Buick Century — A-body, front-drive (fifth generation) (1982–1996)

The fifth-generation Century was Buick's front-drive A-body midsize car: a coupe (to 1993), a sedan and, from 1984, a wagon, sold as Custom and Limited, with a T-Type (1983–1986), a 1984 Olympia edition, a 1986 Gran Sport coupe and, from 1992, a Special. No GM order guide, data book or Heritage kit for it is in the archive, so its codes come from GM's parts catalog for the Century (read through a third-party mirror), Wikipedia, Buick's 1996 brochure and GM-wide code lists. Sixteen powertrain, suspension, brake, cooling, air conditioning, battery, emissions and engine heater codes (J50, UA1 and YF5 are tied to the Century by the kits alone) are also cited from the Heritage kits of the Chevrolet Celebrity, the A-body twin, for 1983–1990; the kits never name the Century, so they only date a code the two cars share. Equipment years are only the model years those sources tie to a code, so many equipment rows understate how long an option was offered; codes the parts catalog shows with no date (other than G66 and K05, which the Celebrity kits date), and all paint and trim codes, are left out.

Codes

Engines

Code	Description	Years	Models/Notes	Confidence
LR8	2.5 L (151 cu in) L4, throttle-body fuel injection (VIN R)	1982–1992	The "Tech IV" four: about 90 hp to 1988, 110 hp from 1989; shared A-body engine code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits for 1983–1990 (the 1983–1985 specification pages head a column with it, the 1986–1988 and 1990 pages pair other options with it, and the 1989 order guide lists it as a no-charge engine; the 1987 exclusion remark on page 42 dates no year, so the 1987 page cited is 43); 1982 and 1991–1992 from Wikipedia's Iron Duke article, which gives the Tech IV to the Century 1982–1992 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.6 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.8 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.15 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.43 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.43 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.46 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.10 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1990 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.40	confirmed
LK9	3.0 L (181 cu in) Buick V6, 2-barrel carburetor (VIN E)	1982–1985		confirmed
LT7	4.3 L (262 cu in) V6 diesel (VIN T)	1982–1985	Shared A-body engine code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits for 1983–1985; 1982 from Wikipedia's Oldsmobile Diesel article, which gives the 4.3 L diesel to the Century 1982–1985 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.6 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.8 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.21	confirmed
LE2	2.8 L (173 cu in) V6, 2-barrel carburetor (VIN X)	1982–1986	Wikipedia's Century article gives it to U.S. cars for 1986 only and to Canadian cars from 1982; its 60° V6 article and the parts catalog list the Century from 1982; shared A-body engine code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits for 1983–1986; 1982 from the 60° V6 article and the parts catalog ⛭ GM Heritage — 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.6 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.8 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.15 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41	confirmed
LG3	3.8 L (231 cu in) Buick V6, fuel injected (VIN 3): multi-port 1984–1985, sequential 1986–1988	1984–1988	Standard on the T-Type 1985–1986; for 1984–1985 the parts catalog labels this engine LN3, while Wikipedia and a GM-wide code list give LG3; from 1986 the catalog also reads LG3	disputed
LG2	3.8 L (231 cu in) V6, sequential fuel injection (VIN B)	1986–1988	Only the parts catalog lists it for the Century, beside LG3; Wikipedia gives the Century only the VIN 3 engine	single-source
LB6	2.8 L (173 cu in) V6, multi-port fuel injection (VIN W)	1987–1989	Wikipedia's Century article ends it in 1988; its 60° V6 article and the parts catalog include 1989; shared A-body engine code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits for 1987–1989 (1987 from the pairing remarks on the page headed Model Year 1987); the 1985 and 1986 Celebrity kits also print LB6, but no Century source gives those years, so they are not claimed ⛭ GM Heritage — 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.46 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.10	confirmed
LG7	3.3 L (204 cu in) "3300" V6, multi-port fuel injection (VIN N)	1989–1993		confirmed
LN2	2.2 L (134 cu in) "2200" L4, multi-port fuel injection (VIN 4)	1993–1996	110 hp in 1993, 120 hp from 1994; 1996: standard on the Special sedan, not offered on the wagon	confirmed
L82	3.1 L (191 cu in) "3100" V6, sequential fuel injection (VIN M)	1994–1996	1996: optional on the sedan, standard on the wagon	confirmed

Transmissions

Code	Description	Years	Models/Notes	Confidence
MD9	Automatic transaxle, 3-speed (THM 125C, later named 3T40)	1982–1996	1996: standard on the sedan only; shared A-body transaxle code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits: 1984 from its own option line (the air-conditioning entries of 1985–1989 list MD9 only among several engines and units, which dates no year, and the Celebrity pages of 1985–1989 sell the unit as MX1); 1982–1983 and 1985–1996 from the parts catalog and Wikipedia's Turbo-Hydramatic 125 article, which gives the THM 125 to the A-body 1982–1996 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41	confirmed
ME9	Automatic transaxle, 4-speed overdrive (THM 440-T4, later named 4T60)	1983–1993	1983: dated only in the parts catalog; Wikipedia starts the A-body 4-speed in 1984; shared A-body transaxle code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kit for 1984 (its own option line; the air-conditioning entries of 1986–1989 list ME9 only among several units, which dates no year, and the 1985 page prints the code garbled); 1985–1993 from the parts catalog and Wikipedia's Turbo-Hydramatic 125 article, which gives the 4T60 to the A-body 1984–1993 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41	confirmed
M13	Automatic transaxle, 4-speed overdrive, electronically controlled (4T60-E)	1994–1996	1996: standard on the wagon, optional on the sedan	confirmed

Packages & Trims

Code	Description	Years	Models/Notes	Confidence
WE8	Century T-Type	1983–1986	Sport model with blacked-out trim and aluminum wheels; its own VIN series 1984–1986; 1986: four-door only, the coupe being sold as the Gran Sport	confirmed
WA3	Olympia edition (1984 Olympic Games)	1984	only in: sedan; gold stripes and USA Olympic-ring emblems	single-source

Equipment

Code	Description	Years	Models/Notes	Confidence
F40	Heavy-duty suspension	1984–1987, 1989	Buick's 1985–1987 Regal option list calls F40 its firm ride and handling suspension; 1984–1987 from the parts catalog; 1989 from the Chevrolet Celebrity kit's order guide, which sells it as heavy-duty front suspension (a shared A-body suspension code) ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.11	single-source
F41	Gran Touring suspension	1984–1991	Buick's 1985–1987 Regal option list calls F41 its Gran Touring suspension; the parts catalog dates it 1984–1991; shared A-body suspension code, also cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kit for 1984, which calls it sport suspension ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41	confirmed
FE1	Soft ride suspension	1989–1991		single-source
FE2	Ride and handling suspension	1984–1988	Buick's 1985–1987 Regal option list calls FE2 its special Gran Touring suspension	single-source
FE3	Sport suspension	1984–1987		single-source
G67	Automatic level control	1984–1987		single-source
G66	Inflatable rear shock absorbers	1984, 1986–1989	Shared A-body suspension code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits (1989 from the order guide's option line); the Century parts catalog (44A or 45A; the earlier wave did not record which) shows the code without a date, and a GM code list reads G66 as manual air level control; every year rests on the Celebrity kits alone (the 1985 page prints no model year, so 1985 is left out), so the row is single-source; the kits' body-style limits are the Celebrity's and are not repeated here ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.45 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.11	single-source
K05	Engine block heater	1989	Shared A-body engine code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kit's 1989 order guide; the Century parts catalog (44A or 45A; not recorded which) shows the code without a date; the only dated source is the kit, so the row is single-source ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.10	single-source
J41	Power brakes, front disc and rear drum (cast iron)	1987–1991		single-source
J50	Power brakes	1984, 1986–1987	Printed as base equipment; shared A-body code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits; no Century source names it, so the row rests on the kit pages alone; 1985 is left out because the page that prints it carries no model-year field, and the 1988 listed pages do not print it; for 1987 the row overlaps J41 above (the parts catalog names the front-disc, rear-drum system for 1987–1991) and the kit page only prints power brakes as base equipment ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41	single-source
JM4	Anti-lock power brakes, front disc and rear drum	1996	Standard	confirmed
N81	Full-size spare tire	1990–1991		single-source
PC6	Wheels, 14 x 5.5 light alloy	1990–1991		single-source
PC7	Wheels, 14 x 5.5 styled steel	1996		confirmed
PD7	Wheels, 14 x 6.5 cast aluminum	1985		single-source
PG4	Wheels, 14 x 5.5 aluminum	1984–1985, 1990–1991, 1996		single-source
N91	Wire wheel covers, locking	1984–1985, 1990–1991, 1996		single-source
T82	Automatic headlamp control (Twilight Sentinel)	1982–1985		single-source
UA6	Theft deterrent system	1983–1986		single-source
AU3	Power door locks	1984–1986	Years from the parts catalog 44A (Nemiga mirror, T3): door hardware group 10 pages 4A10-301 and 4A10-302 date the lock-rod clip for AU3 "1984-86" and 4A10-301 the lock relay for AU3 to 1986	single-source
AU4	Automatic power door locks	1982, 1986		single-source
AU0	Remote keyless entry	1994, 1996		single-source
A31	Power windows	1982–1986, 1994, 1996	1996: standard	single-source
A90	Remote electric trunk release	1996	only in: sedan; standard; the 1996 Buick Century brochure lists the electric remote trunk lock release as standard on the sedan (the wagon has a tailgate release instead), and the code is the GM-wide lists' remote trunk release (Other sources)	confirmed
AU6	Remote electric tailgate release	1996	only in: wagon; standard	confirmed
AS7	Front split seat	1982–1990		single-source
AM6	Front 55/45 split bench seat with center armrest	1983–1990, 1995–1996	1996: standard	single-source
AR9	Front reclining bucket seats	1984–1988		single-source
A78	Manual reclining seatbacks, driver and passenger	1985–1988		single-source
A79	Manual reclining seatback, driver	1989		single-source
AT6	Manual reclining seatback, passenger	1985–1989		single-source
A80	Power reclining seatback, driver	1996	Standard	confirmed
A81	Power reclining seatback, passenger	1996	Standard	confirmed
AG1	Six-way power driver seat	1995–1996		single-source
YR1	Custom front seat trim	1988		single-source
B18	Deluxe interior trim	1989		single-source
DA0	Front seat storage armrest	1988, 1996	1996: standard, with cup holders	single-source
D55	Floor console	1983, 1989		single-source
DE9	Floor console, non-shifting	1982–1983	Years from the parts catalog 44A (Nemiga mirror, T3): console/floor (DE9/D55) page MA10-003 dates the trim plate "1982 DE9" and "1983 DE9"	single-source
BV3	Black instrument-panel trim	1983		single-source
BS1	Acoustical insulation package	1982–1983		single-source
BV8	Painted door handles and lock cylinders	1983–1986		single-source
B85	Belt reveal moldings	1982		single-source
C93	Opera lamps	1982–1988	only in: coupe	single-source
V56	Decklid luggage carrier, painted	1986–1987		single-source
V55	Roof luggage carrier	1996	only in: wagon	confirmed
C25	Rear window wiper and washer	1996	only in: wagon	confirmed
AM9	Split folding rear seatback	1996	only in: wagon; standard	confirmed
D42	Cargo area security cover	1996	only in: wagon	confirmed
C41	Heater and defroster without air conditioning	1989–1990		single-source
C60	Air conditioning, manual controls	1984–1985, 1988–1990, 1996	1996: standard (the 1996 Buick Century brochure); 1984–1985 and 1988–1990 from the weight-page lines headed by the code in the Chevrolet Celebrity kits (shared A-body code; the kits never name the Century, and no Century source dates those years); 1986 and 1987 are left out because the pages that print the line carry no model-year field; the kit years rest on the kits alone, so the row is single-source ⛭ GM Heritage — 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.40 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.41 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.45 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.68 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1990 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.40	single-source
C49	Electric rear window defogger	1996	Standard	confirmed
K34	Electronic cruise control	1996		confirmed
N33	Tilt steering column	1996	Standard on sedan and wagon; the 1996 Buick Century brochure lists the tilt-wheel adjustable steering column as standard, and the code is the GM-wide lists' tilt column (Other sources)	confirmed
AR4	Automatic front safety belts	1996	Standard	confirmed
AJ3	Driver air bag	1994–1996	Standard from 1994	confirmed
UM7	Radio, electronically tuned AM/FM stereo with seek/scan and clock	1991, 1996	1996: standard	single-source
UM6	Radio, electronically tuned AM/FM stereo with cassette, seek/scan and clock	1996		confirmed
U75	Power antenna	1996		confirmed
DD2	Covered visor vanity mirrors	1996	Standard	confirmed
D35	Outside mirrors, left remote and right manual	1996	Standard	confirmed
V08	Heavy-duty engine and transmission cooling	1985, 1987–1989, 1996	1996 from the 1996 Buick Century brochure, which prints V08 and ties it to the 3.1 V6's 2,000 lb trailer rating; 1985 and 1987–1989 from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits, which call it heavy-duty cooling (a shared A-body cooling code) (the 1987 page prints VO8); 1984 is left out because the page that lists it prints its model-year field as 7984, which is not a readable year; 1986 and 1990 are left out because those pages print YO8 and VOB ⛭ GM Heritage — 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.44 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.43 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.47 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.11	single-source
UA1	Battery, heavy-duty	1985–1988	Shared A-body code, cited from the Chevrolet Celebrity kits; no Century source names it, so the row rests on the kit pages alone; 1984 is left out because the page prints the code as UAT and 1989 because its only weight page prints a model year of 1988; the 1987 page is cited although it prints UAl (lower-case L, read as UA1, rule 9(d)); the 1988 page prints UAI, read as UA1 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.43 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.42 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.42 ⛭ GM Heritage — 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.46	single-source

Internal / Process

Code	Description	Years	Models/Notes	Confidence
JA1	Brake system, light-weight class	1982–1990	internal code	single-source
JA2	Brake system, heavy-weight class	1982–1991	internal code	single-source
JA8	Brake system, medium-weight class	1982–1991	internal code	single-source
NA5	Federal emissions	1985, 1989	internal code 1985 from the parts catalog; 1989 from the Chevrolet Celebrity kit's order guide, which calls it standard emissions (a shared A-body emissions code) ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.10	single-source
NB1	Closed-loop emissions system	1984	internal code	single-source
NB2	California emissions	1985	internal code	single-source
YF5	California emissions	1989	internal code the 1989 Celebrity order guide lists it as a must-order emissions choice (a shared A-body emissions code); no Century source names it, so the row rests on the kit page alone ⛭ GM Heritage — 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity, p.10	single-source

Sources

Factory documents (T1)

No GM order guide, data book, service RPO list or Heritage kit for the 1982–1996 Century is in docs/factory-docs/ or docs/heritage-ocr/; gm.saturn.team has no RPO Code List for the Century before 1998 (docs/factory-docs/SKIPPED.tsv). The Heritage kits of the Chevrolet Celebrity, the Century's A-body twin, are cited for shared A-body codes only: powertrain, suspension, cooling, emissions and engine heater codes that a Century source also names (owner, 2026-10-03), and, as single-source rows, the brake, battery, air-conditioning and internal codes the kits alone tie to the car (J50, UA1, C60 kit years, YF5; owner, 2026-11-05), never trims, packages or paint:

[HK] chevrolet/1983-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1983 (p. 6)
[HK] chevrolet/1984-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1984 (pp. 8, 40, 41)
[HK] chevrolet/1985-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1985 (pp. 15, 21, 41, 43, 44)
[HK] chevrolet/1986-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1986 (pp. 41, 42, 43)
[HK] chevrolet/1987-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1987 (pp. 41, 42, 43)
[HK] chevrolet/1988-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1988 (pp. 45–47)
[HK] chevrolet/1989-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — 1989 order guide, non-Eurosport sedan (pp. 10, 11), and MVMA specifications, 1989 (p. 68)
[HK] chevrolet/1990-Chevrolet-Celebrity.txt — MVMA specifications, 1990 (p. 40)

Other sources

https://nemigaparts.com/cat_spares/epc/buick/44a-a/ — GM Electronic Parts Catalog, Buick Century A-body catalog 44A (dated lines 1982–1991), read through the Nemiga mirror; group pages under 00, 01, 02, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15 (retrieved 2026-10-02, one page at a time, 5–6 s apart; T3 here, as an unverified mirror). Supplies every code's link to the Century and every equipment year that is not from the 1996 brochure.
https://nemigaparts.com/cat_spares/epc/buick/45a-a/ — the same catalog's 1992–1996 Century A-body catalog 45A; group pages under 00–15 (retrieved 2026-10-02, likewise).
https://archive.org/details/ProspektBuickCentury1996USA — Buick's 1996 Century brochure (prices as of 12/1/95), a user upload; its OCR text read from https://archive.org/download/ProspektBuickCentury1996USA/Prospekt%20Buick%20Century%201996%20USA_djvu.txt (retrieved 2026-10-02). Standard and available equipment for 1996; prints V08.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Century — fifth-generation engine table, body styles and model-year events (retrieved 2026-10-02 as wikitext, action=raw)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Type — Century T-Type 1983–1986 and the 1986 Gran Sport (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V6_engine — LK9, LG2/LG3 and LG7 applications (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_60°_V6_engine — LE2, LB6 and L82 applications (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Duke_engine — Tech IV in the Century 1982–1992 (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_122_engine — LN2 in the Century 1993–1996 (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_engine — 4.3 L diesel in the Century 1982–1985 (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Hydramatic_125 — THM 125 in the A-body 1982–1996 and 4T60 in the A-body 1984–1993 (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_4T60-E_transmission — 4T60-E in the Century from 1994 (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://oldcarmemories.com/1983-1986-buick-century-t-type-a-very-special-front-wheel-drive-performance-car/ — T-Type engines by year and the 1986 Gran Sport (retrieved 2026-10-02)
http://www.gnttype.org/numbers/rpo.html — Buick's 1985–1987 Regal option list (T2), used for Buick's own names for shared codes (retrieved 2026-10-02; read again 2026-11-03 to check code meanings)
http://www.trishield.com/Directory/optioncodes.shtml — Buick option codes, years unstated (T3); the site redirects to https with a self-signed certificate, read with certificate checking off (retrieved 2026-10-02; on 2026-11-03 the certificate had expired and the page was not read again)
https://rparts-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/dec399b0838336997484042ed2af1004/design/rpoCodes.pdf — GM-wide code list (T3): code meanings, engine VIN letters, WE8 as "Century T-Type" (retrieved 2026-10-02)
https://jameshalderman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RPO_Codes.pdf — GM-wide code list (T3): code meanings (retrieved 2026-10-02)
NICB Passenger Vehicle Identification Manual, GM sections (T4): docs/reference/nicb/nicb1987-gm.txt p.38, nicb1991-gm.txt p.35 and nicb1996-gm.txt p.37, read on the page images — Century series names and VIN series by year