89 lesabre still with engine problems...help
 

Hi. My 89 lesabre is still having engine troubles. Ive changed the air intake sensor, the MAF sensor, the throttle position sensor, checked vacuum lines, checked for intake leaks. there are no intake or vacuum leaks. Now this is what the car does still....first..when i turn the ket to the 'on' position the check engine light and overheat light(red exclamation mark) will randomly flash for no reason. I cannot check the codes due to this. When i go to start the car sometimes it will start up fine(however the engine light is ALWAYS on no matter what, or at least flashing constantly), sometimes it wont start at all, or if it starts i cant take my foot off the gas or it will stall. Now when i actually get it running it will usually run for a few minutes then the overheat light will flash and when it does that the car bucks and sputters as if its not getting any gas, and will usually stall. If it does stall it WILL NOT start for at least ten minutes. The car is not overheated, but the computer may think it is maybe? This problem first started out of the blue while driving through saskatchewan, the car ran fine when i bought if, and for 2 days after, then all of a sudden on the highway these problems started for no apparent reason. the car got worse every time i drove it now it will not run for more than a couple seconds if at all. So...
AIT sensor---new
MAF sensor---new
TPS sensor--new
no vacuum leaks
no intake leaks
car white smoke out of exhaust sometimes
car feels like it running lean but burnt 20 bucks in gas in about 60 km's
car will backfire when trying to start
???!! SPEEDO will work sporadically, show random speed(eg. 150kph for going 40) however all other guages work fine
exhaust smell is VERY strong--new exhaust--lost of water out of tailpipe
mechanically the engine if good, runs very strong when running right-200,000hwy KM
Not possible to check codes due to randomly flashing check engine light
Possible problems..?? Maybe a new computer is needed, maybe there is a short somewhere(although this problem happened all of a sudden out of the blue and gets worse and i smell or see NO burnt or even dirty wires). Im about to give up on this car and junk it. Any help one last time would be appreciated, ANY ideas or possible causes let me know, ill check all of them. Thank
1989 Buick Lesabre Limited
3800 ln3 w 200,000 km's

I think you are describing the classic ECM failure for the 88-91 3800's.... the SES flashing is a dead giveaway for an unhappy ECM..

The Temp light is should be switched and may have to do with a temp sensor separate of the ECM feed..

at this point I'd be willing to try an ECM... any ECM from an 88-90 H or C body will work for you... For 91 an ECM from a Lesabre, Bonneville or Olds 88 should work... Make sure the 8th didget is a C ...

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reply
 

thanx for the info. im gonna go get an ecu tommorow from the scrap yard. how much should it cost? less than 100? thanx

yard
 

Prices vary from yard to yard. Ours charges $25 for ECU's. Call around or PM Boosty, he might have one.

thanx, im going to get an ecu and ill install it and see if it works. junkyard wanted 50 for it.

ECU price
 

I sold the one off my Volvo 240 for $75. It was only used for two model years and was a little harder to find than these VIN C units. I could have easily gotten twice that much, but I didn't want to gouge anybody.

Went and bought the computer, 57 bucks, installed and the car is running fine now. thanx for the help. also got a new front driver caliper, old one was sticky, suprisingly new caliper was only 19 bucks from carquest.....