My Cheap 1987 Buick Grand National is a Nightmare Disaster! Can you Help? 

This is probably the best care this car has had in it's lifetime. I don't expect people to treat it like a parking lot princess but it's nice to see her coming back to her original glory.

You need the rest of the air intake to be on. I think having the front of the MAF wide open is messing with the computer.

Randy I have been really enjoying your last few videos. Now this content you have been doing is true to your channels name Auto Auction Rebuilds. So much better than the Copart and IAA walk arounds . A couple a week are ok but they get kind of dull when its everyday. So much more fun and interesting to see you do some wrenching and we learn interesting facts keep up the good work

Hey Randy, I drove one of these for 10 years back in the day. Check out the plastic tee connectors for the vacuum lines on the passenger side near the turbo. I had similar issues and turned out the tees developed cracks. Ended up having to replace entire set with new GM lines and fittings. Cleared up all the drivability issues. drivabikity

Stock wheels look perfect. Such a beautiful car. Once u get thr bugs out u will really enjoy it

if memory serves me from owning two of these, theres a few ground points in the harness that sometime over time come rusty and need cleaning.

Randy you made a little mistake. Never change 2 factors at a time. Go one by one so you know what is making the problem. You changed the broken hose and the más air sensor at the same time.

Loving the G Body content! I don't have a GN, but I have a 79 Hurst Olds Cutlass. I've been in love with these cars since I was a teen and my mom drove home in her new-to-her 78 Cutlass Supreme in 1987. Looking forward to seeing more of these beauties

Put a stock air box in it and connect the air temperature sensor. It doesn’t like running directly into the mas.

Cat converter clogged? TPS at idle should be 0% iac should run in between 10-20 - fuel injections could be trashed. Only my old Alltel obd 1 scanner will read GN codes. I have a 86 grand National and a 87 GNX wish I was closer. I’d come fix it.

You need to get in touch with Vice grip Garage he has a grand national

I used to have a 3.8 olds 88. I had some similar issues.. I had to change the cam position sensor and and crank position sensor. Also changed the coil packs and it fixed the issue.

GOD!! I wanted that car so Bad when it 1st came out!❤

Get the right airbox and filter, fix the cracked manifold and fuel injectors!!! Absolutely love the car and I would love to see this issue resolved!!

Love his channel im 23 wish I could afford a car rn keep up the good work

These new work videos are out of this world!!!! Great job Randy!!!!

Did you ever fix the exhaust manifold crack on this Buick?

You sound like you belong there. You do it brings back good memories of the past. Please do more shows like this. HAPPY New Year my friend.

The intake air temp sensor and airbox should be connected for best chance of success.

Great show Randy .Thanks for another great show.

The factory style wheels are 100% the way to go! They look great! That's frustrating messing with those gremlins on that car. You'll get it right though! Those guys at Kirban should be able to help you sort it out. Great video Randy!

Randy do you think the cat converter could be plugged ?

Keep it its a beautiful car and deserves ro be fixed to 100 percent

Hey there Randy you should get in touch with the car wizard up in Kansas and see if he can help you with the Buick Grand National

Great work I like older cars like this Buick and mustang keep it up

I would unhook the battery each time i change something so the computer resets.

On the digital gauge cluster the orange light is +5 psi of boost and red light is +10 psi boost. They all seem to loop and almost die when cold. I really improved that by removing and cleaning the IAC ( idle air control valve)> I used Sea Foam spray to do it. I think the oil like liquid sat longer and helped lube the plunger. At the very least remove and inspect the IAC. I am running a factory chip and I don't think yours is factory. Google those numbers on it. I could send you the numbers of my chip if you need. Also, try to get the numbers off of the injectors to see if they are stock or not. Over the years people threw go fast parts at these things and got them way out of whack. Best to go back to a close to stock as you can a work up from there. Good Luck

Hey Randy I'm a long time subscriber from Toronto Canada & like others have mentioned, I am really enjoying these work videos even on the 150$ cars lol. Keep up the good work and the quality of your videos continue to progress for the better each year. Happy New Year Bud!

The 70-90s car video content is amazing Randy especially enjoy the weekend videos have great new year

Happy and healthy to you and your family

Good video,I like the origonal rims, Happy New Year 🥰

The cracked exhaust manifold has alot too do with the problems you are having.

Yes on the wheel swap for the monte Carlo. Tomorrow is another day. You worked your azz off on that. It will come around. Happy New Year to you Randy and Family!

Boy….well but I hope you find help soon. That’s a mess, but I hope you get it fixed and get the help you need. Keep it up Randy 👍

I love the wrenching videos over the just walking around videos. You usually don’t buy them and I’m not going to buy them so it’s just content which I get but kind of a waste of time. But now like the other RU-vidrs you need to build a big warehouse garage and start keeping the ones that are keepers. And stop beating yourself up working at crazy hours give yourself enough time to do it right and not end up driving home at 4 am risk falling asleep

Great video and work😀🔥

Thanks Randy. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

She’s a beauty. Alex from LSC had a GN maybe reach to him. Like the stock wheels look much better. Hopefully you can find somebody to help you. Merry Christmas to you and your family hope it was a good one.

The red turbo power light is 13psi, if I remember correctly. Factory boost should be 15psi with everything correctly adjusted. The stumble-catch cold idle is either TPS (throttle position sensor) adjustment (it has slots to allow clocking like a distributor) or a sticky IAC (idle air control) valve. ALSO! The Red BRAKE light flashing on the left side of the instrument cluster when you hit the brakes is the power master accumulator nitrogen ball going bad. It starts with that symptom, then it will start delaying brake application which will scare the crap out of you the first time it happens.

Good Morning There My Good Little Bro Randy Lee Shear Of Auto Auction Rebuilds & Happy New Year To You & All Of You're Whole Family

Good luck with the MAF translator. I don't know many people that have gotten one of those to work correctly. You may need to put the old sensor back on.

Hello .. dude , car are coming along good 👍., I like the show and most of all the work on the fox body .. very cool making it stock .

Randy, I believe the computer either needs a reflash or replacement.

Wow the grand national is awesome so unique!

HAPPY NEW YEAR RANDY 🤓🇺🇸👍

How about the cracked manifold?

TPS at idle should be 0%. IAC should be 10-20...not 42

One of the common problems when these cars first came out was the cracking of the exhaust manifold. Most of us fix the problem by installing a set of turbo headers. It can be fix if you can find a person who knows how to weld. If it is leaking you will never get this car to run right. When these cars ran right they were the terror of the chevy and ford boys. I put many a chevy on the trailer at the drag strip. Back in the day few cars could touch them unless they were all out race cars. These cars were very hard to launch at the starting line at the drag strip. Too little boost the car would not leave very well or too much boost it would push the brakes and red lite. Most of the races I lost was because of this. But I had A lot of fun. A finale note that was the stock computer chip ACXA

You BL is Block Learn Management. You can add fuel or take some out using these numbers. At idle in a stock set-up it’s typically happy at 128, however can be within +\- 10 or so depending how it’s tuned. Right now it’s spiked at 140-150 which means it could be dumping a lot fuel in which could be the reason why it’s running rough. You really need AFR gauge to understand what it’s doing. Side Note: Enjoying the videos.

Randy the low pressure and high pressure lights for the boost could need adjusted. It should be on the fender well there will be a vac line running to it.

another banger video randy!

When the GN came on the market, they sort of didn't since a certain government agency purchased a LOT of them straight from GM. Around 1990 or so used GNs started showing up at government auctions and were snapped up by small used car dealers. Another such car was the Dodge Diplomat. Both vehicles had found themselves being "rode hard and put up wet" by their government owners and sold for pretty cheap back then at those auctions. One of each showed up in my adopted hometown and both still had the red and blue, behind the grill and back deck flashing lights and sirens installed and fully functional!

You need to bring it to Pine Hallow Auto

Stock looking wheels are the best, good looking car

Randy, I truly appreciate and love ALL of your content, but PLEASE take care of yourself! You need to think about yourself sometimes first! I know you want to make all of us happy, but if you push yourself to complete exhaustion, all of your content for us isn’t worth it. I hope you had a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, and a Very Happy New Year. I can’t wait to see ALL you have for us in 2024!! Take some time for yourself, your fiance, and your kids.

First of all you got to get that air temperature sensor mounted up don't worry about your iac sensor

keep it and used it for just car shows a lot of people in virginia have them in car shows with problem( and my grandson said that you will win the car show trophy you will be the best car in the car show)

Good morning Randy. The stock wheels are better. Replacing parts on your 1987 Buick Grand National. Adding a Scanmaster to read the codes. Are you going to use it for car show.?

Change up the upper/down oxygen sensors on the exhaust system plus plastic T joints no matter if they need it or not, Is this the car with a cracked manifold? Do a smoke test for leaks. Randy, Thank you for your consistent channel content, you filled in my downtime during the holidays with your hard work. Enjoy watching you personally wrench with commentary while trying to figure out problems. Enjoy reading the viewers input also. 🤟

Wheels look fire🔥

Hey Randy change you fuel injectors and computer chip it will run better

My daily routine it seems, Auto Auction Rebuilds and a cup of coffee.

Randy, what about the cracked manifold? Are you going to fix it? 37:34

one thing I noticed was it seemed to run ok for a few minutes then fell apart, would be nice to have a scanner connected to see if this happens when it goes into closed loop and the oxygen sensor takes over, if that airflow sensor is rich the the o2 sensor is going to lean fuel trim as much as it can as soon as closed loop happens

Coming in 2024 ; Randy 454 swaps the GN😆 I’ll say that whenever i have had one of these early FI engines get me totally stumped , i went back to the GM shop manual for the car and strictly follow the troubleshooting sections that are in there and that helped me finally isolate the issue.

Yea the stock wheels are better

I'd be so pissed off and done with this car. Thanks for putting in all the work trying to get her running right!

Wonder did u ever fix the crack in the manifold? If its sucking air or losing air thru the crack its not going to perform way it should. May lose boost, may cause rich or lean setting and i think its why car acts better after warms up compared to cold. Fix the manifold and seal up system and see that black beauty zip. I love the factory wheels and cooper cobra tires are a super great tire. The monte carlo ss will benefit from the other wheels and think it will look super bad@ss with it.

time for a new chip in my option

1) yes put those 5 star wheels on your MonteCarlo please(I had similar 5 star prime wheels on burgandy 87 Monte SS before And I liked it). 2) Whatever MAF sensor you use, I think you need to cap it off with a cone style air filter than fits. I think the sunction through a air filter will make it run. 3) keep the vids coming, I am living vicariously through you LOL.

This series is a deja vu for me 15 years back i almost gave up on mine. I ended up talking to a local gn expert and followed his advice and the car finally ran awesome. The secret was the scan master it tells you all the numbers you need to know to correctly tune it. Also the factory prom chip is garbage and will Never letthecar run proper. You need a custom chip mine is a tt 5.7 i believe.Also the translator and lt maf helped alot. Fixing that intake plenum leaks also is key and elimimate any vacuum leaks and i believe you will be Pleasantly surprised. Add a kn airfiler and that air temp sensor and that ought to do it

Those GN wheels are awesome!! Love those cars!

Red on boost gauge just means your in full boost and is working fine. The MAF is not happy when the hoses is off. You need it connected.

Sounds like you have a vacuum leak but I'm old school carb guy.

just went through the comments, most make no sense but if the exhaust manifold has even a small crack or leak these cars will not run right 02 will read a false lean and under boost fuel mixture will not be right, car will run rich, stall alot and run crummy,

Randy, clamp some vice grips on the hood shock and it'll keep it from shutting when you have the hood up

That is what a Colorado/Brahma 5 cyl should be swapped into. That is a full reseal and more project for the next year, in it's true state. Cool catch!

That air intake sensor that is just sitting there is screwing things up as well as needing the rest of the intake. Take the entire intake system apart and start over if need be.

I love the look of the Factory Wheels.

Well with that busted exhaust manifold I don't think what you have done will be much help until you replace the manifold or folds

Awesome car from Rensselaer Indiana

There is a possibility that the computer itself either has issues, or is incorrect for the car.

i haven't sat in a grand national since 1995. my coworker bought it cheap, thought it was cool. it was pretty cool back then. pretty zippy car. kinda how i feel about my ecoboost explorer sport thats now old. lol. he did know however that the grand national was pretty rare, unlike my explorer. however i almost never see explorer sports. so maybe it is. i found you could only get the 3.5 ecoboost in a sport, platinum and some police interceptors. most police interceptors are the 3.7 non turbo.

Grand National damn nice looking car I hope you can get it figured out

Randy the Grand National is a beautiful classic car that is really starting to rise in value, and its definitely an investment on your $24k. Surely a car of this value deserves to go to a professional who knows those cars and can fix it and get it running exactly how it should. And surely spending the money to get it running right would would protect your investment???

Best upgrade would be a very comfy couch in the garage And pluming for a three piece bathroom.

I found an old gm parts catalog that ecm service # 1227148 is correct and the prom id, ACXA is also correct , all that means is it is likely those are original parts still do not like that the otc scanner will not work, I am looking at my 1987 otc manual and it should give you all the data and codes, the only engine it would not work on in 1987 was the 4.1 L,(cadillac), I am still thinking bad ecm or prom, it was more common back then, that ecm is no longer available from gm or ac delco, but there are replacements out there some remans that will replace that service number are not hard to find, a factory prom my be a lot harder but that chip your friends recommended will replace it

Make sure install you install air temp sensor as well.

The maf sensor on the 86 Buick gn is from a 85-90 fbody 2.8-3.1 multi port fuel injection v6 which does not like aftermarket maf and fuel injectors and fuel pumps either...

I would try to find an expert who works on the Buick Grand National and have them fix all the issues and get it running the way it is supposed to be when it was built and rolled off the assembly line.😊👍

Love the videos Randy But what do your neighbors think of you reving the engine at midnight... lol

Randy hit up legit street cars he can most definitely help uuuu !!!

Does it have a heated O2 sensor? I had an 87 Cutlass with mods and kept running like shit in n out of loop and heated O2 sensor fixed it. Love the car; hope you find the issue; very sure you will.

Connect the stock air box. 3.8s hate being open on the maf.

Factory wheels look fantastic, as for the tune, I use to know a master mechanic with a Buick dealership in OKC, he knew these cars inside out....we bought a GN and had him go thru and tune it "his" way and it was a screaming demon. Unfortunately Bill passed on, otherwise I would hook you up with him.....

OEM wheels! Looks much better! Is there a way to reset that computer? Control alt delete?😅

on some cars the computer case needs to be grounded . the o2 sensor can make it run lean .fist sign of o2 sensor goin bad it idle is low until its at operating temp

Tell us people that you can not get a exhaust manifold to replace the cracked one . I guess you do not think you need the broken manifold replaced . At least try to put JB weld on the crack and try to get the right oxygen reading on the oxygen sensors. You overwhelm me apparently you do not read any of your comments. Have a great day. and have a happy New Year

Randy what about the sensor where the air filter goes it might be the problem with it running

Randy it almost acts like the cat is clogged.