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1990 Buick Reatta - Running Badly... Any advice or assistance appreciated!


Guest dman722b

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Guest dman722b

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Hello,

I am inquiring about repairs for a 1990 Buick Reatta.
 
I took the car to have a complete diagnostic, and they could not exactly figure out what might be going on with the car.
 
They indicated:
Dash Warning Lights:
Check Engine, Brake & ABS.
 
They also stated:
Check Brakes
Check Tune-up
 
They provided me the following codes:
22 Open throttle pos sens circ
42 Elec Spark
43 Elec Spark timing malfunction
44 02 Lean
46 P.S. Pressure Switch
61 quad driver mode load MAH (?)
 
They had no idea how to pinpoint the diagnosis, or how to begin on fixing it. Disappointingly, the local Buick dealer told me that "we do not diagnose vehicles made prior to 1996 as our computers do not have the technology to go pre-1996." (REALLY?! SERIOUSLY?!)
 
So... Lost and clueless here. Any thoughts are most appreciated, and I thank you in advance. 
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dman722b,

 

Welcome to the AACA Discussion Forum. I have moved your question to the Reatta Forum. I am sure you will find folks here who can help you with getting yoru Reatta problems diagnosed and resolved.

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The links below will be helpful.

 

I would check the codes again using the 1st link below and report back here with with the codes you find. The codes reported in the first post don't appear to be code descriptions expected for the Reatta, which uses the OBD-1 system.

 

How To Access ECM, BCM & CRT Codes

 

ECM Diagnostic Codes

 

Reatta On-board Diagnostics Booklet

 

Repair Tips, Tutorials & Information
 

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Just to add to what has been said, I see you are a newbie here.  Don't let yourself get intimidated with the tech language here. It is very easy to use the on board diagnostics found on the Reatta.  Just follow the instructions Ronnie shared above.  Then come back and tell us what you found.  Folks here would be happy to help you understand what is being reported. It is almost impossible to mess up anything if you are just checking for codes as you follow Ronnies instructions.

 

I am on my 3rd Reatta now, all 90's and really like the diagnostics built into that year.  It's funny but I think there was better trouble shooting diagnostic in the earlier years with the CRT.  Your efforts would be immensely helped if you could get a Factory Service Manual (FSM) for your year car.  Be sure to get the complete FSM and not the New Product Information version which looks very similar.  The New Product Information version only tells you about what was changed from 1989 to 1990.  The regular FSM is a pretty complete bumper to bumper manual. 

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Guest dman722b

Thanks guys for your help.  I ran the on-board diagnostic and it gave me E043.  I cross referenced the code (thanks Ronnie for the list) and its shows ESC system problem.  I attempted to find out what that was but seems like endless possibilities, therefore this is where I am.  

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Thanks guys for your help.  I ran the on-board diagnostic and it gave me E043.  I cross referenced the code (thanks Ronnie for the list) and its shows ESC system problem.  I attempted to find out what that was but seems like endless possibilities, therefore this is where I am.  

 

Was that the only code you had?

 

Your code E043 problem is likely to be the knock sensor, the ECM, or the wiring connection between them. The procedure in the Field Service Manual for testing to find the problem is fairly simple if you have a service manual.

 

As cheap as the knock sensor is I would replace it & check to make sure it has a good connection first... assuming you are handy with tools. It might save you a lot of money if you will have to pay someone to troubleshoot it..

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Guest Rp1967

A quad driver module drives , you guessed it 4 different circuits.

A quad driver code along with several others is usually one circuit that is shorted bringing down the whole quad.

The factory service manual will show you what four circuits are driven by each quad driver

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Guest dman722b

E043 is the only code I have. I did have an E022 but I pushed the plug in tightly and the code cleared itself. (The clip is broken.) A little history, I changed the coil pack, ICM, spark plugs, & crank shaft position sensor. I changed the ECM about 6 months ago.

 

When I changed the ICM last weekend, the miss started. I then changed the coil pack and mistakenly crossed two spark plug wires. When I test drove, I noticed the car missing very badly. I went back and corrected the problem, but the missing is still there. It was not missing before I changed the ICM, it was dying periodically. This is my 2nd ICM, which is why I was changing it again - same symptoms (dying) that fixed the problem last time.

 

I have no idea what to do for this quad driver module that the shop diagnosed or the ESC system problem E043 code that the onboard computer shows.

 

That's all I have.

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If you don't have a code E026 then don't worry about the Quad Driver for now.  If you want to troubleshoot it anyway here are the instructions on my website for doing that: Code E026 Troubleshooting

 

It is possible a bad miss is causing the code E043. I don't think E043 would cause a miss but it can really hurt power output from the engine. The E043 is telling you the knock sensor is sending a signal to the ECM that it detects a vibration consistent with engine knock. The ECM in turn retards the spark timing and continues to do so until the knock is no longer detected resulting in power loss.

 

From what you are telling us about the engine missing I think you should go back to basic ignition system troubleshooting to find out why the engine is missing before dealing with the code E043. That includes checking each spark plug to be sure it is firing as well as carefully checking the spark plug wires to make sure the firing order is correct. I would also pull each plug and make sure it is not fouled or something. Don't assume new spark plugs and wires are firing correctly just because they are new. Since you had the wires off the coil pack I wouldn't be surprised if you still have a plug wire crossed or have the wires crossed that run between the ICM and the coil pack. It is easy to do. Basic ignition system problems that can cause a miss (bad plugs, wires, etc) will not set a code.

Edited by Ronnie (see edit history)
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