Buick Reatta Discussion Forum
A forum for discussing and sharing information about the Buick Reatta. Come in and make yourself at home!
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Recent Posts
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Hi All, I've put my Reatta up for sale - I have other projects that I need to focus on, so I unfortunately am unable to get the dashboard and lights figured out before selling. Here's the details: Short Story: 1988 Buick Reatta Mileage unknown (Dashboard not working) but I have service receipts from 2001 showing approximately 90K Repainted a couple months ago Reupholstered recently Starts, drives, stops Lockport, IL Nick - 630-240-1859 $3900 Long Story: I recently acquired this Reatta through a trade deal. The previous owner had it for about a year, and believes he got it from the 2nd owner. I found a stack of receipts in the car detailing all the service for the first 12 or 13 years of its life, and the last few receipts are dated 2001 and show the mileage around 90,000. The previous owner owns a body shop and painted the car just a couple months ago, and the paint is really beautiful. I noticed a couple fisheyes on the roof, but otherwise it's a very nice job. When I got the car, it was stubborn to start when cold and there was an oil leak that appeared to be coming from the intake manifold, so I replaced the manifold gasket. While doing that I replaced the injector o-rings and associated intake manifold gaskets like the throttle body, cleaned out the EGR valve, replaced the fuel pressure relief valve, installed a new thermostat and thermostat housing, installed a new upper radiator hose, and installed a new PCV valve. No oil under the car since this, but she's still stubborn to start when warm. Previous owner says he replaced the fuel pump, and I replaced the fuel pump relay, but still takes about five seconds of cranking to start cold. She starts right up when warm. Drives and handles very well, no suspension noise. I'm surprised by how much power these cars have, and how comfortable they are to drive. Car stops very well and brakes feel firm. No pulsing or grinding. CRT is functioning - radio works but the antenna is stuck in the up position. The dashboard is completely dead except for the ABS light when you first power the car on. There are also some other electrical issues, such as the headlights not opening (only the parking lights come on) and none of the courtesy lights come on, so I'm hesitant to send the dash out for a rebuild since I suspect the problem is power to the dash. Previous owner installed a new light switch to try and solve the dash and headlight issue. As you can see from the photos, someone applied a window tint and then the previous owner tried to remove it from the rear window. I got more of it off, but don't want to risk damaging the rear defrost to remove the rest. The tint on the side windows is flaking a bit at the edges but presentable. Previous owner said that the car had been reupholstered before his ownership. The seats look really good, but could use a good cleaning. Material (I assume it's vinyl, but it feels like leather) is very soft and comfortable. The top of the steering wheel has wear, and the very top of the instrument panel housing is discolored. All glass looks intact; I checked and didn't see any chips in the windshield. Surface rust underneath, but no real rot. I'm headed back out to my shop today and can take some undercarriage photos to add. I have a few spare parts, including a CRT control module, horn button, old light switch, and a few pieces I don't recognize. All in all, a nice car with all the hard work done - brand new paint and nicely upholstered seats. Work out the electrical gremlins and this is a good car to enjoy. Feel free to contact me with any questions. -
Fuses and grounds are good. I'm going to stop here with the car because I have other projects that need to take precedence. I just put her up for sale on the AACA site. Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it. Nick
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Got the '91 Reatta's and '00 Eldorado's oil & filter changed along with their annual safety inspections yesterday (4/1) while the sun was out somewhat. Right now they both wait for the rain to let up hopefully by sometime Friday afternoon. Weather here has been cold and raw. Just want to get them out for some exercise around and about and down the highway with no stops anywhere in particular and no human contact by/toward me. Keep safe folks. -
Good idea! Here is some things to check. Wire Splice Repair -
Just for grins I would take the seats out and remove the front carpet then check the wire connections on both the driver's and passenger's side. Your "gremlins" could start there.
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