93 Buick Centry Wagon, ECM?

[Wagon Mom]

I am on fuel pump #3, I won't mention where the first two were purchased. Yes, they were bench tested and were no good. I have been stranded 4 times in the last two weeks.

Finally I think I have a good one, however, vehicle will not run, starts but dies right away.

Father-in-law and I mess with sensors, and all the sudden she starts to run, so I take it to mechanic, according to the diagnoses, ECM is very bad, does not even want to let mechanic in to read it. When it does let him in, it tells him a bunch of sensors are reading wrong. Nice guy, tells me how to replace ECM myself.

I do it, it starts and runs a little rough, so I figure it is safe to take home from the in-laws.

Here is the last nerve part.
I load the clean laundry, the tired whiney kids in the car, the stupid cheese crackers grandma gave them, and it does the same thing, start, die, start, die. Yes, the fuel pump came on.

So next day, tried again, no luck. Now it has been hauled to the mechanic. It has sat there a day and a half,

Yesterday - he went to see if he could start it and it did and he drove it into the bay, diagnosed it. Can't find anything wrong.

Today - nothing is wrong, runs good, nothing is showing up wrong . He will drive it tomorrow too, I said, "Take it to lunch". He can't fix it until it screws up.

Could it be that the ECM has finally programmed the car? I found an obscure paragraph on a GM site that said this modle needs about 40 miles of running rough before it programs. But what about not running at all, or is all this part of programming?

I desparately need a solid answer,

I start the next semester of college next week, 75 miles away and from morning to late night 2 days a week. I cannot be stranded from my family that far away.

[Slimone]

Originally Posted by tbaxleyjr

I am interested in what the trouble codes are. There is a way (Autozone.com or Haynes manual can describe in detail) how to retrieve the codes by connecting a bent paper clip in the two upper right hand terminals of the diagnostic connector and counting flashes of the check-engine light.

Lets also look at getting more fundamental information such which engine is in the 1993 century. This will help any folks want to help be able to find the right wiring diagram for the car and understand what is happening before taking stabs in the dark. With the information i have thus far, I can guess a bunch of things from wiring shorts to a bad ECM to a bad fuel pump relay

Hi, your fuel pump is turned on by the relay and then when you crank over the motor OIL pressure Switch takes over ,you might check it,also start checking grounds in the system, have fun Slim

[Wagon Mom]

Engine is V6, 3.3 L

I just read a new post about a 92 Buick Century that is similar (not the exact same) to my problems, I also have 150,000 miles on mine.

As far as trouble codes, when she runs she has no codes at all showing up. It is at mechanics now, again. So far mechanic wants it to quit on him so than he can see the problem, everytime I get it there it starts up for him.
I tried to get the codes myself off of this by using the paperclip method, however it only flashes 1-2, and I am getting this when it is not running. I have been told I can't read anything that way with the engine not running, the mechanic can with his stuff.

I told him to drive it alot until it gives up on him.

This thing will run, than go to start it, no run. It gets bumped and jarred around in the towing, than starts up again. Mechanic is leaning to a connection problem.

92 Buick Century similarities to mine -
When it runs, it idles lower now than it used too.
When it runs no trouble codes are coming up on it.


Somebody at GM has got to know about this. Somebody has got to know about this. Please.

[Jerry98]

Wagonlady, Im the guy with the posting of the 92 buick century problem http://www.car-forums.com/talk/showt...8343#post48343

My problem turned out to be the result of a bad crankshaft position sensor, they replaced it with a brand new AC Delco sensor and the problem is now gone. Just to let you know, it never did show a trouble code in my cars computer. I hope you dont have the same headache I went through with this. Good luck and God Bless.

[Wagon Mom]

Well the mechanic found that connections in the sending unit were loose, so he tightend them up. I picked up car today, drive it down to put just a little gas in. Paid for gas, went to start it up, and it would not stay running .

So I called him, he came right down and checked it over, had me keep trying to start it for him as he messed with it. No luck, so we pushed it out of the way. He came back for a few hours later, with a tow dollie if needed. Went to see if it started, and it did, and it ran all the way to the shop.

Now they drove this thing on a bumpy road all week long trying to get it to mess up. It never would for them, but at least he got to see at the gas station what I am dealing with. However he is at his wits end too. Tomorrow he starts to go over the entire electrical system.

[Wagon Mom]

I have recieved this car back twice since they tightened the sending unit up, both times it ran as far as a gas station and refused to restart when I came back from paying for the gas. They replaced the fuel pump AGAIN, this is the 4 th one.

Mechanics came strait down to the station, they know now it is not the pump. Something is shutting off the feul pump. They check the coil packs while I was standing there, possibly the ingnition module under there? All they know now is what it is not.