bhclark

I just flushed the brakes on my '90. I was amazed to find out that the rears basically bleed automatically, but the fronts are bled old school style. The instructions are here http://reattaowner.com/roj/component/content/article/64-suspension-a-brakes/brakes-mechanical/167-how-to-flush-bleed-brakes

During braking, near the end of the stop. I can't tell if it's a downshift clunk, frame clunk, caliper, etc. I have not noticed it when shifting into gear.

Thanks, I'll check out the above suggestions and start a new post if necessary. Clunk was there before the work....I was expecting the subframe work to fix it.

I have a single clunk at this point....what does it indicate? Subframe bushings have all been replaced and I just did the dogbone as well. Thanks,

It's destined to be a parts car, possibly a short errand car if I decide to license it. No inspections to worry about around here. I put the 4 "new" tires on the other Reatta and I've got massive vibration issues. I'm almost certain they are flatspotted from sitting too long. Bummer too, that's one of the primary reasons I got the car. I may take them down and have the balance checked, but it's a bouncy ride at only 15-20 mph, so I think it's flat spots. It actually gets better with higher speeds. Looks like they're going back on as rollers. 6 applications of neatsfoot oil and not much change in the leather. I've been told it's toast and probably won't come back. I may try leather honey before giving up. Regardless, they're better than the seats in the '90.

Well, after flushing the brakes in the '90, we went to the '89. The pump only comes on for a second and it's difficult if not impossible to depressurize the system....which leads me to believe that maybe it is already depressurized? I'll have to double check the brake check and the relays, but there may be, probably are, massive brake issues with the car.

The engine in the '90 was moving around a bit under torque, so I bought new front mounts. They had to order the front right lower mount, but I installed the dogbone torque thrust mount today. Wow...so easy! I wish everything went that smoothly. The old one was shot on one side. The engine barely moves now....should it move at all under torque? When/if I replace the front lower mount, is it ok to lift the engine by the oil pan if I use a block of wood? The FSM doesn't state where to lift, only to lift the engine. If not, where do I place the jack and how far up to I need to lift the engine. I'm guessing if it won't lift easily, then the lower mount is good? Frame shop also said I needed new front axles eventually. Boots are in good shape, but he said they are just a little crunchy with old grease. How hard are these to replace, I've done rear hubs before on my Hyundai, but not Axles? I see them for about $75 each new...I figure a shop can do them in an hour...it will take me all day. I'm assuming a new alignment will need done after as well? Thanks.

Bought a parts car and am having difficulty tearing it apart because it runs so well. It's an '89 and my son's car is a '90. Same color interior too. I was going to put the nicer seats from the parts car in the '90, but they are SOOOO dried out. I've put on 3 coats of leather conditioner and I can't really tell a difference yet. Wondering if I should just keep applying until it softens up. I'm afraid they will just crack and tear with use, although they can't be any worse than the seats already in the '90. I'll have to swap over just the seats since the power mechanisms are shot. I don't think it's the wiring on this one....too much water was getting in the car. I towed the car home using a tow dolly, because U-haul said the Roadmaster Wagon/Reatta combo wouldn't work with a flat hauler. The rear wheels were smoking when I got it home from the brakes rubbing, but we made it. Well, took her for a test drive today. I figured out that the brakes will release if I manually pull the brake pedal up. Sounds like the booster, just not sure if it's worth it to replace that only to find out there are more significant brake issues. Car sat for almost 5 years. I sealed the sunroof, which won't open, with RTV, as it's seriously rusty up there due to leaks. The crazy rainstorm we are having didn't penetrate the RTV and the windows don't appear to leak that bad. Short list of issues. -headlight switch needs replaced-parking light switch won't release. -power steering leak under car. I thought I cooked the motor, but I refilled it today and it worked fine on the test drive but is nearly out of fluid again now. -sunroof doesn't work...leaks...everything above the poorly installed headliner is rusty. -trunk solenoid is bad, have to use emergency release inside trunk -power seats don't work in most positions -brakes are shot. Probably a booster to start, but then where will it lead. -Cruise disengaged -A/C Compressor disengaged due to low refrigerant. (smart car!) -radio controls don't work on touchscreen. It will switch to the radio screen, select AM or FM and allow the presets to work, but volume and seek/scan/tune don't work. -mirror controls don't work, although a spare control panel (and dash) were included. Windows do go up and down. -windshield is cracked in 2 places, including in front of the driver. -185,000 miles (less than the 220,000 on the '90) Good parts -no rust (other than on the inside due to leaks. parking-brake is rusty as well as the sunroof area. -Engine and transmission seem strong, runs good, shifts good. -Seats are ok. A few small tears, but very dry. -dash is nice and bright, plus a spare dash of unknown quality. -passenger door panel is very nice. Spare drivers panel in very good condition. (Would like to trade this for a red '90 panel or I'll have to modify it to fit the '90) -headlights work great. (The '90s are good too) -newer tires. Wheels (standard) are dull, but look nice. Should polish up nicely. Will probably swap these straight over to the '90. -CRT works well, except for radio. Touchscreen is very responsive. -has a spare center control panel that is supposed to be good -rear windshield, even the defroster works. The sad part is the car has a lot of power, drives smooth, and handles well. Debating on whether to get it titled and tagged or part it out. Between the cracked windshield and the potential bottomless pit of brake issues..... Honestly, I only drive 2 miles to work....I could drive it every day with the brakes the way they are. I don't mind front manual brakes only, my previous Reatta was like that, but having to pull the pedal back up is a pain. Is there a recommended aftermarket brake booster? I see some for under $100 on RockAuto, but most say Non-ABS or don't say. I definitely don't think it's worth the $350 for the AC Delco unit. The biggest problem with parting it is that I have to leave enough parts on it to eventually make it worth something to someone else to haul away what's left and allow it to be pulled up on a hauler, then I have to decide what to pull.

Thanks Ronnie. The ground wasn't the issue, must be the solenoid. I finally gave up and decided I was going to win. After destroying what was left of the access panel latch, I managed to pry the access panel out enough to get a screwdriver in and release the mechanism on each side. (After looking at the one on my '90 to see how it was designed.) Once I negotiated my way in through the access panel, around the spare parts in the trunk, I was able to release it using the emergency lever. I'll troubleshoot more later. This is supposed to be a parts car, but if I can get the brakes to release, I might drive it for awhile. Might work on that tomorrow, I think the e-brake is frozen. Can you confirm that a door panel from an '89 will work ok on a '90 if I cut the hole for the window/seat controls out to fit the switch panel? They certainly look the same except for the size of the hole for the controls. Thanks!

I'm having a similar problem on my '89 Reatta. Both the glove box button and the key in the trunk allow you to hear a faint click, not the full solenoid click. I cannot get the trunk to open. How do I override the switch. Is it possible to do from inside the trunk? One issue with going inside the trunk is that I can't drop the access panel either. The key turns, but the latch is missing. Any help would be appreciated.

well, that wouldn't work since the latch wasn't operating properly, but once I held the handle up, used the 2 foot screwdriver to release the mechanism inside, it allowed me to reset the latch with my third arm. Now the door is opening fine, although I'm not sure what caused it to act up. Thanks wws944!

Well, the newbie's got another one. I picked the car up from the frame shop today. At my first stop, I was stuck in the car. The door wouldn't open. The solenoid seems to be activating, but not the handle won't open the door. Once, I got home, I made it worse. I used a 2 foot screwdriver to move the mechanism and open the door, then fooling with the latch, I popped it up and can't get it back down, so now the door won't close. ARGH! It looks like I'll have to take the door panel back off to investigate, but looking at the mechanism, there seems to be some rubber missing inside that cushions the door latch. I may have to remove the latch from the parts car and swap them unless someone can point me in the right direction?

Total for parts and labor including a front end alignment was just over $1300 using GM parts and reusing the cover spacers. I pick it up today, then I can get back on the other less deadly tasks. He did mention that the front axle CV boots need attention-old grease?) and there is a broken motor mount. So those will be next on the list to fix before the creature comfort issues.

Thanks to everyone. Your kind thoughts are much appreciated. Lamar, Mom loved Cash (and Elvis).

YIKES! Well, I guess I could work on the one that's already broken....can't do much damage there....but I have feeling the shop would charge even more to fix it once it's been buggered with..

It took 3 calls to 3 different frame shops to get a guy who knew what I was talking about and was aware of the pitfalls of the job. I'll be taking it over for an examination and estimate on Monday. Worse case, we fix the one that's failed for now until I determine more about the reliability and longevity of the car overall. I'll report back on what they find.

Would these connectors be inside the steering column? I took a few pics today and talked to a restoration shop that is supposed to be getting back with me on a rough estimate for the ins. co. for replacing the entire harness. Wires are burned up on both sides of the firewall.

Also, I can't find any references to the rear body mounts. Is this not as much of an issue?

So, after reading everything I can find on this site about this issue, I'm starting to agree with you Ronnie! I think I'm starting to find out why the PO sold this car....and why he's avoiding me. I crawled under the car looking for rust....and was happy when I didn't see any. I didn't know to look for this. So, this picture is showing the isolator bolt being broken off, indicating a likelihood of issues with the other 5? Edit. Nevermind....I just went out and looked again. I understand now. The subframe is separated from the frame by about 4 inches on that side. I need to talk to the local frame shop and see if they want me to order the parts and how much they will charge. Any estimates on what a pro shop should charge for this repair?

Since this appears to be the most recent topic on this subject, I will ask my question here. I have printed off 4 different diagrams showing all the different style insulators/isolators and after reading about 5 threads I think I have a handle on this. There is some discussion of a change in the side of the heads on the bolts. There are 2 part numbers that keep coming up. 15677731 (superceded by 11561577) 10409029 (superseded by 11517635) Does anyone know the difference between these bolts? I'm leaning toward ordering the 11517635 since that is what most recent posts have indicated as the correct bolt. I don't know if I want to attempt, as it appears a failure to execute might leave the car difficult to move to a shop to fix? My car has very little rust, but has been in Ohio for a long time.... Thanks to Keith for the step by step explanation. I saw references to instructions on Ronnie's site, but wasn't able to locate it. Also interested in anyone who has implemented the Dorman 924-005 solution. It certainly looks like it will work, but it's the different mount system than is on my car, so not sure the shop would welcome that solution.

Drove about 50 miles today. No issues with the brakes, other than near the end of a stop, there is a slight thud that sounds like it might be coming from the driver's front side. After driving it a bit more, I'm satisfied with the steering. It is not as tight as my daily driver, but after getting used to it, it seemed fine. I visually inspected everything and it all looks good and tight. Now on to today's discovery. On another thread I posted this pic of pieces I found when digging around under the car. I see now, after another inspection, that the front 6? body mounts are all in fair to poor shape. Some of them missing all of the rubber. Questions. 1. Are body mounts available? New or used? 2. Can I replace them easily? 3. How much of a safety issue is this, or is it more comfort? Also, I have an oil leak at the front of the engine, behind the AC compressor, and possibly one in the area of the rear main. Not big enough at this point to worry too much about. I also have a slight power steering leak. Appears to be coming from the pressure hose. That should be easy enough to fix. There is also a rock chip in the windshield I didn't notice before. I'll need to get that fixed ASAP. Starting to wonder if I should have passed on this car!

David T....you are a genius. I must have bumped it like you said. Makes me soooo mad that I didn't think of that. You're right, even after 1 full pump, the release cable won't release...needs a second pump of the pedal to give enough spring to release it enough to turn the light off. What kind of system uses the same red light for the Parking Brake as it does for a mechanical malfunction? That's silly! No problems on the short drive to work today or on the way home tonight. I took the long way home and went about 5 miles on the interstate. Tried a few panic stops and no issues. The steering seems a bit loose though, not like what I remember from my previous Reatta. The car also doesn't drive like it has "newer" struts either.....

I have no clue what they mean... copied and pasted from the ynz catalog.

yellow light is not coming on, just the red comes on and stays on. I will double check the parking brake lever tomorrow to make sure it is fully released. it's not my luck for it to be that simple.

sorry, to clarify, the main red brake system warning light is now on. based on the brake test results, possibly the accumulator? the brakes work as well as they were before, but the pump comes on after a single pump of the pedal during the brake test. I'm thinking the accumulator is cheap insurance over wearing the pump out?