  • karriegkarrieg Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem and it was the Cam Sensor. I got that changed and they cleaned out my filters and the car is running great now.
  • canadave1canadave1 Member Posts: 2
    Anyone know how to take the rear seats out of my 2005 Century and then reinstall them? It's probably easy but I'd rather not damage the seats trying to do something incorrectly. I want to install seat covers. I traded in our 1998 LeSabre last February when we were down in Florida for the 2005 Century. I was looking for another LeSabre but I came across the Century which had only 4,800 miles on it and still smelled like new. So far I'm quite impressed with it.
  • billskatebillskate Member Posts: 1
    I have a '92 Buick Century and am in need of a window controller. Since this car is more than 15 years old I can't find a supplier locally. If anyone has a source I might try, please e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks, Bill
  • ohangelohangel Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Buick Century and the passenger side wiper just stopped working. The driver side works fine though. Is this gonna be a cheap repair? And what is the problem?
  • chadd74chadd74 Member Posts: 1
    I also have this same problem, have you found any answers to the problem.
  • lyainnalyainna Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I have a 2002 Buick Century. The last few months, I noticed my mpg going down. I used to get about 400 miles to the tank either short or long distance drives. Now, I still get about 400/tank on long distance drives, but my short has dropped drastically down to 180-200 miles a tank. What would be a cause of this?
  • sbarkersbarker Member Posts: 4
    Hi,
    Are You in a cold winter climate?? . I have a 2000 century and in cold weather the mileage falls from 24-26 local driving to 18-21 Mpg. I have a scangauge installed and can monitor gas mileage on the fly plus lots of other things going on under the hood.
    I see the exact some thing here.
  • glennsbusglennsbus Member Posts: 1
    My reverse lights and license plate lights do not work. it isnt a fuse or the bulbs. I imagine it is a mercury (or similar type) switch on the trunk lid. Does anyone know it's location?
  • scottm7635scottm7635 Member Posts: 11
    My old '99 Century had the EXACT problem, and lots more. I found my issue in the wiring going from the trunk lid to the car (int he right hand side trunk jamb). Open up the plastic covering and check all the wires. It looked like the trunk hinge caught my wires and cut them off, and they were all crossing each other. Hope this helps you!
  • vektor67vektor67 Member Posts: 1
    It seems I need to remove a support beam or whatever it's called. The bolts are quite seized. Also after purusing the forums here I begin to doubt that the battery is the issue. The problems began after I allowed my battery to drain completely. It should have recharged completely however. Each morning it doesn't start. Eventually I get it started using my portable jumper but only after much finagling. I do wish to pop the new battery in however since I can't return it. Some simple pointers on doing so would be appreciated it's 14 degree's outside and I don't wish for it to take all day. thanks.
  • doggaldoggal Member Posts: 17
    I had a similar issue in the past and it was more the alternator that needed to be replaced for me. You might want to check that also.
  • sbarkersbarker Member Posts: 4
    Hi,
    I had the same exact problem, It was the alternator, tested bad. They replaced it
    problem seemed to go away, the following week the new part failed and they replaced it again. seems to be fine now. Yes that brace needs to be removed to replace the battery. I soaked the bolts with wd-40 then it come off without a hitch. For the record my 2000 buick century has 58000 miles.
  • fabricesallefabricesalle Member Posts: 1
    yesterdey a button came on for a few minutes marked security and then went off
    this morning drove the car no problem but 7 hours later wouldn't start
    it finally did start with cable but whats wrong i dont have the book(its a 98 buick century)just bought the car 3 weeks ago to a garage...
  • jrp45jrp45 Member Posts: 2
    an electrical short in your system, get a meter that measures current and voltage and test your battery and the connections. I had to replace the battery cables and the battery then I had the alternator tested at autozone the person testing it said that it was still good but something was going bad inside it the way it sound it sound like metal grinding so I replace the alternator, since I replace both battery and alternator my back windows will not roll down so I checked the fuses they where blown this is a buick century 2000
  • jrp45jrp45 Member Posts: 2
    I would not buy a car with a crack windshield period in some states it is against the law to sell a car with a crack windshield it post a hazard to your life and others
  • gabhanjacisagabhanjacisa Member Posts: 19
    2003 Buick Century. The low speed blower does not work (the 2 lowest settings). I checked all of the fuses, all are ok. There are some lights out on the face plate for the blower/ac, and there are some lights out on the radio. Not all of them, just a few. Is the problem likely under there somewhere? And, what would I be looking for? And, how hard is it to remove and get in there, without screwing things up or making everything look bad when I put it all back together?
    Thanks,
    Jeff
  • bay220bay220 Member Posts: 2
    Last year I replaced my wiper motor and all was great until today. On my way to work the wipers stopped working and after removing all the plastic molding I found that the screw that holds the wiper arm gears to the motor came lose.

    After replacing the screw and putting everything back together, now when the wipers are in timer mode, the wipers pause in the middle of the windshield. Other then that the wipers work ok.

    So I have two questions:

    1. How do i fix the pause location?
    2. Which side does the longer wiper are go in? I wasn't sure if I mixed them up. I have the larger arm on the passenger side. Is this correct?

    Thanks for any help you might be able to offer.

    Cheers, David

    1997 Buick Century
  • molerjmolerj Member Posts: 9
    o1 buick century 145,000 miles.
    When you start out cold the vehicle shifts up to drive then just kinda nothing happens. Like it is out of gear. shift to lower gear & it goes until it hits drive & then nothing. Shift down again it starts going & then put it in drive & it finally goes thru gears & keeps going. Now you can stop & start & no problems. Stop, floor it, it shifts thru all gears & is fine. Let it cool down for a few hours & the same problem. Transmission fluid is full & no sign or smell of burnt fluid. In my past experience when the filter was dirty, a vehicle wouldn't shift out of gear so I don't think it would be the filter. Any one have any ideas of what's going on?
  • bay220bay220 Member Posts: 2
    I took everything apart again and still no change. Any advice?
  • 00buickcentury00buickcentury Member Posts: 4
    Yeah, my driver side rear window works when it wants to. Mostly works in the winter time when its snowing and is likely to be the only one that works when the others are frozen shut. In the summer there is no chance of it working.
  • 00buickcentury00buickcentury Member Posts: 4
    This is caused by the chip in your key. Sometimes that chip gets worn and will cause the security to go off. Also, make sure the key is dry, sometimes if my key gets moisture on it, it will throw off the security on my car. From time to time it will do this, and then wait for a couple minutes and it usually does.
  • 00buickcentury00buickcentury Member Posts: 4
    This happened to me! I drive a 2000 Buick Century as well. I switched my nob that controls the amount of air that blows out (the one the far left) to the second spot from the off position, it turned off when I turned my car off. The part I needed to fix it is from NAPA, its says Engine Management Products BR77. In your inner fuse box on your passenger side, just take out the fuse if the first thing doesn't work. The second part is difficult to do yourself, its in a very tight spot under the dash mount.
  • 00buickcentury00buickcentury Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2000 Buick Century. I went to the Buick dealership here in VA to get my car inspected (a requirement in VA). Turns out that I had 11 bulbs out, didn't realize this but I replaced them all the next day. I brought in back to the shop the next Friday and they told me that I still had 2 lights out, my front side markers (I replaced them the first time). Turns out there is some sort of electrical problem thats not allowing them to light up. Does anyone know how to wire this or have had this problem before?? I would like to do it myself, because I am pretty handy...... Any help will be appreciated! Thanks
    Julia
  • skerr032006skerr032006 Member Posts: 1
    HELLO ALL AND THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY RESPONSES I GET ON THIS QUESTION!!....

    I ABSOLUTLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT VEHICLES AND THAT IS BAD BECAUSE I NORMALLY END UP GETTING SCREWED WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING ONE. I FOUND THIS SITE AND HOPEFULLY YOU ALL WILL PREVENT MY NEXT BLUNDER...(IF IT IS ONE)....

    I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING AT A 2003 BUICK CENTURY 4 DR SEDAN, VERY NICE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR (NO BODY DAMAGE NO SEAT/STEERING WHEEL/ DASHBOARD/ CONSOLE DAMAGE) BUT IT DOES HAVE 104227 MILES!! THE DEALER IS ASKING $4376.00. I KNOW I CAN TALK HIM DOWN IN PRICE BECAUSE IM PAYING CASH...IM HOPING TO DROP HIM TO THE 3000.00 OR LESS, BUT FIRST I NEED TO KNOW IF THIS CAR IS EVEN WORTH BUYING?? ANY SERIOUS PROBLEMS KNOWN WITH THE CAR?? THE ENGINE IS A ( 3.1L V6 12V MPFI OHV ) I COPIED AND PASTED BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS EITHER. ALSO, THE CAR IS A 4-SPD AUTOMATIC. IF ANYONE HAS ANY OPINIONS/ADVICE ... OR CAN TELL ME TO WALK AWAY OR GO AHEAD ... OR EVEN TO KEEP GOING WITH IT, BUT TO DROP THE PRICE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!

    THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
    SONYA
  • ds4281ds4281 Member Posts: 1
    I am looking at a 2003 Century with 60,000 miles on it and took it for a test drive. The car is in absolute perfect condition and is a "steal" for the price. The Engine sounds and feels great. I was about to go back and buy the car but then I went up a fairly steep hill. The car felt like it was misfiring but it was clearly not the engine. It seemed like it was a transmission issue - like it was slipping. It would go through all the gears but at certain times I was able to replicate the "slipping." I am not a car expert, but I know enough to make my way around them. Is this something that sounds common on a Century?
  • tmbrett83tmbrett83 Member Posts: 2
    GMC last year lost a class action suit having to do with its coolant and how it affected the gaskets on the engine. I don't understand all the details, but I know that I had to pay over $600 to replace the intake manifold gasket because of the coolant issue. Fortunately I got some of that money back after I joined the class action suit. I bought it with a little over 100,000 miles on it. Great car, except for that one little detail. You might be just fine buying it, but I'd find out about its repair history if I were you.
  • tmbrett83tmbrett83 Member Posts: 2
    Based on what you've described, I had a similar problem recently. And sadly, it was the engine. I can't say for certain what the problem is with the car you're looking at, but the same symptoms in my car meant I had to replace the engine. I was not happy. We were coming up on 140,000 miles when it started to get real bad. After replacing the engine (there were metal filings in the oil in the old one), it still didn't pick up real fast. Turns out the catalytic converter was clogged, too, causing backpressure. The mechanic said that might have contributed to the engine failure. I'd have them check the backpressure before I put any money down.
    Another word of warning with the 03 Century. GM lost a class action suit involving this car and a number of others. It had something to do with their custom coolant DEX Cool. It didn't get along with the gaskets very well. If I understand it right, the coolant ate the intake manifold gasket. Or something like that. I'd look at an '04 if I could find one. '03 was the last model year for that particular engine in the century.
  • molerjmolerj Member Posts: 9
    Joe, ( or anyone else) did you fix the problem with your odometer light not working. I am having the same problem. All other lights work except odometer & gear selector light. Turning the headlight switch dims lights but still doesn't bring the odometer light back on.
  • bompeabeatsbompeabeats Member Posts: 1
  • need_helpneed_help Member Posts: 1
    When I go to start it sometimes it does not crank. The lights and everything else work just fine but it won't even attempt to start. All I here is a click sound, thats all. I recently had the ignition lock cyclinder replaced because I was told that was the problem but it still acts up. It runs perfect, I did notice when it sits for a couple hours to overnight it'll start, but I drove it from Indi to Illinois and when I turned it off and tried to restart it it would not start. Any answers to this problem would be greatly appreciated.
  • uhura92uhura92 Member Posts: 3
    Sounds like the solenoid on the starter is going bad.
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