ol' yeller
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Posts posted by ol' yeller
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Hey Guys. I've been off and on here for years. My 1st Reatta was a 90 Maroon Coupe that had 76K miles when I bought it off Ebay. Kept it for a couple of years, then sold it to restore a '69 Riviera. The Rivi proved to be too much for my wallet so after dumping an embarassing amount of money into it, I sold it to stop the bleeding. Then about 4 years ago, I bought a 90 Maui Blue Coupe with a sunroof. It had 160K miles but it gave me fits getting it to run right. I finally got it running OK and unloaded it.
I had a short abberation with a 2002 BMW but quickly discovered I wasn't a BMW guy so I sold it a few weeks ago. I now find the Reatta calling me back. First I am a Buick guy and I am pretty well aquainted with the benefits and liabilities of the Reatta. I've had some serious health issues over the last couple years so heavy car restoration is out of the picture for me. I am looking for something that is cheap to buy, looks good, gets kept in the garage only to see light occasional use. Oh yeah, its gotta have appeal to us car folks. There are a few Reattas for sale here locally with relatively low mileage (around 100K) that have some interest to me. I think I may be back in the fold again soon.
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I too have an interest in a replacement top. I don't understand why all the need for PMs but if you could send me some info too, I'd appreciate it.
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I believe they are essentially the same when comparing base engines. In '65 the 300 was available in 2 barrel and 4 barrel configurations. Besides a different intake and carburetor (obviously), the High Performance (HP) ' 65 300 4 barrel version also had higher compression pistons. The heads were the same. In '67 if one desired a 4 barrel on a small V8, I'm pretty sure the only option was the 340. The 340 was a 2 year only option '66-'67. While similar, the 300 and the 340's are different engines. I don't think a 4 barrel version of the 300 was offered in '67. The other difference between '65 and '67 300's is the location of the exhaust flapper valve for the choke. In '65 it was located on the right (passenger) side exhaust manifold. In '67 (technically in '66) it was moved to the left side exhaust manifold. The exhaust manifolds were different '65 to '67. If swapping in a motor between these years a small change in the exhaust would need to be made. Or one could swap manifolds as any year manifold will bolt onto any year 300 V8.
The 300 engine was a Buick design only beginning in 1964 and ending in '67 with the introduction of the 350 for the 1968 line. It was a replacement for the all aluminum 215 V8. In '64 Buick 300's came with aluminum intake manifold and aluminum heads but a cast iron block. There is virtually no difference in the blocks '64-67. Both 2 barrel and 4 barrel versions were offered '64-65 with the HP version having the higher compression pistons. Any year 300 block '64-67 was interchangable (allowing for the HP difference) In '64 they had a funky hot water choke setup. In '65 the 300 went to the more conventional cast iron heads and intakes. This elimated corrosion problems created by dissimilar metals and helped with cooling issues as well. I have owned several '64-65's and also restored a couple. Just trying to straighten out some misinformation. Hope this helps.
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Don't get too excited, there isn't much left. I have a set of 4 hubcaps, one has some red paint overspray but all will clean up nice. FREE TO GOOD HOME plus shipping. Lower left rear quarter stainless trim, somehow got oversprayedwhen my house was painted. Very straight and should clean up nicely. FREE TO GOOD HOME plus shipping. 2 rear (I think) stainless wheel trims. They may be for the same side. Very straight also was oversprayedwhen my house was painted. Should clean up nicely. FREE TO GOOD HOME plus shipping. Really guys I am cleaning out my garage and this stuff has to go. I just can't bring myself to throw it out, but I will. Pics available to serious shoppers. Thanks.
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Try this "Peel and Seal" is the name. $17.00 for 6"x25' at Lowes. It's a roof repair product. A cheap alternative to Dynamat.
This is what I used. It was $12 at my local Lowes and came in a 33' roll. It took most of 2 rolls to do the '65. Thanks everyone for your help!
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The Original Tar boards are available for my '65 Skylark so if "they are bad for your health" I'd be very surprised. I bought them for my Skylark for under $35. Is there no source for the '65 Rivi? I am doing this as a favor for a Buick friend so I really don't want to spend a lot more on top of what I already spent for upholstery, a carpet kit, POR 15, and extra carpet yardage. Doesn't anyone make the original stuff?
Greg
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I volunteered to help a fellow local club member replace her carpets and reinstall her newly upholstered front seats. Her car is a '65 Rivi. The actual metal was pretty decent but the tar boards (sound insulation) under the carpet was ruined. I have ordered some replacements from a local shop but after waiting over 6 months for them, I am ready to get them elsewhere. Does anyone know where I can order these from? I thought of using Dynamat or some other similar product but it is very expensive. Your help would be appreciated.
Greg
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The inner fenders are definitely different between a non-convertible and convertible. I suspect that the ones available in the aftermarket are for non-convertible only and will not work in a convertible application. I have not seen any convertible inner fenders available for your car from the aftermarket. The only thing available are used from another GM A-body convertible. Or, you could compare where yours are bad to the non-convertible inner fenders and see if you can use pieces from the aftermarket sheet metal. I think the difference is mostly on the inner (towards the center of the car) and along the pinchweld where the top rests.
Greg
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I personally have never had an issue in well over 10 years of attending events. A possible solution you may want to explore is a baby monitor. They aren't very expensive and if you turn the volume way up, it should wake you if you have a break-in. Look for one that has the largest broadcast distance.
At most venues that are BCA events that I have been to, the event hosts do provide security at the host hotels.
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Try these guys Buick Farm, NOS Buick Parts & Original Literature, 1935 to 1976 According to their site, they have 3 @ $35 each. They primarily only stock NOS and they are great to deal with. Their site also includes a picture of the part.
Greg
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Dear Reatta Brothers,
I am leaving the fold once again. I sold my Reatta yesterday. I agonized over the decision but I truly belive that this was the best for me. I loved both of my handbuilt luxury coupes while I owned them but my last one just had too many miles and took me away from working on my '65 Skylarks too often. I doubt I will buy another. I do want to thank everyone here for your unselfish help during my last episode. Your kindness and willingness to help will be remembered fondly. I will still be posting here on these forums but look for me a couple of headings up. Good luck to all of you and please keep the dream alive!
Greg
Ol' Yeller
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AC can get expensive. I converted mine to R134A. If I had the compressor done in a shop along with an Orofice tube and drier, it would have run me over $1,000. Get the problem checked out and don't accept the often stated,"It just needs a recharge". Also you do need to do the aforementioned Brake Test at Reatta Data Page. The ABS system on these cars was one of the first and parts and knowledgable repair people are scarce. Without doing the test you are playing russian roulette with 4 in the chamber.
That said, these are great cars for the money but you need to educate yourself to keep from making a mistake.
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I'm not going to comment on the controversy. I just wanted to say that when I was looking for a new car for my wife in 2005, GM had nothing she (and I) wanted. We bought a 2005 Ford Escape Limited AWD V6. After 46000 miles the only thing I had to do to it was a front brake job at 40,000 miles. She loves the car. For me, it is too small and not equipped as well as I would have liked but I sure can't argue with the way the car has held up. No warranty work and no recalls. A plus is how well the AWD works in snowy weather.
I also have a 1999 Ford F250 XLT V10 that now has about 93,000 miles on it. I use it primarily to tow my travel trailer. It too has been a great and relatively trouble free truck over the years I have owned it.
Currently I am looking for a new daily driver, Car Guys car to replace my collector Buicks. GM offers nothing except the Corvette which can be picked up pretty cheap, used, nowadays. The new Camaro is a Corvette wannabe and I am not convinced that GM, in their current economic and political correctness conditions is building quality products. The new Mustang premium GT due out in June is looking like a good choice. I do not wish to own a Fiat so Chrysler is out as well. Looking for a RWD, high performance, 2 door automobile made by a dependable manufacturer is getting harder every year. I was a Buick guy growing up. I have owned many GM products over my lifetime but it looks like Ford is going to get the rest of my business.
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Got my Reatta back from the mechanic tonight. I really enjoyed the trip home. For the curious there were 2 problems. The main problem was an EGR valve with a sticky valve. I also created a little problem when I installed the MAF. Evidently there were 2 locating tangs on the MAF. I did a good job matching up the upper tang but missed on the lower one. That held the MAF at a slight angle so it wouldn't seal against the throttle body. I guess it does pay to know what you are doing. He was very surprised that there were no codes set.
Once again, I'd like to sincerely thank everyone here who chimed in with their thoughtful advice.
Greg
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For those of you who can't sleep at night worrying about my Reatta (maybe that's just me) I am having the tow truck pick it up tomorrow and take it to my mechanic friend so he can work on it on Wednesday. I hope it's either something I screwed up or something easy to a knowledgable mechanic. I'll let you know what it was in a new thread.....even if I screwed up something. Of course, I did work in marketing for over 20 years so I may have to embellish....
Greg
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Thanks Padgett, I did see your later post after I replied. I am done with my attempts to get the car running. It spent last night at the end of the driveway in the rain. The upside was that my wife was very happy to get "her" half of the garage back after a month outside. I have only been married a short while (36 years), so I don't feel qualified to give marital advice but it appears to be a good thing to make your wife happy around Valentine's Day.
As soon as my mechanic friend has the time and space, I'm having the car towed to his shop and let him deal with it. Again, I really do appreciate everyone's help and advice. It is time for someone smarter than me to turn the wrenches.
Greg
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Did note that the IAC command was waaay high like it was trying to correct but as mentioned, with the engine off, it really does not tell much. I have looked up to 1992 and find mo mention of a "33" code.
I do find a "33" for a 86-88 Vin W 2.8 which uses the same PROM carrier "33 MAP sensor signal was too high (low vacuum) for 2 seconds when throttle angle was less than 2%. ".
Now checking 1990 Reatta EPROMS, all are in the 8xxx series, none are a 9xxx much less a 9044 (ED-99). Is there any chance you have the wrong PROM in the ECM ?
When I replaced the ECM, I removed the PROM from the old ECM and snapped it into the new ECM. I assume there is only the one PROM.
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Thanks Ronnie and everyone else. I know it's hard to diagnose and fix a car when it is 3,000 miles away from you. I have come to a decision. Tonight I shoved the car outside to the end of my driveway. I am giving up. At the ripe age of 56, I'm not too proud not to admit that my butt has been kicked. I've fought a valliant battle but that chunk of machinery is more stubborn than I am. In a few days when my friend and mechanic has the time, I'll have it towed to his house, bend over and take the wallet beating I'm going to get.
After that I will decide if I am going to keep the car. I have to admit that the bloom is off the rose right now when it comes to my Reatta. A couple of hours ago, I was thinking of parting it out and having the remains crushed.
I am a pretty fair wrench when it comes to the old stuff. I have ressurected engines that have slept for 10-20 years. I have rebuilt my '65 Skylark from the ground up into the beautiful car that it is today. This Reatta is no '65 Skylark
It has a very sophisticated diagnostic system that says there is nothing wrong with the engine. However, the engine won't run for 30 seconds without stalling. There is too much crap overiding each other to the point that it is impossible to isolate. I can't even figure out if my problem is spark or gas related. Sorry for the mini rant, but as I said before, I'm very frustrated right now. I'll open my wallet once again and hope my mechanic can fix it before I run out of money.
I'll post here what he finds and how he fixed it. It may not sound like it, but I really do appreciate everyone's help and advice. You folks are the best! I'll let you know in a week or so.
Greg
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A couple of quick points. When I replaced the CPS I inspected the harmonic balancer carefully as well as the crank key. It looked great.
Ronnie, I haven't run it with the big plastic hose disconnected. On my F250, if this is off, the engine won't run. I can try that and I'll report back. The thing is that the engine really doesn't run very well at all.
I agree it shows an overly rich condition. I hope someone can tell me what a 033 code is. I cleaned the MAF and throttle body a couple of weeks ago and didn't see any obstructions. The air filter was also recently replaced.
To recap, new crank position sensor, new cam position sensor, new MAF, new ECM, new plugs, rebuilt (all 6) fuel injectors, Cleaned all grounds, tested alternator (good), used Delco ICM and coils (Padgett upgrade), all with no change in running condition. I am really discouraged.
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OK, another wasted Saturday. I did the Padgett upgrade to the ICM, no change.
I pulled the head pipe from the exhaust system and ran the car, no change. The CAT looks like it has been replaced at some point.
I put a vacuum gauge on the engine, duct taped it to the firewall so I could read it while in the driver's seat. The car fires up great when you first hit the key. I had 20" of vacuum at start-up. The car then begins to stall right away (within 2-3 seconds), vacuum dropped to almost 0 as the car stalled. If I feathered the throttle to keep it running the vacuum goes back up to 20" and stays there. To keep the car running I have to feather the throttle and keep the RPMs up around 2500. If I just try to hold the RPMs at 2500 without feathering the throttle the engine will die.
I then pulled all the plugs (new ones I just installed a few days ago). They were all black and gas fouled. I cleaned them up, reinstalled them, ran the engine for about 2 minutes, and then pulled them again to check. They all looked like they did right after I cleaned them. I bought a spark plug tester but working alone makes it sort of useless as I can't observe the light and keep the engine running at the same time.
Then I decided to rerun the diagnostics to see if there was any changes. It showed no E codes No B codes but it then showed an 033H (I think H means a history code). I can't find that code in my service manual.
Here are the readings again after about 2 minutes of running, key on, engine off.
E01-.44
E04-54
E06-23.8
E08-70
E10-12
E11-20 (not a typo)
E12-0
E16-0
E17-0
E18-0
E19-128
E20-128
E21-0
E22-150
E23-18
E98-3
E99-9044
Does anyone know what an 033 code is?
Where do I go from here? I haven't replaced the TPS, the EGR or the coolant sensor. I also have not replaced the plugwires. I am also wondering if the vapor canister could be causing these issues? Am I looking at mechanical issues like valve train, camshaft wear or something else?
In the next few days I'm going up to the local parts house to see if they have a test kit to check my gas to see if I have water in it as I seem to have eliminated everything else.
I'm at a complete loss at this point. The wife is making noises about wanting her half of the garage back. I may just push it out to end of the driveway and let it rot.
Greg
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That is why everyone should have more than one Reatta (or Reatta and Riviera, Bonneville, etc) That way I can compare and test a part before swapping. (Why my 92 TranSport was the testbed for the Delco before it went on the Reatta).
I can barely afford the one I have. LOL
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Spark testers are available at any parts stores (NAPA, etc) for under $10, usually.
I can do that.
Greg
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Having several 3800s and quite a few spares (day out at a 2fer sale at the UPullIt is relaxing) makes troubleshooting easy(er).
There are several fairly close wrecking yards that have the coils for $35 or so. The price quote for $100 was from a very small local yard who was trying to make this month's rent from me. It has been a while since going to the local wrecking yard. I used to enjoy it as well.
If you have a seriously plugged cat I suspect you could feel a difference in the exhaust pipe. I do agree that the manifold-head pipe bolts usually come free, these are the big ones with springs.
How would I feel the difference in the tailpipe?
What bothers me is the miraculous healing that takes place. Mechanical issues rarely heal, it is usually electrics.
Not a miraculous healing, the engine still runs very rough. I can just barely keep it running. If I let off the throttle, the engine stalls.
" By doing that (2500-3000 RPM) I can keep it running (badly) as long as I want." That does sound odd. Sounds like 1 or 2 cyl are not firing at all. Have you tried having someone hold it open while you pull plugs one at a time and seeing which affect anything ? A failed coil could act that way.
My wife tolerates my car addiction. She doesn't wish to participate in any way that doesn't involve the passenger seat only. It won't run long enough for me to run to the front and pull plug wires . I was thinking today to pull the plug wires one at a time and see if it makes a difference in starting or running. If there is no difference, it would pinpoint it is a spark issue and which hole isn't firing. Of course that doesn't isolate a plug wire failure from a coil/ICM failure.
The IAC really has remarkable authority have seen it even keep an engine with crossed plug wires running. Since you have to assist manually, it is something else.
I added my answers and questions in the quote above
Am I Nuts? Thinking about Reatta #3
in Buick Reatta
Posted
I live in the great Northwet (Seattle Eastside). I have a few options locally, none of which I have looked at yet. One is a 90 dark blue coupe with a sunroof (that doesn't work) and nonworking AC. It has just under 100K. Asking price is around $3K. (my opinion is that is about a grand more than it's worth. The same seller also has a white 90 coupe no sunroof with only 30K miles. No issues, perfect condition and asking $7500- $8000. A little high but in the ballpark and seller appears open to discussion on both cars. There is also a an 86K mile 90 convertible for $5200 but it needs a new top and the AC isn't working. I repaired an AC issue on a previous Reatta and it ran about $900. Why does everyone with AC problems say, "It just needs a recharge"? A new top runs about $2K ( I think) and I don't know the condition of the top seals but I understand they are no longer available. There is a very nice 90 maui blue convertible in Portland for sale with only 48K miles but it is way out of my price range at $14K. I'm kinda leaning towards the low mileage coupe even though it has no extras. I'd love a vert but the practical side says a low mileage coupe may be what suits my needs better.