2001 Buick Regal Dies Out

2001 Buick Regal. Anti-lock brake light comes on sometimes. We have had this car almost a year. One day at a stop sign I turned the blinker on and the car shut off. Hard to move the shifter out of gear.

Played with the shifter enough and then the car finally moves but then driving agin the car will die out. Sometimes it won't start - the dash lights all blink on and off. If it does start the anti-lock and service engine comes on for about 5 seconds after the car starts but not all the time. And you can shut off the engine with usintg the blinker.

We have hooked my Buick up to the Solas scanner to it but it shows N/A. My husband is a truck mechanic, so he has checked everything with the battery. The computer we have for our cars shows no codes. Maybe because its different every time we start the car. Could the PCM be bad and that's why it will not display any codes and cause my car to die out?

Someone also told us it could be the alternator that is going bad. Can that be the problem? He says the battery is fully charged so that's not it. We are thinking bare wires are rubbing in the steering column because the blinkers shut off the car. But why would it be hard to get it out of park once it is running? That is the part i don't undestand

buick regal

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ANSWER:

OK. With these things checked and all the problems you are having, this sounds like a low voltage problem. That would explain why the car dies out. This would also explain why it is hard to get the shifter out of gear. Low voltage to the shift lock solenoid would make it hard to get out of gear. This is the item where you have to press brake pedal to get out of gear.

Also, if your Buick Regal has a floor shifter it is possible the solenoid is contaminated with spilled pop or coffee. I have seen that several times. But that would be the last thing to check.

I will send some pics in a minute of the things i describe below....
A faulty ignition switch / wiring harness assembly will cause these problems. Tapping on a switch in the steering column with a screwdriver sometimes can cause the car to act up or even temporarily correct itself. Also the harness end of the switch / harness under the dash could have a poor connection.

A rubbed through engine harness under the hood is another possibility. A harness can rub through on the A/C dryer, a bracket, or the corner of the radiator fan. Pull on these things with the engine running to see if you can cause the problem to act up. Then you know you will be in the general area. A poor connections under the underhood fuse / junction block is another thing to check on your Buick. There is a service bulletin for this one although we have not had too many of them. Connectors can be loose or corroded under the block and cause several of these electrical problems.

These are the most common causes for your problems on your Buick. Again, i will send some pictures to go with the above information to help you get this car fixed.


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