ice man

UPDATE: I should have known this first, but this is what 10 years of retirement does to you. Even though I had 13 volts across both pins of the plug to the fan motor, I decided to put a bulb across the pins to see if it would lite, the result was nothing. I found that all of the relays in the box were the same. so I swapped out the relay for one of the turn signals and walla, the fan started. Bad relay, enough to send voltage but not enough to operate it's intended source ( didn't take notice as to whether it was A,B,orC )Replaced relay and everything is back to normal. Thank's to all for their wealth of information. You guy's are AWSOME! Tom

Thank's for all the input. I'll go out after dinner and check out all your ideas. Tom

Stopped by a body shop today and the guy suggested a product called slipguard. It was an adheasive backed plastic used to protect floor mats. We tried a sample on a painted surface to see if it would pull the paint. It stuck very well and didn't damage the surface. The guy said he just covered a windshield with it for protection. Other than being on the thinner side, this may be the way I want to go. I'll have to see how expensive it is for a roll. It may be way more than I'll ever use. Tom

Well, I finally thought I had most of the bugs out of this '90 coupe, but it seems the car has other ideas. I've never had the temperature gauge go beyond the half way mark. Yesterday, after getting off the freeway I noticed the gage reading two bars over half and staying there. Got to my destination and found that only the outer fan was running, with the AC on. On my way home we rode with the windows open, AC off. Evening temperature was in the high 70's. Back on the freeway and the temp stayed at half and sometimes one bar below half. This morning I decided to check things out. Ran until temperature was at halfway mark and AC on max. Removed the connector to the inner fan ( closest to engine ) and checked voltage, had 13.65vdc. Figuring the fan motor was bad I pulled the fan. Just for giggles I connected 12 volts to the motor and the fan ran. ????? Reinstalled fan and observed voltage at the plug connector. Voltage held around the 13 volt range until the other outer fan cycled, at which time the voltage on the plug dropped as low as 6 volts but within seconds came back up to over 12. Reconnected plug to the inner fan but still no go. Anybody got an idea what's going on? Tom

I believe that stuff is nothing more than the clear wrap that is used to hold boxes etc. when stacked on pallets. Very similar to saran wrap. Not sure how well something like that is going to hold up tooling down the road at 60 + mph though.

Thank's for all of the replys. Ventureshield appears to be a permanent product and there are no installers closer than 70 miles from me. I've checked the 3-M site and couldn't find what Jim was talking about. I'll have to recheck closer. What I see on new cars is white plastic just stuck to the hoods, trunks, etc. I don't believe it wraps around like Saran Wrap. Once at your destination, just pull it off. Nothing fancy, just temporary protection. Tom

I will be towing my Reatta from upstate NY to Florida in the next few weeks,and wanted to cover the front end to keep stone chips at a minmum. I inquired at a local dealership as to what the new cars had on them. I got everything from a shoulders up questioning look to "I think it's shrink wrap".Does anybody know what the factory uses to cover their new cars? Can it be reused? What is it called? Can it be purchased? I've never seen the material up close, but it doesn't appear to be wrapped around the entire car, just stuck to say the hood or trunk. If anyone knows what that stuff is and if it's available to the general public please chime in. I know they shrink wrap boats, but that's over the entire boat, not just in specific spots. If it's got a specific name at least I can google it. Thanks Tom

ME TOO! Just need all the particulars so I can make my reservations. Tom

Thank's guy's, I think I'll see if I can locate the AFS22 sensor first and check out the price. I'm getting an intermittent o2 sensor code. I've checked all connections and grounds and all seem ok. I figure if the sensor is reasonably priced, I'll just change it out and see if that corrects the problem. Hate spending $$$ just changing parts to see what might correct it. On another note, I had a bad clunking/banging noise comming from the rear when going over slight imperfections in the road. Car handled great and bouncing the car up and down from the bumper didn't create the noise. All suspension rubbers seemed ok too. Decided to disconnect the top nuts from the rear struts. lo and behold there was zero spring tension from either cylinder. I could raise and lower the pistons with two fingers. Original struts with only 44,000 miles. Replaced both struts with Monroe Sensatrac ( as recommended by people on this site) and the ride is now smooth and clunk free. Now I know how a Reatta is suppose to ride. Sorry I got off the 02 subject, but felt it may help someone else diagnose a problem. Thanks to all for the information. Tom

The reason I asked about aftermarket brands is I've heard that some can be worse than the one your replacing! So can I assume that any of the three that are mentioned here are acceptable to use, and will function correctly? A buddy of mine supplies dealers with parts but he needs part numbers. As long as I can supply him a correct number he can see if it's available to him.

Can anyone confirm the Gm (AC delco) part number 25105107 oxygen sensor for a 1990 Reatta is correct? Has anyone installed an aftermarket sensor and had good results, and if so, what brand? Thank's Tom

Thanks for clearing that up, handmedownreatta. All good ideas, now which one do I decide on. Decisions, decisons!

How is it held in place? I did see a cup holder at Advance Auto that could slide along between the seat and the console. but in your photo it appears as if half is floating in space. Please explain!

Thanks for all of the ideas. So far I think I like the idea of using the wood in the ash tray and mounting cup holders on it is my best candidate. Call me anal, but I prefer not to drill holes in interior trim pieces, just in case some day I want to sell the car. I like keeping things as original as possible. Keep your ideas comming though, as I appreciate everyones input. Tom

Ok out there, what's everyone using for cup holders in their Reattas? The wife and I are planning a 1200 mile jaunt with our newly aquires '90 coupe, but hate the thought of using our crotches to hold either hot or cold drinks. I guess even back in the early 90's GM didn't think cup holders were the in thing. Cars these days come with more cup holders than they can hold passengers. Anyway, I thought I'd get some feed-back as to what Reatta owners are using in their cars. I've seen one that slips between the console and the seat, but I think it may just be in the way. Any suggestions?? Tom

If the system is tight, it shouldn't matter how long it's under a vacuum. If it can't hold a deep vacuum, it won't hold refrigerant, Period! Tom

Thank's again Padgget: I'll have to worm my way under the dash and see if I can locate any other components, hopefully with a mfg. name. Under the hood on the left front core support is a micro switch with an orange wire attached. Is this switch factory or is it again part of this aftermarket setup? Maybe it's a combination remote start and alarm system. Just curious to know if anyone elses '90 has a switch. I'll be attending the Great Lakes Regional in August. Hopefully there will be some Reattas so I can get some engine compartment pictures, and not have to bother you guy's with unnecessary questions. Tom

It's me again, with another question. When I bought my '90 coupe, it had an aftermarket remote start installed. I want to remove this from the car, but want some advice before I tear into it. For starters, I never owned a car with remote start so I don't know what all is involved in their installation. There is a sensor of some sort strapped to the upper radiator hose, held in place by 2 plastic wire ties. It doesn't look like anything Buick would have done, so I'm assuming it's part of the remote start system. Does a remote start require a sense of coolant temperature to be part of a remote start system? I don't want to start removing items until I know for sure. At first I thought it might be a radiator fan sensor to operate the electric fan, but being strapped as it is leads me to believe it has something to do with the remote start. I welcome all remarks. Thank's. Tom

I decided to see if a fix of the air box was in order. Happened to be at the neighbors, and he was throwing some automotive plastic pieces away. I took what appeared to be similar appearing plastic and cut thin strips of it. Took an old style soldering iron like wood burners use, and fused the broken piece back on. It appears to be quite solidly fused. As soon as I start reassembly I'll find out how well it holds. I also needed the rubber attachment fittings that hold the brackets. I was told there called well nuts. Went to the dealer but they were old items, but they could obrain them thru their vintage vendor, the cost was $20.00 each. Yea, not a typo. Desided against that. Happened to be in Lowes, and found the same thing in the hardware dept. and they were .97 cents. No wonder our hobby is taking such a hit! Hope this helps others looking for well nuts. Tom

Thank's to everyone. Now that I know the box is not specific to Reattas only, I'll revisit a few yards around here first to see what I can find. Tom

I posted this on the Reatta Owners web site, but decided to post it here too. Can anyone tell me for sure what type of plastic the air filter box is made of on a '90 Reatta? A part of mine is broken and I would like to try to repair it or bond it , before dishing out $$$$ for a used one. I tried MEK and acetone but neither had any reaction to the plastic. Has anyone repaired these exotic plastics with any success?? Tom

Padgett: Sent you a PM. OK, Cleared all codes in ECM. Tried BCM, but even though the codes were history, not all would clear. The O61H and O34H codes still show in the BCM display. The last code is b671H. I see that, that code has to do with the cruise control operation, and the cruise didn't work when I bought the car. Even though it's a history code could this be why the BCM codes won't clear? Any Ideas as to what the other two codes are for? Tom

Padget: I just realized you are in the Orlando area. Funny thing; hopefully this '90 will be in Florida this fall. I purchased the car here in N.Y. for my wife, and figured it would make a nice cruiser down there. My wife and I purchased a house in Yalaha, Fl. last year, to get out from the nasty winter weather. Yalaha is near Leesburg, which isn't all that far from Orlando. It gives comfort knowing someone with Reatta knowledge will be in the area. It would be great to meet you in person sometime. Tom

BOY, ya really got to love electronics! I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Hopefully, removing the battery caused the problem. Thanks for all the quick reply's. Tom

Purchased a '90 coupe last fall,with 44,000 miles. Didn't drive it except to test before purchase and to get it home, maybe 20 miles, and had no service light. Car sat all winter in an unheated garage ( Buffalo, N.Y. ) with the battery removed. Ran it yesterday for the first time and all seemed ok. After about 5 miles the service engine soon light came on. Stayed on about a minute, went off for around 5-6 minutes, then back on. This happened about 8 times before I got back home, totaling about 60 miles. Took it to have the codes scanned and was told there were no codes listed. Decided to do a search of this site and found how to bring up codes by using the climate and temp buttons. Here is what came up. E013H E048H 6552H 6671H 034H 061H and the last thing looked like EC? , without the dot under the question mark. Can anyone shed any light as to where the problem may lie and what each of these codes stand for? Thank's Tom