central power supply (cps) 1990 reatta--nothing works

[Guest reattajack]

my dash, heater controls, interior lights quit after i hooked the battery cables up wrong..

i've narrowed it down to the cps on a 1990 reatta.

it will start and run, but the alternator will not charge the battery because the bcm is not on because the cps is bad..

where can i get one of these?

i will pay

in reatta docs it is on pdf file a8d1 page 30

1990 reatta--computers

hey thanks if you can help

[Ronnie]

fix it

[kikikj]

you can get most any part from mike at buickreattaparts@yahoo.com and he is very knowledgeable about most everything on the car. he has helped me a lot. let me know if you need his number. kj

[Roadster90]

Rattajack,,,,

1st welcome to the best forum imaginable....you will be glad you found us....you will learn a great deal about your car, and make many new friends here, as well as get the needed technical advise & parts from the participants/members.

Another feature other forums do not have is that we have our very own resident used parts supplier.....Jim finn is not only a collector, but is involved in club functions, judges at shows at times, and he has 20 + Reatta parts cars that he parts out at very reasonable prices....he can be reached at jfinn@cpinternet.com , and I am sure he has the power supply module if that is what you need.

Again WELCOME !!

[Jim]

Thanks Nic for the nice words. I do have several Reatta parts cars and have most parts at reasonable prices. I do have a CPS and can be reached at reattas60@gmail.com

Edited April 12, 2016 by Jim (see edit history)

[Guest reattajack]

well i put in a new cps and bcm. the car runs fine and the alternator works.

the dash, ecc, chime module, still dont work and i have gone through all the troubleshootong stuff..it sais to replace these components.

i think the battery blew all the modules in the data line etc.

i guess its a step by step thing.

any ideas would be appreciated

[Guest reattajack]

installed the battery cables in reverse.

i put in a new cps(power supply module) and a new bcm.

the car runs good now but the dash leds dont work and the ecc has 3 dashes..the toubleshooting section sais to replace these parts.

i think i blew everything computer or electronic related in the data computer line so i have to replace all of this..

any ideas would be great..i have to buy these from jim finn

[Guest reattajack]

well iput in the dash and climate control panel and still 3 dashes and error on the dash..

dont know what to do next..i've gone through all the troubleshooting and i give up i guess

[Guest reattajack]

i took it to buick and the prom chips had to be recalibrated or programmed

[Richard S]

Well, Jack, that's a tough way for all of us to learn what happens when you get the juice flowing backwards in these cars. Do you think reprogramming the prom would have solved the problem without replacement of the cps/bcm?

[Guest Pudgee]

I think I have the same prob with my 90 convert, but did not reverse the cables, but they did spark more than normal....tests are showing blown fusible links.....

[KDirk]

If you've confirmed open (blown) fusible links those need to be fixed first. The CPS may be suspect but do not mess with that until you have any fusible link repairs done. if you end up needing a CPS, Jim Finn is still selling parts and may well have one on hand. Of course, there are other vendors who can supply these as well to be found in the Reatta Resources thread. The CPS outputs two voltages, a filtered 12 volts DC and a filtered 7 volts DC. It is easy enough to check this, and if either or both outputs is dead, then the CPS is likely bad. Follow proper troubleshooting sequence of course, so you aren't needlessly replacing parts.

I would point out that CPS failures are rather uncommon, at least up to this point. However, I suspect that with the advanced age these cars are now at that failures of the CPS will start to be more common as parts like electrolytic capacitors age out of spec and bring down the rest of the module. This is a problem tbat will plague all the modules eventually as they all contain such parts in some quantity.

KDirk

[Barney Eaton]

Kevin brings up a good point about these electronic units.

 

I sent a CD player to a repair shop and they said they could not repair it because the parts were not available.

 

Even if we find someone that does repairs,  the components can be a problem.   Discrete components should be around for a long time but specialized chips will be our downfall.

If you plan on keeping your Reatta,  it would not hurt to have a known good back up for your ECM, BCM, CPS, 

 

What other electronic parts can you think of that need to have spares?

[KDirk]

The major modules that are critical to the car being drivable are:

ECM (or PCM for 1991)

BCM

ICM

IPC

CPS (central power supply, not crank position sensor)

EBCM (ABS controller in trunk)

VATS (ignition key pellet decoder, 90/91 only) as if it fails, security will lock out starting the car.

Flasher module (88/89); if this fails you have nl turn signals.

Other important modules (car will work without but will be inconvenient):

CRT

CRTC

RIM (radio module) (these first three on 88/89 only)

RKE (keyless entry, not present on 88)

ECC (90/91 climate control panel)

I think that covers most of them.

KDirk