2seater

I agree with the above suggestions that it sounds like a connection problem, more specifically a grounding problem possibly. Battery connection, which connects to three points from both sides of the battery. Ground is connected to the big terminal under the ICM, to the radiator header panel near the battery and the ground busbar inside the black plastic box on the fender behind the battery. There is also a large ground stud on the top rear passengers side corner of the engine, behind the power steering pump, sort of buried under the engine harness which connects to the injectors and other sensors. Most of what the ECM does to activate items is to switch their ground on and off, like the injectors, torque converter clutch and possibly others. The battery plus side goes direct to the starter, the alternator output and the hot busbar inside the red plastic box on the fender just to the rear of the battery. Is that the correct ECM for an '88?? The part number doesn't sound right for an '89 or '90 but I haven't dealt with an '88 directly.

When I looked through the 'yard last fall for a donor for my sons deer hit car, I talked with the counterman about prices and he mentioned some Riviera fenders were steel and others were plastic. No more detail than that but it may have been a model year change.

The Riviatta. I am no expert but while looking at possibly doing the same, that looks to be the later models? Actually, now that I think of it, it should be in the FSM as they were shared mechanically

I can only offer this possibility: we were resurrecting an ‘89 for my grandson last year. It had a number of gremlins and one of them was an O2 sensor issue. We had a clue there was something long term going on there as the car came with a small notebook that roughly listed the items serviced over the last few owners. We noted the O2 sensor was replaced several times so two of us traced the sensor wire back to the ecm. We then connected a ohmmeter to the two ends of the wire which appeared to have continuity so we simply disconnected the appropriate plug on the ecm, sprayed with contact cleaner and plugged and unplugged a couple of times. The O2 problem went away so a poor connection was the likely problem, but later we swapped ECM’s for a different reason so I am not certain about the cure over the long haul

yup, wrong cover but looks excellent overall

As far as I know it is a good way to see how far the temperature sensor has drifted from new. I do the same comparison?

Dang, that is extensive and expensive damage to the glass, aside from the other cosmetics. A crying shame for sure. Insured??

Looks pretty good. Hard to judge brightness without a comparison side by side. The stray light in the center may be acceptable as a locator if well controlled and filtered.

My housings are E spec and about 20 years old. I know there is a Z beam light that has a raised horizontal cutoff on the right side but mine angle up on the right side with no cutoff. Yes they have the rubber boot on the rear that the prongs stick through. The are a very tight fit and I must give the plug an extra seating push through the space at the rear with the lights closed or just manually cracked open. Not ideal, but the lights work well. 80/100w bulbs, hence the burned out headlight switches until the twin relay harness was added. The Hella brand was available when I looked for something way back when and they do make many oem lights as well. When I had 7" and 5.25" round, I forget the par number, both in headlights and driving lights I used Carello in the 80's and then Cibie. I don't recall ever trying Marchal's. Now everything I have are modern composite housings except the Reatta of course.

Yes, H is halogen but it is just an incandescent light with a noble gas to redeposit the vaporized metal to the electrode to allow hotter burning? HID is a totally different animal, an arc light in effect. I have used E code type lights for decades, Carrillo, Cibie and Hella. There are two downsides I have encountered and one is the lack of scatter which sometimes makes non observant motorists, especially cross traffic, not see you coming because they are used to the bright marker light effect. The other is travel in hilly rolling terrain where the cutoff will not illuminate the rising road ahead. Hard to believe in this day and age that the decorative effects of lighting on the front are more important than actual performance. Just read test reports on new vehicles that rate all sorts of safety items, crash tests and other items. Note how many brand new cars have marginal ratings in headlight performance, but they look cool😖I should say the H in H4 may not mean halogen, but may just refer to a bulb and connection style. The operation of the bulb uses the halogen cycle.

I believe the lights referred to use conventional H4 incandescent bulbs. The beam pattern of the euro spec has a very sharp horizontal cutoff which is much more friendly than many modern cars with all different types of headlights that have horrible light scatter. I don’t know if the lighting approval agencies test for light output in incorrect or unintended locations but if so, they do a lousy job

Are these the units with a removable H4 bulb? I have had them for many years and I have found the same issue but I was able to wedge the plug onto the bulb after housing installation.

I do know some of the history, but the OP doesn’t. A short synopsis as stated would go a long way to providing a little context. Believe me, I do understand owner mechanical experience and expectations are a huge factor.

Nice haul. The general way to test is to plug it into the car😉

Well that's a well reasoned response. 😣

They are alloy wheels with aluminum being the base metal but what the other metals are can vary. I imagine you are spot on regarding the purity of the material having a bearing on the value🤑

Yard art? Bolt a plate and vertical post on them for supporting ropes to cordon off areas? Wait for the recycle price to increase? At the present price you might break even on a 60 mile round trip.

Regarding the MAF, IAC and TPS; is it just the difference in form or shape that makes them different or do they operate differently? I have adapted the '91 throttle body and MAF combination to a couple of different engine configurations in my '90 and the stock ECM has had no issue with operating either style throttle body combination of TPS, MAF or IAC? Just a clarification question.

Mine is in storage fifty miles away but I believe 5/16” is correct.

I don’t remember the tubing size exactly but the fluid flows into the radiator cooler on the bottom and out the upper fitting.

I would certainly like the 1990 FSM. Mine is in tatters.

Brake lines are not double flare, they are bubble flares, far easier to make. The fitting dimensions of m10x 1.0 is correct as is the 3/16” brake tubing, front and rear. The fuel pressure line is 3/8”, return is 5/16” and the vapor line is 1/4”. All are steel tubing on an ‘89 with a short rubber transition hose at the rear by the tank.

Agree. I made a similar observation last summer with three different Reattas sitting side by side, my grandsons '89 with approx. 175k miles, my sons '89 with over 315k and my '90 at 142k. Mine hasn't seen a winter since 1994, but the other two did year around duty. My sons car was clearly and noticeably lower overall, without measuring, and sat very flat. My grandsons is essentially the same as mine overall, but with a bit less tail high rake. Mine was definitely higher overall with a somewhat pronounced tail high rake to it. Measuring the tire to wheel arch clearance showed the high mileage car to be 3/4" lower in front and 1.5" lower at the rear than my car. As an aside, I noted years ago in the FSM, that the sibling Riviera has lower overall ride height dimensions than the Reatta, which made me wonder why or how that was done? The Rivieras do have automatic load leveling, so perhaps softer suspension pieces?

Block Learn is long term fueling, 150 indicating it is adding fuel because it sees a lean condition. If the engine is not fully warmed up and in closed loop, ignore that number for now. I agree the TPS should be addressed first. Either it is bad, out of adjustment or something is binding and not allowing the throttle to fully close. Has the throttle stop screw been tampered with?

This subject seems to be coming up fairly regularly now but the solutions seem to be all over the place. Can you reduce the idle by overriding the IAC? My '89 that became the parts car would do that after long storage too. I could force it lower, and it would stay there, but would possibly do it again after a restart. I never pursued it very hard after that because it wasn't being driven. Check the TPS in diagnostics to see what it is now.