Tim Reatta

Jim: I watch several forums as a caraholic, and the men and women of this forum are great. My Reatta sat in the back of the British Car Museum for several years due to a garage construction project that went awry at my new to me house. I am now just beginning to spend some quality time with the car. I really enjoy driving the Reatta but this forum adds to the experience and makes ownership of an older vehicle much easier. I hope this thread helps others down the road as it specifically solved my problem. There are many good ideas to check in it besides my eventual outcome. Regards: Tim

Problem solved! Thank you Ronnie and all of the other contributors to my dilemma. Last night I built a fire ( a bit cold in Ohio) and sat down with Ronnie's test sequence and the two factory manuals. I was able to find the testing sequence (manual 2) and wiring diagrams. I then matched up Ronnie's steps to the correct section in the manual. The manual will give suggested paths to follow to correct the incorrect reading. The BI71 test mentioned a step (check to see if the brake light switch is correctly adjusted). Well, I put the brake light switch in a few years ago when I bought the car (brake lights were not working on the drive home). So, with it being about 3 years old, I thought the odds of it being defective were not good, but possible. Also, they had other tests with a fuse link that I considered. I figured somewhere in the 1600+ pages of manuals they tell you how to adjust the brake light switch, but I thought first I will just go out to the garage and look at it and try to reason things out. The switch had a tube like end with ridges in it (plastic). This inserts into a thin circular stamping that holds it in place. The only way to adjust the switch would be to push it further in the stamping or pull it further out. So, I took the switch out of the stamping and got a lightweight clamp to place on the switch to hold the button all of the way in. This would duplicate the normal position of the switch before you press the brake pedal. I then ran the test and no problems. When the clamp was released, replicating pressing the pedal I got the correct response. So I reinstalled the switch and pressed it in a few more "clicks" so the button would be fully pushed in. A quick test drive indicated the cruise was like new again with correct responses and dash lights responding for each cruise state. As a side note, all of this work is done up under the dash, not a very comfortable area to be working in. I found one of those small mirrors on a telescoping stick in my tool box. That and a good LED light made seeing, adjusting, etc. much easier. I had another learning experience in this process. When testing the vacuum on the vacuum tank you have to pump the Mytyvac many times. The other lines only one or two pumps bring it up past 10 to see if it will hold vacuum. I thought that was my problem so I now own a second vacuum tank that is not needed. Anyone needing a good used tank I have one. Thanks Ronnie, I am not so intimidated by the manual. I think I could be dangerous at further diagnostics. I saw a BCM input for the wind shield washer. Currently, my CRT keeps telling me the washer fluid needs to be filled when it is to the brim. I have checked and the float is moving up and down. All of the washer functions just fine. So, I will be spending another night reading the manual to see what test I might run to determine why I am getting this error.

Well the house project took longer than expected but I ran the Reatta through the tests tonight. Codes: History B 671 and History C 553 The first is a Servo Position Sensor Circuit Problem (Cruise) I did remove the cruise control servo to run the electrical tests and the vacuum tests. I think I reinstalled it correctly. Fairly simple install. The second is CRTC Memory Reset Indicator Step 4: C/C Brake - BI71. reads LO not HI. Then when brake pedal is pressed it does not change, it stays on LO. Step 5: C/C ON-OFF BI75 it does read HI. And then goes to LO when cruise switch is turned off. Step 6: C/C SET/CO BI76 it does read LO. Pressing the end of stalk button and it stays on LO, does not go to HI as it should Step 7: C/C RES/AC BI77 it does read LO. When the resume button is pressed it stays on LO, does not go to HI as it should. So, I will have to admit I do not know what all of this indicates, but perhaps at least there is a problem with the stalk controls??

Ronnie: Thank you. I am working on a house project currently, but I will try the steps listed and report back to the forum tonight or tomorrow morning. When I said "GM tech" diagnostics I meant the directions from your web site about using the climate control section to enter the diagnostics for GM mechanics.

Looking at the booklet I see under ECM, page 4, there is a speed sensor circuit?

Hi Ronnie: I did go to your site and got the data to check the servo. The electrical readings were perfect. Also, when I applied vacuum, the bellows responded very well. Also, I looked at the 1989 diagnostics. I ran the owner and then the GM tech. No codes came up except for a historical one. If you or anyone has some other tests for me to run, that would be great. I tried it again to today and no luck. I was over 35 mph and nothing changed on the CRT. Being a beginner, I was thinking perhaps electricity is not getting to the servo connections? Just not sure what the next test should be. Thanks to all. Regards: Tim

I have reinstalled the vacuum servo, cleaned the terminals (used electrical conduit cleaner and mild abrasive) and the fuse was fine. The cruise control still does not work. I did not check the third brake light as it has not been changed to an LED. Was this a mistake? When I got the car the brake lights did not work and I did replace the brake light switch which fixed that problem. Not sure if I need to check anything else in that area or where to go next. The cruise light is on. I suppose there could be a problem with the switch on stalk. Perhaps some type of electrical check at the servo cables?? Also, I did notice an electrical female plug with a green cover near the vacuum tank. It is not plugged into anything and I could not find a "home" for it. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks Tony. I will do not now.

Working through the repair list on my 1989 Reatta. The cruise control stopped working after the car was brought out of hibernation. The cruise light does go on. I researched on the forum (thank you Ronnie and many others) and ran the owner codes and then the GM tech codes. I could find no errors. There was a historical C553, not sure what that is for, but it was marked historical. I pulled the servo out tonight and ran the ohm tests shown on the forum and checked the vacuum. It passed with flying colors. The bellows sucked in readily. I put my Mityvac on the small hose coming off the servo and that side held 10+. Same for the large hose. I checked the vacuum tank independently and it held. Not sure where to go from here. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Barney, thank you for the directions on performance. I will do the search after I get the Reatta road worthy. As you can tell from my turbocharged MG MGC project I have a little of that in my blood. Although, the Reatta is marvelous just bone stock, a great car. I have most of the parts for the MGC turbo project and they were test fit. The only thing missing is the final exhaust under the car. I moved and the new house needed a garage extension. I picked a bad contractor and it took 2 years to finish. I am turning in my company lease next Saturday and thought I would drive the Reatta. Unfortunately it set in a British Car Museum for two years without love. Now that it is back, besides the oil change, brake fluid, check hoses, belts, exhaust and gas line, it needs a new oil pan gasket. But, that is pretty easy on the Reatta compared to some cars. I am sure on road testing I will discover a few more fixes that are need. Then, I hope to get to the MGC project and get it back on the road. After a year or so with the Reatta, I might just be ready to up the performance a bit. I will always want to keep the original wheels so I don't see my current plan of a plus 0 as a loss.

Thank you for all of the help, but after a long weekend and the beginning of this week I think it would be best if I stick with the stock wheels. The data I found indicated that if I am not going to increase the horsepower, I would be better off sticking with the stock wheels in terms of performance. Perhaps I will look at plus 0 sizing the tires to get a little more rubber on the road, but not increase the weight too much to the detriment of acceleration, handling and braking. If I get the "hot rod" bug, and add some decent horsepower, that might be the time to look at the 16's or 17's. Well this did not turn out as I expected. I thought I would be uploading some pictures of the Reatta with new 17" shoes by this weekend.

Stanley: Thank you for the photos. They help a lot. I like the Lucerne wheels and your Reatta looks great. I will do my research and hopefully get the wheels and tires ordered this weekend.

Thanks Guys! The decision is made, stick to the factory bolt pattern. I will look into GM factory wheels. Many of the later Buick wheels are attractive. Any other correct bolt pattern aftermarket suggestions would be great. My Reatta is white with the blue interior and a matching blue pin stripe. I had found some sorta snowflake, but with spokes wheels that had blue shadows that was a close match. I will dump those in favor of correct fit. Padgett, yes I would be interested. I live in Ohio but my daughter lives in Saint Petersburg, so a pick up might be worked out. If you could share photos, price, condition it would be appreciated. 2 Seater, I love you went in a different direction, turbocharged as opposed to supercharged. I have a 68 MG MGC GT that I have all the components and pipes for turbocharging. That, I hope will be next years project.

Thanks Guys! The decision is made, stick to the factory bolt pattern. I will look into GM factory wheels. Many of the later Buick wheels are attractive. Any other correct bolt pattern aftermarket suggestions would be great. My Reatta is white with the blue interior and a matching blue pin stripe. I had found some sorta snowflake, but with spokes wheels that had blue shadows that was a close match. I will dump those in favor of correct fit. Padgett, yes I would be interested. I live in Ohio but my daughter lives in Saint Petersburg, so a pick up might be worked out. If you could share photos, price, condition it would be appreciated. 2 Seater, I love you went in a different direction, turbocharged as opposed to supercharged. I have a 68 MG MGC GT that I have all the components and pipes for turbocharging. That, I hope will be next years project.

Hi all. I have decided to make my Reatta my 4 day a week car and in that regard it is time to get new tires. I thought I would get new 17" wheels, also. I have spent hours searching, reading and trying to learn from the past post, but I am still hesitant to pull the trigger. I have found some 17" wheels that I like and the vendor states "guaranteed fit". But, the bolt pattern is 5X114.3 and I am sure our cars are 115. They are 17' x 7.5' with a +40mm offset with a 73.1 mm hub. From my research on this forum the offset may work, but the bolt pattern scares me. They are suggesting a 235/50R17 tire which is 26.3', 768/mi. or about 1.04% off, not the best. So, how important is the bolt pattern? I would think very, but I am far from an engineer. Any help would be appreciated. Regards: Tim

The power windows are now fixed. Removing the switch and cleaning with CRC seem to do the trick. But, I did notice some straining on up and down, so as time permits, I think I will follow the other suggestions regarding lubing the windows. Now, the next problem, after a test drive, the cruise control has stopped working! I know the brake switch when used, cuts off the cruise control, but it was working just fine with the bad brake light switch? The amber cruise control light does come on. I will search the forum and see what I can find or if nothing there, it might be time to start a new thread. Not that this will solve anything, but is this typical for Reatta's? At test drive, perfect, now that it is home, electrical gremlins are popping up everywhere. I will say I really enjoyed my test drive last night. This car has great potential. I can't wait for a nice trouble free day time drive with the colorfull fall leaves as a back drop.

Thank you KDirk. This is my next project as a new Reatta owner. This forum is great! Regards: Tim Reatta

Thank you to all. Saturday night I found the time to install a brake light switch, bingo, problem solved, thank you Ronnie. I was able to take my first 20 minute relaxed drive in the car knowing the stop lights are working. Today, on to the window problem. I will start with the switch, since my problem is one of it either works or nothing, no sluggishness (I will pick up some CRC cleaner, I have the electrical grease, but no cleaner). But, if not there, I will move on to the door panels. I agree with the statements about, if it is apart, lube it, etc., put it back together as new. I started doing that on my first old car purchase (1968 MG, MGC GT) based on a magazine article from an owner that always followed that policy. If a headlight went out, don't just replace, lube, paint, replace and fix anything on the headlight bucket. He was an original owner and it saved him the cost of ever having to do a full restoration on his MGC. My Reatta is in good shape, (outside of these electrical gremlins popping up), so I will try to maintain and improve for the future. Regards: Tim

Ronnie: Thank you. I will start on these projects tomorrow.

Thank you. I will give that a try. Any thoughts on the windows? I have found one thread that indicates, the switch may be worn, should be removed and adjusted. I found it very peculiar overall that everything was working on Sunday and when I picked the car up and got it home, these two items were down and out. But, it is a 25 year old car.

The turn signals work fine in the rear. The high mounted brake light does not work. Hmmm, so the brake switch? I took a peek and see the Reatta has the under dash fully covered with a panel. That should not be too difficult to remove. I am guessing the switch is mounted higher up. Is there a test I should try before sourcing a replacement switch? Thank you Ronnie!

First, I am a new 1989 Reatta owner. Thanks to this forum, Reatta Data Page and the Reatta Owner's Journal, I became hooked to getting one. I decided to purchase the nicest example I could find. I ended up with a two owner, 50,000 mile car that looks very nice. The last owner (15,000 miles) only drove the car in the summer to the golf course. He no longer could get in the car comfortably due to a back injury, so it was not driven since April of 2014. The car was always garaged. One I test drove it all items functioned. I picked it up the next day. On the way home my helper informed me that the brake lights were not functioning. I have searched the 3 web sites mentioned. If I tapped the brake pedal multiple times (machine gun style) sometimes, I could get the brake lights to function, but only very briefly. Based on the data I found, I decided it was probably a ground problem, since they would work, it could not be a fuse. I think it was the ROJ, that suggested cleaning and tightening the four ground terminals under the hood. Mine were tight, but I undid all of them, cleaned them with wire brushes, applied electrical grease and tightened them to make sure. Also, I did the same with the battery terminals. This did not correct the problem. Can anyone help me with insight as to what to check next? I did call the former owner, and he reported that the car never malfunctioned during his 16 years of ownership. I think he is truthful and this is a combination of 25 years old and sitting since April. I was going to take a look at the brake light switch and see what could be done to test that connection. Additionally, when I did get the car home the drivers side power window would not go up. I am not sure there is a connection, but I thought I should mention it. Also, sometimes the passenger window will not function. These all worked fine when I test drove the car. When I hit the window switch, if I put my ear next to the door I can typically hear some humming or clicking. This tended to indicate to me that the fuse was okay, but there is some electrical problem, perhaps the switch, motor or connections in the door? Not sure what my next step should be with the windows or if they are related to the brake light problem. I think the factory manual I downloaded might have a test sequence for the windows. But, I have read so much over the past few days, my head is swimming. Thank you. Regards: Tim Reatta