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PostPosted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:17 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:35 pm
Posts: 21
Year and Trim: 1993 Buick Lesabre Limited
Hey everyone:

I recently bought a nice '93 LeSabre Limited off eBay that was in the salvage parts car section because of a supposed bad fuel pump.

The person I bought it from had accepted the car as payment for his time diagnosing the cause of it randomly stalling.He stated that he drove it 30 miles home with no problem but once it was at home it acted up all the time to the point that it wouldn't even get out of his driveway.

I have to say at first that I haven't had it on the road yet because it's not insured, but I have let it run for nearly an hour in the driveway and taken it up and down the street, and so far it hasn't given the slightest hint that it wants to die..it's ran perfectly EXCEPT:

After the engine comes up to operating temp, occasionally the idle speed raises itself to about 2000 rpm, and blipping the throttle or pulling the TB lever closed does nothing.If I turn it off and restart, it idles at a normal speed.

Also, after it was warm, I restarted it, and although it caught quickly it immediately stalled. This happened 2 times in a row, so the third time I depressed the throttle slightly. It started right up and stayed running, but had the high idle thing again.Turn it off, restart and it had a normal idle, maybe even too low.

The PO stated that the ignition module was replaced along with the TPS and the IAC motor....in other words they threw parts at it to try to fix whatever the real problem is.

There is no SES on.

I know several of you guys know these L27s like the back of your hand, so I'd appreciate some suggestions on checking and adjusting the tps and iac and whatever else is appropriate to solve idle issues.I've done all this many times on a Mustang but never a 3800.

I just remembered that 3.1's have the TB coking issue causing stalls..does that happen to these as well?

Thanks for any advice.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 5:00 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 4:51 pm
Posts: 61
Location: Greensburg, PA
Year and Trim: 1992 SSEi
try adjusting your throttle, its a pain to get to the adjustment screw but a quarter turn could fix you problems. when i was having the same problem with my girlfriends 3.1 grand prix i replaced everything including the computer before i thought to try it

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 12:42 am 
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Location: Corning, NY
Year and Trim: 2012 Eco
Maybe it needs a new computer, or a ground bus cleaning.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:33 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:35 pm
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Year and Trim: 1993 Buick Lesabre Limited
I've done some extensive searching on the board here and I'm going to first go through the wiring including the ground buses.Also, I noticed tonight that the positive battery cable has one of those cheapo replacement terminals spliced onto it with a too-long bolt and washers so that very well might be a gremlin hiding.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:40 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:35 pm
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Year and Trim: 1993 Buick Lesabre Limited
Ok guys...I think I know whats wrong with it and it's something I've read other Lesabres and Bonnevilles, etc having:

I let it run some more today since it's been warm, so I could smoke out a failing module possibly. That came up negative, so I took it up the street and back.

When I pulled back into the driveway and put on the brakes, the engine lugged down a bit.I went to reverse and drove back and forth in the driveway several times, and each time I stopped, the engine would sputter and run slowly, then recover.

I knew what was up by that time, so I gave it the final test: Part of my back yard is sloped a good bit, so I drove the car slowly up the hilly part. No sputtering. backed down it and stopped quickly, everything good.

So, I turned the car around in the front yard and attempted to back up the hill. Cough cough, sputter, ain't going nowhere.Once the car is back on flat ground it runs good.

I gave it one final test: With it sitting on the flat driveway and running fine, I took my floor jack and jacked up the right rear suspension. About halfway up, sure enough, there comes the spit and sputtering, and I actually made it stall.Lower it down, cycle the fuel pump and it fires right up.The fuel level was at 1/4 tank during all of these tests.

In other words, a bad fuel pump pickup. I had tested the fuel pressure first thing and it came right up to 39psi each time I tried it.It would sink to about 20lbs with key off for a couple minutes.

This goes in line with the previous owners complaining that it would stall and not start at random times.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:51 pm 
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Posts like an L27
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Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:35 pm
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Location: Slinger, WI
Year and Trim: 2003 SLE
If the tanks are the same as a Bonneville I have read about the baffels in these tanks crumbling apart and blocking the pickup. This sounds like the likely culprit but it could also be the wiring or sending unit. I would definately drop the tank and check things out.

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:21 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:35 pm
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Year and Trim: 1993 Buick Lesabre Limited
Ok, I pulled everything apart, and there was no smoking gun to be found.

The plastic baffles appear to be good, the pickup was still on and not very stopped up, no apparent defects with the fuel pump assembly.

I'm going to put a new fuel pump and strainer in as insurance, but my gut tells me this is a design problem with the fuel tank and the real cure is to keep plenty of fuel in it.

I noticed with some amusement that the fuel pump appears to original and that it's a Denso pump...in other words made by a division of Toyota.Maybe that's why it lasted 255,000 miles :wink:


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:31 pm 
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Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:35 pm
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Location: Slinger, WI
Year and Trim: 2003 SLE
If you plan on keeping the car for a few years and you already have the tank out I would replace it. However if you don't have the funds then it's up to you. I have been told to switch to the 95 bonnie tank for my 93 however I am unsure if the same goes with a Lesabre. Good luck and I hope this fixes the problem.

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