What did you do to your Reatta today? <ongoing thread>

[relospecialist]

Just wanted to give a big Thank You to David Lemke.  David sold me controller for my 88 that operates the blend box (cold to warm air).  I can now from the touch screen have either A/C or Heat.  In Texas this time of year you switch back and forth a lot.

 

Again Thank you David.  You saved me.  And thanks to this forum and it's supporters.  

[DAVES89]

Glad it worked for you. Usually I hear comments that I am too expensive.

[Barney Eaton]

When I put my car back in the garage,  I had a question from a owner in Dallas about a underhood connector,  so I am out there looking under the hood for this connector and

run my forehead into the corner of the hood.    Dazzed me a little.......don't know if I had the hood all the way up but it has never been an issue before......and hopefully not again.

[DAVES89]

On 4/14/2018 at 10:12 AM, DAVES89 said:

I'll take the rain [which is what we got to start]. Then snow and sleet. About 4" so far and another 6"-8" to come. All the cars are under cover [wife's and the 3 Reattas] so it is just a case of waiting it out. This time of year there is a lot of moisture in the snow so it makes for heavy lifting. But I also have also have a 7HP Ariens snowblower so that makes clearing the driveway and front sidewalk a lot easier.

 Shouldn't get this weather this late in April. Prior to April we got 29" of snow all winter. April alone will deliver 25" or more. {Could be a recorded history record].

Well it's a day later and we are still getting snow. About 35 miles from us they got 25" of snow. We are ar about 15" with another 12" predicted. While the snow is bad enough we are getting sustained winds of 25 miles per hour with gusts to 40. What makes this so bad is that there was a "lull" yesterday afternoon and then we got sleet that turned into snow. So now when I use my snowblower I cannot get down to the pavement.

 Jim Finn might come on the forum and say that what we are getting is a little higher then what they can get but around here this is considered significant. 

 To put this in perspective we normally get about 45" of snow annually. To April 1 we got 29". Since then we got a 8-10" storm last week and this one that will end up about 24". 

 So 32" in 7 days verses 29" all winter. 

 And what could be worse? Another snowstorm on Thursday is predicted... 

[Ronnie]

That's a lot of snow Dave. Hard to imagine that much snow in April. It was 80 degrees here yesterday. 60 degrees with rain today. Our annual snowfall averages about 3 or 4 inches per year but it usually comes in small amounts at a time. Much of the time it just lays on the grass and not the road because the roadway isn't cold enough. 1993 was an exception. We got 14" of snow all at once in March of that year. We were out of electricity for a week because of downed power lines!

 

The only snowblowers or snowmobiles I've ever seen were in photos.

[AZVET]

New license plate for the front since I live so near to Route 66.  In fact, I can see it from my living room window.  Almost every time I drive Route 66 I see some type of classic car.

 

[Ronnie]

I'm usually not a fan of front license plates but I think that one looks really good.

[DAVES89]

2nd heaviest snowfall in recorded history for our area. Heaviest snowfall total for April all time and believe it or not another snow storm heading our way for Tuesday night into Wednesday.

 This is some April...

[Fox W.]

On 3/31/2018 at 8:27 PM, Cargirl said:

Hi, it's one of those things that actually takes a fair bit of experience to have a really nice result.  I'm very big on doing things myself, but this is one thing my research tells me to let a pro do it.  It's very tricky, even for a pro it takes a lot of time.  That's right, regarding locations, those would be the most important places.

 

On 3/31/2018 at 8:27 PM, Cargirl said:

I am interested in the XPel process. Do you take it to a shop and get it installed or is this something you can do by yourself? It sounds like you do the whole hood, the fenders and the headlight buckets?

 

 

 

[SteveT]

finally got some pics.

[DAVES89]

That hitch looks better then I thought it would. However I am glad I have a different vehicle for towing. We do use the Reatta [any one of the 3] for our bike rack. The rack we have works better on it then the Enclave my wife drives.

[DAVES89]

I bought some injectors off ebay and installed them recently. One of the injectors was stuck "wide open" and would cause almost a misfire unless I was at full acceleration. So I removed them and sent them back to the supplier and in the meantime reinstalled my original ones. The vendor replaced the bad one and in an email to me suggested I get my fuel rail cleaned prior to the installation of these new injectors he replaced my original order with. So I took the Red into a shop and they cleaned the fuel system [rail and injectors] and installed a new fuel filter.

  The car now accelerates as good or better then the Black and 'vert. It's like a new car. Since I got the car [11 years and 164,000 miles] the car would always hesitate on sudden acceleration and then go, nothing like the other two. The hesitation is now gone. 

 So if you have an acceleration or even an idling issue, cleaning the fuel rails/injectors is something to consider.

[Ronnie]

Dave, Glad to hear you got it running good again. Was the injector stuck open because of dirt in the fuel rail or was it just a bad injector?

[DAVES89]

The guy told me that they used a certain solvent when they would test the injectors prior to shipping and if they weren't installed within a couple of months they would stick open. As the injectors were a Christmas present I didn't get to installing them until April. So it started with the bad injector and then them telling me that prior to installing them I should clean the system [which as we learned from my prior post I did].

 Cleaning the system was not terribly expensive. The cost was $99.95 and I had a $5.00 coupon. They did charge me extra to install my fuel filter. I would have done it myself but I wanted everything to be clean and installed at the same time. 

 The Red runs so good I'm not sure I will notice much better improvement when I install the new injectors.

[Ronnie]

Saturday I drove my Reatta on a tour with the East Tennessee Region of the AACA to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park in KY, TN, VA. We had perfect weather for driving. It was about 220 miles round trip for Kat and I on the backroads of East Tennessee as we worked our way up to the State of Kentucky. We stopped at that Cumberland Gap Park Visitor Center where they were having a small civil war reenactment. Then we traveled about four miles up the curvy road to  "The Pinnacle" overlook that sits at 2440 feet above the valley below. The views of the town of Cumberland Gap and he mountains in the distance were breathtaking. The photos I took don't do justice to what you actually can see from there. After having lunch in the town of Cumberland Gap we enjoyed the craft fair they were having. It was a great tour. Thanks to the ETR-AACA for putting it on!

 

 

[DAVES89]

Ronnie that is a great picture. I believe I have stopped there a number of years back on a return trip from South Carolina. It is a great view. Thanks for posting it.

Edited April 25, 2018 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[DAVES89]

Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of the completion of the rebuilt engine/used transmission swap on the Red. While it was a bit of a job to do the swap, I am glad I did it. Engine has more power and the tranny shifts so much better then the old one did as it was just about worn out.

[Cargirl]

Speaking for Dave's Engine & Transmission, "Awe Dave, your such a sweetheart, I did not think you would remember our anniversary." 

 

[DAVES89]

Easy to remember as tomorrow is my wife's and my 38th wedding anniversary.

 And believe it or not we have two daughters both born on April 26. My oldest daughter is now 32 and my youngest 30.

 

[Cargirl]

I knew there was a story there Dave, an unusual date to remember unless tethered to another life event. Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthdays to the girls! 

[SteveT]

Replaced the injectors on mine today , as it was getting harder and harder to start. It is so nice to have it starting right up.  Still need to do the magnet for the cam sensor but that is for a different day.  Buffed and waxed it , and installed a "new to me" tail light assembly off my parts car the has all the letters and which I had already wet sanded and cleared.Got started last night sanding down 2 wheels so that I can wet sand/buff them.  I need to grab 2 more wheels and 4 center caps next time I am near my pole building so that I will have them all ready to install at the same time.

[DAVES89]

I had the fuel rail and injectors professionally cleaned and a new fuel filter installed. Last night installed new injectors and I can tell the difference. Better/faster starts and improved acceleration.

 If you are having issues with things similar to what I described it is something to consider, especially if you have the miles on your car similar to mine.

[dship]

Went into the igloo this morning just to look at my Reatta.  Local to me cruise-ins start next week (1st week of May), so I'll be sharing driving time between Reatta/Riviera.  Predicted temps in eastern MA all of next week are to be in the upper 70's/low 80's...yahoo!!  

[NCReatta]

22 minutes ago, DShip said:

Went into the igloo this morning just to look at my Reatta.  Local to me cruise-ins start next week (1st week of May), so I'll be sharing driving time between Reatta/Riviera.  Predicted temps in eastern MA all of next week are to be in the upper 70's/low 80's...yahoo!!  

Are you going to make it to Denver this year? Missed you in Milwaukee last year.

[dship]

3 hours ago, NCReatta said:

Are you going to make it to Denver this year? Missed you in Milwaukee last year.

Got sick at the end of last year's ROA meet and just before the BCA meet, so I had to cancel BCA attendance at last minute.  Denver is a little far to drive for me from MA at my age (69)...same situation with next year's in OKC.  I will definitely drive/attend the 2020 meet in Ohio with the Reatta...want to get it 400 point judged.

[Cargirl]

Took mt Reatta to a private car collection in Scottsdale, AZ. ( Denali Motorsports) Amazing, Packards, real race cars, all the classic pre-war stuff.  A very interesting day indeed.

 

My top is up, wanted to run the AC; "good for the seals." Dad would be proud

[Ronnie]

I had a great time at Main Street Cruise-in today. Lots of great cars there covering several city blocks.  I was surprised that my Reatta looked small next to the Firebird.

 

 

We took a side trip after looking at the cars to the Nancy Ward Cemetery.

 

[Cargirl]

I think that Firebird hood may be compensating for some, say, personal issues.      

[Fox W.]

I started with wanting to just replace my coolant, oil and clean some sensors, but then I went nuts.  I couldn't stop digging in further and further, trying to clean up and replace all the gaskets I've never touched yet.. This is what it became:

 

Drained coolant
Removed throttle body
Removed upper / lower intake manifold
Cleaned upper and lower intake manifold inside and out, as well as IAC and EGR (wire brushes on a drill)
Replaced water pump with new mounting hardware and seal (ACDelco 252-694 + Dorman 902-803 + Fel-Pro 35351)
Replaced thermostat and seals (Stant 45849) + Fel-Pro 35608 + Fel-Pro 35126

Flushed heater core and radiator (Prestone AS105)
Replaced heater core and bypass hoses (ACDelco 18118L + ACDelco 14066S + Dayco 71376 + Dayco 88358)
Replaced Upper and lower radiator hoses (Gates 21714 + Dayco 71297)
Replaced PCV valve (ACDelco CV899C)
Replaced intake manifold gaskets (Fel-Pro MS94066)
Replaced throttle body adapter gasket (Fel-Pro 70257)

Replaced injector o-rings.
Repainted intake manifold

Removed HVAC fan and control module, cleaned out debris (surprisingly clean inside)

Inspect Evap. (again, shocking clean on this side.)

Reassembled everything above.

Drained oil.  
Replaced oil level sensor (Was acting up.)
Replaced oil pan seal and added copper RTV (warped, prone to leaks)

 

I'll take more pics of it finished soon.  I mostly just did all this because I just felt like digging in to see how the top half was doing. I used an endoscopic camera to look down at the valves as best I could.  Most things were not so bad, so I can't claim this work was needed.. though I do feel better seeing for myself how things are looking all around.  

 

Those injectors are gen 3 Bosch, and in previous threads I raised questions about why these may be throwing off the MPG calculations and speculating that the volume on these per pulse-width is greater than the originals.. well I've confirmed that is true.  I'd need to likely go down to 19lb injectors to make it match.  I also verified the spray-pattern is cone, which should be alright for this kind of plenum, so I'm going to keep them.

 

Thanks.
 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by Fox W. (see edit history)

[DAVES89]

Wow!

 Are there any houses up for sale in your neighborhood? I would like you to be a neighbor and do work like that on the Black or the 'vert [Red is done] for me.

 How about pics when everything is back together?

[Machiner 55]

More Reatta porn.Gotta love it!

 

John F.

Edited April 29, 2018 by Machiner 55
Spelling (see edit history)

[Fox W.]

9 hours ago, DAVES89 said:

Wow!

 Are there any houses up for sale in your neighborhood? I would like you to be a neighbor and do work like that on the Black or the 'vert [Red is done] for me.

 How about pics when everything is back together?

  
Thanks Dave!  There have been a number of houses for sale on my street actually.      It would be nice to have help for sure.

[DAVES89]

Help? You would be my man Friday!

 Besides you would only want me for my... car parts.

 

Edited April 30, 2018 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[DAVES89]

2 hours ago, Machiner 55 said:

More Reatta porn.Gotta love it!

 

John F.

Welcome back John!

 Good to see you do more then lurk/look at our Reatta porn...

Edited April 30, 2018 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[DAVES89]

Going to taht yard in West Bend that had that '90 I pulled all those parts from. My son in law needs an engine so while he gets that I may roam the yard and see what else I may need.

[Cargirl]

Very busy Reatta day today, replaced the radio module, replaced the passenger side speaker and did the front brakes. Not a bad day! The stereo now sounds amazing and the car stops on a dime. I think the pads were the original ones. Good to feel a firm brake petal again!!

[Fox W.]

Here is the updated pictures.   It took me awhile to do some other stuff, I was waiting for some more parts to come in and tinkering around.   I also had to solve two leaks.   One was the inlet for the water pump, the connector was corroded enough that the pitting was making the hose (lower radiator hose) have a tough time getting a good seal.   

 

So I used JB weld like a body-filler and smoothed it all over the pipe, after curing I then sanded it down to 400 grit.  It makes a seal now.   (The picture shown is pre-sanding)    Overall not much to show for all that work, the LN3 isn't the most pretty engine that's for sure.  My block is still greasy old and rusty too.       

 

My other small leak was one of the throttle body coolant pipes, just needed to tighten the bolts a bit more.   Here is what I'm using for my leak test:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00804HWOU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That kit saved me a lot of mess and trouble..  Just put your system under 25psi of vacuum and use some soapy water spray to identify leaks.   Then it also makes filling perfect without any air gaps.

 

Also I used these for my radiator hoses, very nice:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N0LCZHP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

What I learned:

Four Seasons 84969 Water Outlet has a heavily textured coating that was 50% oversprayed on to areas that were supposed to be smooth ,  Dorman may be better, unsure.

Heater hoses (ACDelco 18118L & Dayco 88358) are perfect after cutting down quite a bit, but the shape is perfect.  

Lower radiator hose (Gates 21714) is perfect as-is.

Manifold coolant bypass hose ACDelco 14066S is perfect as-is.

Water pup mounting kit (Dorman 902-803)  uses longer bolts for the 4 longer ones, all but 1 will work fine, but one hole is less deep and the bolt will bottom out before it has even reached the housing.  I used an original for this one.  Otherwise it was still very helpful.

The ACDelco 15-8386 GM relays still don't properly stay clipped to our little relay holder.. still zip tied, oh well.

Use Delco part 12337901 for thermostat gasket, fits much better than the thicker Fel-Pro 35126

Delphi BM10032 is a good HVAC fan replacement. 

 

There is always extra hardware!  Two extra bolts pictured.  One is a significant one, used to hold things like support brackets, yet I cannot find anything missing.  ?

Thanks.

 

 

Edited May 4, 2018 by Fox W. (see edit history)

[Fox W.]

Next thing:  Replace trans/eng. mounts.  At least one is broken I think, I get a nasty sound when under-load in reverse. 

[Ronnie]

That's a low of work you've done so far. It looks good.

[Cargirl]

Went to a show & shine in central Phoenix yesterday. Had some amazing cars and the people just raved over the Reatta. Of interest to people that like Buick, here is a 1987 LeSabre and look at this massive Cadillac, blue with red interior. Nice!