RyanCooper But the production car only made it about halfway there in 1990, the first year without the touchscreen and the first year for a convertible, the introduction of which was delayed by additional teething troubles, this time having to do with keeping the convertible from leaking. The instrumentation featured digital cathode-ray tube (CRT) gauges, and the center console housed a shockingly complex CRT touchscreen that controlled HVAC, entertainment, diagnostic, and supplemental gauge functions. All should have been clean with limited areas of discoloration. "Summary", "Radio", "Climate", etc.) Welcome to the forum Ryan. The Buick Reatta should have been sportier than it turned out, and Buick's wavering on how to market this car may have been its death knell. Reatta Owners Journal is a group of Buick Reatta owners and enthusiasts who enjoy discussing the Buick Reatta automobile and sharing information about it. I'd switch to a Delco ignition, quality 8mm plug wires, and Delco Rapidfire (platinum) or Iridium plugs. the car of course has been sitting a while so i just assumed that had a major play in it. ok thanks ill be sure to check that to if it does come down to the bcm or the cps would either one of thoes off of a 1988 park avenue work i know that might be a dumb question but i dont know much about my reatta and i have a park avenue sitting in my back yard. What plugs get pulled to check valve covers? I forgot to mention we checked fuel pressure, it went up to 47psi at prime at settled at 42psi. A more detailed list of symptoms might shed some light on which one it is more likely to be. After intensive consumer research, Buick settled on a two-place convertible with a removable hard top. does it worse in OD with the TC locked but will do it in park or neutral as well. The problem is that it won't go any wher. As far as I'm aware, the bottom end is entirely original. The Reatta does share its chassis and driveline pieces with the Riv, however. After the fasteners are removed, lift the front connection up first and then pull the pipe out of the rear. The Reatta is nearly viceless, all right, but also nearly soulless. ok thank you very much NCreatta that would be great. Enter the Reatta named to suggest yachting rather thanrest homes. Top speed was close to 130 mph. These are two-seaters with the hard sports-car edges polished off and plenty of luxury gear pumped in. The ECC was very buggy which should have been expected given the state of touchscreen tech back in 88, when kids were playing dot-dash football on the school bus. Engine rebuild 2 Answers. The result, says Jordan, is a car with "sporty elegance"more like a Mercedes 560SL than a Corvette. Mileage now at 145k(mostly highway at this point) did a tuneup after timing set replacement, haven't done a compression test yet, and I've been staying within 5 of speed limits. Sign up for a new account in our community. That would be the place to start and its free. By Keyless entry another unusual feature during the late Reagan Era was available, and four-wheel disc brakes were standard, with wheel-lock during panic braking eliminated by ABS which was then a very new technology and available in only about 25 percent of new cars. Happen. I was wondering if perhaps I should check the oil pressure sensor first? First-year production amounted to just 4,708 cars which makes the Pontiac Aztek seem like a winner (11,201 were sold its first year). It may not have been as stylish as the Reatta, but it had more presence. only things i can think of are: ignition coil pack, ignition control module, map sensor, dirty or bad MAF, cam position sensor (if these had those?) Which came in black only and evoked funerals for any who dared to challenge one to a drag race. 1988 Buick Reatta 99,999 mi 6 $ 1,500 Classic Cars of SC Inc (844) 389-8080 Gary Court, SC 29645 (256 miles away) 71 1990 Buick Reatta Convertible 57,252 mi 3.8 Liter V6 $ 17,500 or $288/mo Classic Auto Mall Inc (877) 516-3869 Morgantown, PA 19543 (277 miles away) 73 1990 Buick Reatta Convertible 42,860 mi 3.8 Liter V6 $ 21,500 or $354/mo " To this group, a smooth ride is as important as agility; quietness carries as much weight as performance. My Reattas: 1988 1989 1990 Posted June 6, 2021 The sound quality on the vert with the top down is okay for around town driving, but bad especially on the highway. In other words, Mr. Qualman, you were right all along: the Reatta really does fit into the Buick lineup, just about perfectly. A number of full-size clay models followed, and by January 1983 the exterior had been refined to a level that made it feasible for production. Gomberg believes the Buick V-6 and GM four-speed automatic are nearly bulletproof; he's seen Reattas at the Buick Club of America's annual "Reatta Reunion" with nearly 300,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. Do you have a spare of either on hand to swap out? no warning.. then it wont start for 10 or 15 minutes then it startsand does it again.. anyone Good afternoon, I'd just like to have an idea when I do have the time in the future to sit down with this thing, a Haynes Manual, and a rebuild kit. Thats like asking to make a cardboard box like a steel safe. The car Buick wanted, Qualman says, would appeal to "people who really enjoy driving from point A to point B" when those two points are separated by hundreds of miles. I cannot think of any reason that an oil additive would restore power and mileage unless it is simple coincidence or perhaps the lifters collapsed due to lack of oil which would tend to hurt power output. 5/21/2014 3:01:17 AM 1989 Buick. removed the coil pack from the ICM and it was pretty gooey under there and leaking pretty bad which i read is a way to tell its bad (and it was a mess) The plug wires are new as well as the plugs, though they aren't of "OEM" AC Delco quality i figure they shouldn't cause any issues, given they made it idle a lot better after we did them. 1990 Buick Reatta Coupe FWD-Maintenance & Repair. It felt great to have power and mileage back, but I didn't have that for long. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it's worked out. only wiring i can see thats questionable is the hanging relays at the firewall, looks like they might've gotten hot or something, connectors and plastic all looks fine but the insulation looks a bit weird, no touching/crossed wires though. Is Mass Immigration Killing Two-Party Democracy in the U.S.. I believe Padgett handled that. Powered by Invision Community. Other British concerns were tapped for tooling and low-volume manufacturing expertise. It would be front-wheel-drive, like the Allante but not as flashy or as costly. / Buick Reatta eBay. The rear connection is secured by two long bolts under the heat shield for the throttle cables. We'll start with the styling: we think it's nice. The Reatta program was approved for production in August 1984. Inside, it's a different story. At the very least, remove the hose between to the engine and the air filter housing. Seth Rose. In the Reatta, the 3.8 V6 made less power than the version used in the GN which was turbocharged and served as a midway point between the Fieros smaller (and optional) 2.8-liter V6 and the larger and more expensive V8 that powered the Allante. August 1, 2021 in Reatta Owners Journal Forum. Will help you a lot and it is FREE! Braking is handled by four-wheel discs with standard anti-lock control. The mechanic has replaced the compressor. Edit: I can't quite recall the stop leak product specifics, but I'll be at the same store today to pick up some bobs and bits and will get that info here to help paint a better picture. Update: the ICM and Coil pack did fix the issue, however it still has a light throttle misfire/hiccup but otherwise it has good power and responds to more load and throttle/rpm etc now and does so smoothly and cleanly. In between his two C/D postings he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine; was an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM's product-development area; and became publisher of Autoweek. He furrows his brow and tell us of his days in Buick product planninghe headed the department before moving to the advertising side last Julyand of his ten-year battle to produce a two-seater. If you're interested in another one, i can probably find you one. I'm constantly jockeying cars around. There is no stop or other indicator that they are tight, just a feel and then test for leaks. Keep in mind that the touchscreen is a seperate device from the CRT. The crossover pipe is relatively easy to access. I try to post after work and I never seem to get my point across. Recommended Posts. Perhaps this was because the car was never meant to be topless. Consult the 1991 Reatta service manual for more information. Most of the lights and accessories are controlled by it. It just makes alignment of the parts more difficult and supports nothing. En eBay encuentras fabulosas ofertas en Cinturones de accesorios para automviles y camiones y piezas para Buick Reatta. Now it needed something whiz-bang-like. As for the design Buick settled on a two-place coupe. Post in the forum instead. But where is the greatness? If you have the time you can find the modules and disconnect and reconnect the plugs several times after spraying with contact cleaner to see if there is just a bad connection causing your problem. The Buick Reatta was first conjured in the early 1980s in response to a perceived gap in the marque's lineup. But Buick had a plan. On a side note, I believe I've developed an exhaust leak on the crossover pipe, how much of a paint is that to deal with? That's the why of the Reatta. Although Buick has fiddled with it a bit over the past year or so. A little more to the rear above the coolant overflow tank is another Power Junction Block. I'm changing out the MAF , but what is the cure for the Cam Sensor Circuit? The only issues he has with his cars are electrical gremlins that seem to occur if he lets them sit for more than a month: stalling and hesitation with the computer fuel injection, and the need to replace mass airflow and O2 sensors. The Reatta also had four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. The Reatta's drivetrain is as smooth and relaxed as any big Buick's. The Reatta isn't beautiful, but neither is it off-putting. Tested: 1988 Buick Reatta Has Two Seats, But Isn't a Sports Car, Best (and Forgotten) Coupes and 1970s G.O.A.T. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. the above poster is right it sounds like you are losing connection with the battery. He currently ministers to a 1999 Miata and a 1965 Corvette convertible and appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered "Okay, Boomer" when he tells one of his stories about the crazy old days at C/D. Convertible Reattas were known for their cowl shake and flexi ride. Tenemos la seleccin ms grande y las mejores ofertas en Otros accesorios y piezas para Buick Reatta. Powered by Invision Community, im not seeing the list of reatta suppliers at the top of the page. I am pretty familiar with the insides of these engines and am trying to imagine any adverse effects on the engine as a whole if only the front of the engine was opened up. The engineers also wanted to avoid the quality headaches associated with introducing fresh hardware on a new limited-production car. "They were all handcrafted at the Reatta Craft Center in Lansing. This May the car went to a mechanic to have a ignition key switch installedterrible mechanic didn't even compress the lock plate in the steering column and he disabled my horn. The 1991 model fuel pump wiring is not the same as earlier models. Mileage back in the twenties and power restored. I ask Gomberg if he has some kind of standardized rotation schedule to ensure that each member of his fleet gets driven regularly. Ive had this car for about 8 months and have had minimal problems. It is a sort of ball and socket arrangement. The rear connection is secured by two long bolts under the heat shield for the throttle cables. The Reatta, Qualman counters, is a good fit because it's not a pure sports car: it's a two-seater done the Buick way. He enjoys the give-and-take with hard-bitten magazine types like us. "And, pretty important for the Buick demo, we were also seeking the older retired buyers who would be purchasing it as sort of a reward.". Lay a rag under the idle air control housing to catch the screws My '89 CRT recently shows an E041 code (Cam Sensor Circuit), in addition to an E034 code (MAF Sensor Voltage Low). Contact Us - DO NOT EMAIL CAR QUESTIONS. No more oil loss and performance restored. "We were looking for younger buyers on their way up, that had the wherewithal to buy a $25,000 to $30,000 car," said Qualman. Past that I do know it was a garage queen. (The goal is 15,000 Reattas a year.). Made quick stop and on Reatta Owners Journal isa group of Buick Reatta owners and enthusiasts who enjoy discussing the Buick Reatta automobile and sharing information about it. If no codes it could be anything weak in secondary ignition (ICM, coils, plug wires, plugs. Not saying it's the BCM, just that was my case and I checked everything out before hand. The matter was settled when the Allant was approved by the GM brass, who felt that two new luxury roadsters would be one too many. GM wanted the Reatta to rise to a new level of craftsmanship and for the car to arrive at dealers without orange peel or other paint defects that were still common at this time. This meant the utilization of the new LN3 3.8-liter V-6, one of the first GM engines with port fuel injection and a counter-rotating balance shaft to aid smoothness. En eBay encuentras fabulosas ofertas en Otros accesorios y piezas para Buick Reatta. Buick sent Hawtal back to the computer repeatedly, until the Reatta's structure was more rigid than that of any other car it sells. They will start being displayed as soon as you enter diagnostics. It was wasted tech Buick customers could care less about. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies. It seems like one thing after another with this engine. But in the mid-1980s, they were common. Once you know that the power to the electronics is OK, then could be either connections at the BCM or CPS or either of those modules has gone south. Copyright 2020 Reatta Owners Journal Everyone said, Its never going to work. . By Seth Rose January 30, 2011 in Buick Reatta. "I was interested back in 1989, and even went to a showroom in Houston. The BCM is the Body Control Module (computer). or maybe a failing crank sensor (though from what i know those will cause a crank no start but i could be wrong) any help would be appreciated. Tenemos la seleccin ms grande y las mejores ofertas en Cinturones de accesorios para . It can't be stressed enough about how important those grounds are to the operation of the electronics you are having problems with. Did the engine get noisy, like lifters ticking? The removal of the finicky touchscreen and the addition of a convertible in 1990 didn't help; sales fell to 6,383. Its not well known, probably because Buick only made it for not quite three years, from January of 1988 through the spring of 1991 making it one of the shortest-lived and so least remembered cars GM ever made. The touchscreen was working fine and one day it just stopped lighting up all functions still work but the screen is black do you know where to start looking for the problem? The problem was 1) the technology wasnt quite up to the task and 2) the typical Buick buyer got scared away from blinking digital information blasting from the instrument panel. Jay Qualman is a rare bird in the Detroit jungle: a purebred car cuckoo who nests in the high branches of the automobile business. After four underwhelming years, Buick compassionately pulled the plug on the Reatta in 1991. Thank you :). It is a sort of ball and socket arrangement. Do the same for this block, and check the condition of the fuseable links that enter it. Common Problems . As we rolled up the miles in comfort, however, it occurred to us that somethingsomething importantwas missing. Industry: Employment Services , Services to Buildings and Dwellings , Other Support Services , Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing , Other Specialty Trade Contractors See All Industries, General Freight Trucking , Lessors of Real Estate , Business Support Services , Employment agencies, Help supply services, Building and office cleaning services, Packaging and labeling . Is your ALDL cover in place ? But is the design too radical for the average Buick buyer? The Reatta was just 183.7 inches long and rode on a 98.5 inch wheelbase. Under the hood, a transversely mounted version of Buicks 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, styled the 3800. This was essentially the same engine that Buick was using to power the rear wheels in itsotherhoped-for demographic-changer, the Regal Grand National. Posted January 30, 2011. For the Buick Reatta, the road to production has been an unusual one. Which brings us back to the who of the Reatta, and it isn't us. The Reatta was one of those oddballs that got through the pipeline only to find no one there. "But when we went to get corporate approval, the management said, Cadillac really needs a car to go against the Mercedes SL," Qualman said. There is no gasket used at the forward end of the crossover. If "Buick'' and "sports car" sound like mutually exclusive terms, then you understand why we've come to Buick City in Flint, Michigan, to ask questions and kick tires. From the Archive: Sports-car style without sports-car pain. ", Gomberg lost interest in the Buick Reatta and eventually ended up with a Corvette ZR-1. The Reatta is Buick's all-new two-seater, and it's aimed squarely atwell, that's what we're here to find out. I've checked the fuses inside the car. ok i just tried that scrubbed the crap out of the terminals and put new bolts on it and tightened them down ok nothing on the instrument panel is working besides the lights the rear and front defrost isnt working and nuthing lights up inside not the panel lights or the touch screen. I'm not that organized," he said, laughing. Splices on the floor usually have more to do with body electrics, not the instrument panels. There is a 'How to" tab at the top of the page. Just 2,132 convertible Reattas were made in 91 in addition to 6,383 hard-top coupes pushing the total production run that year to 8,515 cars. Question about 1988 Buick Reatta 1 Answer I just bought a 1988 Reatta. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Introduced on the 1987 Buick Riviera, with which the Reatta shared many of its underpinnings, it was the first setup of its kind. It produced 165 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque (later in production, it made 170 horsepower and 220 lb-ft) providing a competitive zero-to-60-mph time of 9.0 seconds flat. "CRT is working and shows nothing for the engine " - do you know about the diagnostic capability ? "If you were a typical Buick buyer coming out of a Park Avenue, that may have been a touch ahead of its time," said Qualman. as for the fuse thing if a fuse went bad it wouldnt flash it just be shut off fuses are either good or not good no in between im in aircraft electronics now so this wireing and fuse's are not that big of deal to me I have some what of an understanding of how it works all the connections are good me and everyone in my Airframe and Powerplant class checked I guess ill have to get a BCM or CPS and swap it in and see if that works but thanks for the input. "Sometimes in a day, I might drive two or three," he said. By ditching the glitchy touchscreen and making it a convertible it would rise to its expectations. To. Excerpted from the forthcoming (eventually) book,Doomed. "You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car" Buick's convertible plans were put on hold. They were known for this and the best solution is to get a rebuild digital dash that may have a warranty, which should correct the problem. Before I would buy my parts on ebay, I would try one of the suppliers listed at the top of the Reatta forum page, [The page you are on now]. Jim Finn has CPSs I believe. He admits that he would have preferred conventional gauges and controls as standard equipment, but the cost of retooling the dash and the cowl and reworking the wiring would have sunk the project. Underhood, it's one-size-fits-all: the only engine offered is GM's new 3.8-liter V-6, called the 3800, which is smoothed by a balance shaft and produces a respectable 165 hp at 4800 rpm. I'm wondering if the piston rings are starting to go. One other thing; if there is a substantial exhaust leak at the crossover, which is unusual, it can introduce ambient air into the exhaust upstream of the O2 sensor at the rear and interfere with a correct reading and fuel correction. It's easy! "But it would serve as a halo vehicle for the other Buick products. Workers could take their time. We just can't find anything in the Reatta that makes the editorial heart race to the redline. "So they took that product concept away and gave it to Cadillac." I'm going to check the distributor and starter. Buick sold plenty of Rivieras back in the day, and it had no troubles selling the Regal Grand National in the same day. November 10, 2021 in Buick Reatta. There was another series of posts on that. So 165 hp and a zero-60 time of nine seconds flat combined with fully independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes started things off. Such recent developments as driver-adjustable shock absorbers, says Qualman, "are more for Chevy or Pontiac buyers. Cadillac had the Allante, which arrived two years later. McIntosh says that at the time his design was not intended for any particular GM division; indeed, some of the earliest sketches for the new car wore Cadillac badges. But Buick tried. Flint's finest was missing a specialty niche vehicle, according to Jay Qualman, who worked in strategic planning for the brand during that era. It glides along the Interstates and keeps it composure on lumpy surface streets. Thanks to plenty of steadying understeer, even drivers of modest talent will find the Reatta difficult to upset in hard corners. But not because it was a two-seater or even because of the early issues with the ECC. What happens when you press the "hard" buttons on the CRT (i.e. January 30, 2011 in Buick Reatta. But although the program wasn't a major sales success, it managed to accomplish some of its goals. The folio containing the owners manual and warranty paperwork was signed by the supervisor on duty at the Reatta Assembly Centre when their particular car came off the line. Find company research, competitor information, contact details & financial data for DOROTA URBANIAK DOROTA of Wrocaw, dolnolskie. A worthy candidate for any Worst list, we present the 1988-91 Buick Reatta. Or Mercedes. Like the Allant, it's built on a shortened version of the Riviera/ Toronado/Eldorado/Seville chassis, but any other similarity to Cadillac's two-seater is pure coincidence. Worse under load is almost certainly ignition. If you really want to see if the pusher fan will work to cool the engine down, park in the driveway and let the engine idle. The last owner had let their son use it to get to and from college, so I can only make inferences what happened during that time. car looks like it had a lot of highway miles and very basic maintenance done. Common problem is the fan will not shut off when the ignition is turned off. Intake manifold vacuum leak? Finally replaced the BCM and everything worked as it should. Is it in the high range of 11 volts or more? It stood for real comfort, for something sporty, for being accommodating. When starting the 1988 buick reatta , sometimes the digital dash will not come on at first and if and when it does come on it pops off and then after an hour or two all of a sudden it pops on and may or may stay on. or lights beside the keys? Really? and can someone please explain to me what the BCM is and the general area of its location im not say thats it im just wondering. I recently got into a small accident and dented in the right side of my Reatta's hood and light. the vehicle is warm that suggests fuel probably is ok and so is spark. Maybe I am not quite understanding the post above? Copyright 2023, Antique Automobile Club of America. You will hear the clicking sound when the terminals are not quite tight and yours are most likely corroded and loose. Ok I'm having troubles with my car the inside electrical are flashing on and off the car runs just fine but the speedometer and the touch screen and interior lights flash on and off very spasticly. He has put dye in the freon systems and says there are no visible leaks. If the pusher fan comes on the system is probably working properly. I personally am think the CPS. It got GMs new 3.8-liter V6 with port fuel injection and counter-rotating shafts to counter the V6s inherent vibration. Powered by Invision Community. Golden! Maybe too much silicone used which got into the pan and restricted oil pickup. Browse answered 1988 Buick Reatta questions, problems & issues. I would do the Ignition Control Module/Coil Pack. Every time I have the car towed it warps the frame so it looks like I'm going to have to learn how to do this myself. The Reattas screen would sometimes go dark and when it did, you no longer had control over the climate or other touchscreen-only functions, such as the stereo. "They're not on a spreadsheet. It seemed to clear things up within a day of using it. At some point in the past two weeks, I developed some sort of my nternal oil leak, as I'd gone through two quarts in that time period, and my mileage and power tanked once again. The comment about going through two qts.
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