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Stalled car, now engine very noisy and shakes, it's scary.
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no_sprecken
New User
Jan 13, 2015, 12:07 AM
Post #1 of 5
(1303 views)
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Stalled car, now engine very noisy and shakes, it's scary.
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Hello to all! I am hoping someone may be able to shed some light on my problem. I have a 1996 Buick Regal with a 3.1 liter engine. I was driving it just a couple of days ago and out of no where, it kind of choked up and stalled as I was pulling out of a parking lot and into traffic. Before it stalled, I was slowly driving around this parking lot trying to find a parking spot for a while, but it was full, so this is when I pulled out the parking lot and it stalled. I restarted it, and it stalled again... it kind of gagged and died like it wasn't getting enough fuel. I restarted it again and drove it around, stopped and parked it somewhere, and then shut it off and tried restarting it. I did this a couple times just to be sure it was ok. When I did this it seemed fine, so I proceeded. I went to a few more stores as I was out shopping, and the next place I stopped, I shut it off and restarted it to check it again... but this time when I restarted it, it really shook, like something jumped under the hood deep down. However, it did start and I shut it off and restarted and it started this time just fine. For the rest of the day it drove great and this is a car that starts without fail and has always been reliable.
As I was leaving town to go back home, I got about 8 miles out of town or so and the car kind of gagged again or was cutting out like it was going to stall and I panicked. I pumped the gas and it kind of snapped out of it and went a little further, but then it totally stalled, but coughed a little first before it stalled. I coasted and steered onto a side road and parked it and then tried to restart it but it wouldn't start at all at this point. I got someone to tow it and look at it (not a certified mechanic, however). I figured it was something with the fuel system as did he and he did run some diagnostic tests which turned up with codes for EGR (which I knew that one, it's been that way for 6 years or so but never caused problems) and also the fuel pressure regulator. Both of these were replaced and the car will now start... kind of. However, the car is hard to start and if it does start, it kills when you let off the gas pedal AND the engine shakes horribly and is very noisy when it is running! It is like a totally different engine... and it's scary! The person who worked on my car still has it until something is figured out. I want to take it to a certified mechanic because he just simply says the engine is junk and the car is unrepairable. Now, I am really upset! How can my car go from great to junk in one instant from what seemed like it was just a fuel system problem? There was no warning anything was wrong until my car kind of stalled that day in the parking lot the first time. I don't understand what happened to the engine and I think there is something else going on that threw everything out of whack... like the engine is misfiring now maybe? Something. I just can't accept that my engine is junk all of the sudden. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I am a woman that works as counter parts person in an auto parts store. I know some parts and signs of failure for some of those parts and so forth, but not mechanics so much.
Some more info, there is spark, fuel filter was not changed but I don't think that would make the car hard to start, fuel pump is working (he said). I thought maybe spark plugs were ruined now because of the fuel pressure regulator problem, but he says there is spark. I don't know. There were other codes that showed I believe, but the two first or foremost (the EGR and fuel pressure regulator) was what was resolved first. In addition, I just filled up with gas the day prior to my problems starting. It is cold here, I live in Minnesota. I don't know, maybe the initial problem wrecked the engine??? But, I just can't see how that is possible. Any help or advice is appreciated. I know it won't fix things, but maybe someone can assure me I'm not (or am)crazy in my thought processes on this lol. Thank you for reading. :-)
P.S. The person working on my car that said my engine is junk said so just because it makes noise and shakes. He is not basing his opinion on any diagnostics. He has not looked further into anything engine wise to be able to make this judgment call.
(This post was edited by no_sprecken on Jan 13, 2015, 1:17 AM)
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jan 13, 2015, 2:59 AM
Post #2 of 5
(1267 views)
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Re: Stalled car, now engine very noisy and shakes, it's scary.
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First thing you need to do is get this car away from the guy who is working on it. He just wants to throw parts at it and does not know how to diagnose it. Your engine is making a lot of shaking because it is misfiring, and if he can't realize that he doesn't need to be getting paid by you to work on it. There is no code for a fuel pressure regulator.
You have some tools available to you right at your job that can help shed some light on what is going on. First one is to plug your scanner in and read the codes. Post them here. We need the exact code numbers, not generic descriptions. By the way, a stuck open EGR can and will make it run terribly and stall out.
Second you should read the fuel pressure. You should have a fuel pressure gauge in the loaner tools. Hook it up and get a reading. Get that info and get back to us.
I'm in Eau Claire so a little too far away to drive over and look at it myself. My daughter lives over in your neck of the woods in Silver Lake.
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no_sprecken
New User
Jan 15, 2015, 5:05 PM
Post #3 of 5
(1230 views)
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Re: Stalled car, now engine very noisy and shakes, it's scary.
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Hello nickwarner and thank you for your reply! What I did is just to get the car to a certified mechanic immediately. He called me right away and told me the camshaft was broken. I guess this was caused by the fuel pressure regulator problem as gas was filling up somewhere etc. in the engine. This combined with pressure etc caused the eventual major problems such as damaged pistons, valves, etc (I tried to explain this the best I can, so hopefully I explained it ok enough that it makes sense). Ugh!
So, my original guy was somewhat correct in his assumption, however, he could not tell me why or what was wrong with the engine that he thought it was junk. And you are so correct about the throwing parts at it and not knowing what was wrong -- I do have to pay for parts (fuel pressure regulator and EGR valve), but those parts shouldn't have been put on because there was no use in going there with a broken camshaft. My certified mechanic could not understand how my first guy could not see that the camshaft was broken. I just want to note that I am not angry at the first guy, however, and he did try to help the best he could. His knowledge was just limited for the answers I needed to make important decisions on what to do with the car. You just gotta have that definite answer and you can't guess about issues this important and costly. An interesting note from my certified guy, he said he'd never seen a camshaft break like that in a 3.1 liter engine. I was ecstatic to hear this lol. I now either have to get a new engine or buy a different car as of now -- whichever is most feasible at this point.
I appreciated your post as it gave me a glimmer of hope and yes, I felt that parts were being put on without really knowing what was all going on with the thing. I needed some advice, so that's why I came here. :-)
I can't say that I've ever been to Wisconsin though I hope your daughter is enjoying the Minnesota weather -- it's actually supposed to be warm this week and weekend!
(This post was edited by no_sprecken on Jan 15, 2015, 5:08 PM)
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jan 17, 2015, 12:02 PM
Post #4 of 5
(1193 views)
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Re: Stalled car, now engine very noisy and shakes, it's scary.
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Broken cam? Never seen that on a 3.1 myself. If the pressure regulator diaphragm ruptures the gas will flow out of the vacuum line on the top of it and get sucked into the back cylinder area where the left two cylinder intake runners are. A large amount of liquid coming in at once isn't going to be compressed, it will hydrolock. If it is just a bad cam, that can be changed without a new engine. I am not there to see it, so I will have to defer to the expert looking at it who says give it a new engine.
A lot of people call themselves techs and are really parts changers. Its like doctors, we specialize. You wouldn't see a proctologist for a heart problem and expect a good result. At the very least you likely wouldn't be a fan of his exam methods. So maybe this guy can do brakes, suspensions and general things that are straightforward but knows nothing about engine diagnosis. It is just a matter of skill level in that case. A person qualified to do your personal taxes at H&R Block likely would be way over their head trying to do the taxes for a Fortune 500 company.
Glad to hear you got the proper diagnosis. You will often find with cars that the cheapest repairs are rarely the least expensive in the long run. Better to pay a good man his fee one time for a diagnosis and pay for good parts to have him repair it then let someone clueless throw cheap junk at a problem.
If you are going down by Winona this summer you may be running across some of my work. We are building a rather large bridge that should be going in later this year. Expect traffic to suck but the finished result should come out well.
If your car is in overall good shape ask your mechanic for a price on a good used motor. The repairs likely will cost less that a different used car and you will at least know what you have. He can look over your car and give you an overall evaluation of what it needs now and is likely to need in the future. A salvage yard will have tons of these motors. Expect him to also tell you that prior to installing a used motor he would want to replace some of the gaskets, spark plugs and such while it is out so they don't fail on you later while it is in the car and harder to get at. The 3.1 is known for intake gaskets blowing out which leads to head gasket failures from hot air pockets in the head. I wouldn't install one without putting in the updated gasket kit.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 17, 2015, 12:25 PM
Post #5 of 5
(1189 views)
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Re: Stalled car, now engine very noisy and shakes, it's scary.
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Camshafts snapping on 3.1L isn't common, but it does happen. If the intake manifold gaskets allow coolant to leak into the lifter valley, the coolant will wipe out the cam bearings causing the hollow camshaft to snap. You should look for another motor if that is the case.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Jan 17, 2015, 12:31 PM)
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