Ronnie

One thing that should be pointed out in this discussion is this.... Nothing about the spacers on the rear strut, nor depth of the strut in the rear knuckle, controls the ride height. The weight of the car is supported by the rear leaf spring and that is what determines the ride height. Not the strut. There is a small gas charge in the rear strut but the effect on ride height would be negligible in my opinion. The strut on the rear of a Reatta acts just like the shock absorber on the rear of my GMC pickup that has leaf spring -- other than the fact that it controls the camber of the rear wheel by holding the knuckle in the correct position as the suspension travels through it's range of motion. Unlike the rear strut, the front strut of a Reatta does determine ride height since it has a coil spring mounted on it that carries the weight of the car.

Barney, the first photo shows the alignment tab and indention for the bolt that holds the strut at the proper depth and alignment in the knuckle. If you look closely at the second photo, (that has the small chisel spreading the clamp apart), you can see the corresponding position where the tab and bolt should be aligned. That is how the depth of the strut is set.

Here is another explanation for this... When you jack the rear of the car up, and take the weight off the suspension, the wheels tilt in (camber) as the car goes up. When you let the car back down off the jack, the extra camber causes the tires to sit on the outside edge of the tire. At that point the top of the tire will be farther away from the lip of the wheel well. When the car moves, and the tire starts rolling, the camber will come back to it's normal position and the distance between the wheel well will be less and closer to where you expect it to be.

If this model has them, the rubber flex disc on each end of driveshaft should be checked for cracks. That would be number 1 on my list. The one on the front can destroy the transmission if it comes apart.

I would just swap the wires if you if you can't find the right connector easily. Do you still have the old connector to use as a reference? If so that would be the best way to make sure you get the wires connected to the TPS correctly.

Are with wire colors connected to the TPS in the sequence shown below?

Store the service manual somewhere inside the car. When you are broke down on the side of the road you will be glad you did.

It sounds like the ABS is engaging for some reason. Most likely a bad wheel sensor sending information to the electronic brake control module that one wheel is turning at a different speed than the others. Have you tried checking the ABS codes to check for a code stored that might give a clue to what is going on? Also check all the leads going to the wheel sensors for cracks or fraying in the insulation. That could be your problem.

Your car has more corrosion on it than I expected. Do you drive it on the beach or live where salt is in the air?

I think it's good practice with a Teves system to try to plan your stops so you can apply the brakes a minimum number of times to keep the pump from running anymore than necessary. Once you press the brake pedal, hold it down until you come to a stop when practical. I'm not saying do a one pump panic stop every time to avoid letting up on the brake pedal. Just saying you should be cognizant of how you use the brake pedal effects the accumulator pressure. In the old days we got in the habit of pumping the brakes a few times to get a full pedal before coming to a stop. Doing that with a Teves system is not necessary and only wastes pressure stored in the accumulator causing the pump to run more often. Just my 2 cents.

Save yourself some headaches. Contact Jim Finn reattas60@gmail.com and get him to send you a good used one and be done with it.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory used a 3D printer to clone this Cobra I took a photo of so I guess they could clone a Reatta to. Your tax dollars at work...

That sounds like you are talking about mixing R12 and R134a. That is a no no. They are not compatible.

That could be true. I was thinking there is such a low number now that are being driven on a daily basis that not many questions are being asked.

Can you apply 12 volts directly to the fan motor to see if the fan motor will run?

What happens of you put the climate control in ECON mode and turn the fan on high? That way you don't have to deal with the compressor while troubleshooting the fan.

The low numbers might explain why posting about Reattas is at an all time low. It's hard to believe that this Reatta forum was once one of the busiest forums on the AACA website. Now it's one of the slowest. In spite of that it still has one of the highest number of total posts of all the forums. I still miss the old days when there were lots of posts about the Buick Reatta. Time changes everything...

Have you looked at this? Shifter Indicator Panel Removal and this Center Console Removal Instructions

1. Try clearing cookies in your browser, close browser and reopen. 2. Try a different browser. 3. Try a different computer.

Unplug the MAF sensor and see if it runs better. The problem you describe could be caused by the MAF.

Let's just rename the forum we have to the "Swap & Shop". Maybe we can have a group chat at 12 noon everyday sorta like the call-in shows local radio stations use to have in the old days. Or, we could go high tech and put post-it notes on our computer screens so everyone on the forum can see what we have to trade.

Unplug the cam sensor and see if it runs better. The 3800 will run smoothly without a signal from the camshaft position sensor. The sensor just optimizes the timing when the injector sprays fuel. It will set a code 41 while you have the sensor unplugged and the check engine light will come on.

I agree with that, but that's not what you originally wrote. This is exactly what you wrote, "it just won’t turn over. stumbles. sputters but no start". That statement makes no sense to me. Now that we know the starter will turn the engine over we can move on.

This doesn't make sense. You are saying the engine won't turn over and at the same time you're saying the engine is stumbling and sputtering but won't start. If the starter won't turn the engine it can't be stumbling and sputtering and trying to run Which is it? My suggestion is make is clear what the problem is.

2seater had some good suggestions. It sounds like it might be firing out of time. Even though there is no distributor, it's easy to get the spark plug wires crossed on the coils and it's possible to get the wires connected wrong that go between the ICM and the coil pack.