Buick Park Avenue

97ultra · March 2006

My 2000 PA Ultra with 68000 miles started skipping. My dealer says I need new spark plugs and new spark plug wires. He quoted a fee of $400 for the plugs and wires installed. I realize that new plugs and wires may cost more than the $35 I paid when I was young, but $400 seems excessive. Am I being ripped off by the dealer?

$400 seems steep to me. Even if the dealership charges you $80 for the plugs and wires, that still gives you 4 hours of labor at $80/hr. I changed the plugs on my '97 Ultra (same everything as yours) in an hour or two a few weeks ago, and I don't do this for a living. Getting at the rear plugs was a pain in the butt (spark plug boot puller might have helped), but it's not that hard, and the only thing I had to remove to get at the plugs/wires was the plastic engine cover.

imidazol97 · March 2006

Changing the rear plugs I found is much easier if I stand on something to make it easier to reach over to the middle of the rear hood area. I use a 24 pack of soda cans.

mcgrew1234 · April 2006

Did you try to stick another tape in there or press eject while using a butter knife to get it to pop out? We did that and it worked.

97ultra · April 2006

Quote: "I have a 1995 and a 2001 Buick Park Avenue. Both have very low miles for the year model. I have noticed that they both tend to wander quite a bit. I have had both aligned and new tires, front ends checked etc. I recently drove a 2003 and found that one as true as an arrow. Any ideas or comments? Did Buick have a handling/steering problem over this 5-6 year period? Thanks!"

That may be a reflection of what tires are fitted. The 2001 and 2005 are the same car. You could get an optional sport suspension on the Ultra, though.

My PA is a '97 Ultra with the standard suspension, and it tracks very well. Tires are 60-series Michelin Harmony radials, I think.

97ultra · April 2006

Quote: I am looking a '02 Ultra a Buick dealer. He is saying the ultra does not require premium fuel. Can anyone outhere give me the straight story is prem. fuel req. for the PA ultra??

The owner's manual for my '97 Ultra (same car, same engine) says regular can be used in an emergency, but premium is highly recommended. The reason is that the supercharger heats the air 100 degrees or so above ambient when you're on boost, so predetonation (knocking) is a real problem with low-octane gasoline if you floor it. To prevent knocking on boost when low-octane gas, the computer has to cut the spark timing way back when you step on it, so power and fuel efficiency will suffer significantly. AFAIK, the car will run fine on regular as long as you drive sedately and stay off boost, but I always run premium in mine (the price difference is only a few percent these days).

imidazol97 · April 2006

Your alignment may not be actually right in the middle of all the specs. If the rears are within specs but not ideal they can still cause some odd steering effects.

/What kind of tires. Really soft tires might cause more wander.

supermicr · April 2006

I have a 1999 Park Ave, doing about the same. At 50 mph, going up hill, tach is just below 1500, it acts like it should downshift, but i get the jerks, just like it would be cutting out. Once it down shifts its okay. Dealer has replaced Pressure selonoid valve on the tranny, but it is still not fixed. I noticed a reply to your email, did you try that and any luck.
Micr

imidazol97 · April 2006

Sounds like spark plug wires. You didn't say how many miles on the car. It's at least 6 years old, maybe 7, and the wires do fail slowly. It will act like various problems. It's a good time to replace both plugs and wires with original equipment wires. Don't try to new blue wires or the superdooper ones at the box parts stores. Get original equipment quality at GM or NAPA, e.g. The slight extra cost, if any, will pay off.

The problem is called spark scatter. The motor is under high load and the spark wires break down and let the spark jump to another wire or ground.

redmage · May 2006

we have been having trouble with our 92 park. it will start up ok then after being driven around for a while it will die on us there will be no spark coming from the coil pack and the fuel pump will shut down so there is no gas getting to the motor dose anyone have any clue what to do. thank you :confuse:

smallbites · May 2006

Al have you found out anything? Just happened to me in my 98PA. Happened when battery was reconnected. I have heard from 2 people in the business that the dash has to be opened so that the needle can be reached, and turned backwards to empty, not pushed over pin. OK. if thats the case, anyone know how to remove dash?

smallbites · May 2006

Can someone advise me how to remove the dash board in a 98 PA. I need to get at the fuel gauge. thanks.

ann16 · May 2006

I just fixed this on my 99...Use a magnet, touch the dash right by the gauge and it will go right back into place.

ann16 · May 2006

The dash is a quick removal but that will not work because the glass is sealed. Take a magnet and touch the glass by the gauge and it will return to the proper location. I just did this on my 99 and is worked great, the gauge is accurate now. I did use a large magnet but saved $400 the dealer wanted.

alexlloyd · May 2006

Had the exact same issue on a 95 3800 Park Ave. After about $500.00 and an estimate for $300 more we changer all the plugs, wires and a weak coil pack and the issue went away... any good shop can tell you if any of your coil packs are weak.

alexlloyd · May 2006

My lights are acting up on a 95 PA. No park and no cluster lights. All other lights are fine. The fuses are good, Jumpering power to the circuit did nothing and my overhead monitor panel is flashing all lights. Can anyone tell where to find the lighting control unit and what it looks like. I assume it is under the dash somewhere but no luck to date.

dtestworkin · May 2006

Hi I have a 97 that did the same thing, at first I thought it was the trans; but finally figured it to be the plug wires , might help to change plugs at same time!

villi1 · May 2006

can some one help me i have no cluster lights or drive lights fuses are good where do i start

kessary · July 2006

Just replaced upper intake and gaskets now the car is throwing sevice engine light and running really bad afteer a few minutes, it dies if you slow down or let off the gas and it clatters really bad like it has no oil but oil pressure is showing 129 lbs

waynezo · July 2006

Take it to Autozone. They will check the codes and tell you where the problems lie. They're usually pretty accurate and ALWAYS cheaper than the dealership.

imidazol97 · July 2006

If t clatters that could mean no oil. If the pressure shows extremely high that might mean a blockage causing a backpressure. I wouldn't drive it until it's thoroughly checked and the problem found. The high oil indicator is also a problem with oil pressure sensor too, but I wouldn't count on that.

waynezo · July 2006

Briefly, here's the problem. 3800 Series II, 90K. Drove the car approx. 30 miles and parked it. Three hrs. later it wouldn't start. Heard a loud bang when I tried to start it.
Investigation showed a broken tail shaft housing on the starter and coolant in No. 1 cylinder. Removed the throttle body to check upper plenum and found some coolant inside plenum. I know the engine was hydrolocked, but noticed no problems before parking it.
I haven't done a compression check yet but will tonight.
If the compression checks out and doesn't bleed down is it a safe bet that it's the lower intake gasket? How do I check that without removing the intake?
I really need to figure this out and get it done. I work 30 miles from home one direction and the wife works 30 miles the other so we need two vehicles, and this is HER car. Wouldn't she look fine in a new pair of sneakers?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Are there any contortion artists out there looking for work? Maybe you can get at the rear plugs. I think I broke my wrist trying.

valina · July 2006

my 91 Buick park avenue had cold air a couple of weeks ago it quit working. I carried it to a shop and they replaced 2 relays and it still doesn't blow cold air I've had it charged with r134 and still nothing can anybody heip? It kinda blows cold on the driver side but still nothing on the passenger side

kim_cargirl · July 2006

Hi, Mickey
Did you discover the cause of your brake noise? I too have a 2000 PA. It is an Ultra. I love the car, but the groaning!!! I have replaced wheel bearrings, brakes and had the codes cleared for the ABS, but the groan persists. I am told the noise is the ABS motor.
I do not have any problems with vibration, but I have a nice set of Michelin HydroEdge tires on it.
Any advice would be much appreciated! :shades:

buicks5 · July 2006

You may have one the 3800's with the bad intake manifold issue. Somewhere around 100K miles the plastic intake manifold lets go and coolant gets in all bad places. About a $1,200 repair. Please note that GM did not use the cheap plastic manifold on the Ultra supercharged engine. Also, they fixed the problem around model year 2000. Check your VIN with dealer to find out if your is in the series with bad manifold.

buicks5 · July 2006

The Driver Info Cluster (DIC) has gone dark on my 2000 Ultra with 145k miles (runs like the proverbial sewing machine with all Mobil 1 products). Is there any fix other than replacing it? Where is it reached- from underneath or by pulling the Instru Panel on top?

bss868s · August 2006

Hi, I own a 94 PA with about 158,000 mi. on it, and about 12,000 mi on most recent tranny rebuild. In the past several months I noticed that after about an hour of continuous driving, on highway, if I don't already have the cruise control engaged the rpm's automatically increase. The rpms at 70 mph are about 3000. When I take my foot off the throttle they slowly drop down to about 1200 then jump back up to about 2000, without out even touching the throttle. The only way to control this is to already have my car in cruise control. The past couple of times this has happened I had to pull over and allow my car to cool for about 15 minutes just so I could engage the cruise control at 2000 rpms before they jumped up. Appreciate any help. Thanks.

97ultra · August 2006

Assuming you have a 4-speed transmission, it sounds like the car is downshifting from overdrive to 3rd? Easy way to tell would be to put the car in "3" instead of "D" and see if the RPM's are the same as you're seeing.

Is your trans fluid level OK? It could possibly be a solenoid problem (say, the overdrive solenoid is going on the fritz when it gets hot), or it could be something as simple as an engine temperature sensor problem (the computer locks out overdrive until the engine is warmed up), a loose or corroded connection at the transmission electrical connector, or even a balky throttle position sensor.

If you recently had the tranny rebuilt, and the tranny is downshifting to 3rd when it shouldn't, this may be covered under your rebuilder's trans warranty if it hasn't expired yet, if it is indeed a transmission problem.

imidazol97 · August 2006

It could be a powertrain control computer problem. It could be a temperature sensor for the transmission fluid. It needs to be checked out.

banktruck · August 2006

Window regulator is bad in drivers door. All other switches on panel (windows, mirror, window lock etc) work fine. Drivers window switch makes clicking sound coming from relay junction box inside door.

I was told by the dealer that the window regulator part is not available separately. It only comes as a "package deal" with the entire inner-door assembly ($500). This doesn't sound right to me. It also confused the parts guy, apparently you can get just the window regulatory for some Buicks?

Does anyone have information to help. Thank you.

ghostmirage1 · August 2006

Hello, I have a 99 ultra and replaced the filter and the fuel pump, it was neither, it was in fact the CRANK SENSOR. It almost always is...I unfortunately spent too much money trying to figure it out as there is no code(s) generated in the computer. The sensor just fails, slowly. It would have helped if there was...Good luck and peace...

smallbites · September 2006

My front passenger door handle no longer works. It feels like its in lock mode. All the other controls operate that door lock. Inside handle works,and opens door, inside lock button works, key in door activates all 4 locks, and the door lock button inside the door works. I removed the interior panel and all the control arms are working except an arm from the exterior handle to the striker. That arm appears to be activated, or allowed to function, from an electric module at the strike. Anyone have any thoughts, or a service manual that explains how the electric locking system works? Thanks

valina · September 2006

I am having the same problem with my car except it is the back door. i do have a manual but it is in my car and my car is in the shop, AGAIN.

erndog66 · September 2006

Buy the best rotors you can find...I agree Raybestos are probably the best. Then send them off to have them cryogenically frozen. I did this some time ago and it has worked great. The -300 freezing process changes the molecular structure of the metal, making them very hard. I also opted for the ceramic pads as well.

97ultra · September 2006

129 PSI is almost certainly not a true figure, since that is the number that would be displayed by a dead short in the oil pressure sensor. A healthy 3800 L67 with 10W30 synthetic oil shows 60-65 psi when cold and 50ish when hot.

Try turning the key to the "run" position WITHOUT starting the engine, and see if the display still reads 129 psi. Mine had that problem (read 129psi always, even with the engine off), and I replaced the oil pressure sensor and it now reads normally.

The engine clattering is probably a separate issue, and one that is very worrisome. I would DEFINITELY have that checked out before driving it. It could be anything from low oil level, to a stuck lifter, to low oil pressure (which you can't see since your pressure sensor apparently isn't working). Get that one checked ASAP.

pwteam · September 2006

I have a '97 PA with 96K miles and lately I've notice it feels wobbly while slowing down/braking. I have previously experienced vibrations at high speeds, but this is different. It almost feels like I am on an uneven road as I am driving at slower speeds and it is more prevalant while stopping.
Anyone experience this or have any suggestions?

imidazol97 · September 2006

Tires first choice. How many miles? What brand/type. Frequently rotated? My first guess would be a belt that's weakened in one area or a slipped belt.

Alignment second. How recently and by how competent an alignment facility?

Brake rotor warped or caliper dragging. Brakes done when?
Calipers and rotor replaced then with quality brand rotors or just pads replaced?

pwteam · September 2006

96,000 miles
Tires were rotated at start of year and I think they did an alignment too. I have to go back thru my records, done at a dealer. I proabably am in need of brake pads, was told they would need replacing by end of summer.

Big question here, is it dangerous to keep driving????
How quickly do I need to get in to have it checked?

imidazol97 · September 2006

My question should have asked how many miles on the tires too.

If they have 30K miles on them and have been rotated every 7000 miles then they're probably evenly worn. They also could have a belt defective in one. The check for that sometimes if when they are on the balancer or just rotated on the car while off the ground a trained eye spots the unevenness in the belt. Other times it's moving the bad tires from the front -to back and having the effect move that tells that there's a tire problem. If the problem stays where you feel it in the steering, it's something mechanical on the front.

How many miles on the brakes? If the pads were changed once before you might be due after 40-50K miles. But the rotors need replacing if you've got unevenness in the braking. And the calipers need replacing, in my opinion, then you're starting over with a new system. Don't put on cheap brand high mileage pads, or let the shop skimp on the quality of the pad. If you want good, like new, feel to your brakes do what I suggested.

I did it at 45 K on my 98 Le Sabre and used original equipment quality pads--not long life. They have a better friction coefficient. Brakes were like new. I had had trouble with a draggin caliper and one rotor would sometimes run hot and when I'd brake I'd feel the warped rotor. Other times it wasn't noticeable. So the rotors had been damaged. Plus the original GM rotors tend to pit probably from road salts in this area along with normal heat from braking.

pwteam · September 2006

I know this sounds bad, not sure how many miles on my tires, but at least 30,000. Same with the brakes.
Any idea on what rotors and/or calipers should run me? Don't want to put a fortune into an old car, but don't want to be unsafe either.
I guess my fear right now is, am I taking a chance by driving it like it is?

garrett48 · October 2006

Voltage is present at the switch,fuse,and relay.Voltage is also present on each line of the grid circuit in the glass.The two side view heated mirrors on the same circuit are working.
The GROUND has failed at the REAR DEFOG/ANTENNA Module INPUT
Connector.The Connector has PURPLE(hot) and GREEN (ground) leads.The GREEN conductor has no continuity to ground.
I have physically traced the GREEN Wire to under the rear seat in the area of the REAR FUSE PANEL but cannot find where it should be grounded.
A quick fix would be to just ground the green wire and be done with it,but I want to know where it should be grounded and why the ground wire is routed so far from the glass.
I need a schematic.Anybody ?
Thanks, and best regards
Garret near Boston,MA

paulv6 · October 2006

I had the same problem with driver door handle on my 99 Park ave.
The door handle itself was broken. A plastic cam breaks off the inside of the handle and fails to activate the pull rod.The only fix is to replace the handle. Its about a $40 part as I recall. That isn't the bad news though. The handle only comes in primer and has to be painted before replacing.
You can buy basecoat paint to match and clearcoat in spray cans online or from some auto paint suppliers. They may cost more than the part. You have to go through some contortions to reach inside the door after removing the inside door panel but is is do-able. If you are not flexible just take it to a bodyshop $$$, Good Luck

buicks5 · November 2006

This is my own reply to how I solved this issue. I pulled the front dash panels and removed the entire speedo cluster. I took to a fabulous place in Detroit called Specmo, Madison Heights actually. For $185 they rebuilt it, installing new power supply and upgrading connections and installed a new clear plastic face. 3 day turnaround on the work and works great. They have a warehouse with thousands of GM radios, CD's, speedo's, etc. for all year cars. Very clean in appearance. Reach them at:
Specmo Auto Sound & Speed
www.specmo.com
1-800-545-7910

Repair GM radios, CD's, speedometer clusters, other audio electronics.
"Delphi-Delco Audio Sales and Service"
"Automotive Electronics"

buicks5 · November 2006

To pull that plug on the front of the supercharger takes a 3/16" hex wrench and the factory spec to tighten is 10newton meter (NM). To be safe, use only the synthetic oil sold by the dealer. Mine uses very, very little oil, with 157k miles, but I check it at 5K miles to be safe.

P.s., the power steering fluid is hard to reach and I find that to really reach it, I pull the alternator belt. A lubrication engineer I know says the GM power steering fluid is the best you can buy.

buicks5 · November 2006

The final couple years of the PA Ultra had higher hp. It went up from 240hp to 260hp I believe. They also had a "business console" between the front seats and cup holders there.

The last of the PA's from 2000 on were great cars IMHO. I run from 75 to high as 90 in burst to clear trucks on the freeway and with 158k miles, maybe use 1/2 quart in 5k miles.

Consider a used PA. Otherwise the Lucerne with 3.8 or if you like speed, the Northstar V8, is a very good car. Rates better than the Toyota Avalon.

dlook0001 · November 2006

For everyone with a vibration, lower quality aluminum wheels almost never balance out perfectly, especially if they came from the dealership "un true" or not perfectly round. A static balance will get you closer to a smooth ride but it will not get rid of your vibrations totaly.I have been in the auto business and what I have found is that your delarship will try to tell you what ever you want to hear so you will leave them alone. A mechanics least favorite thing to do is warranty work, they are not going to put forth much effort if they are not getting paid. Also most mechanics do not speacilize in wheels and tires and might not know that the buick rims are junk, so its probably a learning curve for them to.I used to sell and install tires and rims so that is why I know about aluminum wheels. Every once and a while we would get bad rims right out of the box that would cause a vibration. You might want to have your dealer put the rim on the balancer without the tire and I bet ya a million bucks you will find a slight hop or wabble in all of the rims. If you dont believe this is true, check out how many used chrome ultra wheels are on ebay or craigslist. they probably all have hop in them to.

dlook0001 · November 2006

I will be putting after market wheels and tires on my 97 P.A so I will let you know if my wheel vibrations stops. Although I am 100% sure it will.

imidazol97 · November 2006

I don't think the rims are aluminum on the leSabre; they are called alloy.

I don't agree that a static balance will solve the problem with tires being out of round at all, but a Road Force balance will compensate for the uneven crush that some tires have under the load of the car. As you know we're not talking out ofroundness that shows up on a spin balancer with nothing pushing on the tire. This out of roundness is when the tire is being crushed by the weight of the car and different parts of the tire crush different amounts.

Hence a tire that appears perfectedly round mounted on the rim and spinning on a dynamic balancer may actually not be round when it rolls under the weight of the car.

Indeed, on one wheel on my car under warranty that was highest on road force, they unmounted the tire and put the rim on and checked it for out of roundness. Then they mounted the tire and put them so that ones high spot matched the other's low spot to have the errors balance each other out.

I don't think static balancing like Sears insisted on 40 years ago when I got my first Michelins will work these days. They used a bubble balancer. Sears must have been last to go to dynamic or spin balancing.

dlook0001 · November 2006

I wasnt talking about using a static balancer, I meant for your tech to use tape weights on the inside of the wheels because they are more acurate. As far as out of roundness I was refering to the wheel. As far as I know rims are either aluminum or steel. You can take a new aluminum wheel out of the box and it can be off so little that you might not notice, but it is not perfectly shaped and will cause vibration. After putting on a tire this wheel might balance out but if you spin the wheel it will not. I have replaced several buick rims with steel rims and aftermarket rims and the vibration would stop. I will say that alot of them were bent but sometimes they looked perfect.

imidazol97 · November 2006

Static balance is using a bubble balancer instead of spinning the wheel (dynamic balancing).

Rims are steel, aluminim, and other alloys.

Any wheel can be off from perfectly round for radial and lateral runout. They also can be out of balance even if within tolerance for lateral and radial runout. These runouts are measure in thousandths of an inch. The tolerance for runout is in your service manaul for your particular car model.

A good technician must use weights on both inside and outside of rim to get best balance.

The road force balancing is the best especially for stiffer frames. Perhaps some of the Pilots and Highlander type cars that have problems won't have their problems solved by road force balancing.

bigunit67 · December 2006

I posted a similar question in the Regal forum a few days back, but for those of you that have owned a PA from this time frame, or maybe have owned two+, what is your overall opinion of them?

I presently have a 1998 Regal GS and thought I'd sound out folks on what they think about the other Super Charged car in Buick's lineup. I am doing the math on whether it is worth doing maintenance upgrades/replacements on my higher mileage car or perhaps making the leap into a newer one.

I prefer FWD, the stability of the base 3.8 with the luxury of the SC attached to it, and the overall comfort of Buicks vis a vis other rides. Even when dealing with the gran touring suspension, you are not necessarily talking something that will rattle your bones. I'm not in Buick's traditional demographic, 39, but appreciate their historical virtues (ride/reliability/balance of old and new technology).

Anyway, if anyone is good enough to respond, I'm not asking you to type a manuscript, just what were/are the highlights or lowlights?

Thanks in advance...

Buick Park Avenue

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