2001 Buick Century 3.1 66k miles, Very sluggish

[bigboi407]

i forgot to mention that when it downshifts and revs up high engine starts pinging which i can provide video of, Also since im on the subject of Revving, When in Park it seems to have a Very low rev limit when revving but does not bog in park AT ALL, it doesnt have a RPM guage or id tell u what it is, but its most DEFF not as high as it does when it kicks down and pings,

Whats the easiest way i can tell if theres a vacuum leack, a guy told meh to use a propane torch under the hood if the engine revs up theres a leak, but im not too sure of that idea

The TPS and MAP according to AZ's writeups says both of those can cause this problem i have but id like to confirm wether there is any vac leaks the process of elimination calls for something else to be done before i can buy anything new for it

i totally forgot about the hose

[TGP37]

I am very sure that vacuum hose is your problem IF it is allowing atmosphere air into the intake system. The amount of air entering the engine is more then what the mass air flow sensor is measuring. The engine only sprays enough fuel according to what the MAF says. That vac leak is causing havok....fix it.

You can spray small amounts of a flamable like staring fluid around suspected leak points. If there is a leak, the vacuum will draw in the gas and make the idle RPM increase.

[60dgrzbelow0]

i forgot to mention that when it downshifts and revs up high engine starts pinging which i can provide video of, Also since im on the subject of Revving, When in Park it seems to have a Very low rev limit when revving but does not bog in park AT ALL, it doesnt have a RPM guage or id tell u what it is, but its most DEFF not as high as it does when it kicks down and pings,

What is the easiest way I can tell if there is a vacuum leak, a guy told meh to use a propane torch under the hood if the engine revs up theres a leak, but im not too sure of that idea

The TPS and MAP according to AZ's writeups says both of those can cause this problem i have but id like to confirm wether there is any vac leaks the process of elimination calls for something else to be done before i can buy anything new for it

i totally forgot about the hose

You might get you hands on a Big, Nasty Cigar.... Park the Car and with the hood up while it is idling light up the "Dog Rocket"... and without inhaling or keeping that awful smoke in your mouth, take a few huge puffs on the Stogie...and blow several of them as large clouds of over the front, back and sides of the engine compartment... if there is leak...the thick blue cigar smoke will trail down towards the leak and give a clear indication of where it is. This will not work on very windy days and don't forget to mind the lit end of the thing.... especially if there is an obvious odour of gasoline fuel vapours anywhere around the vehicle. Don't try this indoors, please...and for God's sake...when you find the vacuum leak...put that nasty thing out!

[bigboi407]

You might get you hands on a Big, Nasty Cigar.... Park the Car and with the hood up while it is idling light up the "Dog Rocket"... and without inhaling or keeping that awful smoke in your mouth, take a few huge puffs on the Stogie...and blow several of them as large clouds of over the front, back and sides of the engine compartment... if there is leak...the thick blue cigar smoke will trail down towards the leak and give a clear indication of where it is. This will not work on very windy days and don't forget to mind the lit end of the thing.... especially if there is an obvious odour of gasoline fuel vapours anywhere around the vehicle. Don't try this indoors, please...and for God's sake...when you find the vacuum leak...put that nasty thing out!

HELL NO..... Florida is never NOT windy and cigars are gross.....

I am very sure that vacuum hose is your problem IF it is allowing atmosphere air into the intake system. The amount of air entering the engine is more then what the mass air flow sensor is measuring. The engine only sprays enough fuel according to what the MAF says. That vac leak is causing havok....fix it.

You can spray small amounts of a flamable like staring fluid around suspected leak points. If there is a leak, the vacuum will draw in the gas and make the idle RPM increase.

i will Deff try this out, what if nothing happens? it only does this when in lower RPMs while in Drive, if i punch it, the engine revs up maxes out and the car doesnt go ANYWHERE, Old Ladys drive by us like GTFO THE WAY!!!!!

EDIT: 11am i have sprayed MAF Cleaner ALL over the engine bay and there was 0 difference in idle speed, i have yet to plug back in the MAP, found one on ebay for $30 and a TPS for $20 both including shipping.... they matchtch the same as AZ sells, same PN and both sellers have 99%+ feedback with thousands of sales

EDIT #2: Plugged the MAP back in, its still runnin like crap and i now have notcied a hissing sound AGAIN, But..... it will not happen in Park or Nuetral, SO W...T...Efff i got some good video of it acting up will be loaded soon

[bigboi407]

Guys i plugged Back in the MAP sensor, Cleared codes..... Drove to Downtown Orlando from deltona then to sanford and it wasted 1/2 tank of gas, Then it threw ANOTHER Code.... This time i have a MAP sensor Code #P0107 AND a EGR Code #P0404, The EGR is brand new, So the original may not even be bad..

guy at AZ Asked me if i can get the car to go over 60mph, i told em HELL NO!! and i told em how much gas i wasted and how the car has 0 power, hes like MOST DEFF has to be the MAP sensor... ive already ordered the MAP sensor and TPS just because they were Very cheap, i may tell her to get the fuel pump to keep it handy just incase it does go out,

The car Will not go in traffic, has 0 power... if i smash the gas from a stop i have power until i hit 2nd gear then the car TAKES FOREVER to pick up speed.... im hella aggrivated with this car, i appreciate ALL the help you guys have provided i have sprayed trhe engine bay with flammable sprays to see if i could find a leak, Nothing.... i dont know much of what else to do, i understand there has to be Air-Compression-Fuel-Spark but there is Something that im not used to or familiar with to blame for this, i hope to get this dealt with soon... once and for all

What kind of milage should she be seeing when the car is running in tip-top shape?

[bluebird92]

Your car sounds exactly like my car did a few days ago. It had 0 power, and I was at wits end with it, so I sent it to a mechanic and he said somehow the egr was leaking atmospheric air into the intake. Also, to get it running, I replaced the fuel pump and filter, but the O-ring was defective and allowing fuel to escape, and when he replaced it, my car regained fuel pressure and ran fine. IMHO, if those are the codes, then by all means replace the MAP, and check your egr connections. And like TGP37 said, check your fuel pressure.

[bigboi407]

gues what guys?? Same problems No more Codes.... parts arent here yet.... But W...T...Efff

[talon2swords]

My 97 Lumina made a knocking noise and it would lose most all power in lower gear, like it was a major struggle to move. I didn't know what was wrong with it, but it turned out to be the infamous leaking LIM issue. There was no signs of water in the oil, and before I fixed it, I barely got it home via the interstate. It worked better at higher speeds, once I got past the lower gears. I guess the knock sensor w/ computer was trying its best to keep it going. Just my two cents.

[bigboi407]

i drove about 30 miles or so then the car threw another CEL, i went to AZ, The car is throwing an EGR Code and MAP Code, I double checked the connections... both were just fine, i guess the map sensor really is the culprit, i will know once the new one comes in the mail

Well i went to a GM Dealer to buy a rubber 3 way peice that plugs unto the map sensor, i spoke with the guy there he said DEFF change the map sensor, he said that the map sensor can do a number of things INCLUDING not showing up, but now its throwing a code for MAP sensor and it has all day so We'll see once i change the sensor out

[bigboi407]

The New MAP sensor has been installed along with a new MAP sensor hose, id like to have said " You guys were Right!!!" But i was infact Correct when i said "I think its a bunch of little problems adding up" It DOES NOT Bog spit cough Etc... Etc... The new map sensor has solved that symptom, BUT there is another problem

When accelerating from a take off, when it gets close to 2nd gear IT WILL NOT SWITCH until the accelerator has been released, if i do not release the accelerator it will rev to its max, that goes for changing into 3rd AS WELL.... once it Actually switches to the next gear it doesnt have any acceleration, will take off pretty quick but once it switches gears the transmission FEELS Very weak, but to me it seems like a pressure issue, its not slamming into gear its just Very Weak when driving in any gear above 1st, the transmission doesnt seem to be Slipping AT ALL, doesnt feel as if something is Damaged You guys got any ideas?

EDIT: changing the map sensor stopped it from doing one thing, but i still hear a leak when i hit the gas really hard..... i dont know where it could be from... im gonna try a few things and see what i can do cause i have no clue how to find this leak it doesnt happen in Park im all out of ideas once i change a few hoses out that DO NOT look bad at all

[60dgrzbelow0]

This is an interesting link with some owners of the Buick Century Vehicles who, having suffered from the same weird shifting problems, used a a combination of Sea-Foam and the Higher Grade of GM's Dexron VI Transmission Fluid...and managed to solve the bizarre shifting problems without breaking the bank. Read this one thoroughly... because the answers are scattered throughout the entire textings...

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0e9ec8

As an aside to all this... I wanted to impart a little bit of ancient history concerning the Town of Deltona, Florida. You won't believe this... but back in 1967, I was a high school kid who worked over in Deland, Florida at an old Army Barracks by Sidney Toler Airport ...then owned by Mr. Henry Poppell and called "Poppell's Furniture Galleries". One day I was given an order to deliver a house-full of furniture to a place they were calling... "Deltona"... So I meandered out into a very pretty, rolling hilled section west of Deland and followed a winding, brand new strectch of paved blacktop road out into a clearing where the land hand just been buldozed and numerous concrete foundations had been poured; with the pipes and electric hookups naked for the length of one block. There... at the end of that one row was a single, small dwelling that was apparently...the very first home built and occupied in "Deltona". My partner and I greeted the new owner and then unloaded the truck in the tidy new home...of an elderly, retired female Naval Warrant Officer... I guess she REALLY understood what it meant to "Get in on the Ground Floor" of the then Brand New City of Deltona, Florida!

[bigboi407]

After a newMAP Sensor the car drives much better, Only problem left is --> while the car is in motion, if i hit the gas i can hear a suction or spray sound that is coming from the left of the engine bay, the MAF is secured in place correctly, i have replaced the map sensor hose and replaced a few other hoses, where the hell would this leak be... it doesnt happen in Park and it doesnt happen all the time,..... the car shifts much better after a tranny fluid change, it still doesnt accelerate like it should, but i dont know whats causing this car to not take off like it should

Also how do i flush this radiator? i dont see a valve that i can open on the bottom

While driving on the highway 3-4 gear are VERY weak, i changed the fluid and filter, it has the right amount, when i dropped the tranny pan there was buildup metal on the magnet and i noticed a tranny shop tag under the hood and she told me something was done to the transmission when her mom owned it, this is why i dislike A/T's..

[95SleeperAcheiva]

when you sprayed the engine down with carb clean looking for vacuum leaks, did you spray the brake booster and behind the booster? Have someone apply the brake while doing this too. I don't recommend draining the coolant via the radiator petcock. Older cars tend to never reseal once you've disturbed the petcock. Pop the lower rad hose off and drain it that way.

[bigboi407]

when you sprayed the engine down with carb clean looking for vacuum leaks, did you spray the brake booster and behind the booster? Have someone apply the brake while doing this too. I don't recommend draining the coolant via the radiator petcock. Older cars tend to never reseal once you've disturbed the petcock. Pop the lower rad hose off and drain it that way.

no i didnt do that but ill give it a shot...... i dont understand how it only does it in gear and it doesnt happen every time i hit the gas, but every other time i hit the gas, could it be the fuel system??? i noticed the fuel pump noise while in idle is not stable the sound gets louder then tones down a bit then back up again, but if it was the fuel pump wouldnt it act up at high RPMs?

Best way for me to explain it... lets say you wanna hual ass from a take off, the car will sometmes go but still nowhere near as fast as when she first got it, the car has no pickup after 1st gear, when you hit the gas and your supposed to go, engine roars(She says its ALOT LOUDER than it used to be) but it has barely any advancement in traffic

There was a rotted hose here, i replaced it:


i dont think this is causing a problem:



FPR vacuum connection (Brand new line):


A sort of dry rotted cap (i took it off and blew into it didnt leak, but i will change it ASAP):


i put a new Vacuum elbow here and its perfect:


brake booster hose on intake:


hose connection from booster:



Whats this about??


MAP sensor connection to intake (BRAND NEW HOSE):


Map sensor connection:




I also just noticed while the car is in park and the key is on there is a clicking sound somewhere around the intake, is that normal? it comes and goes, Here is Video of the noise:



My camera that i can upload with can only record 60s videos heres a few so you guys hear how the car is driving, you will have to turn up your speakers to listen in..















she claims its much louder than when she first got it, sounds like something rattling in the intake she says....

Looks like im gonna drive it sometime without the cats in it, someones tellin me all i need to do is change the cats and the problems will go away, said the cats are clogged uponce i figure out how to disconnect the exhaust.... i just disconnect the O2 sensors if i wanna run open header for a few?

[TGP37]

No power after 1st when floored, happens most times but not all the time.......sounds like ATF issues. Considering a rattling, maybe bad input shaft? idk

But I do know the "sucking" sound when floored is interesting to note.....Reasoning that any leak should be heard more so under a vacuum, not wot where the manifold pressure is almost ambient.

I wonder if you are hearing the exhaust being forced out small passages from a clogged cat or, god forbid, teenagers shoving apples up the tail pipe.