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hihowareyou

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Buick Ownership
Rendezvous
I bought a 2004 Buick Rendezvous. 120, 000 miles, you could barely hear the engine, I drove it a bunch of places on day one and it ran beautifully. Day two, I drove it about 45 minutes from my home and on the way back it started losing power. By the time I was about 15 minutes from my house, it began to stall out when coming to a stop. We have replaced the Fuel injection sensor, because the intake manifold is cold to the touch even after it has been driven, tried the catalytic converter, checked the fuel filter/pump, the head gasket has just been replaced....we are running out of options. It is throwing a random misfire code. Any ideas?
 
How long ago was the head gasket replaced? So many possibilities from bad head gasket, bad ECT sensor, intake gasket, bad coil, bad crank sensor, bad fuel pump.... what does the coolant look like? What does the spring on the radiator cap look like (black gunk?)

Does it run decent when cold but not hot?
 
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It does not run decent at all, but only has low power on the highway as opposed to sputtering and stalling when in town with slower speeds. Head gasket was replaced a month before it we bought it mid march. My husband has been youtubing and is still empty. He currently has the gas tank off looking at the vapor canister.
 
Codes, CEL on, guessing on what and where can be expensive and time consuming. Getting it scanned and then move on to the next step.
 
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I based on your symptoms, I have a short list I would be checking..

Bad Coils
Bad ICM (Ignition Control Module - Sits under the Coils)
Faulty CPS (crank position sensor)
Fuel Injector(s) - these can be OHM checked in vehicle

I would head to a local salvage yard, and grab a coil set WITH ICM off a junk car. Find one that has OEM parts. They will have the cylinder numbers on the top. The ICM and Coils usually last a very long time, and OEM parts are MUCH better than aftermarket.
 
I based on your symptoms, I have a short list I would be checking..

Bad Coils
Bad ICM (Ignition Control Module - Sits under the Coils)
Faulty CPS (crank position sensor)
Fuel Injector(s) - these can be OHM checked in vehicle

I would head to a local salvage yard, and grab a coil set WITH ICM off a junk car. Find one that has OEM parts. They will have the cylinder numbers on the top. The ICM and Coils usually last a very long time, and OEM parts are MUCH better than aftermarket.
Thank you!
 
Thank you!
No Problem.. By the way, the ICM and COILS have been used on almost all GM products since 1985, all the way until 2007. So dont be shy to look outside of a rendezvous. Most 3.8 have them, and most of the GM V6 have them. But not all (Honda/Toyota engines in GM has been happening for a number of years).

The Coils in my Aztek with the 3400 (same truck as a Rendezvous) came out of a 1987 Pontiac 6000 with a 2.8.

The Engine in my Rendezvous is a completely different beast (3.6HF). It also has a bunch more HP, but its also 10x more expensive to work on.
 
Just to confirm, the engine acts the same both cold after sitting overnight as well as hot? As well, the ONLY code that you have is a random misfire. If that is the case, the sensors may not be your problem. (Sensors and coils tend to show symptoms, before they completely fail, when they heat up.) If both hot and cold problem and no other codes, I would look more for a mechanical problem like a leaking vacuum hose or bad spark plugs that were not gapped properly or the wrong ones that have carbonized over.

Since the head gasket was replaced a month ago, were the spark plug wires replaced at that time? If not, there is a good chance they are bad. Often removing wires on the 3.4, if on for a few years, the wires can almost weld onto the spark plugs, resulting in the wires being stretched and destroyed at the end connectors. Same for the plugs, they should have been renewed too with the CORRECT ones. Finally, if the head gasket AND the intake manifold gasket were not torqued properly, it is possible that coolant is leaking into the cylinders causing the random misfires. Your coolant level would tell that story or your possible loss of coolant. As well, the plugs and / or bottom of your radiator cap will tell the story too.

Again, I doubt that you have a sensor problem since you don't have a sensor code identifying a particular bad sensor. (Having said that, I have seen exception.)

Finally, don't rule out a fuel pump. Generally, on the Rendezvous / Aztek, the fuel filter is so large it won't restrict fuel enough to make that much of a difference. Having said that, I replace fuel filters on my 3.4 every 100K. I am at 225K on my Rendezvous.

One more thing, verify that the egr valve can cycle. I partially leaking egr valve will cause your symptoms... but then again should trigger an egr code.

Please keep us all updated and we will continue to assist with additional details.
 
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Can you take it back? to be honest it sounds like you bought a Lemon... If from a dealership i would take back and say hey, you sold me a POS that broke down day 2. if bought from person... induvial.. then ur pretty much stuck either replacing/fixing/throwing it away..

I drive a 06 rendezvous, 3.5 V6, and i do all repairs myself. And i can say... based on what you described.. you could replace HALF the car and still not find the issue. You would spend so much money and time trying to find this issue. The thing is tho... it could literally be a $30 part... Or it could cost thousands.. either way at 130k miles that thing aint worth anything past 3-4 thousand so.. Maybe think about salvage or trading out?
 
Just to confirm, the engine acts the same both cold after sitting overnight as well as hot? As well, the ONLY code that you have is a random misfire. If that is the case, the sensors may not be your problem. (Sensors and coils tend to show symptoms, before they completely fail, when they heat up.) If both hot and cold problem and no other codes, I would look more for a mechanical problem like a leaking vacuum hose or bad spark plugs that were not gapped properly or the wrong ones that have carbonized over.

Since the head gasket was replaced a month ago, were the spark plug wires replaced at that time? If not, there is a good chance they are bad. Often removing wires on the 3.4, if on for a few years, the wires can almost weld onto the spark plugs, resulting in the wires being stretched and destroyed at the end connectors. Same for the plugs, they should have been renewed too with the CORRECT ones. Finally, if the head gasket AND the intake manifold gasket were not torqued properly, it is possible that coolant is leaking into the cylinders causing the random misfires. Your coolant level would tell that story or your possible loss of coolant. As well, the plugs and / or bottom of your radiator cap will tell the story too.

Again, I doubt that you have a sensor problem since you don't have a sensor code identifying a particular bad sensor. (Having said that, I have seen exception.)

Finally, don't rule out a fuel pump. Generally, on the Rendezvous / Aztek, the fuel filter is so large it won't restrict fuel enough to make that much of a difference. Having said that, I replace fuel filters on my 3.4 every 100K. I am at 225K on my Rendezvous.

One more thing, verify that the egr valve can cycle. I partially leaking egr valve will cause your symptoms... but then again should trigger an egr code.

Please keep us all updated and we will continue to assist with additional details.
But Alas.... I would also start with your cheapest replacement parts first.. .going down the list until you get to the more expensive.


I mean you got so far:

PCV Valve,
Spark plugs and wires
Gaskets
Coil packs
EGR Valve
MAF Sensor (usually throws code first)
Fuel pump
Fuel injectors
camshaft position sensor (usually throws a code first)
ECM
Could also be a vacuum hose that came off its connection (ive seen this alot of times to be honest)

etc, this list goes on. Thankfully most of these parts can be checked/are cheap to replace. start with the easiest ones to get to... lol.
 
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