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Sedans Buick Park Avenue Buick Park Avenue Maintenance & Repair
297 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 10:57 AM
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Replying to: tamika213 (Oct 30, 2008 3:28 am) 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. |
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Replying to: mike0757 (Jul 27, 2006 5:04 pm) 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. |
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Replying to: jobug6 (Dec 06, 2008 7:39 pm) -- 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. |
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97 PA Ultra. Fuel gauge fluctuates when level falls below 3/4 full, (empty to full). I'm assuming that the fuel sending unit is the culprit, do I have to remove the fuel tank to get at it or is there an access in the trunk. BTW I keep getting a somewhat generic code service engine code.P0441 (Potential - Evap Canister, Vac leak, Fuel cap, I'm thinking it is related. Thoughts?
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Replying to: gtbrown66 (Jan 17, 2009 7:25 am) 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. 
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Replying to: bowfan (Jan 18, 2009 8:08 am) 
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Replying to: gtbrown66 (Jan 19, 2009 4:34 pm) 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. |
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Replying to: gtbrown66 (Jan 19, 2009 4:34 pm) 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!
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Replying to: bowfan (Jan 24, 2009 11:52 am) I would not recommend using a screwdriver as his photos show. The brass drift will not spark as "steel on steel" may. |
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