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New to me 1989 Coupe


89RedCoupe

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7 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

This is my go-to spark checker that I use in the garage. You just lay the U shaped tip of it on the spark plug wire and the fluorescent tube to the left of the word "Champion" will flash if the wire is getting spark. The U shaped tip rotates so the flashing tube can be turned toward you when the tip is on the spark plug wire.  A lot of mechanics carry them because it is the shape and size of an ink pen and it can be carried in you shirt pocket so it's always handy when you need it.  I've had this spark checker for over 30 years and it still works.

 

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There's a number of those on E bay starting at about $25.00 delivered.

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9 hours ago, DAVES89 said:

Or go to Harbor Freight and get one of their spark plug wire testers. They cost less then $10.00. Years ago I thought about buying 3 of them and putting them on the front bank just to see them spark... 

I asked for six of them a few years ago and I did similar to this and did them all at the coil. Interesting light show and you can almost see the reverse polarity on some or it could be imagination?

 

Below is an explanation of ignitions like ours. One interesting thing I found years ago on my 4.0liter Ford Ranger also with waste spark: I found the factory plugs were a single platinum type but the platinum was on the center electrode on one side of the engine and on the side electrode on the other bank, and they carried different part numbers, so this is not a myth. The below is from NGK,

 

 

Waste Spark Ignitions

Like most automotive systems, the ignition system has undergone many changes. One example is the Distributorless Ignition System, or “DIS” for short. This system was first introduced in the 1980s. The distributor, cap and rotor in a conventional system were replaced by coil packs. The new DIS system proved to be more reliable and required less maintenance.

The earliest DIS featured a bank of coils; one coil for every two cylinders. Each pair of coils would provide power to two spark plugs. Each of the two paired coils would fire the paired spark plugs simultaneously, one on the compression stroke and the other on the exhaust stroke. Since one plug is fired on the exhaust stroke, serving no real purpose, the system was known as a “waste spark system.” This style of ignition has negative and positive polarity sides to the coil; meaning the spark plug also has positive or negative polarity.

It is important to know that in a waste spark ignition, both the center firing electrode and ground electrode will see gap erosion. In plugs with a positive polarity, most wear will occur at the center-firing electrode. Plugs with negative polarity will experience more wear at the ground electrode. As a result of this, vehicles equipped with waste spark ignitions often use double precious metal spark plugs, such as the OE Iridium® or OE Platinum®. These dual precious metal plugs feature either iridium or platinum on the center-firing electrode and platinum at the ground electrode. Because these electrode materials are denser, gap erosion is reduced, allowing a longer service interval. Since these materials are denser, this will reduce gap erosion, thus leading to a much longer service interval. The use of nickel-alloy or single precious metal spark plugs in vehicles equipped with waste spark ignitions will result in more aggressive gap erosion and shorter spark plug life.

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On the subject of ignition system stuff...  Does anyone make the coil wire bracket kit for the front cylinders?

 

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I bought a Dorman branded water outlet from Autozone, but it needed serious work in order to be useful with the thermostat seal. I put the 195 degree unit back in and initial gas mileage figures jumped up a couple of MPG already. The battery was only holding about 11.5 volts, so I spent another $135 for a 2 year O'reilly's auto parts store battery which they installed for free. I had to reset the clock and date, but driving at night suddenly a warning message came on about low pressure in the AC system!

I spent about an hour coaxing out the rear ABS sensors to see if they were clean or not. One had a big buildup of iron filings and the opposite side somewhat less. I hoped that this might cancel out the ABS warning light that has been on solid since I bought the car. So far, no luck. 

 

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Great.....better gas mileage now that the water temp is getting up to normal and allowing the computer to thin-out the gas mixture.

I wonder why one side of the rear brake sensors had a big build up of iron filings, and not the other side.  Was it hard getting the screws out, or what was the biggest issue with pulling the sensors out?  Do they fit as tight as the design on the front sensors?  I have not tried to remove the sensors on my 89, as I first wanted to see if my ABS light issue will be gone from the work I did on the front.

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On 1/3/2020 at 12:28 AM, 89RedCoupe said:

On the subject of ignition system stuff...  Does anyone make the coil wire bracket kit for the front cylinders?

 

Are you asking about the two piece plastic wire routing loom on the front valve cover? The only source I know of is the salvage yard.

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Yes, I wondered if they were available from some other model or application. 

 

New problem last night... well actually a few.. 

 

Warning came on for low refrigerant in the climate control....  Still seems to be cooling, but I guess there is a slow leak somewhere. Seems to have R135 fittings on the system. I can deal with that later as there isn't much need for AC at this time of year.

 

I drove the car at night, last night and all of the control buttons for lights and wipers, etc were not backlit, so I had to find them by touch. What controls those? The instrument panel control lever works to turn on the inside lights, but doesn't seem to affect the instrument lighting.

 

Being that this car came from VA, there is a lot of corrosion underneath the car. The muffler is looking pretty suspect, but still quiet. Are there replacement parts for the exhaust system or will I have to get a muffler shop to fab up something that works?

 

Thanks for all the replies to my numerous questions and concerns.

 

 

 

 

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Another one...  how do you change out the belt tensioner pulley without losing a finger or two? Sounds like the bearing is getting noisy. I see pulleys available for cheap $$ on eBay. 

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24 minutes ago, 89RedCoupe said:

Another one...  how do you change out the belt tensioner pulley without losing a finger or two? Sounds like the bearing is getting noisy. I see pulleys available for cheap $$ on eBay. 

Long 18mm wrench or socket on breaker bar on the center bolt head and remove the belt. This is a left hand thread bolt so pressure is toward the firewall to relieve tension and slide the belt off. Note: the bar will travel further toward the front as the spring tension is released after the belt is off so allow hand clearance for overtravel on release. Then the bolt can be removed with a clockwise rotation. 

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89 Red.......Hey, if you think about it, start taking pics as you are working on your Reatta, and post them along with your comments.  You say there is alot of corrosion underneath since the old girl came from Va.  I also live in Va., and the Reatta I just bought was here all the time, but there is no corrosion on the bottom......I guess this one slept alot in the garage over the winters.

 

But it is kinda hard getting underneath pics with it only raised up with jack stands:

In this pic you can see that the oil pan has a plastic shield on the right side.  I noticed that there was a slight oil leak on that end, and it was due to the fact that this plastic cover must be removed before tightening the oil pan bolts on that end........and i guess the prior owner did not want to deal with the extra effort.  So, those end pan screws were pretty loose.....you may want to check yours also.

 

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Up close:

 

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That worked perfectly.. new repro tensioner rollers don't have the guide edges on them, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. Thanks again.   

 

Gas mileage average is creeping up to 22.5 so far.  Gets a 65 mile freeway trip tomorrow.

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25.5 mpg readings today. These cars seem to like a 195 degree thermostat....  

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4 hours ago, 89RedCoupe said:

25.5 mpg readings today. These cars seem to like a 195 degree thermostat....  

Warmer is better for mileage as well as steady hiway cruising. Not so much for performance and rubber and electronic components under the hood. All things are a compromise. I am glad to hear things are looking up.

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I have wind noise coming from around the window post on the driver side. The rubber all looks good, but it whistles at freeway speeds.

 

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59 minutes ago, 89RedCoupe said:

I have wind noise coming from around the window post on the driver side. The rubber all looks good, but it whistles at freeway speeds.

 

Well that's 2 mpg right there... lol

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I have wind noise coming from around the window post on the driver side. The rubber all looks good, but it whistles at freeway speeds.

 

Maybe I will duct tape the door closed and just use the passenger side.....

 

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4 hours ago, 89RedCoupe said:

I have wind noise coming from around the window post on the driver side. The rubber all looks good, but it whistles at freeway speeds.

 

I think you might be able to adjust the window to make it tighter but I don't know how to do it.

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27 minutes ago, 89RedCoupe said:

Maybe I will duct tape the door closed and just use the passenger side.....

With their age our Reattas are prone to having AC problems. Maybe you should consider adding an air conditioner when you tape up the window. ?

 

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The AC is working, but I got a low refrigerant warning the other day.

 

 

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