Buick - Century :: 2003 3.1L - Airbag Light Goes On Randomly
Feb 22, 2012
I have a 2003 Buick Century 3.1L. The airbag light goes on randomly. I realize that it is supposed to go on momentarily after I start the engine. Sometimes the light will stay lit for one or more drives and sometimes it will stay off for one or more drives. I have checked the fuse; it is good. I have tried smacking the airbag on the steering and the dash...the light remains lit. I have seen a bundle of wires on the back side of the fuse box and am not sure whether I should try to trace the fuse wire back to both locations or what to do next. Is there some trick of the trade like a reset button and what do you think I should try next?
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The car is a 1994 Buick Century, 3.1L V6, ~ 80k miles. Four months ago she wouldn't start, so I got a new alternator and battery put in. A month later, while on a short road trip, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree the whole drive home (ABS, airbag, check engine, battery) and the voltmeter bounced around from mid-high to red-zone high. Thinking it was a bad reman, the alternator was replaced again when we got home. A few weeks went by and all seemed to be going well with the new alternator until, after driving around the city for a while, the airbag light started blinking intermittently.
Accompanying the blinking, the battery gauge again was bouncing around. Eventually, when accelerating from a stop, the car stuttered when moving forward, the battery light flickered, and the ABS light stayed on. Worried that I'd burn up another alternator, I had a mechanic look at it before my next trip. He checked the alternator/battery loads and pulley and said that nothing looked wrong. On the next trip, the intermittent airbag light blinking and voltage fluctuation returned as well as a single episode of stuttering from a stop... these things all only seem to happen after at least an hour on the road.
TO RECAP: Voltmeter gauge steady sometimes, bouncy other times... but usually too high. Airbag light blinks intermittently (seems to happen only after car is warm). Sometimes (rarely) the car will jerk from a stop, at which point the ABS light stays on. No check engine lights. Battery and alternator are new. Same problems (voltmeter in red, warning lights) occurred with last alternator until it burnt up. It seems like a voltage regulation / alternator problem, but the same symptoms occurred with two different alternators (with two different internal voltage regulators). I suspect that there is some electrical problem (short?) that is causing the fluctuating voltage and the tendency for the car to burn up alternators so frequently. However, I don't know much of anything about cars. Does that sound right? If so, where do I even start?
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Replaced sensor, light stays on.Removed sensor, grounded the probe, light goes out.Replaced antifreeze, bled system twice, no air or oil.Getting desperate. Removed and cleaned battery to body ground strap.Removed and cleaned battery to engine ground strap.Today found out there is no error code in the OBC but the light is still!
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I have a 2003 Buick Century in automatic with overdrive. During the past week I experienced a hum and slight vibration at speeds over 20 mph. (The faster I drive the higher the hum.) I checked the transmission fluid. It was brown and pink but did not smell burned. I have not changed the trans fluid in 2 years. I sent it to my transmission guy for an oil change. He said that the 1st gear clutch was having some problem and there was no 4th gear. He suggested another transmission...
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2003 Buick Century draining fully charged battery overnight. Have tried almost everything and cant figure it out. The high blower is not working either and I am wondering if a short in that can cause the battery to drain? Changed fuses, alternator, searched for shorts, an so on. Cannot find location of the blower.
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Ran scanner and it showed codes C1215, C1226 and C1233. We checked the passenger front and found the wire to the sensor hanging off. It was damp inside so we dried it as much as we could. We reconnected the wire and tested. The light still on. We ran the scanner again, Only one code came up C1233. The book says ( Right front wheel speed circuit open or shorted)
C1233 - Right Front Wheel Speed Circuit Open or Shorted
Read more at: [URL] .....
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2000 Buick Century Custom with 140K miles: Service Engine Light came on. Re;placed gas cap, light still on. Took to dealer who replaced HO2 sensor, light still on. Took to dealer who found no problem but charged $100 for looking. Light still on. Took to dealer who said it needed two major parts. Light still on. Took to another mechanic who could find nothing wrong. Light still on. Is there hope?
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I have a 2004 Buick Century and the small window that indicates what gear you are in, on the dash, is very dim. All other dash lights are bright and working good. Is this the bulb and what sort of job is it to change it.
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The Buick Century has about 22,000 miles. The Service Engine Soon light has appeared on the dash. The instruction manual is not clear. What would you recoomend? What might cause the light to appear?
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Have a 2004 Buick Century and the light that shows what gear you are in is out. Is it the bulb or what? Can it be a fuse?It started going off but came back on later Also how hard a job is it to change the bulb.
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I have a 2003 Buick century custom, 45,000 miles. I just got it 3 months ago, so don't have any maintenance records. Recently, the steering wheel has started to shake/shimmy while driving. It shakes left-right about 1/4-1/2 inch when I let go of it. The car also pulls to the right quite a bit. The steering wheel doesn't seem to shake at all at stops, only while in motion. My dad and I are going to look under the hood at whatever we can tomorrow, so where to start checking for issues!!! I am have been able to fix things before on my own and my dad has rigged his pickup to run partially on hydrogen from water, so gets 75 mpg city from an old 1990 beater that's falling apart physically, so we should be able to fix this if we can figure out what it is. So somewhere to start is what I'm looking for now.
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My problem is my 6 CL died going down the road I got to stop light & she quitly died. I got it started after a few tries & made it to BK, kept trying to start sounded like choked for gas. Hour later starts goes 1/2 mil dies call towtrk. Changed fuel pump(not so bad) fired her up, first couple times ran a sec. and died.
3rd time a charm it started & idled (a lttl ruf) for 20 min.& wife takes it to gas station shut off & restarted no problem & back home. 1 hr later I get in to run an errand & it dies I push it hm pop hood seems awfully hot. Is there a way to test the CPS unit?
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Ok, got a 99 Buick Century that is a cantankerous old hag. It doesn't like to start sometimes. naturally when i really need to get somewhere. The security light blinks at me for a while, goes solid, then i cycle the ignition and hope it will start. It happens with multiple keys and remote start(which has been removed multiple times because each mechanic thinks that will magically fix it). No rhyme or reason, it sends no code, the local buick dealership couldn't figure it out. I think its my security computer. what is the easiest/cheapest diy solution besides get full coverage and leave it in the ghetto with the keys and hope it ends up on cops? battery is fine, it starts normally most of the month, just maybe a handful of times a month it won't. Starter I believe is still good as well, and gets voltage when it starts. Fuel pump audibly works all the time.
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I have 2003 Buick Century. I started having problems with the car after coming to a stop, accelerating - the car starts to go hesitates, then jerks a bit to go. This does not happen every time after a stop but when it does the service engine soon light comes on. Initially I got the P0401 code (I think) and took it in to a mechanic. They could not find anything wrong with the car but did clean out the EGR valve, that didn't work, they worked on my transmission and replaced other parts, still no success.
I took the car to another mechanic who replaced the EGR valve and several other small parts. I still had the problem but this time the error code was P0420. I took it back again and replaced the spark plugs, O/2 sensor, catalytic converter. That hasn't fixed the problem. The mechanic said that they have taken my car for several test drives and the car has not demonstrated the problem. The error message still reads P0420 even after all of the parts have been replaced. The 2nd mechanic has washed his hands of my problem.
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I had my ABS and Traction Control system checked a few times for buzzing sounds and ABS warning light coming on occasionally. My mechanic assured my all the speed sensors and connections were good. I recently noticed there was uneven tire wear on the right front tire. Could a severe misalignment of the front wheels cause the ABS warning light to come on?
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I have a '97 Buick Century. I noticed the smell of coolant, and the "Low Coolant" light flashed on the dashboard. However, according to the temp gauge on the dashboard, the car was at normal temperature. I pulled over and opened the hood. The coolant in the overflow tank (not the radiator) was boiling, and sputtering out.
I took the vehicle to a nearby shop, where they said it needed a new "Coolant Level Switch." They told me they put a new one in and did a coolant flush, and sent me on my way.
About a mile down the road, the "Low Coolant Light" came on again. I pulled over and found that there was ZERO coolant in the engine. I filled it myself, and continued driving. Over the next few days, I checked the coolant every day and it stayed normal. I drove a bit, but never more than a few minutes, so the car didn't have a chance to overheat.
Then, today, I drove it a good distance for the first time since the original incident. After a few minutes of driving, I smelled coolant and pulled over. The coolant in the overflow tank was once again boiling and bubbling out. What it might be?
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My 2003 Buick Century heater works fine while accelerating but as soon as I release the gas the air begins to cool, swiftly. I have had the radiator flushed and the coolant topped off but the problem persists.
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My wife's car, a 2003 Buick Century, has died a couple times on her while driving. Each time has been while she was in the midst of a left turn, so I think that is relevant. Today it is a humid, raining off/on kind of day, but she says that she thinks the last time it did it was a dry day. When it dies, she pulls over, puts it in park, and restarts the car, it runs normal, no problems. She said she has turned the ignition switch off, and then starts the car, and has not tried just turning forward to start, however her daughter said that when it died on her, she could not turn it to start - she had to turn it off then back on and it started fine.
Her daughter said that she had it die once while sitting at a traffic light, so I may be off base thinking that it is related to a left turn. The car has about 155K miles on it, and the only engine work that has been done on it other than maintenance is that the catalytic converter was replaced a few years back, when it was plugged up.
On this same car, I have to spray brake cleaner on the ABS sensors (front) about every 3-4 weeks, when the ABS light and the TRAC Off lights come on. Is there some way to keep them from becoming fouled?
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I have 89 buick Century custom cpe had it out on the highway last night and the Batt light started to flash intermittently. after a little while it calmed down. Had it out running around today and no problem. what should I check besides the battery terminals?
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I have a 98 Buick Century, with about 250k miles on it. Recently when I first start the car and drive a few miles the temperature gauge keeps rising until it is in the red zone and a warning light comes on. When I pull of to the side of the road after a bit it begins to slowly drop and I can begin to drive again. The gauge will then normally stay a bit above halfway for the remainder of the trip, the gauge has sometimes done a bit of jumping around between 3/4 and half sometimes though. The only work that I have had done on it recently is to have some work done on the ac system.
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The car died on me the other day at a stoplight but started up again (It resisted for a sec but then caught). Now it's taking a bit to start and sounds very faint when it finally catches and the turn over is slow. I'm no mechanic but I can replace parts. I'm just wondering if it's the fuel pump or injectors, maybe low fuel pressure. I haven't had a chance to do anything to it. Where to start?
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