car rumbles, didn't shift, doesn't start

I pulled out of a plaza into traffic and slammed the accelerator much harder than I ever do to get up to speed. As I was slowing to the next stop light I noticed the car jittering/jumping. And when I came to a stop the spasming it was real bad, I thought the car would conk out any second. I tried shifting into neutral and giving it some gas (not really sure if it helped any) and then tried downshifting into other gears, shifting to 3rd and then to 2nd and 1st, with minimal or no change. I put it back in drive when the light changed and accelerated. But it was increasingly slow to accelerate and it maxed out at no more than 30mph, as if it the transmission wasn't shifting to 2nd gear. I pulled over to a parking lot and I could hear the exhaust sounded real loud. I turn off the car and checked under the hood after my friend said he saw smoke coming out. I saw there was no coolant left in the reservoir. And I took off the oil cap and either smoke or steam was coming out. I pour some water into the reservoir and tried to start it. The battery/dash lights/sounds came on, but when I tried to turn over the engine, it just seized while the lights flickered. I got some coolant and filled the reservoir and tried starting it again. The best I could get over the course of a few tries was a kakakakakakakaka sound and it almost wanted to start. Steering into the parking lot was difficult as wheel was hard to turn and pushing the brake needed much more force than normal as the pedal is stiff. I'm new in this town the only shop I could get to wants to charge me 80 plus taxes and fees for an engine diagnostic.

Car is 1995 Buick Park Avenue 187,000 miles bought it used so not sure when things were last changed. Found gunky build-up in reservoir and on radiator cap. Transmission was reportedly leaky last time car was checked.

Please help!

Jon

I pulled out of a plaza into traffic and slammed the accelerator much harder than I ever do to get up to speed. As I was slowing to the next stop light I noticed the car jittering/jumping. And when I came to a stop the spasming it was real bad, I thought the car would conk out any second. I tried shifting into neutral and giving it some gas (not really sure if it helped any) and then tried downshifting into other gears, shifting to 3rd and then to 2nd and 1st, with minimal or no change. I put it back in drive when the light changed and accelerated. But it was increasingly slow to accelerate and it maxed out at no more than 30mph, as if it the transmission wasn't shifting to 2nd gear. I pulled over to a parking lot and I could hear the exhaust sounded real loud. I turn off the car and checked under the hood after my friend said he saw smoke coming out. I saw there was no coolant left in the reservoir. And I took off the oil cap and either smoke or steam was coming out. I pour some water into the reservoir and tried to start it. The battery/dash lights/sounds came on, but when I tried to turn over the engine, it just seized while the lights flickered. I got some coolant and filled the reservoir and tried starting it again. The best I could get over the course of a few tries was a kakakakakakakaka sound and it almost wanted to start. Steering into the parking lot was difficult as wheel was hard to turn and pushing the brake needed much more force than normal as the pedal is stiff. I'm new in this town the only shop I could get to wants to charge me 80 plus taxes and fees for an engine diagnostic.

Car is 1995 Buick Park Avenue 187,000 miles bought it used so not sure when things were last changed. Found gunky build-up in reservoir and on radiator cap. Transmission was reportedly leaky last time car was checked.

Please help!

Jon

check this post:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=363955

sounds like a bit what i experienced. also your steering and brake will not be supported if engine is off, therefore the hard feel on the brake and the difficulty to steer the car.
smoke from the oil cap, if just a little is normal, and as long as you had water in the radiator I don't see a problem there either.

hi,

sounds to me like you got a blow head gasket or intake manifold gasket.

is there fluid in the radiator? check the plugs for white deposit.

if it locked up like you said it might be because there TOO much water in the cylinder ( from the head gasket leak maybe ? ) mand you experienced hydraulic lock on the piston... ives seen this once on a 1998 ford f-150 V6 4.2 L .. i dont want to scare you but it bent the rod..... you see, when the piston is going down, it sucks in air but water from the leaking gasket, then valves close to build up compression for the ignition... but since water unlike air, cannot be compress, the piston can't move and it can damage something.. I.E. a rod
im not saying you have this! but check it out.


check if you have water in the rad, and the plugs for white deposit...or wet plugs.

since the 3800 is prone to this and is it's ONLY weakness, it might be your case since you have high mileage.

hope this helps

Deadring

Another mechanic says it's probably the catalytic converter--that pieces have been breaking down in it and have collected in the exhaust--that this is the reason the car isn't starting. Does this seem like a plausible cause? As I understand it, this would account for the loud exhaust noises before the car stopped working and also might prevent it from starting. But I didn't hear any rattling or "marbles" sounds or the like from under the car. Also how would this account for there being no coolant in the reservoir? I'm trying to discount everything before I go into having the engine taken apart. The other option I was told is that the drive belt jumped the chain or something to this effect. However I think this is less likely the case since I was able to drive the car while it sputtered before I stopped it in the parking lot. Not sure though, so I'm requesting your feedback.

What is a good place to get refurbished parts that I could put in?

=j

Turns out deadring was right. The gaskets were bad and the rod and cylinders also decided to give out, probably because of the resulting condition. The car is no more and this will be the last post I make to this Park Ave forum. I have a 1985-2002 Buick Haynes Repair Manual. Since I'm a student and probably won't get another Park Ave, I'd prefer someone else get use out of it. I'm not really selling it, but interesting trades accepted.

-Jon
[email protected]

Turns out deadring was right. The gaskets were bad and the rod and cylinders also decided to give out, probably because of the resulting condition. The car is no more and this will be the last post I make to this Park Ave forum. I have a 1985-2002 Buick Haynes Repair Manual. Since I'm a student and probably won't get another Park Ave, I'd prefer someone else get use out of it. I'm not really selling it, but interesting trades accepted.

-Jon
[email protected]

Still got that Haynes manual? I can use it.