1990 Buick Century Hot Stall

1990 BUICK CENTURY
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HUNTER747
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  • 1 POST
I have a 1990 Century with 138,000+ miles.(V6 3.3 L.) About 3 months ago it began to simply idle rough(chugs/misses) when in park. Recently it has begun to stall when the engine is hot.. but only when I shift gears(usually to park) and a small puff of smoke is sometimes seen near the right(passanger) side of engine. It is very hard to restart when this happens.. I have to give it more gas than what should be necessary(Fuel injected). I can also sometimes hear a clattering near the right side of the engine, near the PS pump/reservior.
The engine starts and runs fine when it is cold. ANY advice would be appreciated. We have a very limited income and simply cannot afford to take the car to a shop and let them charge us for trial and error diagnostics.

Thank you for your time!
Hunter
p.s. Upon recieving an answer I wiill make an additional donation as thanks !
Jan 17, 2007 at 6:10 AM
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2CARPRO JACK
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 11,533 POSTS
To start I would check the fuel pressure regulator. It is on the fuel rail and has a small vacuum line from it to the intake manifold.Remove the line to see if there is raw fuel in the vacuum line.If there is then it needs a new fuel pressure regulator. Also look at the harmonic balancer on the front of the engine while running.See if the balancer wobbles instead of turning straight.That might be a crank angle reading problem(the noise at the front of the engine)
Jan 17, 2007 at 8:35 AM

Suggested Repair

Check the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail by removing its vacuum line and looking for raw fuel; replace the regulator if fuel is present. Also watch the harmonic balancer while the engine is running for wobble, which can cause a crank-angle reading problem and the noise at the front of the engine.

Conversation Summary

A 1990 Buick Century with a 3.3L V6 idles roughly in park, stalls when hot after shifting into park, can be hard to restart, and sometimes shows a small puff of smoke and clattering near the passenger side by the power-steering pump. It runs fine when cold. The expert recommends checking the fuel pressure regulator vacuum line for raw fuel and inspecting the harmonic balancer for wobble that could affect the crank-angle reading.

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