1992 Buick Century engine problems

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Ghymm1964 - 02 May 2008 18:22 GMT

Hello. I am seeking some semblence of sanity from some one
knowledgeable about Buicks. My car stalls and quits running while
hot. At first my mechanic thought it was electrical, so I received on
different visits a battery, battery cables, alternator and an ignition
modulator. Then it was determined to be heat related so I got a
thermostat, coolant, radiator flush, block flush and so forth. The
new mechanic noticed the upper radiator hose was hot, radiator cold,
so he installed a second thermostat and relay to the radiator fan.
After leaving his garage, the car broke down three miles away. The
car has broken down 19 times in under three months and now the garage
is talking fuel pumps and filters. Any suggestions? The car
overheats in traffic, on open roads and it shudders when going up
hills. I’m not even sure it is a heating problem any more. Thanks
for any input out there as my first two mechanics seemed to just
replace things which obviously hasn’t improved or corrected the
problem.

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HLS - 02 May 2008 19:02 GMT

> Hello. I am seeking some semblence of sanity from some one
> knowledgeable about Buicks.

You need to post what engine you have. I suspect the 3.8, but can you
confirm.

The garage has done a lot of parts replacement, in your case, but hasnt
solved
any problems. Expensive, huh?

For starters, how do you know, for sure, that the car is overheating?

If we can narrow the problems down to what we are sure we know, and what
we suspect, maybe we can home in on the problem.

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Shep - 02 May 2008 21:03 GMT

If all this work was done specifically for the stalling issue and nothing
has changed, I'd dispute the work with your chg card co., be in small claims
court or bringing in a 3rd party to resolve the money issue, if the work was
done because ,in spite of the stalling, it was needed different story. You
should drop the car in their lap and say now fix my original problem, or
answer to a lawyer. I can think of 1/2 dozen issues that can cause your
symptoms, ultimately it must be diagnosed on site by a repair shop.

> Hello. I am seeking some semblence of sanity from some one
> knowledgeable about Buicks. My car stalls and quits running while
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> replace things which obviously hasn't improved or corrected the
> problem.

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HLS - 02 May 2008 21:06 GMT

> If all this work was done specifically for the stalling issue and nothing
> has changed, I'd dispute the work with your chg card co., be in small
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> cause your symptoms, ultimately it must be diagnosed on site by a repair
> shop.

You got that right.. That mechanic was wild a.s guessing, if not worse.

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Paul - 02 May 2008 23:02 GMT

Odds are the crank sensor is shot.
However, I would not just throw one on without diagnosing the problem first.
It sounds like the first two techs did not do any diagnosis and you got
taken for a lot of money.

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HLS - 03 May 2008 00:35 GMT

>> Hello. I am seeking some semblence of sanity from some one
>> knowledgeable about Buicks. My car stalls and quits running while
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> It sounds like the first two techs did not do any diagnosis and you got
> taken for a lot of money.

I have had crank sensor problems myself. They dont, AFAIK, result in
overheating. They normally result in starting and drivability issues.

But we all agree, the earlier work was just guessing and throwing parts at
the problem.

Diagnosis is definitely needed.

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