2seater

Looks nice but the missing horn buttons does make one wonder what other detail may be awry? The most common color combination, not that it is bad, but isn't rare, and it's a coupe. No pics under the hood or in the trunk? Good to see optimistic pricing which is good for the collector, if it were even slightly realistic. I am no hotshot on links either but I think this will work: 1991 Buick Reatta for Sale in Gresham, OR - OfferUp

The last couple of years just seemed to go by in a blur so looking for this one to be much better. I know you people are tough up in MN but maybe it's time to put away the flip-flops and tank tops so the rest of us don't look like sissies😎

I thought about this later. How about downloading a decibel app? Lots of them online for free. It isn’t so much for the sound level in this case but it also indicates the frequency of the sound. Maybe can derive a hint from that?

It doesn't sound unusual to me, but hard to gauge the actual volume without electronic capture. The chain damper rides against the back of a segmented chain, the chain runs over sprockets and the oil pump is a gear within a gear type, a gerotor. All would likely produce some sound and while it sounds familiar, I cannot judge what it might be. How many miles??

Perhaps a little more specific information will help, ie; no display, inaccurate etc..?

I had one do the same and I replaced it with one from Jim Finn

Hopefully someone with better directions chimes in but the door assembly is made of multiple pieces that each can be loosened and moved. The first thing that comes off is the black plastic inner liner to reveal the inner pieces that can be moved. I don't have a better description than that. The door on all of the Reatta's I have had don't fit perfectly, it is an essentially flat panel inset into a curved surface. The mount for the base of the arm is inside the wheelwell and is accessible behind a removable panel in the wheelwell. This area is prone to rust but only inspection will tell.

The usual place for the original would be one of our parts vendors, such as Jim Finn, but I believe that is sort of built into the harness itself. It is supposed to clip through the metal bracket on the rear of the engine, but plastic gets awfully brittle in that location above the exhaust. Personally, I would install an insulated metal cable clamp and bolt it through that bracket. Only '88-'89 have that harness routing, it was rerouted and mostly eliminated on '90-'91.

The description of the time it has spent outdoors, unprotected, is very different from the first post to the last?? Are the descriptions of the car from two different time periods? It would run and drive if it just needed an IPC but bad brake lines is trailer only. If it has sat idle for ten plus years, the fuel system will be a mess internally too. Unfortunate

Ahh, good eye Barney. The seal installs in a front to back orientation at either end of the rubber tubular seal that runs across the top of the firewall area.

If you mean the sort of dark accumulation on the wiring under the plugs, it is hard to say what that might be. I think it looks reasonably normal but what is inside where it plugs into the relay is more important. If there is similar drool inside the connection then it does beg the question where it came from. The wires themselves don't appear damaged or the insulation compromised. From the relays and metri-pac connectors I have dissected, I cannot think of anything inside that would melt and run. The crusty looking areas are sort of scattered about, no real pattern. Nice looking engine bay overall.

145k miles is relatively low and should be of no cause for concern unless it was abused in a past life? When the front of the engine was opened up it should have been a good time for a visual inspection inside the front of the oil pan and the area around the timing set. All should have been clean with limited areas of discoloration. The crossover pipe is relatively easy to access. My memory is only so-so on what it looks like since mine is now very different. At the very least, remove the hose between to the engine and the air filter housing. The connection to the forward manifold is two studs and nuts. The small bracket attached to the front head and the pipe connection must be removed. Personally, I remove the bracket and do not reinstall it. It just makes alignment of the parts more difficult and supports nothing. There is no gasket used at the forward end of the crossover. It is a sort of ball and socket arrangement. The rear connection is secured by two long bolts under the heat shield for the throttle cables. The actual connection is made with the crossover pipe inserts inside a flared area on the rear manifold. The crossover pipe has a doughnut shaped graphite seal that is pressed into the flared connection with the rear manifold by a movable clamp ring on the crossover and the two bolts. After the fasteners are removed, lift the front connection up first and then pull the pipe out of the rear. When reassembling tighten the fasteners alternately and slowly at each end. There is no stop or other indicator that they are tight, just a feel and then test for leaks. One other thing; if there is a substantial exhaust leak at the crossover, which is unusual, it can introduce ambient air into the exhaust upstream of the O2 sensor at the rear and interfere with a correct reading and fuel correction.

Good idea and good they aren't still available. The original tires were Goodyear Eagle GT+4, which was much like having ice skates installed😣 Tire technology has come a long way since then.

Yes, the relays can be interchanged. For the most part, the relays throughout the car are the same operationally as well as capacity, just the style may be different, such as a place for the hanger on the firewall as well as a skirt to a watertight plug. In a pinch, you can install a non-sealed type relay, from the relay center for example, and install it in place of one on the firewall for test purposes.

The only thing I can share about the pumps and the pressure switches is they are both very reliable, but, it is possible for something to go out of range. I don't have my notebook right at hand, but I have tested many pressure switches and if they do not leak fluid into the electrical connector, they are almost always working in the correct range. IIRC, the red/amber lights should go out around 1650-1700 psi. Those two lights are pretty much the opposite sides of the same switch inside the pressure switch, one normally open, the other normally closed. The actual working range of the system is ~2000 psi (cut in) to 2650psi(cut off). When operating, the pump restarts around 2000psi after the pressure starts to be depleted, and should never drop low enough for the red light to come on. The pressure to make the red light come on while in operation is ~1500 psi, somewhat lower than it takes to make it extinquish. The brakes should still work but would be 25% below the normal low range of the required boost.

I have found similar retainer clips in the Dorman Help section of an auto parts store. It is the type of things used to retain linkage inside doors for the lock mechanisms.

Are one or both of the red or amber lights on?

I understand the desire to use a part that is on the shelf, in a manner of speaking, but I have never heard of anyone doing an LS4 swap, and you seem just the person to do one. As far as I know, the Northstar bellhousing pattern is slightly different than ours but the all aluminum LS4 is the same as ours. 300+ hp and torque would be quite exciting I would think.

Big advantage is your ability to do much or all of the work, so it's mostly parts costs. All the major parts of the car are vin numbered and unfortunately even as owners, they don't have great value. It is the most common combination, red/tan, so matching parts may be possible. I applaud the effort to save it from the crusher.

It sounds like the box with the plug is the neutral safety switch, but since it starts, it isn’t the problem. If the shifter moves, but the trans doesn’t engage, it does sound internal. Bummer

It has been many years since I had my taillight apart but that part may not be a separate item? I would contact one pf the Reatta parts vendors listed at the top of this forum, Jim Fin being one I have dealt with several times and he will treat you fairly.

We had a no crank situation on an 89 which turned out to be the neutral safety switch connection on top of the transaxle. Not easy to get to but when removed, it was corroded and green inside. Cleaned as best possible, sprayed with contact cleaner and connected and disconnected several times. It has been golden since then.

Maybe I am not quite understanding the post above? Was it an internal or external oil leak? The word nternal could go either way. What plugs get pulled to check valve covers? The comment about going through two qts. would seem to indicate it leaked out unless you are indicating it somehow held two qts inside the valve covers or the valley. Did the engine get noisy, like lifters ticking? An external oil leak of that magnitude would seem obvious, which would be the only reason for stop leak? I cannot think of any reason that an oil additive would restore power and mileage unless it is simple coincidence or perhaps the lifters collapsed due to lack of oil which would tend to hurt power output. I am pretty familiar with the insides of these engines and am trying to imagine any adverse effects on the engine as a whole if only the front of the engine was opened up. Maybe too much silicone used which got into the pan and restricted oil pickup. Curious situation.

There is no wiring that would cause this, it is a hydraulically operated transaxle. Check the fluid level. Did the bump cause any damage under the car, such as denting the trans. pan?

I had heard and expected to have machining done to fit the S/C damper but I didn't have to? Originally I thought about leaving the S/C donor engine together for a different project and the S/C was going on an engine put together from various other leftover parts. With that in mind, I had purchased a flexplate and Dorman replacement damper for a S/C engine. It slipped on to the stock crank? I had the whole assembly balanced as the pistons I am using are from an Australian Holden model of the 3800 and the weights are a bit different. The balancing place didn't mention any machining on the snout for the balancer.