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Buick Park Avenue Maintenance & Repair

292 messages,  Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 6:59 PM

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#283 of 292 Park Avenue dies while braking by jobug6 Oct 25, 2009 (4:38 pm)
Hi, my 94 Buick Park Avenue just had its fuel regulator replaced because it was sort of jerking occassionally while driving at highway speeds. After that was fixed, it seemed to drive OK, except at around 1500 rpm, it would sort of shudder and jerk lightly. The mechanic said he would check it, but before I could get it in there, it started dying while braking, but only once in a while. (It is hard for me to get time off work to leave my car, so I put off going back to the mechanic.) I watch the alternator indicator and it doesn't go one way or the other. The car just dies with no notice or noise or anything. Suddenly no power steering. Fortunately, the times it has done this is either right before stopping or as I slow way down to make a turn. Today however, it was totally dead when I tried to start it. Click, click, click. The second time, I tried, it made a metal clanking noise. I got a jump and it started right up, drove quite well for a trip, but as I approached home, slowed down to stop at a traffic light, it died. The battery and alternator were replaced last winter. Also, the computer module was replaced last winter. Any help appreciated. Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2009 5:22 pm) nbeahm (Nov 05, 2009 4:37 am) imidazol97 (Nov 05, 2009 6:01 am)
#284 of 292 Re: Park Avenue dies while braking [jobug6] by imidazol97 Oct 25, 2009 (5:22 pm)
Replying to: jobug6 (Oct 25, 2009 4:38 pm) The lack of ability to start after stalling might be a defective battery, corrosion on the cables at the battery especially the positive cables where two are on top of each other and corrosion can be in between them.   The problem could be an alternator. The voltage indicator should go higher like 15-16 volts when you start the car after sitting and then drop gradually to about 13.5 - 14 volts after a period of time running.   The stalling could be the EGR valve sticking or dirty. They stay open due to crud or sticking keeping them from closing which causes a poor idle and stalling. Then they will often restart just fine.   The stalling could be a crankshaft position sensor. Lots of those are failing.   A MAF sensor that is dirty measures the incoming air wrong and causes stalling and various problems.   Because the car started right up with a jump, I'd suspect an alternator not charging the battery or a defective battery. But you said the needle doesn't change and it should be at 14 or so instead of at 12.6 when the car is not running.   Somewhere like Walmart can check a battery and alternator and their hours may be long enough you can get in.
#285 of 292 Rear brakes and heater core for buick park ave by karmaboo Oct 26, 2009 (7:47 am)
i have a 91 buick park ave, the rear brakes recently started sounding like the wheel of fortune when i hit the brakes, it sounds just like the wheel as it spins. it has a drum system but someone said i probably just need shoes for it. i have no idea but i hope you do. i was driving the other day and it started smoking out of the dash. kinda more on the pass side, but it smelt like anti freeze and even before that i would always get a wif of anti freeze. i was told my heater core was going out but i was then also told to check the thermostat. i know nothing about cars except that when i had the issue with my crankshaft you guys helped me and my car was fixed with your advice. so here i am again. looking for some help. along with those issues i cant get my vents on the dash to work, i never have been able to figure it out. i used the owners man to help but nothing worked. please write back and let me know what you think. Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Oct 26, 2009 8:57 am) karmaboo (Oct 26, 2009 9:49 am)
#286 of 292 Re: Rear brakes and heater core for buick park ave [karmaboo] by imidazol97 Oct 26, 2009 (8:57 am)
Replying to: karmaboo (Oct 26, 2009 7:47 am) You are going to have to have the rear drums taken off and the brakes checked to determine what is making the noise and why it is making the noise.   heater cores do start to seep. Then the leak gets bigger. If you're smelling antifreeze, it's time to get it replaced after checking to verify the smell is from the heater core and NOT from a leak in water pump or hoses and so on under the hood. Those can give antifreeze smells that get sucked into the air intake just behind the hood and the smell comes into the passenger compartment also.   The vents on the dash operate by vacuum. Check under the hood for a small vacuum reservoir with a tube going to it from the upper intake manifold area. The small rubber tube carries vacuum to the reservoir.   Do any of the controls change the setting, say heater blows out the bottom? If not, then most likely you've lost all vacuum. Rubber tubes rot with age and heat and crack. Also it may just have been pulled off the reservoir connection when someone did sparkplugs or other work under the hood. Replies to this message: karmaboo (Oct 26, 2009 9:49 am)
#287 of 292 Re: Rear brakes and heater core for buick park ave [imidazol97] by karmaboo Oct 26, 2009 (9:49 am)
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 26, 2009 8:57 am) it still blows on the floor and the window defrost but not out of vents. i have tried every setting but it wont blow from vents still. when the car started smoking out of dash i popped hood and looked for smoke under hood. there was none, just from the dash. it all just happed out of nowhere. i was driving, stopped and when got back in the car and started it, it started smoking out of dash. heater still blows but barely gets warm now. no leakage inside of car nor any spots of anti freeze on ground outside of car. would you happen to know of any way i can install my cd player without tearin out the whole entire dash?? please say you do!! lol
#288 of 292 Re: 2004 Park Ave - 75000 Recommended Maintenance [bowfan] by chrisptown1 Oct 31, 2009 (2:28 pm)
Replying to: bowfan (Jul 15, 2009 4:57 am) Hi again. when thaving my climate control unit changed at the Buick dealer on '02 PA with 76k i asked the ser,mgr. about the coolant change as i could find nothing in the previous owners records that it was ever changed He said GM is now recommending change 90k. this doesn't sound right. what is your experience. i live in Northern Maine (cold) if that makes a difference. thanks. all you guys are a lifesaver. Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Nov 01, 2009 9:03 am)
#289 of 292 Re: 2004 Park Ave - 75000 Recommended Maintenance [chrisptown1] by imidazol97 Nov 01, 2009 (9:03 am)
Replying to: chrisptown1 (Oct 31, 2009 2:28 pm) If the color is still an orange that means you have DexCool in it. It may have a slight cloudiness with a brown substance which was put in as an antileak in the form of pellets or a ground organic material that will clog seep locations and seal them up.   I would have the coolant drained and refilled yesterday, even if you can't do it yourself like I do. I would get the old DexCool out, even though it most likely isn't causing you any problems. I would refill with fresh DexCool OR the equivalent by Prestone called Mixes with All Colors, which is a slight green color. Both bottles show the same active ingredients. I don't think it makes an difference to the seals in the motor's upper intake manifold and throttle body area that did develop some leaks due to coolant contact with the original DexCool formula back in 1997 or slightly later before the formula was changed.   I would replace whichever you put in every two years or 35,000 miles, just like in the good old days. Maybe 3 years if you put lots of longer highway miles on it where the entire cooling system runs hot and circulates everything.   Expressly, I changed out the DexCool in my 03 leSabre at 60K at the 2nd drain and refill. I rinsed 3 times with water and got most of the DexCool out so the coolant was clear after running up to temperature and draining. I put in the Mixes with All Colors. Note I did a previous change an put in new DexCool back in 05 (car was 2.5 years old). My 1998 is still running on DexCool after I changed the UIM at 150K and put on an aftermarket type. I did not have to change lower intake coolant seals against the heads--yet. And I don't expect to do so, even though the car had DexCool its whole life.   What you don't want is a low coolant level in the radiator which allows air to mix with the circulating antifreeze. The air and earlier DexCool caused some deterioration and sludging especially on cars where someone added old style green antifreeze--the original non long life type. Checking water level in the radiator also catches any early leaks that may develop in the pre2000 motors at the EGR passage in the Upper Intake Manifold or at the throttle body passage seals with the UIM. Sometimes the loss of coolant doesn't suck back in coolant from the reservoir so the radiator starts getting low without the coolant reserve tank dropping. So occasionally check the radiator--when cool--to be sure it's full.
#290 of 292 Re: Park Avenue dies while braking [jobug6] by nbeahm Nov 05, 2009 (4:37 am)
Replying to: jobug6 (Oct 25, 2009 4:38 pm) I initially had this same problem. It ended up being simply plugs and wires. I replaced them and it ran great. Now, several months later, it is dying and sputters every now and then. My thinking is it's the fuel pump filter clogged. I had changed the fuel filter under the car prior to replacing the plugs and wires. It doesn't seem to be electrical, so I'm going to drop the tank on 11-7-09. I'll post an update afterwards. Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Nov 05, 2009 6:01 am)
#291 of 292 Re: Park Avenue dies while braking [nbeahm] by imidazol97 Nov 05, 2009 (6:01 am)
Replying to: nbeahm (Nov 05, 2009 4:37 am) I would check the EGR valve. Remove and clean it. it may be sticking open slightly as you slow down and causing a stall. You might remove the electrical connector and drive the car on a day it's exhibiting that symptom and see if not having the EGR work my fix the problem. It may set an engine code, but that will erase eventually or you can have one of the box stores erase it with the reader. I believe the local Oreilly Auto Parts loans readers (I think that company uses other names in other parts of the country).   You also should remove the MAF sensor and clean with an air intake safe cleaner or better a MAF sensor cleaner spray. I also used a soft camel hair artists type brush to lightly help remove "lint" from the wire. If you look closely it may look like an electrical charge has attracted fuzz to the wires in the MAF. Dry it and put it back on. The home test is to remove the connector for the MAf and start the car. But since yours only occasionally gives symptoms and isn't running poorly at start, that's not an option. The guy next door had a 3800 Gran Prix that would die or run poorly at times. Replaced MAF and it was fine.   Unless your fuel tank has an opening in the trunk to change out fuel pump AND your fuel pump has shown low pressure, i sure wouldn't do a fuel pump. See if an Autozone or Oreilly will loan you fuel pressure gauges with a long hose and connect it and tape to windshield on outside with duct tape and drive the car until it sputters and see if the fuel pressure dropped at that time.   If it's the fuel sock on the fuel pump, that would show in your gauge work also. That is rare but usually sucks gook onto the sock more as it runs a longer time and then when car stalls and suction stops, the gook falls away allow better pressure again. Just doesn't fit here. If I thought I had goop in tank, I'd do a couple of strong Techron Fuel System Cleaner dosings when tank is almost empty. The high concentration of cleaner added before adding fuel should dissolve a lot of nonparticulate forms of accumlated stuff in the tank.
#292 of 292 Gas gauge needle flipped over by bowfan Nov 10, 2009 (6:59 pm)
There have been a number of posts about the fuel / gas gauge needle flipping around clockwise when the battery is disconnected or too low. The needle ends up stuck underneath the empty tank side pin.   Some of the repair options have been to drill a small hole in the instrument cluster cover by the fuel gauge and use a paper clip to flip it back up, or use a magnet to draw the needle back around to the top side, or disassembling the instrument cluster and flipping it back up with your finger.   I don't know what the actual issue is, whether a capacitor is failing or some other electrical component, so I can't offer any advice on repair of the actual cause. But I have another workaround.   I personally didn't want to drill a hole in the gauge cover, and the magnet trick wouldn't work for me. I ended up pulling the cover off, and flipping it back, but after doing it more than once, I wanted a permanent solution. I noticed in some of the newer models (especially the Ultras, 2002 on up) they have now put a pin on the right ( full tank ) side of the fuel gauge, I assume to prevent it from flipping all the way over. Hmmm... redesign?   I decided to imitate the 2002 model and make a pin to the right to prevent it from flipping over again. repair pics here along with pic of the factory 2002 Ultra pin.   Any of the methods may work for you, this is just another option to choose from.

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