Buick had hoped the Reatta would sell about 20,000 copies annually when the project was green-lighted in the summer of 1986 and the first pilot car assembled. Ive had this car for about 8 months and have had minimal problems. In reguards to the exhaust, I do have a moderately strong, rich exhaust smell in the bay and a wee bit in the cabin, along with an occasional pop around the crossover when pressing the throttle. Havent sticky tires and stoutly turbocharged engines been resigned to the dustbin? Which came in black only and evoked funerals for any who dared to challenge one to a drag race. Watch the gauges screen and see if the pusher fan comes on when you see the temperature go up to about 240 degrees. Lifter tick was there from low oil, but left once I'd added things. and can someone please explain to me what the BCM is and the general area of its location im not say thats it im just wondering. Powered by Invision Community. I then checked both radiator fluid and oil to see if one had leaked to the other in case of a gasket leak, and both were solid colors, not milky or anything. You may remember our complaints about this feature. Question about 1988 Buick Reatta 1 Answer I just bought a 1988 Reatta. The Buick Reatta should have been sportier than it turned out, and Buick's wavering on how to market this car may have been its death knell. After about 15 minutes of driving my car either on the street or freeway it would say ENGINE CONTROL PROBLEM DETECTED "Engine controls computer has detected an electrical problem." I just did the code test & got . the above poster is right it sounds like you are losing connection with the battery. The word nternal could go either way. Among those initially attracted to the Buick Reatta was 61-year-old Paul Gomberg, then a young up-and-comer in Texas. "We had to slot something in there that wouldn't compete with Corvette or Fiero, so it couldn't be a pure sports car," Qualman said. On a side note, I believe I've developed an exhaust leak on the crossover pipe, how much of a paint is that to deal with? Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. The historical record indicates Buick thought it needed a halo car but not as good as a Corvette nor as bad as the Pontiac Fiero. I've checked the fuses inside the car. The signal from the touchscreen goes to the BCM but the signal from the BCM goes through the CRTC (CRT Controller) before it goes to the CRT but the CRTC rarely fails. Buick had hoped the Reatta would sell about 20,000 copies annually when the project was green-lighted in the summer of 1986 and the first pilot car assembled. But for me that's part of the fun. Keeping it alive required constant selling within the corporation, Qualman says, but now it's a reality. And though Cadillac's appropriation delayed production by two years, North's prototype design was given the go-ahead with relatively minimal changes, retaining a rounded wedge shape with pop-up headlamps, a generous trunk, and a unique bubble-back rear windshield. The Reatta's name was proposed by styling chief David North, who had memories of growing up on western ranches where a reata was a common Spanish word for lariat. I personally am think the CPS. About a week ago the headlights stopped popping up (so I've been cranking them manually) and the screen was giving messages that I knew were not correct - like it would say that the engine was overheating when I started it, etc. i pulled the vacuum hose off the FPR and no fuel came out so i presume thats working properly. I assume the coil pack should also be replaced at the same time, definitely couldn't hurt since it too looks quite old etc. Free shipping for many products! Buick which was looking for a way to shave its buyer demographic by about 30 years, from people in their 70s to people in their 40s wanted some of that action. lots of things appear to be very old or original. But being only 30 at the time, and with a Corvette just $5,000 more, I felt like I would almost be embarrassed to be seen in a V-6," Gomberg said. If you haven't changed the ICM you should. What do the minds here on the forum think of this? An external oil leak of that magnitude would seem obvious, which would be the only reason for stop leak? Going. 1990 Buick Reatta Coupe FWD-Maintenance & Repair. Recommended Posts. General Motors' newest two-seater was born not in a regular product-planning workshop but in an advanced-design studioan environment where automotive stylists are free from the constraints imposed on them when they're working on designs that are definitely scheduled for production. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Contains hate speech or attacks an individual, Nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content. Reatta Parts Vendors Paint & Service Codes The Select Sixty Story Design of the Buick Reatta 1988 and 1989 Buick Reatta 1990 Buick Reatta The rigidity of its body is noteworthy. we replaced the plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, and the injectors, we also noticed the cat was clogged (especially apparent when we ran some berryman through the intake (like seafoam)), so we removed it though it didn't look as bad as i expected, taking it off helped a little but not much. That's the why of the Reatta. First-year production amounted to just 4,708 cars which makes the Pontiac Aztek seem like a winner (11,201 were sold its first year). The engineers also wanted to avoid the quality headaches associated with introducing fresh hardware on a new limited-production car. But not because it was a two-seater or even because of the early issues with the ECC. This startled me, and Rock Auto 5% Discount Code - But Beware of Returned Part Costs, Drivers Door Lock Cylinder is Loose on my 91, Reatta Diagnostics Instructions - 1990 & 91, Reatta Owners Journal Forum Latest Topics. It is a sort of ball and socket arrangement. Tested: 1988 Buick Reatta Has Two Seats, But Isn't a Sports Car, Best (and Forgotten) Coupes and 1970s G.O.A.T. The last owner had let their son use it to get to and from college, so I can only make inferences what happened during that time. now this could cause a slow cranking when trying to start the car again and it may not even start. acceleration to re-enter highway, my car lurched forward. car looks like it had a lot of highway miles and very basic maintenance done. it has two connectors and 3 screws that hold it into the ductwork. It's easy! Hello I have a 1988 Buick Reatta that won't start. Not here. I am pretty familiar with the insides of these engines and am trying to imagine any adverse effects on the engine as a whole if only the front of the engine was opened up. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FRAM Air Filter for 1988-1991 Buick Reatta - Intake Inlet Manifold Fuel ps at the best online prices at eBay! Red 1988 Buick Reatta Coupe with two doors and a sunroof. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it's worked out. But size was only part of the problem. The Reattas real problem was probably its size. Best to start with the battery terminals making sure they are clean and tight, and that the battery is properly charged. the car of course has been sitting a while so i just assumed that had a major play in it. Push the Reatta to the limit in a corner and you'll find that its grip is good, too; we measured 0.79 g at the test track. Past that I do know it was a garage queen. The result, says Jordan, is a car with "sporty elegance"more like a Mercedes 560SL than a Corvette. Perhaps this was because the car was never meant to be topless. Workers could take their time. Each Buick Reatta also came with a special leather-bound owner's manual. It didnt need another. It got GMs new 3.8-liter V6 with port fuel injection and counter-rotating shafts to counter the V6s inherent vibration. With pop-up headlights, even just like a Corvette? "They're not on a spreadsheet. Thanks to plenty of steadying understeer, even drivers of modest talent will find the Reatta difficult to upset in hard corners. While the Reatta wasn't very powerful or very quick the 3.8 V6 never exceeded 170 horsepower in factory-built trim it wasn't slow. The Grand National which was built and sold very well during the same time period that the Buick tried to sell the Reatta was crude and even clunky in comparison. The Reatta was just 183.7 inches long and rode on a 98.5 inch wheelbase. In 1979, the E-Body platform was downsized to fit the times, and this revised version now entirely for front-wheel-drive cars became the starting point for what became the Reatta. I assumed when y'all say it will show codes on the CRT that it just shows diagnostics or warning info when something is wrong. Where is the sharp steering response that teases you, the taut suspension that goads you to take on a twisty two-lane, the power that opens your eyes wide and sends a thrill down your spine? Under the hood, a transversely mounted version of Buicks 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, styled the 3800. This was essentially the same engine that Buick was using to power the rear wheels in itsotherhoped-for demographic-changer, the Regal Grand National. checked lots of wiring to parts of the engine/sensors and the engine harness all appears to be just fine. eBay Buick Reatta. In part this was because it was light about 3,400 pounds for the coupe. Free shipping for many products! It was wasted tech Buick customers could care less about. From what I can find, the BCM from the Park Avenue or other full size Buick will not work in the Reatta or any other E platform car even from the same year. The bad news is that you're confronted by a duplicate of the Riv's poorly designed instrument panelright down to the touch-screen CRT. After four underwhelming years, Buick compassionately pulled the plug on the Reatta in 1991. It was yet another case of GM going off on a tangent because some bonehead made the case for an expensive two-seat coupe for a GM division that had no plan, no image, and no sales. Goodyear Eagle GT +4 all-weather performance radials, size 215/65R-15, hug the pavement. He begins by recalling his outlaw days of drag racing on Detroit's infamous Woodward Avenue, then expresses his more recent fondness for sports and GT cars of the serious stripe. 2023 CarGurus, Inc., All Rights Reserved. It wasnt that it was cramped for the driver or the front seat passenger, but it did look small because it was. This should give you stable power to the circuits and the fuse blocks. Thank you :). 82,095 littlehorn answered 14 years ago This is a very common problem with the digital dash. I pulled all of the plugs to check and there wasn't oil on any of them, and no oil along the valve cover surfaces. It's easy! My memory is only so-so on what it looks like since mine is now very different. Not saying it's the BCM, just that was my case and I checked everything out before hand. Jim Finn has CPSs I believe. The peak sales year was in 1989 when Buick sold 7,000 of these turkeys. Ive read that it might be the BCM or the splices under the passenger seat i just have no clue what the problem could be. we were wanting to get the important (mechanical) side done first before moving on to electrical. Post in the forum instead. It felt great to have power and mileage back, but I didn't have that for long. The small bracket attached to the front head and the pipe connection must be removed. Welcome to the forum Ryan. Buick buyers want their cars dialed in for them; they don't want to turn knobs." But where is the greatness? Had it towed home at that point. Can you measure the battery voltage? And the Porsche 911 from which the Reatta team cribbed some design cues, including the wide-panel single tail light and some pleats to straighten the curves a bit. The screws are stainless steel and if you drop them they are gone [however they are the same screw as what holds the MAF sensor in place]. What did these cars have that the Reatta lacked? 1988 Buick Reatta VEHICLE TYPE front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE AS TESTED (C/D EST) $29,000 ENGINE TYPE pushrod 12-valve V-6, iron block and heads, port fuel. ok i just tried that scrubbed the crap out of the terminals and put new bolts on it and tightened them down ok nothing on the instrument panel is working besides the lights the rear and front defrost isnt working and nuthing lights up inside not the panel lights or the touch screen. "You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car" The Reattas second year was better 7,009 found buyers but this still not even 50 percent of GMs target number, and GM was not in tolerant mode by this time because of the Fiero Fiasco and the money-hemorhagging Allante project (GM was airmailing partially completed Allantes to Italy for completion, then airmailing them back to the states). I'd switch to a Delco ignition, quality 8mm plug wires, and Delco Rapidfire (platinum) or Iridium plugs. Did the engine get noisy, like lifters ticking? The 1991 model fuel pump wiring is not the same as earlier models. The on board computer shows a warning of low refrigerant and shuts the system down. In the Reatta, the 3.8 V6 made less power than the version used in the GN which was turbocharged and served as a midway point between the Fieros smaller (and optional) 2.8-liter V6 and the larger and more expensive V8 that powered the Allante. Is the car leaking any coolant? He furrows his brow and tell us of his days in Buick product planninghe headed the department before moving to the advertising side last Julyand of his ten-year battle to produce a two-seater. Seth Rose. Copyright 2023, Antique Automobile Club of America. "Buick never could figure out what this car was for. .css-dhtls0{display:block;font-family:GlikoS,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:400;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-dhtls0:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 61.25rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.2;}}Watch Out Casey Jones: We Drive a Locomotive, Our Porsche 718 Cayman Schools Us in Repair Costs, 1974 Datsun 260Z Tested: Improving on a Winner, Our 2023 Subaru BRZ Survived Its First Winter, 2024 BMW i5 M60 Looks to Be Another Promising EV, Our Tundra Embarks on 40K Miles of Truck Stuff, 2023 Lexus RZ450e Tested: Good Lexus, Just-Okay EV, Winnebago's eRV2: Cozy Cabin, Constrained Range, 1975 AMC Pacer Tested: A Fresh-Faced Novelty. Section 8D in the Service Manual. It could be as simple as a bad wire or connector in my case. "But if you want the technology image, you have to take those risks. / Buick Reatta eBay. Lay a rag under the idle air control housing to catch the screws My '89 CRT recently shows an E041 code (Cam Sensor Circuit), in addition to an E034 code (MAF Sensor Voltage Low). Buick got dead serious about the Reatta and even built a special assembly line at its Lansing, Michigan, facility. Employees were really into those cars and worked hard to make sure that each one had good finish and quality," he said. only things i can think of are: ignition coil pack, ignition control module, map sensor, dirty or bad MAF, cam position sensor (if these had those?) As for the design Buick settled on a two-place coupe. ok thanks ill be sure to check that to if it does come down to the bcm or the cps would either one of thoes off of a 1988 park avenue work i know that might be a dumb question but i dont know much about my reatta and i have a park avenue sitting in my back yard. I'll keep the advice/instructions in mind for a weekend afternoon. Envo gratis en artculos seleccionados. Seth Rose Good luck. 1) read and record codes (C)urrent are more important than (H)istory. Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from The American Spectator | USA News and Politics. You didnt already forget the Buick Cascada, did you? What plugs get pulled to check valve covers? the vehicle is warm that suggests fuel probably is ok and so is spark. Gotcha, so maybe this may have been some weird incident. Checked all fuses and relays and ground connections to no avail. This was well shy of the return Buick had in mind back in 86 at the projects genesis and far short of what GM corporate was willing to float. And a CRT touchscreen? We said to ourselves, 'Hey, if we're really going to be market-driven, we have to look at what they tell us.' But as we said that went to Cadillac with equally dismal results. Do the same for this block, and check the condition of the fuseable links that enter it. Sign up for a new account in our community. Sign up for a new account in our community. The person that sold it to me did not seem too concerned and showed me to just switch it off. would seem to indicate it leaked out unless you are indicating it somehow held two qts inside the valve covers or the valley. i cleared the codes afterward so tomorrow when we get back to putting in a "test pipe" in place of the cat, and cleaning the interior ill try to check and see what code/s its throwing now.

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