1989 Buick riviera 3800... power loss
19,085

Asked by Jason Sep 17, 2011 at 03:34 AM about the 1989 Buick Riviera

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

my rebuilt engine has 70k miles on it.. my stock parts have been transferred to the rebuilt engine too. when i take it for a drive, it
seems to be missing; engine will idle but run rough. feels like it chuggles along in drive; misses. transmission shifts welll, it goes
into all gears fine. i replaced MAF. i inspected all spark plugs, #2 has oil in the cylinder; rings getting shot in that one. NO
TROUBLE codes in the diagnostic mode. all cylinders seem to fire fine; all spark plugs fire. i have some gas smell on cold start ups.
22 year old ignition coil; never been changed same with catalytic converter. exhaust seems to flow freely. this started after
fueling up and going onto the highway.   we are the first and only owners of the car and have full service history. rest of car has
189k miles. i'm getting stumped.. should i go drop the fuel pump next??  fuel pressure regulator?

3 Answers
19,085

Jason answered 12 years ago

it actually was the Ignition module under the ignition coil pack. car still runs like a dream.

3 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

leafsfan answered 9 years ago

Hi Jason. I've also got an '89 Riviera. I got the MAF replaced about 6 months ago after some off and on again rough driving and stalling. Recently its been driving rough again but it hasn't come close to a stall. I'm fairly certain all spark plugs are fine. I got the cat replaced and the person who installed it said the car was running rich, the cat was black and was fairly certain its the coil pack or module. So today I took off the coil pack just to understand how i would replace it. After lifting it up and screwing it back on the car ran fine, but after lifting it again and placing it back on the car is back to itself. I'm considering the problem exists in the wires between the module and coil pack because just lifting it off and moving them around seemed to make the difference, and that would be an easy fix, but I was wondering how you found out it was the module and not the coil pack. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

  • 1989 Buick riviera 3800... power loss 3 Answers

    my rebuilt engine has 70k miles on it.. my stock parts have been transferred to the rebuilt engine too. when i take it for a drive, it seems to be missing; engine will idle but run rough. feels like ...

    1989 Buick Riviera

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • power loss.. 3800 v-6 1989 Riviera 3 Answers

    my rebuilt engine has 70k miles on it.. my stock parts have been transferred to the rebuilt engine too. when i take it for a drive, it seems to be missing; engine will idle but run rough. feels like ...

    1989 Buick Riviera

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • will a 1995 Buick Riviera rack and pinion steering fit a 1989 Buick Riviera? 2 Answers

    I have a 1989 Buick Riviera with a shot rack and pinion steering. My friend has a 1995 Buick Riviera that he is going to junk. Will the rack and pinion steering from a 1995 fit a 1989

    Buick Riviera

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • Buick Riviera 7 Answers

    My husband has a 97 Buick Riviera. The motor fan keep coming on, we fought out that its the motor fan switch. May someone please tell me where we can get a motor fan switch that will be a blessing.

    1997 Buick Riviera Coupe FWD

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • Buick Riviera 2 Answers

    Where can I find a replacement headlight assembly for my Riviera?

    1990 Buick Riviera Coupe FWD

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

Riviera

Looking for a Used Riviera in your area?

CarGurus has 30 nationwide Riviera listings and the tools to find you a great deal.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1989 Buick Riviera

Write a car review

Review another car

Shortcuts

Search Buick Riviera Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Alvin Stokes
    Reputation
    1,910
  • #2
    Chris Kelley
    Reputation
    930
  • #3
    Jason Gee
    Reputation
    580
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Buick Regal
55 Great Deals out of 744 listings starting at $800
Used Chevrolet Corvette
708 Great Deals out of 12,483 listings starting at $3,200
Used Buick LeSabre
187 listings starting at $1,895
Used Cadillac Eldorado
158 listings
Used Chevrolet Monte Carlo
5 Great Deals out of 208 listings starting at $4,997
Used Ford Mustang
920 Great Deals out of 22,586 listings starting at $1,000
Used Ford F-150
6,127 Great Deals out of 134,504 listings starting at $900
Used Buick Century
102 listings starting at $2,695
Used Buick Reatta
18 listings
Used Buick Skylark
32 listings
Used Pontiac Grand Prix
198 listings starting at $2,395

Used Cars for Sale

1999 Buick Riviera For Sale
1 listing
1997 Buick Riviera For Sale
2 listings
1996 Buick Riviera For Sale
2 listings

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.