Piston Slap: The Centurion Loses Its (Dex) Cool

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

Darwin S. writes:

I have a 1999 Buick Century that now needs constant water. It happens pretty slowly. I recently drained all the water and refilled with water and antifreeze. It doesn’t appear to be leaking anywhere. What’s happening? Thanks.

Sajeev answers:

There are three possible reasons for your Buick’s dehydration.

1. An external leak—which isn’t the problem here.

2. The coolant is pouring into your oil via busted gasket. If so, please accept my apologizes for not getting to your query sooner. Now’s the time to get a locally sourced “LKQ” replacement motor.

3. You’re burning coolant along with gasoline. White smoke from the tailpipe is your best indicator.

If your problem is behind door number three, it’s not the end of the world; new head gaskets are usually the solution. Do a compression test and pull your spark plugs to find the offending cylinder.

Depending on your Buick’s motor, the intake manifold gaskets might be the problem; this was the case with earlier versions of the GM 60-degree V6. Put another way: can Government Motors interest you in one of their new, 90-day-inventory Buick LaCrosse sedans? It’s better than the Century in every way, save for the stupid name.

Bonus! A Piston Slap Nugget of Wisdom:

When seeking the answer to life’s unsolvable questions, always consult your spark plugs. They won’t know if you’ll land that great job, or when you’ll get laid (off), but checking your plug’s condition is like a fortune cookie for your motor.

For the tin-foil hat fans in all of us, checking platinum plugs before 100k miles is a good idea. Well, provided your whip doesn’t require an Act of Congress to remove them. In those cases, just change according to the owner’s manual and hope for the best.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Omnifan Omnifan on Jul 22, 2009

    Now’s the time to get a locally sourced “LKQ” replacement motor. NO! Beware of any used parts from LKQ. They don't test them well and won't stand behind warranty!

  • Ohsnapback Ohsnapback on Jul 23, 2009

    Dexcool; what an abomination. It'll eat your gaskets and digest much else.

  • ToolGuy Honda was robbed.
  • ToolGuy "Honey, someone is trying to cross the moat again"
  • Rochester "better than Vinfast" is a pretty low bar.
  • TheMrFreeze That new Ferrari looks nice but other than that, nothing.And VW having to put an air-cooled Beetle in its display to try and make the ID.Buzz look cool makes this classic VW owner sad 😢
  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
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