Enoytsur

Didn't mean to irritate anyone ... just trying to be helpful to those who are not as skilled mechanically as others since I just went through the process with the Ignition Coil Module ... this forum is a nice tool for all Reatta users; skilled and not so skilled. The gentleman's title is Master Mechanic on his Calling Card; out of respect I addressed him as such in my write-up. Will remain silent in the future.

Hi … for my 1990 Reatta, yes ... mine swapped relatively easily ... as I recall, three plate mounting bolts and six to take part and pout together the Coil and Module. Here is a short story followed by unsolicited advice that you or another reader may find useful. My daily driver Reatta has gone through several Ignition Coil Modules and three Ignition Coils since 2010. My regular shop and I use AC Delco parts on my car but when the car broke down on the road it was pot luck: NAPA [best of the rest], AutoZone, Advanced and others. After the original lasted 20 years the rest have only lasted 9 months to a year or so each. It happened so often that I carried spares of both parts in the trunk so I could make emergency repairs myself on the road [it is a relatively easy job]. I have felt for a very long time that replacing the Coil and/or the Module was only addressing the Symptom and not the Root Cause. However, I am limited in what I can do in my garage and my mechanical skills are ok but not at a true mechanic’s level. To that end, I could not uncover a Root Cause. Finally, a couple of weeks ago when my Check Engine light came on once again I said to myself, “here we go again”. Fortunately, the $333.00 AC Delco Module was still under warranty [it had been 10 months this time]. I decided to forgo my normal shop and go to a highly awarded Master Mechanic here who only deals with cases no one else can fix … I told him I was willing to pay him a consulting fee to find the Root Cause. He said that he would only take on the job if I gave him permission to fix it since he felt he knew the Root Cause and the only way to diagnose it was to take it apart. I agreed. He kept a record of the process as he proceeded. First he meter tested the entire Starting System to determine the drag when starting as opposed to “normal”. There was way too much drag … that was the actual Root Cause; it was overburdening the Coil and Module. He went about fixing it by going to the main Ground Block of the car … he removed all wiring and cleaned and burnished every connection then put it all back together … measured it and there was less drag. Next he did the same process with all grounds associated with the Starting System … measured it … a little less drag. Lastly, he removed the Coil and Module and found that the Mounting Plate, which is the Coil and Module’s Ground, was soiled to the point it was not making the proper connection thus causing drag … he cleaned it thoroughly and then treated it with some substance [sorry, I did not catch the name] that he said assures an excellent Ground. Lastly, he installed the new AC Delco Coil and Module … tested the System; it now measures ‘normal’, it is at its optimum performance level. The car performs better even though I did not know it was not performing as well as it could, chuckle. By the way, he went over and then gave me the documented testing results of all of the various steps of testing to show the incremental improvements all the way up until the System tested normal. I did not do the Master Mechanic’s work justice not using the correct terminology or giving a complete exact blow by blow but you at least get the essence of the process. The bottom line is that I would recommend folks using this case as a model to do some preventive GROUND maintenance; it may save some money and headaches down the road. John in Sarasota

Thanks, Dave, you've been a tremendous help. I'm going to leave it alone for now since it is working. However, if or when it stops working again I am going to cautiously try the removing the Instrument Cluster method though I must admit it makes me nervous fooling with the Instrument Cluster. John

Jim Finn is always an outstanding resource for used Reatta parts; he is topnotch ... and reliable. Here is his email address: reattas60@gmail.com

By the way, since Barney will be out of pocket for a bit you may want to take a trip to your local Salvage / Junk Yard to get a temporary replacement as a stop-gap until Barney can do his expert job on your old antenna. Many GM cars in the in the same age ballpark as our Reattas have the same antenna ... some have a different mounting bracket but that is easily switched out. The other thing you may run into is that you cannot find one with the exact antenna cable & plug ... that too is an easy to swap. I've done this many times over the 20+ years of having a Reatta and have never come up short at the Junkyard ... even when I find one I still look around to ensure I got the best one. Today I have a Barney one installed and a Junkyard one as a backup; which with the great job Barney does I may never need.

I have a 1990 every day driver that is pristine due to a three-pronged maintenance strategy. 1. I do the general maintenance stuff plus fix what I can based on my skill-set and the 1990 Service Manual Buick Rivera Reatta > 2. When I am stumped I reach out to the helpful collective knowledge of this website; that resource has been outstanding over the years > 3. If after 1 & 2 the problem still persists I take it to an excellent mechanic near my home that was trained in Detroit on the Reatta back in the beginning. His diagnostic is free and the $85.00 per hour is on par or a little less than the average here. This system works well for me and my annual cost to operate and maintain my Reatta is a modest; especially compared to what the car payment would be on an equivalent new car [$40,000?].

Dave, on Ronnie's site you gave instructions for removing the Instrument Cluster [1990]. Once the Instrument Cluster is removed can you see straight through to the Turn Signal Flasher? If so, it seems it would be a lot easier to replace the Flasher. We could not get the Turn Signal Flasher out, it was so tight up there and the Flasher was in a bracket that we spent nearly two hours simply getting it out of the bracket. Once out we could not unplug it. So, I could not replace the Flasher. Fortunately all of the jiggling trying to remove it caused it to start working again. We couldn't get it back in the bracket but could get a long ty-wrap around it to ensure no rattling. In all likelihood the problem will reappear so I would sure like an alternative to getting it out so I can replace it. Thanks again all for the assistance. John

Barney is the answer to your antenna; he rebuilt one for me a few months ago. However, hold off writing him about the antenna until about September 1st ... I e-spoke with him a couple of days ago and that was his message to me.

Thank you, Guest ... that is worth pursuing because everything else seems to be OK. I picked a couple Turn Signal Flashers earlier ... will go out into the oven [garage] later tonight when it cools down to miserable. Thank you, again! John

Hi Dave, thanks for responding. Yes they Flashers do work.

Hi Guest, thanks for answering. Nothing illuminate when activated. Where is the Flasher located? I looked in the trunk where the Relays are. John

Hi there ... 1990 Buick Reatta Coupe ... Turn Signals stopped working. Symptoms: 1. Neither left or right work 2. Fuse in kick-well tests OK 3. When the Turn Signal Lever on the Steering Column is pulled down for left or pushed up for right nothing occurs nor does the Indicator Light on the Dash illuminate 4. When the Lever is pulled for a left turn or pushed right for a right turn the Brake Lights on that side go dark. I have a Service Manual but for some reason I cannot locate useful info about the Turn Signal in it. Is there a Relay somewhere and if so where. Thank you, John

Hi ... I have had some luck finding them at a salvage yard. A few same era GM autos other than Reatta had them. The big issue at the Salvage Yard is that many folks think the Horn Button comes out by popping it out with a screwdrivers ... that breaks it. You have to remove the Horn Button by removing the screws behind the Steering Wheel/Airbag and removing the Airbag.

Hi there ... in my opinion, change the Fuel Pressure Regulator. When the car sits for a while the fuel seeps put of the defective regulator thus there is not that first burst of fuel to start the car. I purchased mine at AutoZone for $40.99 ... Ronnie sells one on his site as well [http://thereattastore.com/fuel-injection-parts-for-the-reatta/]. My 1990 was doing exactly what yours is doing and I had thrown a lot of money at it but the problem persisted. Changed the Fuel Pressure Regulator ... problem solved. Note: when in stalling the new Regulator put a rag under it because you will drop the back screw several times. I used putty to stick the screw on until I got it started. Good luck.

Are you certain it is heat? I live in Sarasota, Florida, which is like an oven. We have the super hot humid weather non-stop for 6 or 7 months but my 1990 daily driver has none of the problems described ... Teves brakes included. Last year I did change my radiator in hopes the engine, which always ran a little too hot for my taste [about 12:10 if the Temp Gauge were a clock], would run cooler. It now runs right at 12:00 on the dial all the time ... in bumper to bumper grueling conditions for 15 minutes or more it may slip over to 12:03 until I get under way.

Hi there ... they are not all the same size. For example; there are two smaller Vacuum Hoses at the Cruise Control Servo and the Vacuum Tank that go to a T Connector that has a larger Vacuum Hose that goes though the Firewall. That one connects under the dashboard. Replaced mine in March of 2016. The Hose running through the Firewall may take a lot of tugging to break lose since it goes through a rubber grommet. I measured all of mine and then bought enough Tubing [Hose] from a Buick dealership to replace them.

Small item but may be helpful. A couple of months ago I replaced the radiator in my '90 Reatta [side note: it now runs cool even in the summer here in Florida]. When I did so naturally I reused the original Hose Clamp. As it turns out that was not a good idea. The new Radiators have plastic tanks [and aluminum cores]. Where the hoses connect the plastic expands and contracts with the heat ... the Screw-Type Hose Clamp stays as it is which in my Reatta's case caused a small leak. The remedy is to replace the clamps; mainly the top one, with a Spring Lock/Action Hose Clamp [see Photo] that expands in contracts with the plastic.

Had a strong gas fume odor that we were having a very dificult time finding. Finally found that the Fuel Tank Vapor Line was pulling off of the fitting of the Carbon Canister under the hood up front in the corner on the driver's side [difficult to see in that is under several parts]. Renewed the end of the Line and rerouted it to ensure it would not pull off. No fumes!

Thank you, Barney ... I will go back to them with this information, I appreciate it. John

I went to Safelite this morning to inspect the Safelite windshield replacement and to have it installed if it met my scrutiny. The good news is that the Safelite windshield is an identical replica of the original. The bad news is that the rubber adheres to the windshield and is in two parts. The windshield experts said that the entire rubber around the windshield and door on both sides [continuous piece] must be replaced first to do the install properly. They are certain if they try to reuse the original rubber that it will be an install that may leak or at the very least come apart at some point. Not good. Soooo, now I need to find the rubber for both sides before they do the windshield. John

Thank you, Dave & Kev for replying ... helpful information ... sounds like the Safelite windshield will be fine. I made an appointment for Wednesday but just in case they have changed I will go there rather than make them come to me. That way I can inspect the replacement windshield first. Again, thank you. John

Earlier this summer I replaced the Radiator on the Reatta I currently have. For years both of my 1990 Reattas, like many I have read about on this site, ran somewhat hot when driving round town ... it made me nervous. Neither car’s temperature went as far as the Red but did stay quite a bit to the right of 12:00 ... on the highway it was okay. This summer in Sarasota, Florida the temperature, humidity and dew point have all been extremely high so it has been like driving on the Sahara Desert yet the Reatta ran as cool as a cucumber; stayed at 12:00 except when in bumper to bumper traffic and even then only went one notch past. Honestly, since our cars are old and Radiators are inexpensive I recommend replacing the radiator as a maintenance or preventive measure ... I bet you would be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes. John

Hello, a truck without flaps threw a rick through my windshield therefore I need a replacement. I checked the forum but there was no current information so I wanted to get some thoughts from others who have had this issue. The best local Glass Company here in Sarasota wants nearly $700.00 more for a new windshield than my insurance company will cover. It is my understanding that it is an actual new GM windshield. My insurance company uses Safelite® and will cover 100% of the cost if I agree to use them and a Safelite windshield. I was emphatic with the gentleman at the Insurance Company that I want a windshield that matches exactly; he claims the Safelite windshield will match our Reatta's 100%. If that is accurate I have no problem using them. Does anyone have experience with Safelite and if so does the windshield match the original exactly? Thank you John

There has been some discussion on this Forum regarding the Oil Pressure Sensor but I am looking for more specifics based on what the Service Bulletin addressed. I want to go back to my mechanic with facts. When he went to replace the defective [don’t ask, long story] Oil Level Sensor my mechanic saw Service Bulletin TSB #90-191-8 that required the original Oil Level Sensor be replaced with Oil Level Sensor Part #1649745 and Seal Part #25531045. He prefers using factory parts so he sked me to try to come up with the AC Delco Sensor plus the AC Delco Seal. As we have found out on the site over the years neither the AC Delco Oil Level Sensor nor the AC Delco Seal is available any longer so aftermarket ones must be used. To that end, does anyone know definitively why the Buick Reatta Service Bulletin specifically called for both an AC Delco Sensor as well as a separate Seal? The aftermarket Sensor does not have a separate Seal. I would like to give the mechanic specific information as to why the Air5s3008 Oil Level Sensor on Ronnie’s site or an equivalent one is a suitable replacement. Does anyone have actual experience with it or another aftermarket Sensor? Is there a Seal? Thank you in advance for your info, John

Thanks to all who responded; much appreciated. The replacement was pretty straightforward ... done correctly and with the correct tools it should take 60 to 90 minutes. The only boo boo, and I suggest others be cognizant of this, I forgot to take the little drain hose off of the old radiator and put it on the new one, oops. I prefer using AC Delco Parts; however, since I needed the Radiator right then I got one from AutoZone, which is only a mile or so from my home. The cost was $139.99 with a Lifetime Warranty. John