DAVES89 Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 The left bank comes on when entering car as it goes thru it's self check, but then goes out. All the other backlights do not turn on, including the console lights. Even tried pushing the foglight button. All buttons work, just no backlights.I have just purchased this car from a guy in Fl. and drove her back home to Appleton,Wi.I have been looking for a Reatta ever since I saw one in Door County 15 months ago. I think this car is great and love the touchscreen, but would like to get this one issue resolved. I also would like to meet up with another Reattaite to get some hands on knowledge of these cars. I am a big Buick fan having owned 3 Roadmasters. This will be my summer driver. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Sounds like the dash inverter is working but not the console (backlites are electrolumenecent and need 110v). See http://6007.us/10box.htm for pictures. Also sounds like the headlamp switch needs cleaning (common). I would start there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Thanks for your quick reply. This is a great forum. I would like to be sponsored to join the club. Some quick questions. 1] Is the console inverter still available? 2] Do you mean cleaning the headlight switch [working fine] or the dash light slide switch [which I think you meant]? I have looked hard for a "good" daily driver and think I found it. Alredy used the forum for rear lens care as well as how to clean/refinish the wheels. Thanks to all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Welcome aboard! In answer to the inverter question, no this part, along with almost all non power/train items, are no longer serviced by GM. But not to worry. There are a few people in this forum that sell parts. Jim Finn comes to mind jfinn@cpinternet.com . He has many used parts at resonable prices and very, very honest. I'm sure he car fix you up with a console inverter. Of note however, many of the PRNDL displays are bunrt out and an inverter will not help them. The window and mirror controls backlights rarely fail, but do dim with age. The headlight cleaning issue, covered many times on the forum, is an issue where by the dash lights will not turn on, till the fog light button is pressed. Get a spray contact cleaner, make sure to test it on plastic so it does not disolve it, and spray in the spaces around all the buttons on the light switch while exercising the button off and on. I used WD 40. Most here scolded me for using it, but it will not harm the plastic, and I tried this cure when I got my Reatta in 1998 and never had to do it again! However, I'm more inclined to say that the right bank of switches may have a wiring problem, or simply burnt out display panel. The inverter on the dash works both right and left switch banks. If the left on is working and the right one is not, then that's why I'm making my statement. Neither the right or the left bank should work if the inverter has failed. Also, in the console make sure the white wire that runs from the transmission display and the window and mirror switch are connected. If one has come unpluged, then not of them will work. Anyway, welcome and I hope you enjoy your new Reatta as much as I have over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toadster25 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I work at a buick dealer and have for the last 9 years. Everytime I see a Buick Reatta come in the door I want to quit my job. I prety much hate working on these cars. Anyway, as usual I am having a terible time figuring out what is wrong with an 89 buick reatta. The lights in the swithces and the gear selector indicator don't light up. Pushing the fog light switch doens't make them work either. The customer said that sometime pushing the fog light would make them work but I can't get them to come on with either the headlight switch or the fog light. I know the BCM knows that the headlights lights are on because I can see that with the scan tool and it also shows the % that the dimming slider is set at. I ordered and replaced the BCM and after I replaced it the lights came on for about 1 sec and then the went back off and wont come back on. I can get all the lights to work by jumping 5Volts to the wire that comes out of the BCM to power up the light so I know the inverters and the illuminesent lights are good. I just can't seem to get the BCM to put the signal out to tell the IPC to turn on all the lights. I need help this customer wants the lights to work and I've got a $150 BCM and 8 hours of time in this car and at $100 an hour that isn't good. To tell you the truth at this point I would rather just buy the BCM myself and give back all the time I've already got in the car if they would never make me work on one of these cars ever again. We don't even have the service manual for these cars anymore. I did manage to find a wiring diagram so that is better than nothing I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Harness Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I have service manuals for each of my Reattas. Whenever I take one in for service, I take the service manual. I put it on the passenger seat, point it out to the service advisor, and tell him to make sure the mechanic puts it back in the car before I pick it up.A mechanic at the local Buick dealer thanked me for bringing the service manual and told me that he liked working on Reatta's for a change of pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toadster25 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 They aren't always this bad but they just seem like they are hard to figure out. They have one of the first ABS systems and all you get out of them are codes. If they are bad they are very expesive. Ususlly just have problems with the accumulator or pressure switch. Ever tried to replace a turn signal flasher on one of the newer riviera/reatta with the normal type clicking flasher? Not easy like it should be. They have a BCM that most cars didn't have back then. They have a Central Power supply that as far as I know, no other cars have that. Maybe a Corvette? They have a CRT screen in them but those, in the past anyway, haven't been that hard to figure out becuase ususaly I just have to replace it. They run the dash backlights on 110 AC volts. Why would they do that? just to light up those lights the power goes through the light switch, the BCM, then to the IPC, and then the IPC sends power signal to the inverters, then the inverters power up the incandesent lights. Other cars that GM made all you needed was a switch and variable resistor and the bulbs. Not just the Reatta, the Riviera was the same way until the 1995 Riviera. They just made these cars way more complicated than they needed to. I own a 1995 riviera and like it, easy to work on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reatta1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Question for you Toadster. I have an 88 and lately have been having intermittent problems with the backlights on the pushbuttons on either side of the IP. Seems to happen mostly when turning a corner or hitting a bump in the road. If they are on, they will go out and vice-versa. Your thoughts, or anybody's for that matter, on this?Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toadster25 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 If I knew I'd tell you but I can't seem to figure the one I'm working on out either. Today I didn't have a lot of time to work on the one I'm working on but I did get a chance to take the headlight switch all apart and clean it out but that didn't fix my problem. I am going to order another BCM and see what hapens. I take about a week for it to get to my dealership so I wont know if that is the problem for while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toadster25 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I finally figured my problem out. I found that the photo cell (light sensor) in the dash was not sensing the light right. It didn't think it was dark enough and would keep the lights from turning on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tomt Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Back to your problem with a question as what is occuring with you seems similar to mine. I believe I have the dirty switch issue, and have spoke to Jim Finn about it as well, and he seems to agree. One thing I haven't mentioned to him and wonder if you see it too: When mine are "out", if I look real close they are one, but just dim. Do you see this too?My problem has been since the beginning and they work about 50% of the time. Spray cleaner doesn't help much from what I see. I've kind of resigned myself to live with it as 50% of the time they work and I drive after dark 10%. Probably not the answer you want to hear, but I'm worried about doing more harm trying to fix them. May have my son in law/computer geek work on the switches and take them out of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 Here's my first post. Sound familiar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 It sounds familiar to me. But like a lot of threads on this forum it ended before a resolution to the problem was posted. At least I didn't see it. Did a headlight switch fix the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 I remember now what I did. I went over to Kendall's house with the shop manual and he determined it was the photo cell. His reasoning was that the back lights worked during the show so it couldn't be the inverter. So I ordered out a photocell from Jim Finn, broke the dash pulling the panel but then had back lights. Went to a vinyl repair guy who fixed the cracked dash, so all was as good as could be. [As you know I finally replaced the dash this last summer] I then measured where all the locking tabs were and then built a tool to pull the top panel so I would never crack the dash again. The console lights never did work right, [even after buying and trying a few from Gibson's] so I came up with my own idea of using LED strip lights. Those LED lights have not yet failed 12 years later. This has to be a record for going the longest before posting what the fix was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 3 hours ago, DAVES89 said: His reasoning was that the back lights worked during the show Should the backlights for the headlight and wiper buttons work during the show? Mine don't. The buttons around the CRT and the console do. Do you think my problem is the photocell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 26, 2018 Author Share Posted September 26, 2018 This is not my area of expertise but I remember having to replace the photo cell. I just checked and my headlight/wiper switch, CRT buttons, and the 4 push buttons on the IPC all light up. I did not look at the back lighting for the console as I did the LED replacement strip there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Thanks Dave. My next step is to change the headlight switch as you first suggested. I hope that fixes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 26, 2018 Author Share Posted September 26, 2018 A lot of "stuff" goes through the switch. And I remember you putting a resistor in your wiring to "trick" the BCM into thinking the photo cell is working correctly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Like I tell other forum members sometimes, this is going to take some hands-on troubleshooting to figure it out. I'm going to look at the FSM now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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