Ronnie

That doesn't say a damn thing about me. I didn't have to google it and I didn't have to watch a movie to know what you were talking about... I lived through it! I was lucky enough that I didn't have to go to Vietnam. When a lot of my friends got their draft notice I got a 1-H card (Not eligible for service at the is time.) to replace my 1-A card. A lot of those friends of mine didn't come back from that war. I still carry that faded and worn card with me at all times to remind me what our country went through at that time in history. I was told I received the 1-H card because I was an only son. I don't know for sure and I didn't ask. It may have saved my life. I didn't refuse to go to that war. I just wasn't invited. I lived through watching Walter Cronkite every day on the news give the body counts for both sides like it was some kind of game. I watched him tell about our army fighting to take a strategic position and our government decide to give it back the next day. I watched the daily film clips of the planes dropping the bombs, the soldiers walking through water in the rice patties, and of thousands of people protesting the war. I remember going to the funerals of my friends and siting by their crying mothers and having them tell me how glad they were I didn't have to go to that war and how they wished their son would not have been made to go. I also remember my friends that returned from that war too. I remember seeing my friend Archy for the first time when he came home with one eye missing and wearing a patch over it, with fingers missing and a scar the size of your hand on his side where shrapnel had hit him when a "Gook", as you call them, had dropped a grenade into a garbage can outside the mess tent when soldiers were coming out. But worst of all were my friends who left as young happy men and came home cold, empty adults changed forever by what they had saw and went through. Don't tell me "It is your history."! It was not just history, it was something I lived through and will never forget!! The fact that you have the arrogance to say, "What does that say about you?", has a lot to say about you!

Sounds like your talking about music played by helicopters over Vietnam in a movie.

I agree. I have worked on cars all my life and have never changed the transmission fluid unless the pan is leaking. All this flushing is not needed under normal conditions. Maybe under extreme conditions like pulling heavy loads. Unless you are treating your Reatta like a race car flushing is overkill. I just sold my s10 pickup that had 204,000 miles on it and the transmission pan had never been removed and the fluid still looked like new. Never a problem with the transmission. Before that I had 2 Toyota pickups with automatic transmissions and the pans had never been off them either. Both had over 200,000 miles on them.

I hate to be so argumentative in my posts but I believe using a shop vac to suck out gasoline in any form would be a recipe for disaster. You would have a running electric motor siting on a tank of gasoline fumes and blowing into the area around it. I wouldn't want to be there!!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">distilled water is so pure it cant boil </div></div>The above statement is what I was referring to and it is absolutely wrong.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ReattaBoy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">just wanted to add distilled water is a perfect candidate for your radiator since distilled water is so pure it cant boil </div></div>You didn't really mean that did you?

I Can't Drive 55 - Sammy Hagar

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dpannell</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What engine problems could cause a converter to plug in only 13000 miles? I had mine replaced February 08'...it quickly plugged in the last two days. There is NO exhaust at idle. The "counter" mechanic at CarX instantly blamed it on the engine. I have no codes...and the engine ran strong, smooth and efficient prior to this issue. Anyone with similar experience? Dave </div></div> Dave, two things come to mind. An engine that is using (burning) oil will cause the converter to clog up. Another thing would be a bad O2 sensor causing a rich fuel mixture that would not burn completely and cause the converter to clog due to carbon build up. The ECM would not set a code because the it would see a correct mixture based on the incorrect data it would be receiving from the defective O2 sensor. Do you see black or blue smoke coming out of the exhaust? Blue smoke is usually oil smoke, black smoke is usually caused by a rich mixture.

Drake gave you some good advice. Go through the flow chart one step at a time until you isolate the problem.

I can see where this is going so I will limit my comments about Reatta wheel bearings to my previous post. Instructions for replacing the bearing can be found here

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CL_Reatta</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If your going to replace 1, then you replace all 4, its like brakes, if one side is getting bad you replace all 4.... Never done them on a Reatta so I dont know if there is anything special. </div></div> That is absolutely nonsense. Replace one if it is bad. You may not have another go bad for 100,000 miles. There is nothing special about them.

Thanks! I'm glad I was able to help. I'm happy to be part of this forum where usually someone is willing to help when we have problems with our Reattas.

Thanks Maui. I'm always willing to help when I can.

I'm happy that you got your car running. I knew you could fix it if you proceeded in a logical step-by-step manner. Patience and clear thinking pays off. It was not the perfect way of correcting the problem. You lost the Starter Interrupt feature of the cars security system by bypassing the Starter Interrupt Relay but it appeared to me someone had already removed the relay and attempted to bypass it. I believe that was your problem to begin with. I believe running the new wire as you did was the correct decision. It is what I would have done if I had your car with the wiring in the condition it is. From the looks of your wiring I highly suggest you go back and check each one of those splices and taped connections and to be certain they are tight and insulated well. For jobs like that it is best to learn how to use a soldering iron and and shrink tubing to make permanent connections It will be well worth your time. It might save you from being stranded on the side of the road. I'm glad I could be of assistance!

Well, this is just my opinion and does not apply in all situations. It is the seller's responsibility to get his car running and ready to sell. Not the buyer's. If the seller is not willing to do so and wants to sell the car AS IS that would throw up a large red flag to me as a buyer. There are a lot of things that can cause the car to have "no spark" A bad ignition module or a bad crank trigger are the first things that come to mind. I repeat, it is not a good idea to work on a car to get it to run before you buy it. There are lots of Reattas for sale out there. Start off with one that will run and you will be better off.

Hello and welcome to the forum! If you knew for sure that "no spark" was the only problem the car had then fixing it would be fairly easy. We could guide you on fixing that problem. However, without the car running you have no way of knowing what other problems the car might have.

I think you got some bad information. The pump in the transmission sucks fluid in through the pickup with the filter attached to it from the bottom of the pan. Some of the fluid is diverted through the radiator for cooling and back into the pan. The oil returning back to the pan without restriction is why there is very little pressure built up in the transmission lines that go to the radiator. The pump does not suck fluid out of the radiator. Fluid is forced through the line going to the radiator, through the radiator, through the return line and back into the pan of the transmission.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Where the Yellow wire, that is connected to the ignition switch connector, is spliced to the white wire, unsplice it and connect the yellow wire to a wire that is at least as large and good for at least 12 volts.</div></div>That is correct. Wire is normally rated by the amperage it will carry. As long as the diameter of the copper wire in the new wire is as large that in the yellow wire it should be fine. I don't know how you will be able to do it but you need to cut the yellow wire going into the Transaxle Position Switch and attach the new wire to it in order to provide power to the Transaxle Position Switch as shown in the last photo I posted. Good luck with running the new wire.

Front Parking Lamp Replacement Tutorial Click here.

I understand your frustration. But don't give up now. You have tried to hard to fix the problem to quit now. If it were my car and the wiring had been butchered like it appears yours has, I would do the following. Some people will not agree but it should get the car to crank if the ignition switch and the fusible link "C" are good. Disconnect the white wire that is spliced to the yellow wire at the ignition switch connector. Connect piece of insulated wire (at least as heavy as the yellow wire) to the yellow wire coming out of the ignition switch connector and run it through a hole in the firewall and out to the Transaxle Position Switch. Cut the yellow wire at the Transaxle Position Switch leaving enough length that will allow you to connect it to the wire you just ran through the firewall. Then you will have a new circuit from the ignition switch to the Transaxle Position Switch. (see red circuit in the photo below.) Tape up the wires that are needing attention so there are no bare wires. See if the car will start.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: snowdrift</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: snowdrift</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I followed the wire and it is spliced to a white wire that leads to the connection in one of the pictures that was taped over. <span style="color: #FF0000">There are two yellow, or originally was yellow wires that end up at that taped over terminal. </span> </div></div>I believe you are referring to DSC442. That is the wire that starts out in the ignition switch as yellow then is spliced into a white wire that ends up on a connection that was taped over. </div></div> That connection you refer to should be the Starter Interrupt Relay unless someone had removed it or bypassed it. You may find there is a connector under the tape. Here is what I would do next. Remove the tape where the two yellow wires and the white wire come together. Disconnect and separate them if possible. Be sure the transmission is in park and the connector to the Transaxle Position Switch is connected properly. Run a jumper from the positive post on the battery and momentarily touch each yellow wire one at a time. Be careful and don't touch the jumper wire to ground or any other terminals. Did the starter engage and try to turn the engine when you touched either yellow wire?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: snowdrift</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: snowdrift</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ronnie, I did test that terminal and did not receive anything at all. I followed the wire and it is spliced to a white wire that leads to the connection in one of the pictures that was taped over. There are two yellow, or originally was yellow wires that end up at that taped over terminal. </div></div>I just went out and by putting a pin in to the yellow wire and striking the wire within I did register 12.7 volts. I repeated the test twice with the same results. </div></div> Now we're getting somewhere. The ignition switch seems to check out good. Can you tell me what the number is of the photo that shows the white wire and the splices that you refer to above?

OK, lets take a deep breath and relax. Forget about photos for a while and concentrate on determining for sure if you have a good ignition switch or a bad ignition switch. I know it seems like I keep going back to the ignition switch but we must know and agree on the condition of the switch before we go any further. _________________________________________________________ You must be absolutely certain that the red wire has 12 volts all the time. Does it have 12 volts??? With the ignition switch wiring connected to the switch, and the key turned to the "Start" position and held there, do you have 12 volts on the terminal where the yellow wire is connected??? _________________________________________________________ If the answer is YES the ignition switch is good and we can continue looking elsewhere. I the answer is NO to question 2 and the yellow wire does NOT have 12 volts when the ignition is turned to start, you have a bad ignition switch and it must be replaced before going any further. You must have a good ignition switch to logically continue with troubleshooting your problem.

Follow the link in my signature line for instructions on the best way to post photos. I still can't tell much from the photos. In photo 435 there appears to be a yellow wire at the top left of the photo. Would you please test that terminal while holding the ignition key turned to the "Start" position for 12 volts so we can eliminate a bad ignition as the problem. Is there 12 volts at that terminal? I agree the wiring is a mess and looks like it may in fact be dangerous. AFTER we find your starting problem I would highly recommend you go over all the splices and check them for a good connection, remove the old tape and re-tape everything so you don't have to worry about a fire in the future. If you will follow my instructions we will get your car to start.

I really can't tell anything much from the photos. I do feel there may be some big wiring problems with all the splices. It is never good to see two different colored wires spliced together. IF you can trace the yellow wire from the ignition switch it should lead to the Starter Interrupt Relay. Were you able to test the yellow wire for 12 volts by back probing the ignition switch connector while holding the ignition switch in the start position?