KTEDSEL

Here you go:

Yes true, several weeks ago I searched the forums and read the old posts about the brake rattle. However, I could not find any tips in those old posts about the parking brake procedure for caliper removal in the FSM. So I asked the question in case a Reatta expert could advise me. Note the title of my topic: "Question about pulling rear calipers to fix rattling brake pads." After successfully finishing the job, I posted my experience with photos of the clips that solved the problem. I don't recall seeing similar photos in the old posts. I didn't see any harm in refreshing an old topic with a newbie's experience dealing with it. My bad.

Coupe owners might not hear the rattle, but other drivers and pedestrians will hear it as you drive by. A rattle like that is very unbecoming of a nice car like a Reatta. I was very relieved when this fairly simple procedure yielded the silence I was hoping for.

Problem solved. I just needed to move the parking brake lever out of the way using vise grips on the lever to pull it back and out of the way so I could access and remove the upper caliper mounting bolt. I lifted the caliper up and out of the way so I could install the Centric kit clips onto the caliper mounting bracket. Success! No more rear brake rattle. This was especially noticeable with the top down on my 1990 convertible. With the top up and windows closed, the rattle was not noticeable. But top down...UGH, that rattle was super annoying! If your Reatta has an annoying rattle coming from the rear, chances are it's the replacement brake pads rattling. The Centric kit comes with other parts I didn't need, however I replaced the upper and lower rubber boots on the caliper bracket as well since they were exposed and easy to change. The upper and lower clips are easy to insert. Centric PN 117.62026 available from several vendors including Summit Racing. I paid $17 from CARID

My 1990 Reatta has the infamous and annoying rear brake pad rattle I have read about. A previous owner had the pads replaced, but apparently the original style anti-rattle springs were not replaced at that time. I bought the Centric kit that has the items to stop the rattle, so I need to pull the calipers to install the kit. This will be my first time working on disc brakes. The Factory Service Manual instructions state that the parking brake cable needs to be removed from the caliper. Is that really necessary? I intend to leave the brake hose connected and hang the caliper with a wire from the strut, not completely remove the caliper from the car. If I do need to disconnect the parking brake cable, the FSM states the tension on the cable needs to be relieved at the parking brake equalizer. I can't find anything in the FSM that shows where the equalizer is located and how to adjust it. I see the intermediate cable where it splits into separate cables for left and right wheel. If that is the equalizer, what is the procedure for adjusting it? I don't want to break anything.

I will settle for good as new

I posted a followup with more photos after completing the job successfully.

Pulling the bezel around the console/shifter looks to be more of a challenge than the IPC bezel, but I'll give it a try someday...my Reatta has the same problem with the "chrome" trim on the console bezel. Cluster Fix charged $249 to repair my 1990 cluster. I opted for a 3 year extended warranty for an additional $49.95. The cluster was returned with a scratch-free polished lens that looks new and a cluster that works great. I'm not sure if they repair the earlier IPC's/CRTs. https://clusterfix.net The even have a how-to video showing how to R&R the 1990 cluster (Riviera, same as Reatta):

I assume the bright edge trim surrounding the instrument panel bezel and center console bezel on many Reattas look like mine did: mottled and flaking off. My instrument panel bezel looks factory fresh now. Here's how I did it. I pulled the instrument panel bezel so I could send my bad 1990 cluster to Cluster Fix for repair. They did a great job, works perfectly now. While the bezel was off, I decided to improve the appearance of the "chrome" edge trim. The outer plastic bezel was probably originally "chrome plated" using the vacuum metalizing process, where a thin layer of chrome is deposited onto ABS plastic. Unfortunately, the chrome flakes off, revealing unsightly patches of the base ABS black plastic. The IPC bezel is actually 2 pieces held together with plastic tabs. I cut off the retaining tabs to separate the bezels. See the photo. The entire outer bezel was "chrome plated" although only the edges are visible when installed. I tried a so-called chrome spray paint that had a chrome-looking cap, but the the paint was nothing more than fairly dull silver, nothing like the cap and not as bright and shiny as the original. Internet searching turned up a great product called "Mirror." A tiny 15ml bottle is $50, and only a very small amount is needed to restore the Reatta bezel. After watching a YouTube demo of the product, I ordered a bottle, and indeed it is the right product. It's best to use a super soft brush to brush on a thin coat, then another thin coat one day later. Brushed correctly, no brush marks are visible. Watch the video here: https://www.culturehustleusa.com/products/mirror I re-joined the refinished outer chrome bezel to the black inner bezel using the JB Weld quick formula. The original plastic tabs were not possible to save when I separated the 2 bezels, so JB Weld to the rescue. As the photo shows, mission accomplished. I am very pleased with the results. When I figure out how to remove the center console/shifter bezel, I will do the same procedure to refresh the "chrome" edging.

Success! Bushings pressed into each control arm. As the earlier photos show, the rubber on the new bushings is shorter than the inner steel shaft. As expected, the rubber stretches when it's fully pressed into the control arm, and the rubber "flanges" or "ears" rest against each outer end of the control arm bore, and the stretched rubber covers the steel shaft from end-to-end. Before the pressing operation, I used 60 grit sandpaper to clean up the inside of the control arm bore, then polished it smooth with 400 grit paper. Then I liberally applied silicone lube to the control arm bore and the rubber bushing. Using my vise, it was challenging to get the bushing started into the arm, because the flange on the bushing is a larger OD than the ID of the control arm bore. But after a few attempts, the flange slid inside the bore, and pressed through easily all the way through. The next tricky part is pressing that rubber flange past the opposite end of the bore. The steel insert needs to protrude past the control arm bore to stretch the rubber and push out the flange. I used the open end of a 1 1/2" socket as the "receiver" and it worked great, mission accomplished. See the photos showing the progression of bushing installation. Something to be aware of with our control arms: the shaft at the end of the brake reaction rod where the large rubber insulators are installed can get corroded and potentially fail. I have heard that the reaction rod can break off due to severe rust. The rubber insulators can trap moisture between the inside of the insulator and the steel rod, causing rust. This is the reason why I had my control arms stripped at a metal stripping shop, to remove deep rust. As the photo shows, the rod is pitted from rust after stripping but acceptable. With new paint and new insulators on the reaction rod, my Reatta control arms should be good to go for many years. This project started because of an annoying front end squeak. The bushings on my control arm were not terrible, and not the cause of the squeak. The culprit was the front sway bar bushings which I replaced...no more squeak.

Will post pics. I sure hope the rubber stretches when I press those babies into the control arms!

Has anyone installed this type of control arm bushing? Every manufacturer only sells this style bushing. The steel insert on the new bushing is exactly the same length as the original, but the length of the rubber is not as wide as the originals before I pressed them out. The rubber "ears" on the originals were the same width as the steel insert, so that when the control arm is installed in the car, the rubber ears are insulators that prevent metal-to metal contact between the control arm and frame. I guess the rubber on the new bushings will stretch wider when pressed into the control arm...I hope? My plan is to lube the new bushing and inner bore of the control arm with silicone so they are slippery, then squeeze in the new bushing with my vise. As the new bushing slides into the control arm, I have a large open socket on the other end as a "receiver" so the bushing can slide all the way through and out the other end of the control arm as I tighten the vise. Since the rubber on the new bushing is not as wide as the steel insert, does the rubber stretch as it's pressed through the control arm, such that when it's fully installed, the ears on each end of the bushing fit tight against the control arm as indicated by the red marks in the second photo? I hope someone else has done this job and can confirm.

UPDATE REGARDING RIDE HEIGHT. After changing the rear struts and then the front struts and strut mounts, I drove my Reatta. Wow what a difference new struts makes! All 4 of the old struts were totally shot. They weren't leaking, but the pistons just sunk into the strut bore when removed, no shock absorption whatsoever. The new Monroe struts made a huge difference! And after driving for a couple of miles, the car is level all around...it just needed to be driven. I assume that every Reatta on the road either needs or will need new struts. ECRP is the source for rears until their special run is exhausted. ECRP says Monroe will not do another run of rears, so get 'em while you can, and suffer the price. Convincing Monroe to do that run of 1,000 rear struts was a very costly commitment for ECRP. I'm glad I did this job when I did! Appointment set at the alignment shop for 4 wheel alignment.

Per Barney, I'll send both of my original rear struts to you. Please give me your contact info so we can communicate privately.

I won't discard the originals. Barney asked me to send him one, and I will. I'm not sure what Barney's long term plan is for that one strut, maybe he can send it to you when he's finished. I will send you the other rear strut if you pay shipping. Let me know your email so we can communicate directly. Happy to help!

Sure, I will send you one of the old tired rear struts. Please send me your email so we can communicate privately. Or you can ask Jim Finn for my contact info.

The driver's side rear looked like a match to the front driver's side, but the passenger side rear looked to be about 1" higher than the front. I'm in the process of changing the front struts. When that job is done, I look forward to driving the Reatta. All 4 struts were totally shot, with the rods sinking into the housing. There was absolutely no shock absorption, so I look forward to a much more pleasant ride with all new struts. I will report back about ride quality and height after driving a few miles.

The old and new struts are exactly the same dimensions. I had not yet extended the rod when I took this photo, however I did fully extend both rods later - perfect match.

Barney, our installations are the same. I see the steel spacer in your photo, and circled it (attached), and circled my new installation as well. If you put a magnet on it, you'll see it's steel. Lucky for you, the black plastic dust boot below the spacer is still attached to the spacer. On my Reatta (and probably most), the yellow rubber dust boot retainer lip has disintegrated, such that the dust boot and the spacer are no longer connected together. When that happens, the dust boot falls down onto the body of the strut and no longer functions to protect the strut rod from dirt. Fortunately, ECRP sells the dust boot retainers. It is quite a challenge to work the lip of the yellow dust boot retainer into the slot on the spacer, but I did it and it's worth the effort. My new struts now have functional dust boots. My new struts are correctly installed. If installed incorrectly, the pinch bolt can't be inserted. There is a slot in the strut the pinch bolt goes through to hold the strut in place. Also, there is an alignment tab on the strut that slides into a slot on the control arm...all good on my new installation. My old struts were totally shot. The rod just collapses into the bore, whereas the new ones from ECRP act as a new strut should. I assume the old struts are the originals, not sure. There is an unreadable remnant of a paper tag on the struts that might have had the GM (or aftermarket) part number. The new and old struts have exactly the same dimensions. When the rods are fully extended, they are a match. It's safe to assume every Reatta on the road either needs or will need new struts. I might have purchased the last pair of Monroe fronts from Rock, because I only find one Monroe front available from any vendor nationwide, and it's a closeout. There are other cheaper brands of front struts still available, so we're not screwed yet. However, ECRP is the only choice for rears. I commend ECRP for making the huge financial commitment to convince Monroe to produce one last run of 1,000 rear struts. When ECRP sells out, our options for rear struts will be return to unobtanium status. After I change the front struts, I will drive the car on rough roads to see if everything settles in. I met your friend Jim when I was in Duluth last week. Awesome guy!

I installed new Monroe rear struts from ECRP, and also new rubber insulators. After doing the job, my 1990 Reatta convertible is sitting higher in the rear than before. Side photos of the car before the strut job shows an equal space between the top of the tires and the body arch front and rear. But now after the rear strut and insulator job, there is obviously more space between the top of the rear tires and the wheel arch on the body compared to the front. The rear end is sitting about 1" higher than the front. Measuring the floor to the rocker panel shows almost 2" higher in the rear (measured just in front of a rear tire) compared to the front (measured just behind a front tire). The old rear struts were totally shot, as expected. When I removed them, the rods collapsed. The rubber insulators were in tact, but I installed new ones anyway. I bought a pair of yellow rubber dust boot retainers from ECRP, so now the plastic dust boot is up where it belongs. After driving my Reatta, maybe the rear end will settle down? When doing the job, there is what looks to be a hollow round 1" tall steel spacer that is not shown in the FSM. It was grungy, so I wire wheeled it and painted it black. Is that spacer correct? Photo attached. Could a shop have added these spacers to raise the rear to compensate for the bad struts? Or is that spacer possibly only used on convertibles? I wonder if the high tail will be resolved by removing that spacer...or whatever it is. I haven't driven the Reatta since doing this job. I'm sure the ride will be drastically different and less harsh. And maybe the rear end will settle down after driving...or not? Or remove that spacer if it's not supposed to be there? Front struts are the next project.

My 1990 Reatta IPC occasionally displays a "low oil level" warning even though the oil level on the dipstick is correct and oil pressure display is normal. Shut down and restart and the warning usually (but not always) goes away. Would this be a bad oil level sensor in the pan?

It seems Cardone rebuild the Teves units, but not cheap. The electric pump gets a heavy workout after so many years of service. I wonder what refurbishment Cardone does? They do rebuilding of several components for our Reattas. https://www.cardone.com/search.php?search_query="AA1DKYR9~"&year=1990&make=BUICK&model=REATTA&sort=alphaasc

UPDATE: I chatted with Marck Barker about the new accumulator and did more tests as he suggested. My initial test which caused the pump to activate after one pedal press was maximum pedal pressure such as a full bore emergency stop. Marck said try milder pedal presses such as a typical traffic stop: after 6-7 of those pedal presses, the pump activates and runs for 6 seconds. The fluid level in the reservoir drops exactly 1/2" from full when the accumulator is fully pressurized. So apparently all is well, hopefully no problems with the new accumulator.

The replacement accumulator is a recent purchase from East Coast Reatta Parts ($649). I'm not sure if it's an original NOS Teves, but it has the same shape and size as the original, but a different warning label the the original (see the photo). I'm not sure if the accumulators ECRP sells are old stock originals. After bleeding out the old fluid, I have a firm pedal, no air in the system. The pressure switch electrical connector is dry inside. The brake warnings lights on the IPC go off after the system pressurizes at startup. The brake warnings don't illuminate while driving, even with repeated brake applications. As for Ronnie's site, perhaps you mean https://www.reattaowner.com/roj not www.reattaowners.net - the latter URL is not functional. I will browse ROJ.

My recently acquired 1990 Reatta had the original Teves accumulator. Brakes worked fine, but the pump activated after each press on the brake pedal. I was advised that was the symptom of a failing accumulator which should be replaced before it failed completely. So I bought an accumulator from ECRP. While the hydraulic system was open, I took the opportunity to replace the accumulator with a new (perhaps refurbished) Teves accumulator, changed all 5 rubber brake hoses, and flushed out the old dark brake fluid. With all tasks accomplished, I am surprised the electric brake pump activates as often as it did with the old accumulator. After the system is pressurized, the pump activates again on every second brake pedal press. I had been advised, perhaps incorrectly, that a good fully pressurized accumulator should give 3 or more pedal presses before the pump re-activates. I assume these more frequent pump activations will cause the pump to wear out sooner. What should I expect? Is it normal for a fully pressurized new accumulator to only be good for one pedal press before activating the pump to re-pressurize? Or could something else be faulty?