1989randyboy

138,000 mi. Has some electrical issues. Runs well now that the weather is cooler. Needs new tires. Old ones are cracked. Needs some TLC. Can be a daily driver. Located 10 miles east of Syracuse, NY. Been stored winters since 2013. Quite a few new parts on the engine. Asking $1500. Someone with knowledge of electronics could fix it up nicely. Fun to drive! A/C works.

Still running well today. Drove it up and down the street a couple of times.

Started it again today. No issues seen. Two days in a row. Strange now that colder weather has set in here in NY. It's no longer on the road. Transferred the plates to another vehicle.

Well, The car has sat for about three weeks now. Cooler weather has come. I went out today to check the things that were brought to my attention. Before doing anything I tried to start it up. Amazingly it started immediately and idled at 700 rpm. No hesitation or anything bad. I replaced the vacuum line that Rogold99 mentioned previously as it was deteriorated. Ran and revved up for a half hour with no problem. Fan was kicking in for the radiator normally. Attached a vacuum gauge and it's running at a rock solid 20 inches with no variations. I'm still thinking there's a wiring issue somewhere. No misfire or hesitation seen. Restarted with no trouble either. I wanted to upload videos of the engine running and the vacuum gauge in use, But the size of videos are too large to transfer to the forum. Still need to sell as I've moved on to other projects.

I will look into the suggestions that I've received. The engine runs on all 6 at 3,000 rpm. Just that it misfires and cuts out as I ease up on the pedal. The lower I go the worse it gets until it just quits running. It will restart now as it wouldn't before. No codes in the computer because I changed the battery.

That's one of the things I haven't checked yet. Got tired of working on it and I've been doing other things. I've heard the TPS could be bad. Maybe the onboard computer is a problem also. Maybe a wiring issue somewhere? Strange that it ran worse after the garage I took it to worked on it. They changed the cam sensor a second time and put new spark plugs in it. Gave them almost $800 hoping to get it fixed. Very disappointed.

Didn't replace the TPS. I'm 10 miles east of Syracuse, NY. I have another thread in the forums. Some pictures and info there.

Needs a wash and wax. Haven't driven since June. Tried to get it running in my spare time. Been stored winters since I've owned it.

You're right! Didn't think of that when I posted them. I'll get some fresh ones over the weekend.

I will sell the car to anyone offering a fair price. I know that the parts are valuable but hopefully someone will fix and drive it. Just have to get it running and new tires. The other issues don't stop you from driving it. I'm located about 10 miles east of Syracuse, NY. Have maintenance records. Only driven about 4K miles since 2013. Looking to sell by November. Considering best offers until then.

I LOVED driving this car. But I've got a problem with the engine that has drained my wallet. It will start and run at around 3,000 rpm's. As the rpm's go down it will miss and pop until it eventually quits. I had it running ok except every time I turned it off it wouldn't restart. I sent it to a local mechanic only to have it come back worse than ever. It will restart now, but won't stay running at lower rpm's. New coil pack,crank sensor,cam sensor, plugs, wires, serpentine belt, Harmonic balancer because the rubber went bad. $1400 later and I have a lawn ornament. Could still be the cam sensor magnet,wiring issue or the computer. I have to give it up because of money and health issues. It has other issues like remote lock quit working. A new module didn't help. Cruise doesn't work. Trunk lock activator doesn't work. A/C works great, but a sensor shuts down the compressor after several warnings. Nothing that stopped me from driving the car and it's been so much fun. I searched for years before buying this one. There must be a lover out there somewhere that would give me a fair offer for it. The tires will have to be replaced.They only have 3-4,000 miles, but the sidewalls are cracking. Someone that wants a winter project could have a nice driver for next year. No idea of value, but see they don't go for much. About 139,000 miles on it. Tan interior.

1989 Reatta, 138K miles, Engine or electrical problems. Will not run under 3000 rpm's. Many parts replaced on the engine to no avail. Ran good before except bad gas mileage. Needs TLC. Speakers are shot for the radio. Have new lock assy for trunk, the remote button in glove box clicks but doesn't release. Parts I've replaced on the engine include; Crank Sensor Harmonic Balancer Serpentine Belt Coil Pack Control Module Battery Cam Sensor Spark Plugs Plug Wires EGR Gasket Has only been driven 4000 miles since 2013, Needs new tires as the old ones are starting to crack. Cat converter was replaced, Headlight Motor Assy's were replaced. O2 sensor was replaced before i bought it. Brake pads were done about 2000 miles ago.

Well, I'm out of money and cannot continue to throw more parts into this car. This is a list of parts that have been installed to no avail. Harmonic Balancer ( Rubber was shot) Crank Sensor Coil Pack Control Module Battery (old one was weak) Cam Sensor Spark Plugs Plug Wires Cleaned and replaced EGR Gasket. (Unable to test and expensive to replace) Local mechanic had it and couldn't get it to run right. Actually worse when I took it back! Will run smooth at 3000 rpm, but skips and will quit as rpm's go down. Only good thing is that it will restart now as it wouldn't before. Mechanic thinks it has a blown head gasket?? Ready to find a new home for it. Can't afford to go any further.

Hi there folks! Got the stabilizer back in without hitting the damper. Put in a new ICM and coil pack. The 3/6 coil is only firing at high rpm's. No spark at all when it's running slow. Don't know if it's the Dorkman damper or the crank sensor. Got frustrated and had to get away from it for a while. Don't need to ruin the new cat that was put on a few years ago.

That will probably work. Have you tried it? There's approximately 1/4 inch difference in the dampers. The engine wanted to miss a lot when I ran it at idle. Hoping it's the ICM and the coil pack causing the problem. I ordered the parts today. Mine is red like yours! Electrical problems popping up here and there.

I replaced the harmonic balancer with a Dorman brand only to find the face (front) of the damper is wrong for this engine. The front of the damper sticks out and there isn't any clearance to put the stabilizer bracket back on. Obviously requires a special damper for this car. Don't know what the oem part number is. Checked the Dorman website and this is the only one listed for a 1989 Reatta.

On this particular engine it's adjustable. It has a pinch screw that you tighten after adjusting the gap. the sensor slides back and forth in the bracket. I used the cardboard trick to set the gap. You fold the cardboard over the center peg then slide the balancer on carefully to set the gap. Here's a picture of the sensor that came off my engine.

Is there a way to replace the sensor without using the expensive tool to set up the gap? The J37089 tool is supposedly required to install the sensor. Has to be an easier way to do this. Couldn't find in the forums.

The a/c line is not an issue on my 89 but may be on other years of the Reattas. The diagnosis is the main point for sharing the video.

https://youtu.be/V5LpYFT4TUw Here's the link for diagnosing the harmonic balancer. 😊

Thank you to everyone for helping me diagnose my problems! After watching some Youtube videos i discovered that the harmonic balancer is indeed shot. Hoping to get some help doing the work soon. Bad back is fighting my every move. Going to replace the crank sensor and serpentine belt when I get it done. Have an O2 sensor on hand to install also. Thinking of replacing the control module and possibly the coil pack. Priced the balancer and crank sensor at around $150 through my buddies at my parts store. Is Dorman a reputable brand for the balancer?? My parts guy doesn't list any other supplier. I would also like to share the Youtube video on diagnosing the bad balancer, but don't know how to put the link in here. Thanks again my friends! Happy cruising!

I'm an old school mechanic. Worked on cars from the 50's and 60's. Those were easy to trouble shoot. Didn't keep up on technology after the seventies. Pretty sure it's a crank sensor or control module. Lost spark when it quit. Had the same problem with a couple of LeSabres that i owned. Codes don't seem to help much. Troubleshooting is difficult. Have to get the car up so i can get to the crank sensor and balancer. Do the coil packs and modules look different for different brands? Hear mentioned using Delco or some other brand. Looks like some kind of motor mount or brace blocking the balancer. Assume that has to come out. You folks are a great group! The support is very helpful.

Wondering if the crank sensor could be loose or broken. Maybe the cause of the ratttle??

Car started and idled for a half hour today. Turned off the key and wouldn't restart. Hear a rattling noise around the crankshaft damper area when idling. Second try to start it popped once and that's it. Cooling fan is working and oil pressure looks ok. Don't see any weepage from the control module.

Thanks for your reply! I'm sure this isn't the first time for this question. Are there tools that are used to test the module and coils? I would like to find an old mechanic that can diagnose issues like this. I have other problems that need to be checked out on the car. Mostly electrical issues that drive you a little crazy lol. Thanks again!