1990 buick century problems help please

[sean buehrle]

1990 buick century 3.3 litre
this car will not start after being driven untill it cools down a couple hours

i have replaced the fuel pump,gas,fuel filter,plugs and wires and have ran a tank full of gas thru it with injector cleaner added to the gas.

i have blown the gas line out, it is not clogged.

it has spark to the plugs and the injectors

i replaced the fuel relay switch

i took the ignition module to the parts store and they checked it at least 50 times to let it get hot and it said ok every time.

they checked the 3 coils and said they were good

if i spray starting fluid into the aircleaner opening it will start and then die.

where do i go from here? the only thing i can think of why its not starting is either the injectors are clogged or bad or the crank sensor is bad but i dont know if the crank sensor would affect it from fireing up.

this car runs great untill it wont start.

[Teri]

I have the same problems and have asked for help with no replys. My car has been like this for 3 months. I pretty much have to stay a few hours where ever I go. Put to many new parts on and still hasn't fixed it. I hope someone will reply to you with some answers. My car is also a 1990 Buick Century.

[sean buehrle]

Originally Posted by Teri

I have the same problems and have asked for help with no replys. My car has been like this for 3 months. I pretty much have to stay a few hours where ever I go. Put to many new parts on and still hasn't fixed it. I hope someone will reply to you with some answers. My car is also a 1990 Buick Century.

teri

i changed alot of stuff on this car pretty much everything but the ignition module,but i know the module is good because i took one out of a century that has a good one in it and it still did the same thing. i broke down today and took it to the dealership and they are going to do a diagnostic on it and find out what the problem is with it. i will crap my pants if it was something like a short in a wire or something. my car runs like a dream untill you l;et it sit for about 15 minutes after running,i get no noid light on the injectors after it quits running but i do get spark on the plug wires.its baffleing. i almost went out today and bought a catalitic converter but said to heck with it and let someone else take care of it.
heres a list of what i have done to this car

new fuel
fuel pump relay
fuel pump
crank sensor
fuel filter
plugs, wires
used computer(i switched the chips from one to the other)recommended.

tested mine and used a friends good ignition module to see if mine was good.

had my coil packs tested,good

i find it really messed up that in the last 50 years a auto maker has not made anything on a car that does anything different than what they originally did.
example,
fuel injection=carborators
computers=roters
1 inexspensive coil=3 coil packs that will cost a arm and a leg
ignition madules are so bad on these cars i cant even find a used one in a community of 250,000 people with multiple car yards.
what happened to the days of turning a key to turn on power to your plugs.
its just a giant scam to sell parts and keep the dealerships busy.
im darn glad i still have my 82 f150 pickup with 300,000 miles,i could change the engine in it in a afternoon or put a new tranny in it in a couple hours or rebuild the carburator for 20 bucks,heck i could climb into the engine compartment if i needed to. i spent 3 hours on my buick just changing the plugs and wires. ok im done whineing.hehe.
anyways i will definately get back to you and let you know what they came up with on it so maybe you can check yours out the same way.

[darths]

Have you done an On-Board self diagnostic yet?
Coolant Temp.Sensor....???
Just an Idea...

[sean buehrle]

Originally Posted by darths

Have you done an On-Board self diagnostic yet?
Coolant Temp.Sensor....???
Just an Idea...

today i picked my car up from the shop and i had 3 bad injectors. the guy showed me with some type of meter that they werent getting the right amount of power thru them or something like that,im no technition,but i watched him install the 3 injectors and it fired up like a champ and has been purring ever since.me and my girlfriend went for a 110 mile cruise tonight and everything is great. i was mighty suprised to find out that injectors cost 102 dollars apiece,(im not a rich person) but all in all im satisfied with my car and the outcome.

[RABarrett]

This and similar problems plague these vehicles all the time. Typically, these problems are the result of the ignition module. Every time they are checked, they check fine. This is due to two things; One, they are cool when tested, just like your car is when it runs, Two, the test does not stress the electronics like your vehicle does, things like heat, vibration, and electronic drain are not duplicated; the unit then performs just fine. It is also possible, that, like everything else, the test is simplified to lights switching on and off, eliminating the dumb ass factor doing the test. If a waveform was available for the tech to observe, and he had the brains to understand what he saw, he might see what is wrong. Typically the waveform on the transistor outputs will be distorted, indicating the loss of integrity of the component. Since the module has been the culprit every time these problems occurred, I would try there. Have you tried tapping on components like the air flow meter, the cam and crank sensors, etc? If no response was observed under these circumstances, I suspect a module will repair this problem. I cannot do any testing at the time of the problem, but I would suspect that this is where the problem is. Be careful of aftermarket units at cheap prices... typically they will have the same problem as the one replaced causing you to tear your hair out. Some words to ponder. Ray

[RABarrett]

In answer to Sean's query regarding the meter reading on the injectors, the meter referred to is a multimeter, used for measuring violtage, resistance and current, the big three in Ohm's law. Ohm's law describes the relationship between these three constituents of electrical and electronic circuits, allowing predictability. The problem Sean describes the relationship between the resistance on the correct injectors and the defective ones. If the resistance deviates from the normal readings, the injectors will not respond correctly to the computer's commands, and in some cases may damage the ECM. Their resistance directly correlates to the injectors being able to open at the correct speed, and reclose again, allowing correct fuel flow to the corresponding cylinders. My concern here is that if the injectors were defective, how did that affect the engine's ability to stay running? Typically, these issues affect engine performance, smoothness, response, etc, but even if the injectors were inoperative, they should only have affected the engine performance on those cylinders. I sincerely hope that this individual's vehicle was properly repaired. Ray

[sean buehrle]

Originally Posted by RABarrett

In answer to Sean's query regarding the meter reading on the injectors, the meter referred to is a multimeter, used for measuring violtage, resistance and current, the big three in Ohm's law. Ohm's law describes the relationship between these three constituents of electrical and electronic circuits, allowing predictability. The problem Sean describes the relationship between the resistance on the correct injectors and the defective ones. If the resistance deviates from the normal readings, the injectors will not respond correctly to the computer's commands, and in some cases may damage the ECM. Their resistance directly correlates to the injectors being able to open at the correct speed, and reclose again, allowing correct fuel flow to the corresponding cylinders. My concern here is that if the injectors were defective, how did that affect the engine's ability to stay running? Typically, these issues affect engine performance, smoothness, response, etc, but even if the injectors were inoperative, they should only have affected the engine performance on those cylinders. I sincerely hope that this individual's vehicle was properly repaired. Ray

ray the mechanic at the shop said that after the engine got hot and likewise with the injectors that the injectors would foul or not work right,we have put 700 miles on the car in a short time and its still running great. thx for your reply.

[Teri]

I finally have my car running again. It was ONE bad injector that was causing so much grief. Hope this helps you.