RetroJohnny
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Posts posted by RetroJohnny
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Hey everyone, I have been meaning to post this for a while but about a month ago me and my friend saw this Reatta while driving around and within the next few days I was at their door asking if they would mind me taking a look at it. This poor Reatta has been sitting for over a decade, at this run down chunk of land right on the mississippi river in TN. I was interested in a new taillight assembly for super cheap, and this Reatta had a fine looking taillight. So I brought up me buying parts from it, and she got angry at me and said, "Honey If you ever want this car you gotta buy it in full." So I asked how much and she wants 1,200 dollars for it. The interior is quite trashed and who knows what really works on it. She said ALL it needs is a fuel tank, I smell a lie on that one. But the rims were immaculate and the CRT was in one piece atleast, and brand new looking seats, steering wheel, and body components. And it is crazy that this Reatta has been sitting not 20 miles from me this whole time, and apparently her husband, who was at work, is an avid Reatta enthusiast and supposedly has a "garage full of em" somewhere in Northwest TN.. But is it just me or is 1,200 bucks way too high for something that doesn't operate?
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Sounds like old tires. That's what happened with my 98 Buick LeSabre, I had some terribly cheap LingLong tires on the front and paperwork backs up that those were put on in 2007, And I just replaced them after Christmas and the ride is much much smoother. On the other hand, My Reatta needs new Struts badly and that feels like you're practically going inside the pothole. I can't wait for a warm day to put new ones on and be able to enjoy the Reatta's smooth ride again. And no more squeaking from the mounts either! So I say go with tires first, then take a look into Suspension.
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6 hours ago, bikemikey said:
I'd keep an eye on the water temperature gauge, that's usually a good indication if things are not going well. I had one go out on my Ford escort wagon. It would rattle for about a month then one day coming back from the coast of Texas , the temperature started to go up and performance started to bog down at a stop light. Then I heard a big bang, it blew the guts of the converter out the tail pipe, but I was able to get back home. When I bought my Reatta I went ahead and changed out the cat and muffler to be sure of no problems. The car had 120,000 miles on it, probably did not need to do it, but that's just me.
Well mines stays around 190 degrees, but when idling it can get up to 210 degrees. Thats the hottest I've ever seen it. I have always just thought that temp increase was normal while idling.
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So if it is the Catalytic Converter there's no pressing issue. Or something I should have to replace? I think I can live with a little rattle if it isn't really hurting preformance or longevity of the car.
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Hello everyone! I haven't posted in a while, which means no problems
but this is more so of a curiousity question instead of an issue. When I accelerate, mainly 10-45 MPH, there is this very faint clashing or "gurgle" sound. It has been like that since I got it I beileve. It doesn't seem to degrade preformance, and I really dont think it's the coolant system bubbling, which can be a common gurgling sound. It really is hard to explain, kind of like a very faint snare drum, crazy right? Am I crazy or is there something really going on here? Thanks!!
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A Rare beautiful day near Memphis! Had to take this shot, it was practically begging for a picture
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So today I fianlly got out and did some wrenching, I replaced some parts that needed attention including: A new Ignition Coil, New ICM, New Spark Plugs, and a new transmission filter. It was crazy how much of a difference replacing a few parts does to your car. This car feels how it has never felt, shifts smoother, and cranks like a dream! Next step is the front strut assemblies. But I shared a picture of the old ICM and the coil. That stuff acts like super glue when trying to get bolts off! Never seen anything like it, what kind of substance is it?? but glad that problem is outta my life!
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Mine by far was that note supposedly typed by the Reatta designer back in the 80s! Besides that just old coupons and some loose change (of course I put the change in car part funds
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On 2/6/2018 at 3:39 AM, Old Man Jimbo said:
You are absolutely right John although it makes a good discussion .I suppose I brought it up because it's natural for me to object when something is restricting me that I did not request. I'm a rebellious old fart.
Thus the handle " Old Man Jimbo
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Hey you got a point, anything new done was done outta curiousity or rebellion! And anything really is possible if you put your mind and money towards it
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The governer in an 89' is set at 125 MPH fyi. I really don't think you'll get much more than 125 anyways out of the Series One. Past that you're putting the wheels under severe stress too (unless you have some Z -rated tires equipped)
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9 hours ago, 89RedDarkGrey said:
Upgrade to THIS
Very interesting, the new Delco unit is the exact product on my 98 LeSabre, so that would interchange with little to no modification. Thank you!!!!
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17 hours ago, 2seater said:
If there is any doubt about the ignition module, it should replaced. There should be firm and solid potting material inside the ICM. If soft or actually oozing out, it is on borrowed time. There can be other issues of course, but once the ignition is eliminated, we can work on that. The O2 sensor has a large Impact on fuel mileage but much of that may clear up if the ignition is up to snuff.
Thank you, That and the Coil pack is the first to do on my list then.
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Hey everyone, I'm back again with yet another question, i love that this forum has so much lucrative information and educated people. Without ya, I would be scratching my head quite a bit.. But anyways, I posted about a month ago that I think my transmission is failing, while it most likely isn't in perfect shape, I suspect my issue is stemming elsewhere. So after a cold start the car shifts very smoothy and no hesitation, but once it heats up to temp (192 F for me) each shift becomes somewhat of a rollercoaster. I cannot give it full throttle much anymore cause it seems to just get confused and end lagging extremely to the next gear. Especially O/D at what seems at about 70mph I get the worst jolt ever, and it comes outta nowhere. I was thinking could this be coming from something electronic? or maybe a coil pack? (which does seem to have that infamous goopy stuff residing around it from time to time) Or heck maybe an ignition module?. I have heard that many other things besides a laggy tranny cause lazy shifting. And no tranny leak either, checked fluid and its bright red and full to the line. And my final point, I just don't have the money for a tranny rebuild, so I'm crossing my fingers it is something less than a GRAND outta pocket. Any other places that are known to cause this type of thing? And what could I replace to just see if it works? OH and if it matters, my highway MPG used to vary between 21-22, now I really can't get it above 19 MPG. Thank you everyone for any help or comments you have!
-John
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Hello everyone, so when I bought my Reatta, it came in the trunk with what looks like a complete TEVES system and a CRT screen.. I asked the owner and "supposedly" the screen works but needs a bulb, and the teves is complete. Should I sell the teves system? or hold onto it if the current system fails? and, how would I ever repair that CRT? Cause I would certianly like a backup of the screen. Thanks, I posted pictures of them below.
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Since west TN is coated in snow right now, i took these photos a few days back before it got all snowy, I can never give up the opportunity for a little Reatta photo shoot
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22 hours ago, Ronnie said:
Dave, I think this is a photo you sent me of your convertible. If it's not I can delete it. Beautiful car!
Wow! I never knew how striking gold pinstriping would be on black paint, that is possibly one of the best color combos on the Reatta IMO!
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Mine has that same issue! The repair looks like a PITA! But luckily it is a fairly cheap part, I believe I picked mine up for 12 dollars or something. Just really don't wanna do it
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Well you know, I'm a young guy and my first car was a 1998 Buick LeSabre, which I still daily drive. And honestly when I got it I hated it, I was one of the people in the crowd who booed Buicks becuase of people who bought them, but fastly that car grew on me, it's ride quality is superior compared to similar cars of it's era, it had adequate acceleration with its 205hp V6. I fell in love with buicks, which I think I am the ONLY 18 year old in a 100 mile radius that is like that.. But on a long road trip I was looking at all past Buick makes and the Reatta came up, I had never heard of it, and everything about it fascinated me. I quickly became obbsessed with the little Reatta. I HAD to have one. So I started to save and save and save up money so I could get lucky enough to find one. Around Senior year graduation, I found the one, 200 miles away in Bowling Green for only 2,300 dollars. But I had maybe 40% of that money, so my parents made a deal with me, for my graduation present they would cover the rest of the cost of the car, and we made our trek to get the car. Man that poor car (which is now mine) was owned by this young woman that had no idea about the history of it, and it was grimy, and so un-attended. But I saw the vast potential in it, so we got it. But I agree it's not a perfect car, I found out this car is the most challening piece of electronic wire ever put together in the 80's. My dad who is a mechanic, didn't even know how to operate these electronics. But, this car has brought me utter joy for the past year, and hopefully many years to come. I truly love my Reatta no matter how big of a pain it the butt it can be sometimes!
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39 minutes ago, SpecialEducation said:
The thing I don’t get... who was this letter addressed to, and why?
My thoughts exactly!! I am stumped.
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17 minutes ago, KDirk said:
It looks like a kind of like a press release as a form letter. It isn't written in the form of correspondence to a customer as there is no addressee at the top, just a letter head with some facts and information signed by David Mcintosh. Part of a press kit related to the turbo cars maybe? Or a follow on to same after these cars were shown and tested and people were enquiring on the availability of such cars as production vehicles? It clearly states production of these cars is not being planned. Interesting nonetheless.
Is the signature real ink or simply part of a photocopy that includes the body of the letter?
I have studied the paper for a while now, and it looks like real ink to me, you can see the indent of it on the back side. My biggest question is why would the previous owner have this stowed away under the seat? How in the world did they get it?
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Hey everyone, so yesterday I was deep cleaning the interior of the Reatta, and I decided I'd get all the loose change, and gunk out from under the seats and I saw this paper, so I unfolded it. And what I saw next i was amazed, from first glance it looks like an old original GM document of some sort, it is real old brittle paper and talks about early Reatta production and design. But is it legit?? And why would the previous owner have something like this under their driver seat? Odd topic, but any comments??
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In these cold months mine reads right at 14.0 volts. I actually just put a new battery in it.. But the old battery (which by the way, the date sticker read 11/09!!!!) That was crazy to see that the Reatta had such an old burnt out battery in it. But I noticed a few things when I put a new battery in, The CRT doesn't gitter and fade anymore, the headlights pop up everytime, and the dash and headlights are much brighter. With my old battery I didn't see a voltage above 12 volts, and the car took 1 or 2 times to crank up, and the driver headlight never popped up ( I had to do it manually) So I guess always make sure you have a healthy battery in there, especially in these cold cold months!
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Well me and my Reatta have a lot planned for 2018! In the coming weeks, I will be replacing strut mounts, and struts. Later on once more $$ comes in, I want to rebuild the whole transmission, and I will be going to San Francisco (1800 miles approx in the Reatta) to an 80's centered car show, and I also want to look into maybe going to a National Reatta Meet later in the year too
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3 hours ago, DAVES89 said:
It could be a strut mount [I have extra if you need some] but remember if you do the strut mounts you will need an alignment. I would look at the sway bar bushing. Easy and cheap repair.
Are your strut mounts new or used, and if they are used, how used are they?
but this is more so of a curiousity question instead of an issue. When I accelerate, mainly 10-45 MPH, there is this very faint clashing or "gurgle" sound. It has been like that since I got it I beileve. It doesn't seem to degrade preformance, and I really dont think it's the coolant system bubbling, which can be a common gurgling sound. It really is hard to explain, kind of like a very faint snare drum, crazy right? Am I crazy or is there something really going on here? Thanks!!
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Post-Any tips on how to Easily change the 3 Rear Spark Plugs?
in Buick Reatta
Posted
I have noticed those rear sparks have some sort of heat sheild you have to remove first. they kinda just pop out. then I just got an extention ratchet and tried to find the right position to take those tricky guys out.