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Guest SwiftBuicks

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Guest SwiftBuicks

Houston, we have lift off. Today I put the RIM from M&R in the Riv and now the Radio works without the crackling. This makes for a complete set of wheels to drive around town. Long trips, though, are a different matter. I want to have the cruise and tape deck working properly for that. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ronnie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">By the time you pay for parts and repairs and shipping it may be nearly as cheap to purchase one here. I guess that would depend on which unit the Reatta uses. Some are more expensive others.

After you go to the link above, can you tell me which of the units displayed there fits the Reatta? </div></div> I can't answer that question in that my vehicle is a Riv. I'm also hoping this guy can give me a new door to the player in that a snapped a tab when trying to put it back together and it's rather worn.

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Guest SwiftBuicks

Actually, though, I'll be taking my Mom along on the next one and that eliminates the need for a radio or tape deck. After that, I will be flying on these long trips. However, I want to finish my posting here with a hearty <span style="font-weight: bold">thank you</span> to Daniel and those that also stuck with his advice on this matter. I'm keeping the old RIM as back up but I expect there never will be a lack of them for replacement. Possibly, once home, I might try to replace the Caps in it and use the instructional here. Now, it's back to trying to restore the Cruise Control for the long trip back to New England.

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Since this appears to be my thread for asking stupid questions, I have one more:

BACKGROUND:

1. I'd just sent my tape player in for repair.

2. The popping and crackling noises coming from the radio

are still there after speaker replacement.

Question: Once the tape player is repaired (which I'd never used before, as it came bad with the car) will the sound quality clear up, or does it still go through the radio, and will therefor be affected as before?

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Poping and crackling are almost certainly bad capacitors in the radio module itself. In an 88-89 this is located below the ashtray (console cover must be removed for access).

The tape player does use the amplifier in the radio module.

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The "Radio Module Replacement" page on the Reatta Owner's Joural lists disconnecting the battery before attempting to remove the module. What things will need to be reset after reconnecting the battery beside the clock?

Update: I had no problem removing the bottom screw from the left side panel without having to remove the seat, if -- and that's a big IF -- the screw mentioned is below and roughly in line with the window control button. I searched for another, both by touch and visually with help of a flashlight, but see and feel no others. The panel, though, doesn't budge. I looked around to the rear of the console to see if maybe there were more screws, when I noticed that there is no left and right side console cover: it is one continuous piece around the back and to the right side. Is this the case on others as well, or has a previous owner re-upholstered it and went around in one piece?

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I just came in from swapping the radio unit from my '89 (which had been repaired in '92 according to a sticker on it) to my '88, replacing it's bad capacitor unit.

You do not have to remove any side panels, it just drops in from the top. There's a connector that connects into the bottom of the unit, but it is more or less accessible enough to get it connected/unconnected.

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Guest SwiftBuicks

Hey guys, I just discovered that my radio and tape deck controls on the CRT don't have the Equalizer button. The brain I installed definitely had an equalizer. Is this another glitch in the computer communication or a programming omission?

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Guest SwiftBuicks

As I wrote in an earlier post in this thread, I received my replacement from M & R. It is identical to the top one pictured by gr8scott in a previous post by him. It was clearly marked EQ RECEIVER BOX. (I believe the photo used by gr8scott was taken from M & R's website.) The bass, treble and balance controls work. I'm not bent out of shape by this as the sound is adaquate for my needs. In fact the refurbed tape deck puts out superb sound.

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I replaced the radio module today with a used one I got from eBay. I did it from the side rather than from the top. Removing the seat was no problem -- the module was a totally different story: extremely tight spaces, and lack of visibility made it a tedious task (dealing with tri-focals and bleeding knuckles didn't help either). I took a few pictures in hopes that it may help someone else contemplating doing this.

post-31407-143138044724_thumb.jpg

post-31407-143138044727_thumb.jpg

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this looks like guaranteed bloody knuckles to me.

I've taken literally hundreds of these radio modules out of Reattas, and it is much easier to do from the top.

after the gear shift knob and quadrant are removed, four screws secure the entire console top. with those removed, the entire console top is easily pushed to the passenger side, and out of the way. the radio is now completely exposed. there are no issues with removing any of the plugs (both top and bottom) and the antenna is a breeze. the entire job from beginning to end should take no more than thirty minutes for a first timer.

the seat removal mothod would not work in a wrecking yard, either. it would be impossible to access the seat attachment bolts if there was no power available.

Mike

buickreattaparts.com

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Guest SwiftBuicks

Wow. I don't know how much different the center console is on a Reatta, but with my Riv I didn't have any trouble removing and replacing the Radio Brain. It's just as reattadudes describes.

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