Reatta Fan

All, Mike states above the following: "...getting the proper releases from ASC (the convertible's designer/builder)..." Can someone knowledgeable please elaborate/clarify the role of ASC in the design and building of the Reatta Convertible? I was under the impression Buick built them at their Craft Center along with the coupes. Chuck P.S. I did try poking around in the archived posts and came up with only with another topic about sunroofs and again a reference to ASC from Mike planning to do a buyout of all convertible parts they had.

I think this one on eBay gets the High Mileage Award! The ad indicates 321K! Also, by the pics it does have 16-way seats and the ad says a CD player. Go here.

Charlie, Sorry about the long winded reply. No, I'm not staunchly legal and ultra conservative. I guess it's the fact it's really hot outside and I don't feel like messing with the Reatta today so Internet surfing is the time passer of the day. I also found in the EPA site that the following states prohibit the use of flammable refrigerants (such as Duracool) in automobile air conditioners: Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Even if you got a supplier lined up, I don't think they could ship it to you if you're in one of those states. I went to the Duracool web site ( http://www.duracool.com ) and poked around. They're out of Canada and it's interesting they don't list any of the restrictions above. On the surface, with their ads, the Duracool looks like the best bet to charge up an R-12 system. If you live near Canada, maybe a road trip would be worth your while. A wealth of confusing information that could be decyphered by a Reatta loving pro A/C guy if one was a member out there...

The link, http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/hc-12a.html#q1 , redirects to the US EPA web site where Duracool and Freeze 12 are discussed. It looks like questions 3, 4 & 6 make it clear that *legally* Duracool cannot be used at all(don't expect a pro shop to help ya). If you take this link http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/macssubs.html, you'll see that Freeze 12 is allowed but only after complete evacuation of all the Freon-12 and converting the system to HFC-134a with new fittings, seals, etc.

The best of luck in your restoration project!. Definitely keep us infomed about your progress. A picture is worth a thousand words ...

"MDoyne from Florida has another '90 convert with 87K..." This guy's got only one car and it's been up at bat six times counting this current auction! 04/08 High: 5010 Buy It Now: 10,000 (didn't sell) 04/18 High: 9800 Buy It Now: 11,850 (didn't sell) 05/02 High: 7600 Buy It Now: 10,950 (didn't sell) 05/16 High: 8100 Buy It Now: 10,550 (didn't sell) 05/30 High: 8200 Buy It Now: 9950 (didn't sell) 06/02 Cur: 5100 Buy It Now: 9050 Interesting to note, he didn't have good comments to say about this forum in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th auctions but now has deleted his statements.

Have you tried (top Internet Explorer menu pulldown)View->Text Size and changing it to what you desire?

Thanks Harry!

On a '90 Reatta, where are the A/C System low and high pressure inlet ports located? I think one port is located on the silver receiver and one is located on one of the lines under the "3800" logo plastic engine cover but I can't remember which one is the low side.

I had the opportunity over the weekend to look at a possible 2nd Reatta. The '89 Coupe has a tan interior with 16-way power seats. I noticed the leather seating surfaces and front of the headrest on both seats are a slightly darker color than the sides and rear. It doesn't appear to be general sun fade or dirt as the color difference is specific to the leather panels for seating. The interior is clean with no seat rips or tears and the current owner appears to take good care of it. Are the color differences to be expected? Is it normal aging for the leather? I've read somewhere in the past the interior consists of two different leathers but can't find if there should be color shade differences. Thanks!

Thanks! Looks like it might come in handy.

I had my '90 Reatta convertible in for service today at the dealer and the technician indicated that I had a loose wire under the hood but he could not find where it was supposed to be connected. I've tried to attach a picture although not a good one. It's a tan color wite with a green connector on it and comes out of the same harness raceway as the feed for the sensor in the air cleaner box. It's located in the approximate area just forward of the drivers side shock tower by the emmissions label. The car seems to run fine.

Unfortunately, I don't have a service manual ... Where are the low pressure and high pressure inlets located in the engine compartment for the A/C system? I need to test the system as the "Service A/C" light flickers on sometimes.

Just to close out this thread ... After the new oil pressure sensor was installed (#3532954), the display now reads more reasonably and does change value depending if the oil is warm or cold and when the car is idling and moving. Thanks!

Gentlemen: Thanks for the hints, tips, and part number for the replacement oil pressure sending unit (#3532954). Because of work and time constraints, I have an appointment at an older well-estabished Buick dealer tomorrow. I made sure to quiz the service advisor about their experience with working on these cars. He said he's been with that same dealership for 20 years and yes, they did sell Reattas when new and have worked on them in the past. I first tried a fairly new large Buick dealer closer to my house. The service advisor at that dealership took a cursory look around the car (before I could explain anything to him) and said they perfer to service Buick products and there are plenty of folks that would work on old foreign cars around town. I showed him the big "BUICK" letters across the back taillight section and said he never saw one of these cars and didn't know anything about them but their service department "would be willing to try" to fix the problem. Needless to say, I was kind of hesitant to have them do the work and continued shopping. Yes, I will post the results afterward.

All, Thank you all for providing a wealth of technical knowledge and insight into these fine, fun cars. I'm a new owner of a 1990 Buick Reatta Convertible. The oil pressure display is pegged all the way to the max no matter what conditions (hot, cold, revving, idling) except off when it indicates 0. Past posts indicate that the oil pressure sensor is to blame. (I cleaned the plug and wires to it but still the same.) I then exercised the diagnostics program. For BCM data, BD71 (Oil Pressure) fluctuates between 100-206 during idle. BD61 (Engine RPM) indicates 850. The value of BD99 (BCM PRom ID) is 244. I'm now a bit confused as shouldn't the oil pressure display track the fluctuations the diagnostic program indicates as it's operting off the same sensor (maybe)? The max value during idle was 206 which is less than the max value of 255 allowed. I've read on how to replace the oil sensor but do not want to invest the time or money if it isn't the real problem at hand.

I think this is the link you're referring to: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...p;category=6140 I have no idea on a fair price and I'd be curious also.