Newbie here and a couple of questions

[Lucythelesabre]

Hello all, new here and hope some of you on here can help with a few issues I have been experiencing with my car. My car is a 1998 Buick Lesabre "Custom". My Grandmother purchased this car in 1999 and I inherited it about 10 years ago when she passed away. When I started driving "Lucy" she had 54,000 miles on her, now she has 194,000 miles on her!!! She has been my daily driver all that time, mainly driving to work and back 95% interstate miles. I parked her last year when I was given a 2000 Lexus RX300 by my Dad so she has been sitting for a little over a year now. Well, the Lexus has some issues that force me to park it and so, Lucy is back now as my daily work car, same commute as before with mostly interstate. So yesterday I cleaned her all up, charged up the battery, checked all the fluids out and took her for a drive. I had forgotten just how nice this car drives. It runs so smooth and quiet and just glides down the highway very nicely. I have a couple of issues that I wanted to ask about.
The air bag light is on now, it wasn't on when I parked the car and while out for a drive yesterday it actually turned off, but then came back on later. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions as to what to check concerning this.
Another issue is that the ABS light is also on, I figure it is a dirty sensor from sitting as it also wasn't on when I parked the car.
The a/c , or any air for that matter, blows out of the floor and defrost vents, I understand that this is a default mode so I would like to ask what would cause this and how to fix it to blow out of the upper vents again. Other than a few other quirks, Lucy the Lesabre seems to be ready to be on the road again and I am kind of looking forward to driving her again. She is dark blue with blue cloth interior and those silver wheels with all those little holes that are fun to clean, lol. I hope to keep her on the road for a few more years at least. Being that she was my Grandmother's last car, I find it hard to trade her off for something else so, she's been a good car despite the little quirks and she really hasn't had any major issues. Thanks for any input, advice, and suggestions about how I can fix Lucy's quirks.

 

[Mad_Coachman]

You should start with the basics and clean ALL of your battery connections as the plastic covers on the side terminal cables are notorious for containing moisture and causing corrosion.
As far as your HVAC issues you may have a vacuum leak at the cowl area. Open your hood and remove the cover at the firewall to expose the maxi fuses. Carefully inspect your vacuum hoses on the passenger side going into the AC unit. I had one crumble right in my fingers. I replaced it with a small piece of vacuum hose and it restored proper operation of my HVAC controls as they are all vacuum controlled on the Custom models.
If you don't have a code reader/scanner I suggest you buy one that can read live data.

 

[Homer Jay]

Welcome.
The best way to proceed is to have the ABS and SRS codes(s) read. This will guide you in where the potential defaults are in each system. If you don't have a reader many auto parts stores have loaner programs or even some libraries have loaner tools

 

[century61]

Hello all, new here and hope some of you on here can help with a few issues I have been experiencing with my car. My car is a 1998 Buick Lesabre "Custom". My Grandmother purchased this car in 1999 and I inherited it about 10 years ago when she passed away. When I started driving "Lucy" she had 54,000 miles on her, now she has 194,000 miles on her!!! She has been my daily driver all that time, mainly driving to work and back 95% interstate miles. I parked her last year when I was given a 2000 Lexus RX300 by my Dad so she has been sitting for a little over a year now. Well, the Lexus has some issues that force me to park it and so, Lucy is back now as my daily work car, same commute as before with mostly interstate. So yesterday I cleaned her all up, charged up the battery, checked all the fluids out and took her for a drive. I had forgotten just how nice this car drives. It runs so smooth and quiet and just glides down the highway very nicely. I have a couple of issues that I wanted to ask about.
The air bag light is on now, it wasn't on when I parked the car and while out for a drive yesterday it actually turned off, but then came back on later. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions as to what to check concerning this.
Another issue is that the ABS light is also on, I figure it is a dirty sensor from sitting as it also wasn't on when I parked the car.
The a/c , or any air for that matter, blows out of the floor and defrost vents, I understand that this is a default mode so I would like to ask what would cause this and how to fix it to blow out of the upper vents again. Other than a few other quirks, Lucy the Lesabre seems to be ready to be on the road again and I am kind of looking forward to driving her again. She is dark blue with blue cloth interior and those silver wheels with all those little holes that are fun to clean, lol. I hope to keep her on the road for a few more years at least. Being that she was my Grandmother's last car, I find it hard to trade her off for something else so, she's been a good car despite the little quirks and she really hasn't had any major issues. Thanks for any input, advice, and suggestions about how I can fix Lucy's quirks.

I would start looking at the connectors to the air bags and ABS. Look for corrosion on the connector pins. Then check power and grounds. You will need a wiring diagram that I'm sure someone will provide here. I have an account at alldata.com for my cars for this.

 

[Lucythelesabre]

You should start with the basics and clean ALL of your battery connections as the plastic covers on the side terminal cables are notorious for containing moisture and causing corrosion.
As far as your HVAC issues you may have a vacuum leak at the cowl area. Open your hood and remove the cover at the firewall to expose the maxi fuses. Carefully inspect your vacuum hoses on the passenger side going into the AC unit. I had one crumble right in my fingers. I replaced it with a small piece of vacuum hose and it restored proper operation of my HVAC controls as they are all vacuum controlled on the Custom models.
If you don't have a code reader/scanner I suggest you buy one that can read live data.

Thanks for the info. I do have a code reader but it doesn't tell me anything about the ABS or Air Bag lights, the check engine light is not on. There are no codes showing.

 

[Lucythelesabre]

Welcome.
The best way to proceed is to have the ABS and SRS codes(s) read. This will guide you in where the potential defaults are in each system. If you don't have a reader many auto parts stores have loaner programs or even some libraries have loaner tools

Thank you for the info. I do have a code reader but it doesn't tell me anything about the ABS and Air Bag lights. The check engine light is not on and there are no codes showing.

 

[Mad_Coachman]

What code reader do you have?

 

[Mad_Coachman]

With an old car like that I would suggest buying a couple of feet of vacuum hose from AutoZone. Vacuum leaks can cause drive-ability issues.
Have spark plugs and wires been changed?

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Here's another post on possible solutions to the airbag.

97 lesabre custom airbag light stays on

97 lesabre custom. Airbag light stays on. When i bought the car the owner told me his neighbor backed into it while it was parked. The drivers side front bumper corner was hit and has some damage. How can i get the light to go out. It flashes then stays on. I would also like to know where the...

buickforums.com

On the HVAC this is a diagram on the system and as it's electronic and vacuum a actuator may be the problem along with any vacuum lines. Looking under the dash while using the various modes you may see and/or hear something not operating correctly.


As mentioned getting the ABS and airbag properly scanned will dictate the next step. If inclined to have this a DIY there are scanners that can read the additional components beyond the basic codes and could be a worthwhile addition.

 

[Lucythelesabre]

What code reader do you have?

I have a cheapo Hyper Tough one from Walmart.

 

[Lucythelesabre]

With an old car like that I would suggest buying a couple of feet of vacuum hose from AutoZone. Vacuum leaks can cause drive-ability issues.
Have spark plugs and wires been changed?

Thanks, I do have some vaccum hose. Spark plugs were changed a few years ago when we had to put a new intake manifold on it. It runs smooth and quiet.

 

[Mad_Coachman]

I happened upon my failed vacuum hose by running the engine. I heard a hissing noise by the cowl area on the passenger side of the firewall. Remove the Maxi Fuse cover and you will see them. My failed vacuum line was item #4 in post #9.

The large item here is the Maxi Fuse cover.

 

[Lucythelesabre]

I happened upon my failed vacuum hose by running the engine. I heard a hissing noise by the cowl area on the passenger side of the firewall. Remove the Maxi Fuse cover and you will see them. My failed vacuum line was item #4 in post #9.

The large item here is the Maxi Fuse cover.

Thanks I will have to check that out for sure.

 

[Mad_Coachman]

I have a cheapo Hyper Tough one from Walmart.

This one?

Hyper Tough HT309 OBD2 Scan Automotive Diagnostic Tool Code Reader, Red - Walmart.com

Buy Hyper Tough HT309 OBD2 Scan Automotive Diagnostic Tool Code Reader, Red at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[Lucythelesabre]

This one?

Hyper Tough HT309 OBD2 Scan Automotive Diagnostic Tool Code Reader, Red - Walmart.com

Buy Hyper Tough HT309 OBD2 Scan Automotive Diagnostic Tool Code Reader, Red at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

Yes, that would be the one.

 

[imidazol97]

The a/c , or any air for that matter, blows out of the floor and defrost vents, I understand that this is a default mode so I would like to ask what would cause this and how to fix it to blow out of the upper vents again.

What happens to the air flow when you choose Heat or Floor? The defroster vents should have almost no flow of air and all the air should come out at the bottom. If the HVAC is able to make that change that would indicate you have adequate vacuum to the controls and the unit is having trouble pulling the diaphragm on the vacuum motor to make the air com out the dash vents.

That is/was a common problem with a solution. But first check for the bad rubber parts in the hose line underhood.

94 HVAC actuator problems

Hey guys, my main problem that made me start the job was no heat. I’ve got heavy condensation buildup on the inside of the windows, a little rust under the dash. Naturally i thought I had a leaky heater core ( I also had water pooling in rear passenger floorboard, and park on a slight incline)...

buickforums.com

There have been many write ups in the H-body forums on that.

How To Correct Mis-directed Cool Airflow in 1996 GM C & H Cars

Another place to lose vacuum is the vacuum storage plastic bottle under the front fender, #1 in 2007's diagram. Those can crack with age on the plastic and let air in.

 

[Lucythelesabre]

What happens to the air flow when you choose Heat or Floor? The defroster vents should have almost no flow of air and all the air should come out at the bottom. If the HVAC is able to make that change that would indicate you have adequate vacuum to the controls and the unit is having trouble pulling the diaphragm on the vacuum motor to make the air com out the dash vents.

That is/was a common problem with a solution. But first check for the bad rubber parts in the hose line underhood.

94 HVAC actuator problems

Hey guys, my main problem that made me start the job was no heat. I’ve got heavy condensation buildup on the inside of the windows, a little rust under the dash. Naturally i thought I had a leaky heater core ( I also had water pooling in rear passenger floorboard, and park on a slight incline)...

buickforums.com

There have been many write ups in the H-body forums on that.

How To Correct Mis-directed Cool Airflow in 1996 GM C & H Cars

Another place to lose vacuum is the vacuum storage plastic bottle under the front fender, #1 in 2007's diagram. Those can crack with age on the plastic and let air in.

I just confirmed that the air is blowing through the defrost vents no matter what function is pressed on the control panel.

 

[Mad_Coachman]

Have you checked your vacuum lines at the cowl area where they go through the firewall?

 

[Lucythelesabre]

Have you checked your vacuum lines at the cowl area where they go through the firewall?

I have not had time to check them but will try to check them soon, really hoping for an easy fix with this one.