91Reatta798

I have a '91 w/ 185K miles. After the first start up of the day, the tranny needs to be put into first gear and sit for 10-20 seconds before it engages. Once it does, I can shift into any gear and drive. However, at most stops and slow rolls, she will act as if in N and takes another 10 seconds (and a prayer in Phoenix traffic) to re-engage and drive. If I put it into N before I stop, I can shift into OD and drive ok. She's got a new TPS, has had 2 new tranny filters and fluid changes, and a new vacuum switch replaced (I feel stupid for not remembering the technical name, but the one that attaches to the tranny housing just behind the driver side headlight). The fluid levels are good at temp and in gear. Any other thoughts? I'll accept all suggestions, except a new tranny! Thanks

No leather wrap on the steering wheel.

From the outside she looks pretty good, but the inside was destroyed when I got it and is probably worse now. If you can remember is both lighs were up, then it's probably the one I know of. Otherwise, there might be a sleeper out here no one has seen till now.

I live in Phoenix, Ahwatukee specifically, and in the few years I've been following Reattae, I've known of only one Maui blue coupe. I've seen a dark blue coupe once also. If you are referring to a Maui blue coupe, I may know it. Did it have both headlights wired up, body in generally good condition otherwise? If so, it may be a '90 I owned briefly two years ago. Every once in a while I see it driving around my area, but it's not hard to believe the car was out and about East Mesa. The dark blue coupe belonged to an older lady from the Surprise/Sun City area. It had factory (she claimed) gold pin striping and other gold accents and trimmings.

I too have a '91 and changed out all four sets of pads a year ago, then again this past summer as I had a blown rear diver's side caliper. I ran into the same problem you're having now. After some research, I found that the clips that hold the pads were slightly out of original shape and wouldn't hold tightly. Also, the shims were reduces to fragments, if anything was left at all. I couldn't get the old clips to seat the pads securely at all, but new "hardware" as the dealer calls the clips was around $40. The dealer was the only one that had them on hand. For the half the price and a few days of waiting, I was able to get new clips from Napa. They fit very well now, but the shim would help. I haven't had any breaking problems and the pads stay in place just fine. So, my final advice is to focus on the conditions of the clips and replace those.

Yeah, the front end picture looks like a stumpy Firebird and the rear pic looks like she packed away a few extra donuts in her trunk. The looks were cheapened by the styling and by even painting the door handle and locks red. The look of this Reatta is only one step up from a rusted out wreck owned by an unknowledgable or careless driver left behind a garage.

I'm in Phoenix, AZ and have been looking for a reason for a road trip to Cali.

Aside from my stalling and hard to start problem, I also lose my dash display from time to time. I get the ERROR message that others have seen. I've seen other posts that suggest getting under the steering column to clean the connections and check that the plugs are in tight. I've done that several times, but it never seems to prevent it from happening again. I've also seen some posts that describe several different and unrelated problems that occur when computers go bad. So, in an effort to solve these mysterious problems, could it be a bad computer causing all of this? Thanks.

Actually, I knew I did more work than I could remember at the time I originally posted this. I did change the fuel filter and the PCV valve. The gromet was in very good condition also. The '91's don't have EGR valves, so that isn't the culprit either. Randy- I've never considered the cat. converter. That could be an expensive fix too. So, I'm down to computer or cat. converter. Any way to test either one before performing the surgery needed to replace these? Thanks.

I have not solved my stalling problem, but I've ruled out almost everything but Gremilins as the cause of the problem. I have replace the O2 sensor and tested the fuel pressure, which was 40 lbs. From what I can remember, 40 lbs. is within normal operating range. So, I've now done the following: New air filter, IAC, TPS, spark plugs, wires, coil pack, clean throttle body and MAF, new oxygen sensor, passed fuel pressure test, and visible vacuum lines replaced. I'm now taking bets on ?computer???????? Any additional thoughts or opinions? Thanks for the help!

All right, I'm breaking down this week and buying the fuel pressure tester. Can anyone describe the location of the pressure check point on the fuel rail that I will hook the gage up to? Thanks

Nic- you nailed it, I'm looking for any hidden lines. I changed the obvious vaccuum hoses last winter when one of the connectors cracked and leaked, causing my air to blow warm and whistle. So, the few along the firewall are new. Albert- I'll check the hood for a schematic, but it is a replacement hood, so I hope it's under there. If anyone out there does have some knowledge of other hoses, please let me know. Thanks.

Does anyone have or know where I could find a diagram of the vaccuum lines for a '91? I've only found a few in the engine compartment. There's also some other lines that I'm not sure are vaccuum lines, possibly some fluid lines, that I don't want to mess with if I don't have to. Thanks.

Howard, I wish I could help, but it sounds like the same stalling problem I've been wrestling with. At idle and slow speed (coming to a stop, starting from stops) she pulses frequently and stalls fairly often. I've tried a lot of fixes- coil pack, plug wires, spark plugs, PCV, fuel filter, IAC, TPS, cleaning the throttle body, air filter, problably other things I can't remember right now. So, if you do find a solution, I would like to hear it. If I happen to find one this decade, I'll share it with everyone. Good luck

crtnrds- I agree with that quote, but nothing was worked on prior to the problem. The car was problem free when I got it and starting stalling several months after that. No engine work that I'm aware of was done prior to me driving it. I didn't do any work on it until the problem occurred. So, that puts me back to sqaure one.

Unfortunately, I have to vote for the HB. I replaced mine this past winter. I drove to work one morning just fine, but when I started her to go home I got a terrible rattle sound. I stuck my head in the engine and was CERTAIN it was the power steering pump. I changed it w/ some difficulty and having to send it to the Napa machine shop to have the pulley removed. Still rattled after the switch. It turned out to be the HB and it was the the biggest (female dog explitive) I've ever dealt with. She was out of commission for a week before I completed that project. Anyway, good luck, especially if it's the HB.

This one is definately a "going" problem and a stumper. I have an entire week off after today, so I will delve a little deeping into the engine than I have been. I will get the fuel pressure tested just to rule it out, replace some vacuum lines. The '91's definately do NOT have EGR's, so that's out. I am curious about the PCV grommet that Harry mentioned. I replaced the PCV valve within a month or two of getting the car. It seems the stalling started several months later. If that grommet was getting crusty, I may have disturbed it when I change the PCV and created a leak. That will be to check out. I will take a peek at the IAC O-ring also. I've taken that thing out and replaced it so many times I lost count. The ring has always looked good and in place, but it's easy enough to double check. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll get back to you guys in a week for a progress report.

I have not checked the fuel pressure yet for two reasons: First off, Autozone doesn't rent the pressure tester any more, they only sell it. Second, I've had this problem for over a year and a half and if my pump was going bad, it should've gotten there by now. I may possibly get the pressure tester just for the hell of it next week when I take a crack at replacing the vacuum lines. I'll let everyone know if I reap any benefits from that.

Arizona- I live in Ahwatukee w/ my '91 coupe. She's been through a couple summers here and always runs up to the red (but never over heats) while driving mid day and air on. I've flushed the radiator, have all new hoses and a new water pump. The only thing I want to do in the future is change the thermostat to the lower temp setting. I'm not happy about it running so hot, but she hasn't failed me yet.

They are fun to drive. I sometimes wish my drive to work was longer, then I see the gas prices and consider walking, then I see the temperature and take sick day! Seriously though, I actually consider high mileage on a Reatta to be a badge of honor. A pretty rare car that has stuck around a long time by today's standards and will continue to rack up numbers on the odometer.

Yes, I have tried the IAC. I've changed the IAC twice, removed and cleaned the throttle body, replaced the TPS, and now the coil pack, plugs and wires. So, I have to go outside of the box a little to solve this one. Reatta45- just wanted to give you some background on my '91 to calm your fears of driving out here. My Reatta originally came from Ill. to Phoenix a couple of years ago. At the time it came out, the older lady that owned dinged up the driver side fender and headlight with some rippling of the bumper moulding, so it was originally to be parted out. So, the hood was sold and shipped and it sat in the AZ desert for a year until I came across it. One replaced fender, hood, and rebuilt headlight later, she became a daily driver for over a year and a half. So, besides the normal age and wear and tear, some additional damage may have been done (especially anything rubber)after sitting the sun for so long. When you do head into Phoenix, let me know and we'll meet up. When I unlock this great mystery I will definately let everyone know.

Well, I've changed the spark plugs, coil pack and wires and she still stalls on me. I think I will try replacing all of my vacuum lines, any thoughts or comments on the probability of that working? Thanks

I've changed the IAC twice and pulled out and scrubed the throttle body, including the area for the pintle. This has not helped. The other suggestions people have had include the coil pack, the ECM driving for the IAC, fuel pump, and cam sensor. At least now I can rule out an EGR since the '91 doesn't have one. I hope it's something as easy as the coil pack, but we'll see. Thanks.

I changed my harmonic balancer this past March and at the time the sensors and magnets appeared to be in good shape. The car has been stalling for about a year now. Above anything else, I don't want to have to remove that balancer again to get to the sensors. I'll change everything else before I pull that apart again.

F-14, that's what I told my co-worker. His thought was that the sensor/interruptor is sending a reading (although incorrectly) that the reading would prevent the CEL. Any thoughts?