"Sometimes in a day, I might drive two or three," he said. A little more to the rear above the coolant overflow tank is another Power Junction Block. As we rolled up the miles in comfort, however, it occurred to us that somethingsomething importantwas missing. / Buick Reatta eBay. Keep in mind that the touchscreen is a seperate device from the CRT. The Reatta, Qualman counters, is a good fit because it's not a pure sports car: it's a two-seater done the Buick way. Hello I have a 1988 Buick Reatta that won't start. Thanks to plenty of steadying understeer, even drivers of modest talent will find the Reatta difficult to upset in hard corners. or maybe a failing crank sensor (though from what i know those will cause a crank no start but i could be wrong) any help would be appreciated. I don't think that anything is wrong except for the fact that your car thinks it is in Park, which is why only the radio screen works. A dedicated assembly line the Reatta Craft Centre spelled Euro-style to summon the wanted aura was created in Lansing, Michigan, where the cars would be partially hand-built by workers specially trained for the task in a series of successive staging areas, with the paintwork handled by PPG Industries, also on a dedicated line. An underwhelming total of 21,000 Reattas were sold over four model years before itwas discontinued after 1991, in part because the underlying E/K platform on which it was built was scrapped. We challenge Qualman by asking him what, precisely, the Reatta is doing in the 1988 Buick lineup. It's easy! It got GMs new 3.8-liter V6 with port fuel injection and counter-rotating shafts to counter the V6s inherent vibration. For reference, the same-era Regal Grand National coupe was 200.6 inches long and rode on a 108-inch wheelbase. Underhood, it's one-size-fits-all: the only engine offered is GM's new 3.8-liter V-6, called the 3800, which is smoothed by a balance shaft and produces a respectable 165 hp at 4800 rpm. Do you mean the defroster doesn't work or that you can't run the climate and other controls thru the touch screen? Excerpted from the forthcoming (eventually) book,Doomed. You will hear the clicking sound when the terminals are not quite tight and yours are most likely corroded and loose. In other words: a low bar. This car was designed not for enthusiastsfringe radicals to Buick's way of thinkingbut for people who can be satisfied by nice transportation. I recently got into a small accident and dented in the right side of my Reatta's hood and light. Upon close examination, you'll find no new and exciting technological breakthroughs in the Reatta. 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. Mileage now at 145k(mostly highway at this point) did a tuneup after timing set replacement, haven't done a compression test yet, and I've been staying within 5 of speed limits. I have an 88 Buick Reatta, I was having the same problem this weekend. Hello I have a 1988 Buick Reatta that won't start. Thats basically how it was designed, then it got productionized to fit its E/K platform and taking into account assembly line restrictions. 1989 Buick Reatta Coupe FWD-Maintenance & Repair. An ASC-designed Convertible version of the Reattawith a vinyl or cloth soft top and glass rear windowwas offered starting in 1990, and the design was improved somewhat for 1991. Compra con confianza en eBay! Copyright 2020 Reatta Owners Journal "The ones that run best are the ones with over 100,000 miles on them," he claimed. Give us a car that's easy to get in and out of, that has a trunk.' checked lots of wiring to parts of the engine/sensors and the engine harness all appears to be just fine. Common Problems . Qualman has the imposing stature of a retired NFL linebacker and the earnest face of an all-American kid grown up. The division is supposedly retrenching to traditional family-car ground. Any help would be much appreciated. Weve always said GM works in mysterious ways and there is no better example than the Buick Reatta. Instead, each car-in-progress is shuttled from one build station to the next by an automatically guided vehicle, and no car is released from a station until the workers there are satisfied that they have done their job right. The car is doing fine on fluids now, no burn on coolant or oil anymore, and again no contamination. Its basic design still thwarts easy control of subsystems; you can't, for instance, adjust the climate control or the stereo when the engine gauges are on the screen. Calibradores traseros y soportes para Buick Reatta removed the coil pack from the ICM and it was pretty gooey under there and leaking pretty bad which i read is a way to tell its bad (and it was a mess). By Seth Rose January 30, 2011 in Buick Reatta. The problem was 1) the technology wasn't quite up to the task and 2) the typical Buick buyer got scared away from blinking digital information blasting from the instrument panel. I don't really have the cash or time at the moment to break down the engine, as it's currently my daily, so I opted to go for a crankcase stop leak and it worked, spectacularly even. And aft of the seats, under the sloping rear window, is the kind of storage space you find in king-cab pickups. 1988 Buick Reatta | Retro Review - YouTube After the fasteners are removed, lift the front connection up first and then pull the pipe out of the rear. eBay Buick Reatta. Sitting across his broad conference table from us, he wants to talk cars. Golden! The 1991 model fuel pump wiring is not the same as earlier models. would seem to indicate it leaked out unless you are indicating it somehow held two qts inside the valve covers or the valley. 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. Introduced on the 1987 Buick Riviera, with which the Reatta shared many of its underpinnings, it was the first setup of its kind. It has an electrical problem detection light on every time I start the engine. the vehicle is warm that suggests fuel probably is ok and so is spark. Now we're up to the how and the where of the development saga. Free shipping for many products! And, yes, the Reatta is easy to get in and out of. 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. This startled me, and The crossover pipe is relatively easy to access. Then the Reatta came along. I would like to add that checking fuel pressure would also be a good idea if you haven't done so. /* Buick Reatta Not here. No more oil loss and performance restored. 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. I have a 1988 Buick Reatta with a nagging A/C problem. (The goal is 15,000 Reattas a year.). Workers could take their time. Most of the lights and accessories are controlled by it. Please type so that we might understand you better. "They were all handcrafted at the Reatta Craft Center in Lansing. "You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car" Buick Reatta Questions - Electrical Problem - CarGurus Seth Rose August 1, 2021 in Reatta Owners Journal Forum. Seth Rose. Please make yourself at home. also the blower motor at one point decided to randomly turn on and stay on so we unplugged it for now. There is no stop or other indicator that they are tight, just a feel and then test for leaks. Now, who is the customer if not a Buick buyer? In order to make the car even more halo-worthy, the Reatta was built in a specially repurposed production facility in Lansing, Michigan, known as the Reatta Craft Center. Welcome to the forum Ryan. "The more we dug into it, the more we found that there was a group of buyers who wanted a kind of sporty orientation but still wanted a practical carone, quite frankly, that a fairly well heeled guy could give his wife. we were wanting to get the important (mechanical) side done first before moving on to electrical. Concern For 1988 Reatta Engine - Buick Reatta - Discussion Forums This meant that the car had to feature decent (but not blistering) performance, along with competent handling and refinement, voluminous cargo space, and a spacious interior. So 165 hp and a zero-60 time of nine seconds flat combined with fully independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes started things off. The instrumentation featured digital cathode-ray tube (CRT) gauges, and the center console housed a shockingly complex CRT touchscreen that controlled HVAC, entertainment, diagnostic, and supplemental gauge functions. You didnt already forget the Buick Cascada, did you? Like the Allant, it's built on a shortened version of the Riviera/ Toronado/Eldorado/Seville chassis, but any other similarity to Cadillac's two-seater is pure coincidence. No puddle underneath and no dripping down the side of the engine that I could see. 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. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. By being a two-seater it had limited buyers. The folio containing the owners manual and warranty paperwork was signed by the supervisor on duty at the Reatta Assembly Centre when their particular car came off the line. I heard tiny 1990 Buick Reatta runs great for 10 or 15 miles..then dies,, suddenly..no lights no overheating,. 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 . Qualman emphasizes that the two cars were developed independently and are different in critical dimensions. He has put dye in the freon systems and says there are no visible leaks. It is a sort of ball and socket arrangement. .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. 1990 Buick Reatta Coupe FWD-Maintenance & Repair. Copyright 2023, Antique Automobile Club of America. Contact Us - DO NOT EMAIL CAR QUESTIONS. I try to post after work and I never seem to get my point across. "Wide enough that you weren't bumping elbows with your passenger," Qualman said. As far as I'm aware, the bottom end is entirely original. It was internal as far as I can tell, there wasn't any sign of an external leak. Engine Control Problem Detected - Service Engine Soon - Buick Reatta The customers said, 'Give us comfort. removed the coil pack from the ICM and it was pretty gooey under there and leaking pretty bad which i read is a way to tell its bad (and it was a mess) The plug wires are new as well as the plugs, though they aren't of "OEM" AC Delco quality i figure they shouldn't cause any issues, given they made it idle a lot better after we did them. I assume the coil pack should also be replaced at the same time, definitely couldn't hurt since it too looks quite old etc. But Buick had a plan. Is my radiator fan working? - Buick Reatta - Discussion Forums Sign up for a new account in our community. The comment about going through two qts. He makes solid eye contact. When Cadillac opted for the Pininfarina-designed, two-seat Allant, McIntosh's sleek design became a Buick exclusive. The Reatta was one of those oddballs that got through the pipeline only to find no one there. 5/21/2014 3:01:17 AM 1989 Buick. 82,095 littlehorn answered 14 years ago This is a very common problem with the digital dash. Gomberg believes the Buick V-6 and GM four-speed automatic are nearly bulletproof; he's seen Reattas at the Buick Club of America's annual "Reatta Reunion" with nearly 300,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. 1988 Buick Reatta Base | Hagerty Valuation Tools . Red 1988 Buick Reatta Coupe with two doors and a sunroof. after we drove it back from a little wash it was hunting in idle (said CEL came on but we didn't get a chance to check the codes) but on the way out to the wash i pulled the codes and they were all history codes and were: E041, B448, B552, C553. . Powered by Invision Community, im not seeing the list of reatta suppliers at the top of the page. Knowing that Buick was on the lookout for a new two-seat, sports-luxury design, David S. McIntosh, assistant chief designer in GM's Advanced Design Studio No. Notably, the GN stopped selling well whenitwas downsized. couldn't tell you as i didn't know what to look for yet for it. Braking is handled by four-wheel discs with standard anti-lock control. Other British concerns were tapped for tooling and low-volume manufacturing expertise. 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. "We did do the convertible, but the car was not designed as a convertible from the start, and it didn't have the rigidity," said Qualman. Checked and secured battery and also charged the heck out of it (a depleted battery of < 10V is NOT enough to secure the electrical). The Reatta program was approved for production in August 1984. It seemed to clear things up within a day of using it. My Reattas: 1988 Posted August 1, 2021 If no codes it could be anything weak in secondary ignition ( ICM, coils, plug wires, plugs. Doomed: Buick Reatta (1988-91) - The American Spectator In part this was because it was light about 3,400 pounds for the coupe. The last two-seater Buick left the Reatta Craft Centre renamed the Lansing Craft Center after the funeral on May 10, 1990. To ensure ride quality on par with European personal luxury coupes, the Reatta had a fully independent suspension, unlike the Grand National which still used a solid rear axle. "But if you want the technology image, you have to take those risks. Update: the ICM and Coil pack did fix the issue, however it still has a light throttle misfire/hiccup but otherwise it has good power and responds to more load and throttle/rpm etc now and does so smoothly and cleanly. The result was a dismal 6,383 combined Reattas sold. i pulled the vacuum hose off the FPR and no fuel came out so i presume thats working properly. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies. Industry: Employment Services , Services to Buildings and Dwellings , Other Support Services , Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing , Other Specialty Trade Contractors See All Industries, General Freight Trucking , Lessors of Real Estate , Business Support Services , Employment agencies, Help supply services, Building and office cleaning services, Packaging and labeling . The Reattas screen would sometimes go dark and when it did, you no longer had control over the climate or other touchscreen-only functions, such as the stereo. eBay Buick Reatta. 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 starter interrupt relay is what prevents the starter from operating. The Reatta's suspension is fully independent, with struts all around, coil springs up front, a transverse plastic leaf spring in the rear, and anti-roll bars at both ends. They told us that what they wanted was an affordable Mercedes 560SL. immediately stomped the brake. If no codes it could be anything weak in secondary ignition (ICM, coils, plug wires, plugs.