Howard

When I owned my 89, I had to replace the Crankshaft Sensor. The car ran fine for a day or two, then started to do just want you described. Over the next few days the condition worsened to the point the car had to be towed. What was discovered, the Crankshaft Sensor was not installed correctly and the harmonic balancer was scraping a hole in the sensor. Just to rule that problem out, you might check the clearance.

Thank you for posting the outstanding quality photos. They really made my 4th of July long weekend complete. Thanks again!

Everyone has their favorites. I lost my Reatta some years go, but I know if I ever got another, I would want another 89. If I got a latter model, I would only want a convertible. I like the full leather interior of the 89 as well as the steering wheel. The 89 also has the keyless entry system. While many folks don't care for the Teves braking system, once you understand how it works and keep the fluid clean, I think it is pretty reliable. Many don't like the CRT equipped cars, but for me, that was the neatest feature of all. I did not find it problematic at all. I wish you luck with your search for a replacement.

Sorry to hear about your Reatta. The good news, you were not seriously injured. I'm sure you will find another Reatta to your liking.

The sound you are describing is exactly the sound my Reatta was making. My Reatta engine cratered after about 150,000+ miles. Frankly, had a number of problems the engine once the harmonic balancer failed. It seemed as if everything starting going wrong after the balancer problem. Shortly before the "knocking" started, that car began to run badly and the gas mileage went out the window. A code was popped for the oxygen sensor. That was replaced, but the code returned before the car was back home. The knocking began shortly after. I took it to a mechanic I had been using and he told me without hesitation, it was a rod knock. He dropped the pan at that point and it was full of metal particles! I have no idea why that happened. I changed the oil at the prescribed intervals and never abused the car. A theory was put forth that one of the injectors was stuck open and continued to flood that cylinder with gas and washed all the oil out. The tech suggested that was why the gas mileage had dropped so much. I don't think that explained the oxygen sensor issue, but who knows. The estimate to replace the engine with a rebuilt unit exceeded $4000.00. I did not wish to invest that much money in the car. The mechanic said he would try to find a used motor. Since the engine was very common to many GM products, he said that he could probably find one reasonable priced. While my Reatta was at the shop, someone crashed into it. Thus, ending my 9 year ownership. Let's hope your story turns out better than mine.

A few years ago I posted how I was able to open my glovebox with a broken latch. If you find the instructions useful, please feel free to include them on your website: You will need a flashlight to see under the latch handle and a very small screwdriver. The kind you fix eye glasses. It helps if you recline the passenger seat and move it forward so you can rest your back on the seat while getting close to the glovebox lock. Pull the handle out, don't worry about breaking it because it already is, till you see a little silver cylinder. With the screwdriver, try to rotate the cylinder toward the dash. You might "play" with that several minutes before you "hit" it just right. If you were as lucky as I was, the door will just pop open. The handle is toast and will have to be replaced.

I do wish to offer my best wishes to Padgett for being named the moderator of the Reatta forum. I have been a member here for quite a few years and know that Padgett is very dedicated to the Reatta. I'm sure he will do an outstanding job.

My Reatta did exactly what yours is doing. A new fuel pump relay fixed the problem. The relay is a very simply repair. As Ronnie stated, listen for the fuel pump to turn on when the key is turned to the "on" position. If you don't hear it, the relay is most likely the culprit. A cheap and easy fix.

In Texas if your vehicle is 25 years old or older, you can use year of manufacture plates. Say you have a 65 Mustang, you can have 65 Texas plates. The state of Texas uses front and rear plates, so they must match and be in good condition. Some other states allow YOM plates as well.

Suede bolsters were used in early 1988 production models. There does not seem to be any definitive information as to how many. Some suede equipped cars, the bolsters were replaced with leather under warranty.

Ronnie, you beat me to it!!! Heres wishing everyone to have a great Christmas and fantastic 2013. Stay safe.

I can't answer question 1, but as to question 2, the Door Ajar warning is signaled on the CRT when the door is not only opened, but not fully latched.

Hey Richard, out of the many cars I've owned over the years the Reatta was my favorite. From time to time I've given thought to getting another, but I've had a feeling that my job situation has been somewhat unstable. My fears were brought to the forefront when I was laid off this past Feburary. One day after my birthday no less! Since that time, I've not been able to find another position in my area. Since this is the Thanksgiving season, I am thankful that my home is paid for and I've been able to get by. None of my bills are past due and I have food on my table. I am a single person and have no family of any kind to support, so that makes things a little easier. So many people in this country have not been as lucky as myself. So, yes, I'm thankful for a lot. However, at the moment, I can't think about getting any new toys, and much as I might like to have one. Maybe 2013 will be a better year than the last two years for me. Maybe some day I will take the plunge again. I will have to wait and see. Again, I hope all of you guys/gals have a wonderful Holiday Season!!!!

As I have done for many years, I want to be the first to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. While I've not been an active member since my 89 Reatta went to that big showroom in the sky about four years ago, I do check in from time to time to see what's happening on the forum. It nice to see posts from old members and new ones as well. As I've said before, this forum has the most helpful people that can be found. This is the time of year to be with friends and family and I've always considered the Reatta forum members to be my friends. Thanks for the untold amount of help you guys provided me during my near 10 years of Reatta ownership. I hope I was able to return the favor from time to time. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays to one and all:D.

John, I do pop in from time to time to see what is going on in "Reatta Land". While I've not owned a Reatta in a number of years, I can say without a doubt, out of all the cars I've owned in my lifetime, the Reatta was my favorite. Also, I'm a member of other car based forums and I have to say this one has best people. I hope everyone is doing well!

My 89 did have that feature.

I agree with Mc_Reatta, if you still have R12 in your system and the A/C components are still OK, go with the R12. At about 145,000 miles, my A/C compressor bit the dust. It was replaced and the system converted in 134A. The total cost of labor, compressor, and everything else was about $800.00. After the conversion, the car was still cool and the unit seem to work as before. Did it get as cold as with R12? No. With R12 temp at the vent was about 38 degrees. With 134A the temp at the vent was about 42 degrees. Not a lot of difference. The summers here in Southeast Texas are not cool. In point of fact, as I write this, it's 97! Even with the 134A conversion, the car did cool down, even in Texas. If your A/C system is good otherwise, I don't see any reason to switch it to 134A.

If your car has been converted to 134A, recharging kits are available at most auto parts supply houses. If your car still has R12, then things become more difficult. One can no longer buy R12 at parts houses unless you have an A/C license. R12 can be purchased through sources as eBay. eBay would also be a source for the old Manifold Gauges required to put R12 in the system. My advice would be, leave everything to a trusted mechanic if you are unfamiliar with A/C systems. As an aside, there are two low A/C warnings. If the car is low on refrigerant a warning is displayed on the screen and a code set. Recharging of the system is possible during a low refrigerant warning. If a warning is displayed on the screen that the refrigerant is very low, the compressor has been disabled. The codes will have to be cleared before the A/C can be charged. Some people are unaware that a very low refrigerant condition turns off the compressor. I had one mechanic tell me my compressor was shot and needed replacement. I went to the car, cleared the code. It was clear that nothing was wrong with the compressor.

A note regarding the CPS. When installing a new one, be sure that it is properly aligned. When I had the balancer replaced on my 89, my car did just what yours did. Ran for about 20 minutes then stopped. The shop replaced the CPS and the car did the same thing after another 20 minutes. I took the car to another shop and they replaced the CPS again. This time, success. Before, the CPS had not be properly aligned. The tabs located inside the balancer rubbed a hole through the CPS the other two times.

The Grand Turismo Hawk, 1962-64 could be had with A/C and four speed. They are very rare, but can be found. The 61 Hawk could also be equipped the four speed and air, but that is a rare "bird" indeed. The 61 Hawk, as all Hawks back to 59 were only available in two sedan form. The 62-64 are hardtops only. Just for information, the 56 model year had the most Hawk models than any other year. There was the Flight Hawk two door sedan with 185 CID six cylinder, Power Hawk two sedan with 259 CID V8, Sky Hawk two door hardtop with 259 CID V8, and the Golden Hawk with 352 CID Packard engine two door hardtop. The Golden Hawk with the only Hawk of 56 equipped with the fins. 18606 Hawks were built in 1956. Of that number, 4071 were Golden Hawks.

Studebaker built some interesting cars in its lifetime. Even near the end when their money was almost gone, the fiberglass bodied high performance Avanti made its appearance as an 1963 model. The very nice looking GT Hawk was introduced the year before. The 1956 Golden Hawk was a true muscle car, very few vehicles could out run it. At least in a straight line. The car was equipped with a very heavy Packard V8, so the car handled very poorly. Later Golden Hawks were equipped with supercharged motors. Studebaker was the only American transportation company to successfully move from horse drawn vehicles to motor driven vehicles. If they were still in business, the company would be 160 years old. They celebrated their 100th anniversary with their 1952 line of cars. The last car rolled off their Canadian assembly line in March of 1966. The 65 and 66 cars were equipped with McKinnon Chevrolet engines. In December of 1964, all American production ended in South Bend, Indiana, hence the need for non Studebaker engines.

Just for info, the Studebaker Starlite Coupe, which is the model that the rear windows wrapped around the rear of the roof to the sides, was built for model years 1947 to 1952. Only the 50-51 models had the bullet nose. Frankly, keeping an old Studebaker running would be simpler than a Reatta. Both are neat cars. Finding a Studebaker with zero rust issues would be somewhat difficult. Rust are their biggest problems.

I have been a member here for many years. Not the oldest, but close. I used to post at least once or more a week. The reason I don't visit as much, is that I no longer have a Reatta. I think that some members, such as myself, no longer have their car. Let face it, the newest Reatta is now 22 years old. Most other make of cars that old have already been crushed. I think the pickings are smaller than they used to be, for new owners to come into the fold. There are not too many good Reattas out there to be had. Also lets look at the economy, some people just don't want to spend extra money for and maintain a fun, hobby car. In this climate, a job can be lost in an instant. I know first hand. I was laid off without warning in February and have yet to find employment. Buying a "toy" is the least of my concern at this point. Regarding the tone of the forum, I have noticed there does seems to be a bit a sniping between vendors. Of course there are more vendors represented than when I first joined so long ago. One-up-man-ship is just part of commerce. In 2003, my mother and aunt passed away the same day within an hour and half of each other from unrelated causes. The members at the time, some still present, were very kind and extended PM's and posts of condolences. Such expressions of kindness were very much appreciated by me. In the last few years, I agree, there does not seem to be as much friendliness as expressed in my personal example. I can't really put my finger on it, but there does seem to be a change. However, I'm a member of a number of other car interest forums, and while things here seemed to have changed a bit, this is still the best damn automotive forum out there.

Here is a photo of my late 89 Reatta. I owned the car for almost 10 years. The engine crapped out and while it was sitting at the repair shop, someone crashed into it the drivers side. The car was fully insured. I sold the car to a fellow Reatta Forum member. He replaced the door and had another engine to put in it. He did send me a photo of the door replaced, but I've never heard anymore about the car. He does not seem to be a member any longer. This is the first Buick and only Buick I've owned.

Barney, I don't know. The engineer, never said anything about that.