I HAVE A 1989 BUICK PARK AVENUE IT HAS A 3.8 V6 W/EFI AND ABOUT 183K MILES. LATELY WHEN BEING DRIVEN IT WILL SHUT DOWN WITH NO WARNING OR ANY NOISE JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN THE POWER CUTS OFF STEERING LOCKS AND BRAKES ARE HARD TO PRESS WHEN WE FINALLY STOP IT WILL START RIGHT UP OR WE HAVE TO LET IT SIT FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES THEN IT RUNS FINE UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS. BEEN TO MIDAS AND AFTER REPLACING MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR , HARMONIC BALANCER, AND A COMPLETE FUEL INJECTION SERVICE THE PROBLEM STILL IS GOING ON MIDAS AND NOW PEP BOYS CANNOT REINACT THE PROBLEM SO THEY HAVE GIVEN UP. I WOULD GIVE UP TO BUT THE CAR IS NEEDED FOR ONE MORE YEAR AND I AM NOT IN ANY FINACIAL SITUATION TO AFFORD A NEW OR USED CAR I AM CURRENTLY IN SCHOOL AND WILL GRADUATE IN SEPTEMBER. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT BECAUSE THESE ARE INTERMITANT PROBLEMS THE COMPUTER IS NOT ABLE TO RECORD ANY ERROR CODES SO THAT IS WHY THE MECHANICS CANNOT TELL WHAT IS WRONG. WHAT HAPPEN TO WHEN YOU COULD TELL A MECHANIC WHAT WAS WRONG AND THEY HAD AN ANSWER OR NEW WHAT WAS GOING ON ARE THOSE DAYS PAST? DOES ANYONE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT CAN SHED SOME LIGHT ?
Sorry, I just can’t follow those ALL CAPS with no paragraphs. Could you retype it with proper case, a space between sentences and maybe a paragraph or two.
Yeah, loose the caps please…Your car is a 21 year old beater. If you had the mechanical / electronic skills to fix your own car, you could make way more money doing just that than you will with your college degree… You will never find happiness at Midas or Pep Boys. They are parts changers. You pay for their guess-work.
Here is my guess-work for free…Replace the ignition module or what ever electronic gizmo fires the coil(s)…
Mechanics do not design or build cars. They are expected to fix anything that goes wrong with over 250 car models sold in the United States that change there basic design every 5 or 6 years. Electronically, your '89 Buick was built in The Dark Ages… Instead of a mechanic, maybe you should seek the services of a Voodoo practitioner…
Caddy is being a little harsh probably in reaction to the caps. This is actually a pretty common problem but because it is random, hard to determine the exact cause without it actually doing it while in the shop. The ignition module is expensive but a possibility. If you want to try that have a used one and coil put on for about $50. A likely cause except for the needing to cool down part is the crank sensor. If they put a new balancer on though, they should have replaced the sensor but maybe not. Those are common failures. Another good possibility is the ignition switch itself. Not the key tumbler but the switch located on the steering column. If you go to a good mechanic, they may have a device they can plug in and when it does it again, you can push the button and they will be able to see what failed. If not it is either replacing parts or waiting until it gets far worse.