So I drive a 98 buick lesabre custom. It has about 170.9xx KM on it. Well Yesterday was a very very bad day for my car :( basically what happened was I was driving and was kinda showing my sound system to a buddy then I realized I was doing like 50 Km an hour I'm like oh i should speed it up a tad push the gas a bit and the car was very hesitant on going faster bit of a misfire. Nothing I could do. So we go eat. After I eat we get into the car I start up the mighty 3800. But this time it was not so mighty it was running like a bag of ****. Pardon my language. Misfiring like a crazy ****. I'm like uh oh not good :( trying to get back to work because I was on my lunch at the time I could barely go over 40 km defiantly not good. I make it into the parking lot shut her down and leave her. Later on my buddy comes by I show him what'* up I start the car it had this rancid smell and he tells me to look out the back so I go look and it'* blowing out white smoke like crazy so I'm like great thinking the head gasket went. But then I realized I've seen head gaskets go before and they have never been like this. So I check my oil appears to be just oil with no water. Then I take it across the street to his shop he plugs in the code reader I don't remember what it was but it had something to do with multiple misfires. He thinks it'* either the coil pack or the crank sensor. But he hasn't had time to properly diagnose it yet. So I was just wondering anyone else ever had this problem if any experts could chime in to give me there 2 cents that would be great. Cuz I'm stumped. :( and I miss my car

IF you knew what the code was that would help alot... otherwise it could be a number of things... misfires can result due to anything from bad plugs, wires, coils, the module, to bad connections on the battery and it not getting the voltages out right... then again it could be fuel related with too much or not enough, or a gasket but that does tend to put water in the oil so thats PROBABLY not it... could be still but prolly not...

id let him diagnose it, find out what the code(*) were and holla back at us before blowing your $$$... with the codes we could give a second opinion to help but otherwise its a toss up.... mines doing something similar but i can get to highway speeds, it just cuts out and acts like its misfiring but doesnt throw any codes for it... having to trace and test and its a PITA

good luck with yours
- TL

This sounds like an upper intake manifold failure. It would mean that your coolant overflow bottle is probably empty or low. What is happening is your upper intake manifold (black plastic) has ruptured in the EGR area and is filling your LIM with coolant. The LIM has filled and now that coolant is overflowing into the cylinders.

When the upper manifold is replaced, we suggest changing the LIM gaskets with GM aluminum frame gaskets.

I'm assuming that'* quite the costly job isn't it? oh and is there a way that I would be able to visually see if that blew?

I can remove the throttle body and look in side the intake. You shoudl be able to see if ther is any coolant pooling up in there.

Ok so my buddy is pretty certain it'* the crank sensor. He said the code that it was throwing is P0300. On top of that he said the car doesn't even start anymore it just keeps cranking and cranking but doesn't actually turn over. So now what do you guys think? also i'm not sure if its po300 or p0300?

If it'* not firing then you need to determine if that'* because there'* no spark, or no fuel.

ugh this car is a pain in my *** :( i haven't even had it for 5000 km yet and within this time period my starter went got that fixed now this crap. and he said its getting fuel

The white smoke and sputtering is an indicator of running poorly. If the coolant is low, that'* an indicator, is it low?

When coolant burns, it plumes out the tail pipes as a white cloud.

Easy way to try and see why it'* not firing. Plug a couple of the front plugs, are they wet with coolant, fuel or dry?

this may or may not help in this case . i have a 93 buick skylark with a 3.3L. it was doing most of what has been said. one day i quit cranked over fine just no start. towed it down to work . put it on the hoist . unpluged crank sensor and checked it for power to it . had none now i was think module. wrong took module off the bracket it bolts to was all covered with Corrosion. cleaned it off and the back of the module. had a good ground again car runs great . sorry for so long story .but not everything is just replace parts.