bigrog

The arm does pull out. Don't be scared, just grab and pull at the base, just remember when it comes out not to keep pulling because there are wires attached. I was able to succesfully dismantle and clean the switch on my 89 2 years ago, still works. I don't remember exactly how I got it apart, but it involved a pocket screwdriver, a pick, and electrical contact cleaner, and a little care. I was almost surprised it went as well as it did, but I was was too cheap and lazy to put in a new one. routing the wires for the new one sucks, and it wound up being faster to clean it anyway since we didn't have the part in stock(of course).

Very familiar with car talk, sometime post replies in the "good carma" section. Great show. Just found out recently that the <BR>Miatta(it still deserves capital letters) ranked number 3 for chick cars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha-ha-ha

There's been a lot of concern of child seat use lately, has anyone considered, or researched, the use of these hooks for child seat use? I don't have any kids yet, but when they come, I want to keep my Reatta!! Can we find out??

A little help here. You stated earlier that the hum was only present when engine running, then later stated it was there without engine running? which is it? Most importantly, does it make your back feel good while driving? If so, let's figure out how to duplicate it, sounds like a nice upgrade!!

Still sounds like mechanical restriction(caliper slides, and/or pad binding against mounting cradle). Sorry, but can't think of any effective tests with the master cyl off of the car, unless you want to go out and buy a lot of expensive gauges. Suggest you clean, re-install, flush, clean/repair all 4 caliper and brake pad moving parts(pay close attention to what moves and where!). Feel free to E-mail with any specifics.

Don't bother tapping, these sensors don't fail that way. That's the older style AC system located in the air duct. Go into diagnostics on the CRT, look for ECM data, find MAF. Idle readings should be 6-8 g/s, but the most accurate test is at wide open throttle at the 1-2 shift. should be above 100g/s, but I'll admit this may be abusive to a car that doesn't run right. I think I read where you sprayed something through the air inlet. What was it? Remove the MAF and inspect the sensing wires, look for signs of burns. Gm part # for 1990 bonneville(exact same drivetrain) is 24502966. For some reason, the GM parts book doesn't list a MAF for the Reatta that year. Oops. It wasn't discontinued.

The transmitters on the reatta,riviera and trofeo are unique from other GM products. Your Intrigue remote is not compatible. Sounds like a bad remote, which any GM dealer can easily test. We have a tester which is a required tool. It's still possible the receiver is bad, even though it cycles when in programming mode, but the only way to find out is to try a known good transmitter. Look at the numbers on the back of the remote to ensure a match. Also, as you may have noticed, the Reata transmitter have a unique appearance from other GM products. P.S., sorry, but no idea on the CRT battery thing.<p>[This message has been edited by bigrog (edited 02-07-2001).]

Are any of you with the cold lack of stopping power using carbon fiber pads? If so, this is a big source of trouble. I have found this problem with all cars. They work great when hot, but not at all when cold. I would thouroughly inspect all mechanical systems(I.E. caliper slides, friction surfaces) before resorting to an expensive gamble on a master cyl. They rarely fail on this system. The part where slow braking is ok sounds like a sluggish/restricted metereing valve(due to corrossion), so try a flush first to correct this. Run about 2 quarts of fluid through. Cold weather does have a habit of causing calipers to not slide, sometimes due to ice builup. Think about it, the brakes get quite hot while driving, melting accumulated snow and ice into the brakes, then it freezes overnight. I've had a variety of cars do this, and a full day in the shop in the heat will cure it untill it snows again. If you do reoplace the master cyl, it will most likely be inside a heated shop all day, so the results may be misleading. If it were mine, I would pull the tires, clean all caliper hardware, wash the undercarriage(and I guess the rest of the car, while I'm at it) and let it sit all day, maybe overnight, to dry. $900 is too much to gamble with. <p>[This message has been edited by bigrog (edited 02-07-2001).]

Isn't it just easier to say that all these engines are GM? Who cares what division, they're all from the same company. You don't think GM has whatever division has the right engine budget at the time gets the project? If you didn't know, Pontiac and GMC merged a couple years ago. It's now oficcially Pontiac/GMC. It's all the same company!!<BR>

When people say, "Wow, when did Buick start building those?" The best time was when I loaned it to the mother-in-law to try out, and her son saw her and asked me"how much did they get for that brand new car?"<BR>

Sounds like just a corroded cable/teminal. look very closely at the metal part of the cable that touches the battery terminal. Also check the ones on the alternator, but that won't stop it from jump starting, will most likely just make the battery go dead after driving. Apparantly you are in Canada somewhere, which I suspect uses a whole lot of salt on the roads. Might not be a bad idea to have a mechanic clean all of the power and ground junction blocks, and all battery cable connection before you get too worried with complicated testing, which may get expensive and time cunsuming, not to mention possibly unproductive given the intermittent nature of your problems. The road salt(even just plain dirt is bad) eats away at all these parts, not to mention that when most batteries fail, they leak sulfuric at the positive post.<p>[This message has been edited by bigrog (edited 01-27-2001).]

Sorry, champ, not at MY DEALERSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Depends on how picky you are about reception, mainly. If you listen to talk shows, am is particulary(sp?) picky about metal quality and especially ground integrity. If funny satic bothers you, use only the factory GM part, the price you had with the part #, if the money saving option appeals, try the mast first. I do believe it will fix the retraction problem, but sometimes the antenna motor fills with water and ruins the potential for a good ground. also make sure the drain tube is not plugged. also, yes, it does come with the relay(the GM one, anyway. If you are really concerned about that, I can check)

Couple of tips, look for a local custom exhaust shop. These places depend on a good reputation to keep business going. A good exhaust fabricator tends to take pride in his(or her) work, as most custom work is scrutinized by not just the customer, but every mechanic within 50 miles. This same person will usually be well trained in suspension and brakes, but probably won't be much good in the driveability, heavy engine, transmission, or electrical. Your best bet there is probably a dealership(I hope). Sorry to hear so many Buick dealers are afraid of the Reatta. Try to find a dealer with Technicians that have been there 10 years or so, although that could be a tall order too.

What was that about an investigation? C'mon... investigate what? Not reading the directions?

GM has 2 different quality pads, the Durastop(which is their cheaper pad to compete with other aftermarket brands) and the AC delco "factory" pads. stick with the Delco's to ensure consistent performance.

I've also heard dozens of these stories about them. Stay away.

I've done thousands of alignments and haven't enjoyed a single one on a car that is more than 2 years old. worn springs, rusty adjustment bolts, etc, it gets bad. When an alignment guy sees a Reatta ownner coming in, they know the owner waants it perfect. Trying to provide an accurate quote and timeframe is impossible. I say this from a lot of experience. Quite often, alignment work becomes succeptible to what we call "set the toe and let it go". It's easy, quick, and satisfies most of the customers needs. And they can't tell the difference. A true, perfect alignment cannot be accurately quoted from the initial inspection. It sounds like the firestone dealer is trying to make sure you have an accurate alignment. It is very hard to align a 10 year old car, and I cannot emphasize that enough. I hurt for days after doing a good one. The excess shim pricing is to make up for the LACK OF PROFIT ON THE JOB. I have a severe camber problem on my 89(rear), will update after winter and it is fixed. Suspect I need new rear spring to fix the problem, could be your case too. I would be suspect if some shop comes up with a quick easy fix. P.S., have you guys seen the alignment numbers while the car is on the machine, or a printout? The printouts are easy to "cheat" on (don't ask me, I'll deny everything). For the most part, alignment are done to suite the customers needs. Really good alignments are hard to come by. And yes, they get expensive to make it worthwile.<p>[This message has been edited by bigrog (edited 01-25-2001).]

almost sounds like egr valve sticking. try disconnecting egr valve and see if condition goes away. changing trans fluid would have probably make some kind of difference if there were a problem there.

Found out today Buick will build an SUV. The Buick Rendevous. Probably due to the demise of oldsmobile. It will be based on the (AAAArgh!!!) Pontiac Aztec platform. Don't worry too much yet, though. It does look a whole lot better(could it get worse?). The Aztec has about 12+ inches of space between the bottom of the hood and the engine, so Buick dropped the hood line considerably. The Buick version will be AWD, but GM doesn't have the drivetrain ready yet, not even for the Aztec. As soon as we start seeing AWD Aztec's in production, look for the Buick. Can't seen to get an expected due date for the driveline. Must be having some problems there...... Watch out for the first year or two of those!

one more gas mileage tip... tires!! good, properly inflated tires are worth2-3 mpg. I have an 89, 135,000 miles and get 23.5, combo driving

change the bushings where the stabilizer shaft meets the frame. be sure to lubricate with silicon based lube(petro based will ruin the rubber). since disconneting the stabilizer shaft got rid of the noise, this is pretty clear that this is where the problem is. you'll probably find the shaft is severely corroded where the bushings meet, so you will probably need to remove the shaft completely and thouroughly clean it. this fix improves ride and handling cosiderably, too! I don't reccomend poly bushings for this, too noisy. use factory rubber ones. The moog end links are just fine.<p>[This message has been edited by bigrog (edited 12-21-2000).]

guess what? Buick Rendevous is to be the buick SUV(so i've heard). don't know too much, but will ask around.

by the way, the fuel pump oil pressure switch is a redundant pump control, bypassing the ecm and relay. there is a prime lead either near the battery or the air cleaner(single wire that doesn't plug into anything) to troubleshoot the fuel system. apply battery power to this lead to run the pump as desired. I'd go look to tell you where it is accuratly, but I haven't had room in the garage yet, and now it's under 2 feet of snow! oops. won't get moved till april. also, another common cold start problem is the Magnavox ignition coil. look at the cylinder numbers stamped on the coil. large raised nubers indicate old, 1st design coils, known for trouble. small numbers enclosed in a circle indicate an updated design, much less troublesome. always test for spark with a calibrated spark tester. what may look fine coming off the end of your screwdriver may not be enough to light a spark plug under compression. engine compression dramatically increases the neccesary voltage to fire a plug.

the ignition mudule gets it's ground from it's mounting bracket. try to remove and clean the mounting sufaces, and/or add a redundant ground. also pooible crank sensor(based on how it shut off like you turned the key after warming a bit)