2008 Buick enclave problems

[Fredkrueger100]

I have a 2008 Buick Enclave. My wife called me yesterday and said that her cars check engine light was blinking and that the message center displayed a message that said service stability control. She told me the car seemed to not have as much power and that it kind of shook. I drive it today and it indeed does shake. The traction control light is still on as well as the check engine light. I tried to get the remote start to start the car and it wouldn't work. When I pushed the button while in the car to do so the check engine light would flash. I took the car to autozone earlier and had them check the codes. The print out pulled one code, a P0303. It says that the number 3 cylinder is misfiring. It didn't pull any codes for the traction control. The anti lock breaks work like normal. The guy at autozone said it probably had some bad gas. He said to put some injector cleaner it with half a tank and then drive it all the way out. Then it should be fine. Does this sound like bad gas? I don't know much about cars. I don't know what made the guy at autozone think it was gas. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[71buickfreak]

Stability controls codes are usually triggered when there is a bad wheel sensor, bad wheel hub, etc. That can put the car in limp mode. Try disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes, and then driving it. If it drives fine, then it is probably just a sensor triggering it. If it has the same issues or the codes pop up immediately, then it is likely a bigger issue.

Does it shake when the car is idling, driving, coasting, all the time? At idle could be evidence of the miss, if it while the vehicle is in motion, then it is likely a mechanical failure in the suspension/drivetrain. Not always, but it could be.

By the way, it won't necessarily throw a code for the suspension issue, there are separate lights/messages/warnings for those. I have an 08 Uplander that popped the Stability system warning. Dealer couldn't fix it. It was an intermittent issue with a corroded/damaged wire. eventually, it killed the traction control altogether. I sold it and bought a'13 Kia Sorrento in july 2012. Getting ready to sell the Kia for Suburban. Cars are throwaways these days.

 

[Mechanicalmehem]

You have a missfire on cylinder 3... it will cause all thr other lights to come on... probably a bad coil... seen a bunch of thrm...

 

[1911Sooner]

http://engine-codes.com/p0303_buick.html

 

[Junior Bonner]

Stability controls codes are usually triggered when there is a bad wheel sensor, bad wheel hub, etc. That can put the car in limp mode. Try disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes, and then driving it. If it drives fine, then it is probably just a sensor triggering it. If it has the same issues or the codes pop up immediately, then it is likely a bigger issue.

Does it shake when the car is idling, driving, coasting, all the time? At idle could be evidence of the miss, if it while the vehicle is in motion, then it is likely a mechanical failure in the suspension/drivetrain. Not always, but it could be.

By the way, it won't necessarily throw a code for the suspension issue, there are separate lights/messages/warnings for those. I have an 08 Uplander that popped the Stability system warning. Dealer couldn't fix it. It was an intermittent issue with a corroded/damaged wire. eventually, it killed the traction control altogether. I sold it and bought a'13 Kia Sorrento in july 2012. Getting ready to sell the Kia for Suburban. Cars are throwaways these days.

That's why I stick with older vehicles. Manual roll down windows, old fashioned car keys, as few electronics on them as possible.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

You have a missfire on cylinder 3... it will cause all thr other lights to come on... probably a bad coil... seen a bunch of thrm...

do you have any idea how much this could cost? Why does it cause the stability control system to mess up? And to the post about how the car drives, it drives fine except the power isn't like it usually is. And the car while idling shakes a little. Not terrible but Noticeable. What is a coil? Sorry for all the questions I just don't know much about cars. Especially new ones. When this is paid for I am getting something old. All these new cars especially American ones seem to be crap. With the exception of Honda.

 

[4play]

The stability control system is directly tied into the engine management system, therefore it shuts down when there is a problem like the one you have. Stability control uses the engine and ABS system to maintain vehicle stability so if you have a problem with either of those systems then it might shut down too.

The coil(s) are what provide spark to the spark plugs, your engine has 6, 1 per spark plug (coil on plug). How many miles, the service interval for spark plug replacement is 100k miles, some don't last that long. Hopefully its just time for a tune up, plus maybe 1 coil.

 

[Foghorn]

I didn't think the scanner at auto zone would read the codes for anything but the emissions system stuff. Stability control issues would not cause that code though.

If it shakes at idle it's code a real problem in cylinder 3, plug, coil ect...

Nothing screams poor craftsmanship like wrinkles in your duct tape

 

[918evo]

If it ran great and then all of a sudden started to shake at idle, and lack power, with that code, my money is on a bad coil. It is easy to diagnose if you have some hand tools and a little know-how. Cylinder 3 should be the rear middle one, so I would unplug it and see if the engine runs the same or worse. If it runs the same, then remove the coil and change it with another coil from a different cylinder, and repeat and see if the misfire moves from cylinder 3 to a different cylinder. A coil is around $100 with tax, so expect to pay $200 to have someone fair do it.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

I appreciate all the help guys. I don't know how easy it is to do what you said to with checking the coils. When I look under the hood I can't see any spark plugs or wires. I miss old cars. Do you have to get underneath the car to see them? 4play, my car has about 127,000 on it. We have had it a little over a year. I am scared after reading some reviews about the car that something really major is gonna go wrong. As soon as I can I am selling it.