Buick 3800 BAFFLES the Owner (Long Crank-Surge-Stall...No Codes, No A/C?)

[@frugalprepper]

I love the 3800. My favorite engine ever. I still daily drive on. I wish the wouldn't have quit making them, but they got to meet the fuel mileage standards. So now we get 22 timing chains, direct injection, and little turbos.

[@JoseDiaz-xc9xs]

What if epa reforms dialback the regs and we can get reliabilty over efficency....we can dream....

[@JoseDiaz-xc9xs]

love the frugal prepper channel btw....

[@Law_Abiding_Citizen_ok]

Looks like he been transporting very large chickens😂😂

[@2nickles647]

I agree. Best engine. I had a 3.1, never burned oil. Started every day, no issues. Until some idiot stole it and spray painted the car. Destroyed the interior, broke the muffler off. My insurance covered my loss.

[@keithangstadt4950]

I could get close to 30 mpg with my 3800 if driving conservatively. Be hard pressed to find a 6cyl that even gets close to that these days, even with all the modern doo dads

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

One of the best v6 engines ever made ! That buick still has another 200k left in her !

[@normyanke2515]

local taxi co ran these until the vehicles rotted out, never a problem

[@davebarcus7118]

Seeing all of what appear to be staples in that headliner reminds me of my favorite car, a 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix. I had to do that as well. I miss that car.

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

Love the pin cushion headliner.

[@major__kong]

I had an old Honda Accord. Headliner started sagging. It wasn't worth the trouble of pulling it out to fix it. So I used thumb tacks to hold it up.

[@volvo09]

​@@major__kong I remember being tasked with putting thumbtacks in the back seat area of my dad's old Chrysler 😂

[@Mr2004MCSS]

I still drive an old 92 Chevy Cavalier. It has pin cushions holding up the headliner on it too.

[@lvsqcsl]

After almost 500,000 miles, I took the 'ol Marquis to my local upholstery shop and they glued in a new headliner and redid the sunvisors. It had just started to come loose around the rear window.

[@lieutenantdan8170]

The 3800 half crank start up always amazes me

[@jws3925]

Love those 3800 engines. I had two of them and they were the best. Good power, great highway mileage. An engine that never should have gone away. Look at the crap engines that replaced it. Honestly, I don't think GM has an engine presently that is anywhere near reliable as the 3800. That's why I bought a Honda when my 2008 Buick Lucerne's transmission needed replaced. Couldn't justify putting in a transmission in a 16 year old car. Besides, my wife had been bugging me for 5 years about getting a new car. Hated to see that car go but things were wearing out. The last year I owned it: new radiator, new AC compressor, new steel fuel lines (northern car) so it was time I guess. What a nice driving car however...........and much quieter than my Honda. Road noise on the highway is obnoxious in this Honda. I will likely trade it in sooner rather than later because of this but what do I purchase? A Lexus? Acura? They all have turbos which I will not get.

[@brianw8963]

I know where there’s a really nice totally rust free 94 Camry with the 1mzfe, but I know it would take a lot of “persuasion “ for the guy to part with it. 😅😅

[@sblagg527]

If you're looking for a 6 cylinder sedan in a modern car, you're probably out of luck unless you want to spring for a BMW or similar. At least Honda/ Acura still puts a V6 in their midsize-full size SUVs which is more than I can say for most car manufacturers these days

[@LesReeves]

One of if not the best engines built by GM Cheers Ivan.

[@TXCherokee]

That car is one of the best ever made. Easily drive 500,000 miles. With some low cost parts along the way

[@KevinTMcGing]

So true

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

😂😂😂😂

[@MrTonyPiscatelle]

That's one of the reasons we love watching the Ivan diag show on you tube. He shows us just about everything that he can so we get to learn and understand. Best videos on you Tube right here folks.

[@jg7041]

That headliner is held on with hopes and prayers

[@mikechiodetti4482]

My wife had the 3.8 V6 1986 1/2 LeSabre. That 3.8 was great. The rest of the car was a rolling intermittent on 4 wheels, but that 3.8 had 427,000 miles in it when the reman transmission finally quit. Good one Ivan. Nice A/C machine.

[@d.j.9961]

Wsup Ivan! What a awesome technician! I just picked up a 2000 Lesabre w/123k miles & it was garage kept & never driven in snow. Living in the rustbelt, I know that I NEED to spray fluid film the entire car immediately! Thanks for the always interesting content. Happy holidays to you & your family.

[@DIYDaveOK]

I had an 04 Lesabre with that great 3800 and the interior failed before the engine. Good car. Thanks Ivan!

[@gman7949]

The master diagnostic technician at his finest. Great video Ivan.

[@awakenotwoke1973]

14:54 Winter is even more essential for A/C - instant dehumidification of the windows.

[@chiluco2000]

I think that is more convenient than heating the cabin excessively to try to evaporate the windows off

[@baxrok2.]

Love that note from the owner. Thanks Ivan!

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Quick diagnostic, mostly due to your experience and knowledge, Ivan! Car is smoothly back on the road and customer is very happy - what more can one desire 🙂

[@franklincormorant8312]

There was one hidden flaw in the 3800 that would crop up occasionally. The front of the balance shaft used a ball bearing which would wear down with mileage. GM also used this design in other V6s like the 4.3. Happened to my '94 LeSabre with the Series I 3800. Sounds like water pump bearings but louder, and continues with the drive belt removed. Unfortunately the engine has to be lifted out for the balance shaft to clear the fender. I parted ways with it at 230K miles, but we had good times together.

[@larryberry2436]

I had a similar fuel pressure regulator leak with a Ford van once. I was inside the cabin with the dog house off doing my preliminary checks when the SA opened the passenger door to remind me for the second time that the customer was waiting as I was pulling the vacuum line off of the fuel pressure regulator. He got sprayed with fuel. Glad it didn’t get on the interior 😊

[@firstlast---]

Priceless 😂

[@chiluco2000]

The praise form the customer at the end says it all 👍

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Love the old cars!!!! Thanks Ivan!!!

[@meblake7359]

Visual inspection is always a must. So many mechanics I see just don't want to take the time and look for problems. I find it fun.

[@windward2818]

Absolutely 100% correct. Ivan is in the salt belt, and as such, he should do a thorough visual inspection on every car he works on, and document any problems with a photo. I don't know the auto repair licensing laws in PA but licensed repair shop usually inspect the vehicle for obvious damage top, bottom, all around. This is a good step in troubleshooting, but also for liability purposes in case something happens and you go to court. Many times during the inspection you will see electrical work that needs to be done, and only after these repairs are completed, do you move on to diagnosing the vehicle. But, here again I do not know if Ivan provides a warranty on his work. I make my own automotive battery, charging, starting and power distribution cables and harnesses so I can easily make the best electrical repairs before the vehicle diagnosis is complete. Many times you cannot complete the diagnosis unless the vehicle power systems are reliable, you will just chase your tail. If the customer signs the waver portion of the invoice for no warranty then I will just repair what's immediately broken like Ivan does. Many times without these preventative electrical repairs the car will not last the winter due to a no crank or a no start or some other similar wiring corrosion issue.

[@Sandmansa]

Older cars are usually much easier to diagnose. Because there are much simpler systems involved. Just going off of the description, it sounded like it could have been a loss of fuel pressure somewhere. Either weak fuel pump, leaking injector or leaking fuel pressure regulator. When Ivan pulled the vacuum hose from the regulator and I saw liquid coming out, I just blurted out, Bingo! lol. Nice find Ivan.

[@Tedjenkins55]

Ivan can I say you're an excellent teacher reason been lots of people would see gobble de goopon your scanner with graphs members and letters but you have the ability to teach in layman's terms to help decipher info.

[@mph5896]

3800 cars, I haven't worked on one in 6-7 years. They all rotted out or the trans took a poop and were scrapped. On cold days, I'll have to bring the refrigerant tank inside to warm up before charging systems. Then it goes right in.

[@chrishill1219]

100% correct Ivan, keep the old cars going. Love the shop work videos.

[@keithangstadt4950]

I had the exact symptoms with my Grand Prix. Shop couldn't figure it out. They had it for 3 weeks. I thought it was the evap canister, so I replaced that. That fix worked for a few weeks. Finally changing out the evap purge solenoid fixed the problem

[@Garth2011]

Sound like it needs a new blower motor too. Good diagnosis again by Ivan.

[@greatwhitenorthcanada9600]

I can relate to the customer. Having the problem explained and why things are done go along way to understanding what happened. Things like the pins being spread may make this customer check stuff next time, and he will have you to thank, rather than never knowing why the A/C didn't work before he brought it into the shop and did when he left.

[@stephenmoxley3004]

This was way too easy for you, Ivan. But it does prove that visual inspection is still one of the best diagnostic tools ever. I agree with some others, in that the Buick 3.8L V-6 is one of the best engines ever produced. They seem to last forever. Keep up the great work.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

You just have to know where to look 😉

[@dustcommander100]

Great job! I'm tempted to put one of those engines in my antique car.....

[@nishnet8882]

The usa has become a clock spring for many of us in the world to wind up here on KZbin, what with world events right now……but, another great vid Ivan…thanks

[@sblagg527]

LOL!! I have a 2004 Buick Century with the 3100 V6 and the EXACT same two problems!!-- long crank time after a heat soak and no AC! Can't wait to check these items that Ivan fixed!

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Ivan, all that car needed was some ever loving care. Great job. Thanks for Sharing! 🙃🙂

[@jefferyedwards5003]

Gotta love the golf ball roof. Buicks were bad for having a droopy liner...as was in my '85 Century.

[@justinshaffer3419]

I had a '89 Olds Toronado with that engine. Great gas mileage and would cruise 80 to 90 mph easily all day. Best car I ever owned.

[@kevink8481]

Legendary 3800, Legendary 350 small block. Owned both of them! Dumbest move I made was selling them

[@knowsnugget3321]

Good job Ivan

[@Karrpilot]

I put a quick start / fast start ignition module on mine. From air tech-wells i believe. The stock GM module won't fire the coils until the module sees #1 cylinder on compression. This module fires the coils as soon as the engine rotate.

[@billziegmond4943]

3800 WAS A SOLID ENGINE. NICE WORK MY FRIEND.

[@davidr8750]

Really enjoy watching your videos.

[@mikeschaefer6956]

Everything was easy to get at. I love them engine's. In the rust belt they rot out but engine's still run great

[@79tazman]

Those old Buick with the 3800 is great cars I had one and it ran great right till the day I had to junk it from me driving it year round and you being from PA know how the winters are not too good on them cars good thing buddy is from the south where the cars never rust but the interiors end up cooking from the sun. anyway those are great cars and still wish I had mine.

[@user-pq9ji7kt4l]

As usual- amazing troubleshooting! 😊

[@tube8533]

Congratulations!

[@lvsqcsl]

I would say the next thing he needs is a new headliner. I would say he ran out of staples. Sounds like the HVAC fan is about to go as well. GREAT VIDEO!

[@glenharper3136]

Thanks for the video Ivan.

[@ronaldbrown5745]

The AC does work in the winter during a defrost cycle.

[@hugh007]

People forget the original 3800 wasnt balanced well. The conversion from the V8 to the V6 put it out of balance. I had one in a 77 Firebird. Never smooth and beat the hell out of timing chains and plastic sprockets. Mine was looking at its 2nd replacement by 100K. Thanks Ivan.😅

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@hugh007 early 90s they installed a balance shaft 😉

[@hugh007]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I think they redesigned the crank and to make it fire more evenly.

[@dominikweber4005]

I daily my 3800 series 3. 05 grand prix. Those are good motors as far as I can tell. Stalls after a heat soak somtimes and intermittent wiper on low, and steering is a litle sensitive when going straight. But never let me down

[@ChrisWilliams-pu8pj]

Thank you Ivan. Great video as always!

[@CarCareAuto]

Nice, these easy ones sometimes feel the most rewarding.

[@davidebare3401]

Awesome video! Love those older Buick engines. I have both the 3800 and 3400. Nice finale to a diy video introducing super expensive shop level ac machine that I wish I could afford😂

[@firstlast---]

Gotta love the easy diags

[@BlazerAl364]

Great Vid 💪 . Love the custom sagging roof liner repair 🤣🤣

[@brianw8963]

Oh yeah, the GM Camry. 😅 Every time I see those coils I think of of a certain collaboration episode. Great cars , but be careful if You find a great deal on one in our area. Had a fella bring me one to check out AFTER he purchased it. It looked and ran great. First red flag was the 2 year old inspection sticker. Second was the hump under the carpet in the left rear . But it was a great deal! I didn’t have to think twice to turn that project down. The right side wasn’t much better. 👍👍🇺🇸

[@KarateSensei71]

That headliner repair gives me clues as to why that car has issues.......

[@ThomasAutomotiveTX]

Those A/C machines are definitely sweet.

[@pedroequis9396]

Fuel pressure regulators were a recall item.

[@Blackford86]

Awesome job

[@CedroCron]

Good Job!

[@xrisdavid785]

@ 16:15 ----> ...."I love this thing...." BET !!!!! That's a nice machine you got there Ivan ! And you got that right about "southerners"....livin' in A/C year round ----> cars, homes, workplaces, et al...MOST OF 'EM....I'm the odd man out drivin' w/ the windows open & not wearin' a shirt to boot !! [keep a t-shirt handy on the passenger seat to throw on while shopping]

[@paullyons4624]

I had a snap on air con machine here in the uk, broke three times in 5 years, by year 5 parts obsolete and threw away. Lesson learnt, never again.

[@ericmc4195]

Love the follow up email from the customer about interacting as you were diagnosing and repairing. I've noticed that in several of your videos. Unlike normal shops that take you car behind a metal curtain.

[@haroldhawkins9370]

Nice video Ivan.

[@throttlebottle5906]

fuel pressure regulators were always bad on vehicles of that age, seemed over severe on them since it would sometimes explode the intake. ford, gm, chrysler and anything else that had them. certainly low on refrigerant(low resting pressure), too low to cycle on. somewhere back then they added low pressure cut offs, often as a dual high side switch or sometimes separate. otherwise they short cycled the compressor to death on the low side cycling switch, nuking the clutch and often the compressor from lack of oil, as it all gets stuck out in the system.

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Amazing ! Thanks !!

[@ofalejandro12]

watching from dallas 👍

[@letzrockitrite8469]

I love the owners follow up note !

[@alansoccer2003]

Now I trust that snap on ac mechine more than the Mr cool it actually clears the ac lines after your done instead of leaving the pressure in it. The me cool usallly ends up under charged by a .25 pound

[@KaldekBoch]

As Derek from VGG would say: "Le Sab-ray!"

[@flyinwalenda]

That guy is a tool. He's not in the same league, and in it for himself. Ivan does this to help his customers and educate the viewer.....not to cash-in getting clicks and views.

[@fieldsofomagh]

One customer who'll be enjoying his Xmas turkey thanks to a tech begining with "I".

[@GNX157]

I was gonna say check the regulator for vac leak and not holding rail pressure, along with the check valve in the pump and the FP isolator in the tank.

[@destruct61]

Honestly I knew it was the fuel pressure regulator from the start I've dealt with these so many times is extremely common problem on these things

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

1997 LeSabre Driving home, half a block from my house. Held power window switch a bit too long putting it up. Engine stalled. Long story short, ground location on passenger fender was bad. Took about an hour to find it.

[@rhkips]

I think you might be the first person to capture a test light burning out on camera! Ivan with the KZbin exclusive! XD Man I miss working on these. Such nostalgia for simpler times! How do you like your Snapon A/C machine?

[@fletch3576]

Good morning Ivan 🙏

[@mariosaccoccio1688]

Love the "Swiss cheese headliner!"

[@paulsullivan6392]

After the past few videos where you had to ride the struggle bus you deserve to have one which is relatively straightforward and you didn't have to crawl underneath a vehicle.

[@davidturner4639]

Another good one! Just one thing, they might want to do something about the acne on the headliner. 😂

[@MikeMcAuliffe-g2f]

Might notice that the blower fan was whining. Let the owner know. Might also check the interior cabin air filter. Suspect an a/c leak, so that may need attention down the road. Very informative- vacuum actuated fuel p. regulator.

[@ShannonCoffey-l6b]

That is ny buick. I replaced the fan motor with third party unit and it started wining within months. Not an easy replace for a 75 year old, so I live with it. My air cleaners are changed regularly. Thanks for comment.

[@MikeMcAuliffe-g2f]

@ShannonCoffey-l6b Had a hunch you were on it.

[@mikefoehr235]

How do you know for certain the AC has no leaks like at the condenser? Wouldn't it be wise to put dye in the AC system and check for leaks?

[@MarkS61]

Hopefully Ivan did the leak test, seeing if the system held vacuum, after drawing out the old refrigerant and just didn't show it.

[@ToxicwasteProductions]

I have a simular but different fenomonem on my Volvo. Runs rough stumbles and misfire from what dtc tells me random cylinder 2345 so far confirmed. But... It only does so when engine is cold or half warm. When it's up to temperature the car runs like a dream. No dtc for maf boost throttle body. No lean or rich codes. Just no codes at all to hint the issue. I know it's a long shot. What would you suggest to try first? The key is it only happens when the car is cold or heatsoaked but half cold. It doesn't feel like it's the same cylinder but multiple as the misfire is not constant tempo. Done the basics filters oil and sparkplugs already. I have access to Volvo vida but without knowing what basically to go for first it's a long shot. 2001 manual 2.4 turbo xc70 I'm guessing it's a minor fault. But finding it is the hard part :)

[@kensmith174]

I built myself a variable load test light, using a LED. It'll never burn out, and with a twist of a knob I can vary the current draw from 4 amps down to a few milliamps.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@kensmith174 how can an LED draw 4 Amps? Must light up the entire state LOL!

[@kensmith174]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics 🤣 Obviously, it can't. But if it is wired in parallel downstream of a 3ohm 50 watt resistor and 50ohm 50 watt rheostat, it can draw anything from 4 amps down to 200 mA, depending on which way you twist the knob.

[@kensmith174]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I used female banana sockets in the 3d printed housing, so I can use my multimeter leads, clips, clamps, etc on the load tester.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@kensmith174 That's a neat idea! But wouldn't an LED be misleading since the brightness stays about the same over a few volts?

[@kensmith174]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics The LED only tells you power vs no power. The brightness doesn't tell you anything about the current draw. The current being drawn by the load tester can be assumed based on the ohm's law equation, when the resistance and voltage are known the calculation for the current is simple. The settings for the rheostat knob are engraved on the housing, and assume a 12v circuit. Of course, if the voltage is different, then the current will be different. Example, set the rheostat knob/wiper at the halfway point and the total current on a 12v circuit might be 2 amps, whereas @6v it would be 1 amp. I set the engraving markings locations on the using using a multimeter to measure the actual current @ 12v, because the wiper on the rheostat is non-linear. I also made a simpler one awhile back that just uses a toggle switch to select between 500mA and 1 amp, using two 10ohm resistors.

[@TonyBaroni]

Enjoyed the video. I was wondering if having the customer present with you while you were working on the car was something you are ok with? I owned a construction company and found usually when the client was "just going to watch" our people work, most of the time it detracted from the amount of work getting done due to frequent questions. There was nothing to hide but it just took time away from the project. Thanks.

[@rickblanchette]

The refrigerant went somewhere, I would have replaced both service valves and then done a leak test to check o-rings. Sorry, I am a Florida guy and gone down that road too many times.

[@DS-ss396]

I have a 2003 lesabre and a few of the relays in the rear fuse box are getting hot. The fuel pump relay does not get hot at all. No codes. Car stalls intermittently, starts right back up. Weird thing is the fuel pump will prime when the key is turned maybe 1/8th of an inch from OFF to UNLOCK (the PRNDL comes on and nothing else) and it primes again (like it's suppose to) when in the ON/RUN position. Why does it prime in the unlock position before the Instrument Cluster even comes on? I have checked pin tension on damn near every inline connector on the car. All good. Cleaned over 20 ground splice pks. Charging system checks out fine but you can hear the alternator humming away. It gets really hot too. Could the rear fuse box have gone bad?

[@jimh598]

Could you please diagnose the headliner?

[@ChrisWilliams-pu8pj]

Ivan, Where did you get the larger alligator clips for your banana jack connector? I have been looking for those everywhere but can only find the small ones.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I think they came with the SnapOn leads...

[@ChrisWilliams-pu8pj]

Ivan, Thank you for the response. Have a great day!

[@abitofeverything1234]

Hey everyone, welcome back to Pine Hoollow Auto Dianotstics. Today we've an ........ Ivan same slogan every time!

[@windward2818]

The starting system seems very weak (block ground corrosion?). The HVAC blower motor bearing(s) sounds really loud. Probably needs a new blower motor?

[@marshalllarson8970]

In addition to the pin fitment problem, the compressor perhaps shouldn't have engaged a with the system so low on refrigerant.

[@williamcarson423]

Who needs speed of air pistons when you have a speed of air headliner

[@caf3685]

No leak check? With an almost empty system seems like it’s warranted.

[@wcs1637]

Luckily that fuel pressure regulator wasn’t left for too long. Surely the plastic upper intake would have exploded. Had it happen twice on my 01 Impala with the 3800 due to leaking injector and bad FPR at separate times.

[@r.e.tchoas5057]

Blown AC compressor fuse. This is my guess before even getting thru the beginning ads. Had the same problem on an Alero similar year and engine. Maybe not Ivan didn't say anything about AC fuse code

[@hamentaschen]

The gravity point is center for flyings. A jet wings on high golden meltings. One time only please.

[@WECB640]

That headliner. LOL!

[@xrisdavid785]

Nice sentiment from the owner's note @ the end......anyone can plainly see Ivan really is A SWELL GUY !!!! If I didn't live so far away in Florida, I'd definitely make a visit !!

[@RussellBooth1977]

That's the 3.8 litre Buick L36 V6 engine, my dads 2000 model Holden VX Commodore has Holdens Ecotec version of that engine fitted which is fitted with Holdens own Ecotec V6 inlet manifold & Holden made an oil pan for it. The PCM in the VX Commodore is a Bosch OBD1.5 PCM which comes from Singapore unlike the Delphi type of OBD2 which is fitted into the Buick, the Ecotec V6 engine uses a similar style of fuel pressure regulator but it's not the same as the PR217 type of fuel pressure regulator as used in the Buick, they're both replaceable. I fitted the PR217 type of fuel pressure regulator onto the fuel pump & sender unit in my 2002 Holden VY SS Commodore which is fitted with the 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 engine, it's the returnless type of fuel system. I only paid $13 AUD for it including shipping from China on eBay & it's fitted inside the fuel tank rather than on the fuel rail, I needed to adjust the fuel pressure with the engine running which I did in a bucket of fuel, the Chinese PR217 fuel pressure regulators have a grub screw on top which can be turned in to increase the fuel pressure. I have ran my car with that fuel pressure regulator for over 4 years without a problem, note that I am talking about Australian built GM cars here. I can remember in the first Holden VL Commodore we bought in 1997 which ran the Nissan RB30E engine we replaced the fuel pump then soon after the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm ruptured, my dad got a quote from Holden for a brand new one which was quoted at $300 AUD because it was a typical Japanese car part which costs a fortune so we went to the wreckers & bought one for $30 AUD. How I knew that is because the engine wouldn't crank over because it was hydrolocked because I removed the spark plugs & the cylinders were full of fuel !