Saw 1990 Maui Blue sitting in a yard with for sale on it. I said that looks like your 1978 Toyota Celica. I stopped and look and had to go to the back to learn it was a Buick. As I described it she kept saying I want that car. So I buy it that same evening. I think its in very good shape. Has a noise I cannot find in the right rear. I have read post on this site in all my spare time since buying car a week ago. Took pads off and center punched the edges of pad on metal part to tighten up. I think that did away with the jingle type sound put still have a noise. Not in any part of exhaust I don't think are heat shields. Bushings all seem tight. Next problem is inside lights want come on. Once they did come on when I opened the right door and closed it put not till I closed it. I opened door and checked to see if ever light was burning and they were. What's your guess on this problem? Took off left door jam switch and its very coroded. Don't know if I pulled whole switch off are pulled it apart. I think I pulled it apart. O the cam magnet must be bad I have that code and light on. I have Pagget's quick fix. Have vinyl woman comming tomorrow for some rip repairs. I am 70 and have had a country auto shop for 47 years. Never had anyone wanting antilock brakes fixed. They either drive reckless or go to a shop that can finance the job. Now here is the main question. I think I need a accumulator.
Test 1: Start car, wait a few seconds after brake lights go out for pump to run and stop. Count the number of full pedal pumps it takes to turn on the yellow and red lights. How many pumps? **1 pump, red 19 first time 7 second time.

Test 2: Climate control and radio off. Wait for lights out, then a few seconds for pump to stop running, Key off. Count the number of full pedal pumps it takes till the pedal gets very hard. How many pumps? 1 pump

Test 3: Turn key on (don't start engine) Count the seconds until the red light goes out and continue counting until the pump stops running. Note also when yellow light goes out or if it doesn't. Seconds till Red light goes off? 6
Yellow Light? 3 seconds

Test 4: Total seconds till pump stops running? 2 seconds

Test 5: Leave driver door open w/ hood raised. Turn key on, don't start engine. Listen and identify the brake system pump running. (under the hood, on the firewall, drivers side). Wait until the pump stops running. Depress the brake pedal one or more times until the pump starts to run. How many pumps? 1 pump

Test 6: The system should be fully pressurized ( key on, lights out, pump no longer running) and you should have filled reservoir to the fill line while the system was Depressurized , as per Manual, prior to this test! Make a mark, grease pencil, masking tape, whatever, exactly at the Reservoir fluid level. Measure the distance between the fill line and this mark. Distance? No distance whatsoever, I can pump all day long and there is no change in the level

Test 7: Checking the Main Valve Operation. Turn the key to Run (not Start), wait until the lights go off and Pump stops running. Turn the key to off, place your foot on the Brake Pedal and while pressing gently, turn the key to Run. Immediately or within a few seconds you should feel a tap/pushback from the pedal and an audible thump. There IS a thump

Noise might be brake calipers, KDirk figured out his..........

KDirk
Member

Registered: 07/09/07
Posts: 146
Loc: St. Louis, MO I have one quick thing to add here:

I had a rattle in my rear left brake until recently, and discovered it was because the outer pad wasn't seated right in the piston. For anyone not familiar, there is a "cross" (or plus sign shaped) ridge in the face of the piston. The pad has two small detents that are meant to "sit" in the cross shaped ridge on the piston face, and once mounted this keeps the pad tight and free of rotation against the rotor.

I found the piston had rotated off axis (instead of the cross being at 90 degree angles, it was at a 45 degree angle and looked like an X instead of a +) if that makes any sense. Thus, the two small detents on the back of the pad were not held tight and this caused the pad to rattle - rather loudly - anytime I hit bumps in the road.

I was quite relieved to have found the cause and fix it. The fix was to use a big slip joint pliers to rotate the piston face back into it's proper orientation and reseat the pad. No rattles since.

You might check this out too, as it is a harder problem to spot than other possibilities.

KDirk
_________________________
Kevin Dierkes
St. Louis, MO

Proud owner of:
1991 Buick Reatta Coupe White over Flame Red 94,xxx mi
1995 Cadillac Sedan Deville White over Shale 118,xxx mi

"With just a bit more humility, I'd be perfect!"

You definitely need a new accumulator. A new one will take about 7 pumps for the red light to come on. An OK one will be 4-3 pumps and a shot one is 2 or less. The additional problem I am seeing a lot of lately is folks are driving with bad accumulators and this causes the pump/motor to run every time the brake pedal is pushed causing the pump motors to go bad. Then you have no power brakes.
There is almost no such thing now days as a good used accumulator as most of them are old and the nitrogen has leaked out. You will have to buy a new one and they are about $ 140.
I have several Reatta parts cars and have most parts available but not accumulators. I can be reached at jfinn@cpinternet.com

Got accumulator today. Ordered from my dealer who I have been buying from for 47 years. $153 list $219. About $13 more than parts direct at Flow in Winston near me. Anyway brakes are fixed. Door jam switches fixed inside lights.Got windshield chip fixed and slits in arm rest. Rear rattle still there. Don't thinks it's brakes.Driving me nuts.Putting on brakes don't help. Jim thanks for assuring me I needed a accumulator.

One of my fonder Reatta memories was driving my then new to me Reatta Home from Texas. The seller assured me that only occasionally would the pump not run and bring the system up to pressure due to a defective pressure switch. The truth was that 98% of the time there was no pressure and no power brakes. If you had been there and done that you know that you brake with both heels on the brake and pull up on the steering wheel for extra force. The remaining 2% of the time the pump worked with full power brake assist. That would get the attention of following cars when you brake with a then full functioning power brake system by jumping on the brakes with both heels and pulling up on the steering wheel.

When I have more time I will share how to "dolphin" a Reatta with bad struts and a bit of throttle in the right place. It actually got fun porpoising along the highway.

Jam,
Congratulations on the new car, and I'm really glad to see how quickly you've solved some problems.
The noise you're experiencing in the rear end may possibly be structural.
My '88 is a northern car (salt country) and has some corosion issues. I had the car in Louisiana for several years and while there did a lot of work on it. One major discovery was rot in the rear suspension unit.
If you've got a service manual have a look at the suspension assembly. There are two isolator mounts, on mine the sheet metal on the suspension assembly was really wasted to the point where the trailing arms were really all that was keeping that suspension assembly connected. The noise in my case sounded like creeking and clunking, sound familiar?
I got a complete suspension assembly from a '90, new bushings, etc. and freshened the whole thing up.

Car has always been in Piedmont NC and is rust free but will check some more. I still have my 6 bay shop with 3 lifts and front end machine. So I hang out there all day and look at my Reatta and read the shop manual. And read these post. I have read them all the way back to page 432. In 2 weeks.

I just purchased 2 accumulators from: ac-direct
Your ac-direct.amazonwebstore.com Order
2 $114.86 $229.72
Sub Total: $229.72
Shipping: $2.99
Estimated Tax: $0.00
Promotional Discount: $0.00
Total: $232.71

$116.35 each delivered

Had brake rattle. New struts fixed.

I have not fixed my right rear rattle yet. I'm not convinced it is the pads are caliper. I have a lift and have looked and hit with rubber hammer and tighten bolts. Having park brake or foot brake on does not stop the rattle. Have checked park brake cables and exhaust system and sway bar bushings. When I was road testing before I bought it I told the owner it was the strut but now I don't think so. Bouncing car want make a sound. I cut a intertube and made a band and looped over the park brake lever and fasten other end to lower control arm to hold caliper still. That made no change. I may take caliper off and wire it up and put a block of wood between pads and take it down a side road.

Brake clatter drives me nuts, too!

Just for yuks, try replacing the brake spring, or anti-rattle clip(s), )located on the back of inboard pads), they can lose thier "springy-ness" without appearing to have failed. Causes a nasty rattle/clatter, or ringing.

when you do the brakes you should always get the instalation kits,with the pads.It has all the new clips and rubbder boots,and use brake grease on the pins,and put never seize on the threads of the pins. anti seize lube