1990 Buick Century Custom Died and Won't Even Turn Over

Did you have a mechanic look over this car before you bought it? If you did, then I would call them to look at your car. Remember, not all 26 year old cars are meant to turn over.

And this is related to electrical engineering how?

You are the victim of an unethical seller.

There is no hope for you, or your car.

Cut your losses and give it to charity.

Start going through the electrical connections with a multitester to find where the connection is bad... get some conductive grease and start with the battery connections by cleaning them and testing the connections....ground connections...ignition switch...get shop manual and find videos to guide you further...

Chiltons on line.....

http://repair.chiltondiy.com/1990/Buick/Century/Repair-Manual-Online

this car was designed and built in a era when a basic car was expected to serve 8-10 years before falling apart . the gravy train ended years ago, you need to accept that

If you have no comeback on the person or dealer you brought it from take it to a mechanic for a proper inspection.

There may be more wrong than first appears which may be beyond home diagnosis and repair.

Scrap it, Mildred. It's not worth the trouble.

Its always the "clever" ones who buy cheap, crap cars and then want us to find the problem!!

T.P.L.B.T.S.W.A.T.S.

The problem lies between the steering wheel and the seat!

DUMP IT!

Byeeeeeeeeeee

Turn it into a classy rat rod !

I would go to the local auto parts store and ask them what commonly causes this type of problem,they see it all the time.

I would guess, in early designs they put the "brain" in the distributor very easy to replace,or an external "brain" box. Of course before you do anything else check the battery connections hidden corrosion particularly on replacement terminals can cause big problems but again I bet it is the computer or "brain" .

I would go to utube it is a great resource for diagnosis and installation

Based on the dashboard spazm, sounds like a bad/intermittent ground. If the column has been replaced, you might also check that all the computer module connectors are full seated.

Hello,

Does anyone suspect that the poster might be the same person who started the recent thread regarding the very old Chevrolet Cavalier that broke down. I suspect that this may be someone's idea of a practical joke.

putting a dime into this old pile is the joke

Sounds like a loose battery cable.

It seems like you may have two issues.

1. Mechanical - the low coolant. Was the coolant full when you bought the car? If so you might have either a bad intake or head gasket. These can be pricey to repair unless you have a competent mechanic/friend who can do this for you. The biggest cost is usually the labor. Or it could just be a bad radiator or coolant hoses which would not be quite as pricey to repair.

2. Electrical - gauges bouncing, lights flickering, etc. With the steering column replacement the wiring needs to be done right. There could be any number of things going on here with bad wiring, bad grounding. This will likely take someone with excellent electrical troubleshooting skills to sort out. A lot of inspection, getting factory documentation, and testing. This sort of thing is a huge unknown. Could be a quick fix but not likely. The technician hours can add up here trying to sort an electrical problem out. $$$

Things to consider. How much did you pay for it? Do you want to invest more in it?

What are the redeeming aspects of the car? Did it have a lot of new parts, quality repairs(other than your current issues)? Is the rest of it in great shape? Suspension, body, brakes, tires, interior, transmission, etc. Or is it all a little suspect?

Your best bet is to get the car evaluated by someone competent with auto repairs. It's pretty tough to give you any other good advice here.

Best of luck!

If you are as lucky as my son, a junkyard may give you what you paid for it. He's bought 3 heaps in a row and got back what he paid for them after 6 months or so of driving. Of course, he is a professional mechanic at a large car dealership, so he gets his pick of what they don't want to have to deal with, and that helps him get the cost down, which I can deduce you aren't. No doubt you paid more than junk price for the car.

If you aren't lucky, you really don't want to get into the wiring harness of a modern car, where there is obviously an open circuit, unless it is just the battery post connection. Check that and then junk it and take your loss.