TommyBatchelor

I woke up to find my rearview mirror hanging from the wires and a dead battery. Still sorting out the mirror, but after replacing battery (in warranty luckily) I'm getting a weird display I've never seen before. When I went to set the clock on the crt screen ('89) I was about to adjust the year when the car electricity seemed to cycle. I had my drivers side door open and saw the interior lights go on and then off at the same time as the crt screen. Once it came back on the area which usually displays the time on the dashboard says 134 twilight delay. Time was set to 9:21 pm. I fixed the year and tried changing the time but it just keeps saying 134 twilight delay. Am I missing something silly?

I've had trouble with the cam sensor/magnet since I bought the car. I payed to have the magnet replaced the hard way (rather than through the sensor hole) and have replaced the sensor at least 5 times. The last time, I asked the mechanic to replace the magnet again but he said it was still there and looked fine. My check engine light is on and I do get the cam sensor error on the crt. I'm guessing there is something wrong with wiring or a fuse somewhere? Not sure if that is worth spending more money on to try to fix.

I checked the temps today at 11am. Is that early enough, or should I be trying for before 9am? Ed23 22 Ed04 15 Bd32 68 Bd28 21 Bd27 25 Bd26 23 Bd25 49 Bd21 15

Okay, cross counts. Monitored ED18 on my drive home. When I first started the car and sat in idle it hovered at 45-50. For the first half of the drive it fluctuated around 25-60. 25-35 on level ground. 35-45 on ground with elevation changes. 45-58 while accelerating or coasting down a hill (a bit of vibration while going downhill). Halfway through the drive it dropped to 0 and stayed there for pretty much the whole rest of my drive. I noticed that the Service Engine Soon light stopped blinking when cross counts dropped to 0, and after I got off the freeway the light would blink again any time cross counts were above zero (seems a little backwards). The vibration also got much worse while going downhill after cross counts went down to zero and the Service Engine Soon light turned off. Idle at end of drive ED18 stayed at 0.

Yes the engine shakes when not under load while going downhill. I'll check cross counts on my way home from work.

Are you talking about the catalytic converter? Cause the metal cover actually got knocked off a while ago when I went over a large hump in the road.

Currently in Georgia 🔥. Been pretty hot (especially without ac). I'll try to get up early one day soon and check the temps again. Thanks!

My car is currently getting 16.5 MPG. There is an exhaust smell in the cabin while driving. When I have the cruise control set and am going down a hill, the car shakes a lot (kinda like the engine wants to hop out of the car). Also the exhaust makes a popping sound when I let off the gas after accelerating. Not sure if these are all symptoms of the same problem, but does this sound like an exhaust issue? I'm looking at taking it into a mechanic, but want to have a general idea of what I might be looking at first. My Reatta is my only car (which I use to get to work 5-6 days a week) so I don't have the time to work on it much myself right now.

I've also noticed that my average MPG has dropped from 17.5 to 16.5 after filling system with refrigerant. Is this to be expected even when compressor is disengaged?

I finally got a chance to check all of the temps mentioned at 3am after a night shift. Ed23 30 Ed04 35 Bd32 42 Bd28 29 Bd27 33 Bd26 28 Bd25 26 Bd21 35 Does this mean I need to replace all my sensors? 😅

BD27 reads 39 C and BD28 reads 37 C Does that sound normal? (Currently outside temp reading is 90 F with car sitting in sun all day). Using my Reatta to go to work every day so haven't had much time to work on it further.

Quick update: First can was only 12 oz (second was 18oz) so I got one more 12oz can of r134a. When bypassing the low pressure sensor with a paper clip, I managed to get the compressor to stay engaged with the refrigerant can gage showing 40psi. When I reconnect the low pressure sensor I still get a notification saying pressure is too low. I did notice a bit of green fluid (I'm guessing refrigerant) dripping down the low pressure switch. I haven't seen it actively dripping but there are spots below that it dripped on. Could this be causing the pressure issue? Either way, is there any reason not to tighten the sensor more? Also can someone provide guidance on how to monitor BD28 without going into diagnostic mode on the crt (as I don't see how to go into diagnostic mode without turning off the A/C that I am trying to monitor)? Thanks again!

I'm using the paper clip trick. This got the clutch to finally engage off and on. The gage is going from 20psi to 50 psi as clutch engages and then disengages. When car is off it shows over 60 psi. Should I keep filling until the clutch stops disengaging?

System was already converted to 134A but compressor froze up. I actually had a smaller belt on it for a while to just skip past the compressor.

Ok, talked to both mechanics that worked on A/C. First guy installed new compressor and the silver cylinder with the low line quick connect. He said he put oil in compressor and put on plate to keep oil from leaking out without hose. Second guy installed high line, definitely ran a vacuum pull, and possibly added refrigerant (he can't remember but says he probably did before telling me to replace low pressure sensor). System was not flushed (though first mechanic said everything looked fine) and we actually didn't end up replacing condenser or evaporator. To clarify, do I need to disconnect the battery to allow the compressor to engage or does resetting the code on CRT do the same thing?

Not sure if compressor was running. I thought clearing the code on the crt would get it running again. So I need to disconnect battery? Oil was definitely added (I got a kit that came with oil, new orifice, and o-rings). Can't remember if it was flushed. I'll have to call mechanic tomorrow and ask. I believe it had already been converted to r134 before by previous owner though. Had to replace parts because compressor froze up and there was a huge hole in the high line.

I found some posts about A/C error codes, but am still having trouble sorting mine out. Last summer I replaced accumulator, compressor, A/C hose, etc. Mechanic who put on hose told me I needed to replace low pressure sensor. I did that and went to fill up with r-134a. Used one of the cans with a gage on it. Before filling up I was getting B447c error. I kept clearing error and filling up bit by bit. The error kept accuring. After using pretty much entire 18 oz can the gage is reading like 90 psi (which seems bad as I thought low sidewas supposed to be around 34psi) and the error switched to b448c. No more b447 but I still get message saying compressor was shut off for its own protection because refrigerant is low. I think I saw something about the system needing 32 oz of r-134a? I don't want to overfill (if I haven't already). Should I really put more r-134a in there, or am I missing something? Or both? I appreciate the help!

Well...I've got another leak. Not the cooler this time though. This leak is up at the power steering pump. Not sure where exactly so I'm hoping someone has had this problem before. The leak seems to be dripping from the power steering pump somewhere, pooling in the pulley, and then dropping to the ground. The hose connection at the pump seems dry so I'm not sure where the leak is coming from. I'm worried that I overfilled the power steering fluid. Could that have caused this to happen? The fluid is pretty low now. I'm also concerned since the fluid goes in purple-ish but ends up looking rust colored. Is that a problem? Fluid has sprayed onto the hood insulation, all over the belt pulleys, etc. Not sure what my next steps are. I appreciate the help!

It's not pretty but I managed to make the autozone kit work. Barney Eaton I will definitely reach out if I run into any trouble with this set up. So far there's no more leak and the squeal is mostly (if not completely) gone. Might be a little bit of air in the system still. Am I correct in thinking this air should evacuate the system after a bit of driving? The Hose splice that came with the kit was not designed to connect two plain hoses...but it seems to be working fine. I have attached images to help anyone that decides to use this kit in the future, and so my work can be double checked to make sure I didn't do anything too stupid. I'll post an update if anything goes awry. Btw I clipped the ties that reach through the radiator so the fan on the other side would not run into them. Thanks everyone for the help!

Found a full kit on autozone for $20. https://www.autozone.com/external-engine/power-steering-oil-cooler/compressor-works-power-steering-oil-cooler-911009/577703_524155_0 Is this a good option or am I better off getting a bigger/better trani cooler?

Finally put some fluid in to double check the leak location. Looks like it is the cooler after all. It is pretty rusty (Pretty sure it's the original). I know people talk about replacing these with a trani-cooler. Does anyone know where I can find a stock cooler, eBay maybe, or should I be looking for something else to replace with? Would the imperial power steering cooler be a good bet? https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/imperial-power-steering-oil-cooler-241009/19230069-P?navigationPath=L1*14921|L2*15009|L3*15706 Thanks for the quick help!

I've got power steering fluid leaking out of the rubber hose at the connection to the cooler in front of the radiator. Seems to be the driver side hose at the point where the hose connects to the cooler. I'm trying to tighten the hose clamps but it looks like there is a small split on the end of the hose right under the clamp. Is there an easy fix for this other than replacing the hose? Also any ideas on what the part number would be? I'm guessing GM would still have that part? I appreciate the help! It's an 89 Reatta by the way. Has the cooler with the fins but the cooler seems to be intact. Pretty sure the problem is just the hose.

Thanks for the quick responses everyone! I ended up calling East Coast Reatta Parts and they have the part + they will be driving to my city on Saturday so they can drop it off in person! Now I just have to sort out the rest of the issues with my Reatta...

Need some help here. Just went through the process of repairing the A/C in my 89 Buick Reatta. Old compressor was frozen. Had my mechanic replace compressor, orifice, etc. Everything is ready to go except... There is a hole in the high line leading away from the compressor. Apparently the metal is too thin to mig weld. I've called a few Buick dealerships and the part is discontinued. Any ideas on where I can get this hose? Is there some sort of hose kit that I can use to build what I need? Or is my only option to try to find a junk yard with Reatta parts? Any help is greatly appreciated! -Tommy

Headlights are fully functional, thanks Dean! In case anyone was wondering...if you ground the green wire C on the other terminal plug you will short your battery and have to replace it. Luckily mine was new and in warranty and autozone replaced it without issue. Had to undo that wiring and ground the yellow wire C and now everything is working properly. Hopefully the reduced load will prevent the headlight switch from burning out anytime soon. Haven't had to replace it yet and it's been running halogen lights for a while. Cheers