bhclark Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 The transmission fluid in my son's Reatta is hard to read, it appears to be foaming. I'm guessing that means there is too much?Looks like there might be a pin hole in the cooler, so I'm going to swap that out on Wednesday, that should cause me to lose some fluid and verify.He ran the power steering pump low on fluid as well. It was whining. I can't see a specific leak other than what looks like a slow seep on the pressure line. That's the one that is difficult to change, right? How much do you expect a shop to charge to replace that if I don't want to tackle it? They'll certainly have an easier time getting to it on a lift than I will on my back.$50 for the pump at O'Reilly and they show the hoses for about $25 each. All MasterPro. Might as well do it all while it's apart for those prices. Alternator is noisy as well, but I have one of those on the shelf.$225,000 miles on this car....ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm not sure there's an external cooler for the trans. There's one for the power steering in front of the condenser; about a foot long by 3". I've seen factory external trans coolers on Cadillacs and some Buicks as an option; about 6x9". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I am the third owner on my convertible, actually second as the "second" owner was just a "flipper". At any rate, this car has the factory Riv trans cooler on it complete with the factory lines. I suspect that as the original owner was a Buick Dealership owner in Janesville, Wi. that he had it installed. However a tranny cooler is not something I would think of installing on a new car, but you never know. So the upshot of all this is that maybe someone did install a trans cooler sometime in the past, but be sure it is not the pwer steering cooler Harry is referring to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhclark Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Power steering cooler. Duh! I guess it's too small for transmission. . That must be the source of the leak then. I'll replace that and maybe the pump and hopefully that cures it!Doesn't help that they are the same color fluid..... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dship Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Brian,If the cooler is about 4" X about 14" with strong steel fins, its the PS cooler. I've seen tranny coolers that mirror the ones on the 7th generation Riviera's installed on Reatta's by DIY'ers. Actually, I bought a Riviera tranny cooler with lines that I plan installing on my 91 Reatta. I just feel its wise to add them whenever its a practical bolt-on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 If anyone wants a Riv tranny cooler I will be happy to sell the one I was going to install before I realized there was one on the 'vert. I can be reached at lemke1044@aol.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhclark Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Brian,If the cooler is about 4" X about 14" with strong steel fins, its the PS cooler. I've seen tranny coolers that mirror the ones on the 7th generation Riviera's installed on Reatta's by DIY'ers. Actually, I bought a Riviera tranny cooler with lines that I plan installing on my 91 Reatta. I just feel its wise to add them whenever its a practical bolt-on.Yep, that's it...I just forgot that it was for the PS. I'm swapping it out tomorrow.Hopefully, that's where the majority of the PS leak is coming from and the pump isn't completely shot....yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhclark Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 That went smoother than I thought it would.Swapped out the power steering cooler and sucked a few cups of transmission fluid out. Fluid is a bit dark, but still pink and no burnt smell...might have starved it a bit, but no adverse affects driving. Still, probably should take it and have it serviced soon. Power steering pump is completely quiet again, so hopefully it will last.Test drive went smoothly, although the engine crept just above midline on the temperature gauge. It is almost 95 today and we didn't get much above 40 mph other than once on the test drive.He's back in business. I'm trying to instill a regular fluid checking sequence with him...every time he gets gas, but he's more of a gamer than a mechanic..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dship Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Just like my two sons and my granddaughter, they know they have a built-in family mechanic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCReatta Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 That went smoother than I thought it would. Swapped out the power steering cooler and sucked a few cups of transmission fluid out. Fluid is a bit dark' date=' but still pink and no burnt smell...might have starved it a bit, but no adverse affects driving. Still, probably should take it and have it serviced soon. Power steering pump is completely quiet again, so hopefully it will last. Test drive went smoothly, although the engine crept just above midline on the temperature gauge. It is almost 95 today and we didn't get much above 40 mph other than once on the test drive. He's back in business. I'm trying to instill a regular fluid checking sequence with him...every time he gets gas, but he's more of a gamer than a mechanic.....[/quote']This is why I no longer outfit my friends and family with Reattas. Nobody takes care of them and they've all ended up back here as parts cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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