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It really wasn't until I put my known good ignition module on that I thought it was something to do with the wiring. Before I was swapping first coils and then the ignition module and old coils and finally a known good module/coil set up that I knew something else was wrong. First test was just disconnect the harness and reattach it and it would fire. Next time wiggle the wires at the ignition module without removing the connector and it would fire. I then took a close look at the harness and saw it was only a 3' harness with 5 connectors. Went to the Buick dealer and one left in the country at $200.00. Went to Rock Auto and a Dorman was $85.00. Amazon was $110.00 for the same Dorman. The Dorman was a nice replacement, looked to be of good quality. Only connector that gave me trouble was the crank sensor. It started going on so hard that I had Kendall make the connection as I didn't want to damage the pins on the crank sensor causing more work. Only things I had to remove to get at everything was the engine shroud, serpentine belt, and water pump pully. Front to back time about 45 minutes. Gotta love the 3.8!

2Seater, I've been using a battery maintainer on each of my cars that get stored in the Winter for a number of years now. In my opinion it beats having to go through the "learning process" with each car every Spring. Also, I've never had any issue with "over/under charge" of each car's battery despite a few rumors that have crossed my way over the years.

Doing it on a Ranger makes no sense but doing it on a Mustang that is supposedly a "high performance car" is just plain crazy. It's got a fiberglass hood and trunk lid, aluminum overhead cam heads, limited slip differential, dual exhaust from front to back and huge roll bars for handling. Then they install a fake oil pressure gauge? Whoever came up with that idea should have been fired.

Yup, found the same thing about my 97 Ranger, and you can’t just replace the sender with a true variable one either. The system won’t allow for it. The only solution is a stand alone gauge😑

I'll bet that was it. I had a similar thing happen on a Chevy Cavalier. Wires going between the ECM and the ignition pickup inside the distributor (same purpose as crankshaft position sensor) ran under the battery tray. Battery acid had run down and got into the wiring harness underneath the battery where those wires were. The battery acid had soaked the wires and discolored them shorting them out even though the insulation was still intact. The voltage from the pickup in the distributor was so low (0.9 volts I believe) that almost anything will short it out and cause the engine to stop running. I worked on it every evening after work for a week before I figured out what was causing the engine to randomly quit running. I replaced those wires and the problem was fixed.

I'm no longer able to tell stories about troubleshooting my Reatta but I do have an interesting troubleshooting story about me wasting several hours of my time by making an assumption about how something works. Since I got my GT I always wondered why the oil pressure gauge went up half way to the "normal" position when I started the engine cold or hot and stayed there all the time no matter what the RPM. That seemed odd to me so I temporarily installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge on the engine to make sure I had good oil pressure. The mechanical gauge showed 75 psi at idle on a cold start and then it went down to 35 psi at idle when fully warmed up. Spec in the repair manual is 20-45 psi at 1500 RPM when hot. I had 49 psi at 1500 so oil pressure is great. So, in typical Reatta thinking, I assumed the oil pressure sending unit was bad and replaced it with a new one. Still the gauge in the instrument panel read "normal" all the time. Bad gauge? NO. After reading on the forums I discovered all GTs of similar model years as mine have the same "normal" reading without the needle ever moving just like mine. The gauge isn't a real oil pressure gauge at all. IT'S AN IDIOT LIGHT in the form of a needle on the instrument cluster gauge. The oil pressure sender I replaced is just a switch that closes above 6 psi and tells the needle in the gauge to move to the normal position. Either the gauge reads "0" as it does when the engine is off, or "normal" no matter what the real oil pressure is as long as it's over 6 psi. For me, the oil pressure gauge is the most important gauge on the dash of a car. You can't even make the gauge on my GT work as a normal oil pressure gauge that actually reads pressure by installing a real oil pressure sending unit. It wasn't designed to do that. What were the fools at Ford thinking when they put a oil pressure gauge like this in a Mustang? Even a real idiot light would be better than this stupid gauge design. Rant over 🙂

Yesterday the car threw codes again so over by Kendall to get it read and cleared. Fortunately my Dorman harness arrived and I replaced that as well. Cleared the codes and once again they are gone. Took a close look at the removed original harness and saw that where the harness goes to the crank and cam sensor it goes between the heater hose and engine block. The loom was melted away and the wires were very stiff and partially melted together. So I really think this is it and hopefully I am good from here on out. I did cut off the plugs making extra short pigtails because as Kendall said it never hurts to have extra pigtails laying around on a 25 [Regal] year old car and two 30 plus [Reatta] year old cars.

I ended up having the compressor, dryer and the little valve in the line replaced. As I was sitting on about 10 cans of R-12 I stayed with the r-12. Also had the antifreeze flushed and filled as the radiator is in the way of getting the compressor out. Ready for spring!

Mine was leaking at the two rubber seal that the reservoir mounts on. Most people think they are just insulators but there are holes at the end of the legs on the reservoir. If they are cracked one can lose brake fluid that way.

2seater, one place to check for a leak is inside your car, on the drivers side floorboard. My previous Reatta was leaking from where the rod from the brake pedal goes in the back of the Teves unit. Ended up swapping out the whole Teves unit. Never heard of any other members here having this problem, I'm just lucky I guess.

The usual springtime startup ritual, actually two days ago, but a May 1st target. This is the first time I left the battery in the car, in a history dating back more than three decades, and used a battery maintainer instead. The car is stored in an unheated garage/shed six feet in the air on a lift. I still found a couple acorns, chewed, on the vents at the base of the windshield. The varmints must be ninja's 😁 Started and ran perfectly as there was no learning to be done like after a battery disconnect. One item did appear that will bear watching and that is brake fluid level. I have the larger Hydac accumulator purchased from Spinning Wheels several years ago and it does drop the fluid level in the reservoir more than the standard amount. I noted the level was a little low at startup but everything was normal for the first mile or so, then the red brake light came on. Tried the parking brake, that's not it. Checked the brake feel and if the pump ran, all okay, but the level was much lower in the reservoir than I have seen before. I tried rapidly pumping the brakes to deplete the accumulator and the light went out, indicating to me that the low level warning light was the cause for the warning. This has not been a problem in the past but I suspect as the accumulator ages, and greater fluid is required to fill it, the actual fluid level will become more important. From a topped off level to fully pressurized, the fluid level will drop from the top of the level tag to just below it, so the capacity is substantial. I guess it is time to bring out the test rig and estimate the gas precharge and health of the accumulator. Oh joy👍

ICM (Ignition Control Module) Ignition coils ECM (Engine Control Module) MAF sensor (Mass Air Flow) CPS (Central Power Supply) Generator (alternator) Drive belt tensioner Fuel pump, strainer, & deflector Oil pressure sensor Rear struts (if you have $$$)

For a new owner, is there a list of recommended parts to get backups of?

Makes sense, appreciate the feedback. I figured since there's a lot of things that could be related together it would help to keep it together. I'll try to break it down into at least related pieces. Thanks Ronnie!

Welcome to the forum! You have packed a lot into one post. That is OK, but I would recommend you start a new topic for each problem, beginning with the one that is most important to you, and work your way through each one until you have resolved the problem. That will avoid a lot of confusion. With one large post that has multiple problems it is hard to follow what is being said about each of the problems you listed as people start offering suggestions.

Jim Finn has them as well.

It looks like this is becoming a common problem where older parts are no longer stocked, but Rock Auto shows several choices yet. The sender was only used up until 1990 on the Reatta as newer models with the 3800 have a different operating pressure (higher).

The deck lid is held up by a clip. Your repair of the clip evidently is not working. You can get a replacement from East Coast Reatta Parts. https://www.eastcoastreattaparts.com/collections/interior/products/convertible-tonneau-cover-hold-clip

Welcome. It looks like you have quite a job in front of you. Regarding photos; it sometimes helps to have a general overall photo with locations noted as well as the detail photos. I am just speaking for myself, but I do not have color codes and wiring configurations committed to memory🥴. That said, a couple of things are obvious and that is the area of the brake system in the engine bay has been converted to some sort of standard type brakes. The original anti-lock system is missing and the photo of the cluster of harness plugs is what used to plug into the motor and anti-lock module. You will probably have multiple warning lights related to brakes. I see the corner of what appears to be a cone type air inlet filter, and the sensor out in the open is probably the inlet air temperature, which is installed in the stock air filter housing. I do not know what is being referred to as an aftermarket MAF, but the photo appears to be the stock style setup with the protective loom covering missing from the last portion of the harness to the plug.

Greetings everyone! I have a 1990 Reatta convertible with a tonneau cover that likes to smash down on my head when I am folding away the soft top. There are two methods that may hold the thing up, but I haven't been able to figure out what the intent was and I am hoping someone can tell me? The first is a plastic C-shaped catch that is attached to the body cross piece between the tonneau and the trunk lid. It was cracked in my case, so I reinforced it with metal and repaired it the best I could. It now works "sort of". The second possibility are some rollers and two tension bars (similar to the design of a lot of more modern trunk lids). The tensioners are meant to lift the tonneau a few inches when it is unlatched. But they also catch on some rollers and I am wondering if that was the primary means of holding the tonneau up? Mine are not weak to pop the tonneau, so I am not sure if they should be adjusted. If they should be adjusted, there are three notches that could be used to tension them more. The shop manual says that there is a "J Tool" that should used for this, while the image in the manual shows a breaker bar being used. My Reatta does not have a bracket that will accommodate a breaker bar, so wondering if anyone knows what this magic J Tool is? Lastly (ok, not really), can anyone confirm that moving the bars to the notches closer toward the front of the car makes them more (tense?). The manual says, "The forward most notch will give the highest amount of tension." but I don't trust my reading skills. Photos attached...and uploaded in random order for inconvenience...sorry.

Where can I obtain an oil pressure sensor. I went to my local auto parts store and they show none available. Being a Buick 3800 motor I thought it should be easy?

Hi all, Brand new Reatta owner here and brand new to the forum, so don't hesitate to let me know the ins and outs, I've read a fair bit already so I'm trying to do my best for forum edicate! I recently acquired a 1989 Buick Reatta with 295km on the odometer for $2300, the guy I bought it from owned it for about 3 weeks and bought it out of a barn. Thankfully I took it off his hands as he wanted to attach a ski rack to it and make it some kind of off road abomination. The ownership history as I understand it, is that I'm the 4th owner. 1st owner purchased new 2nd owner was an older lady who died and the family lost the keys and it was stored, the engine bay is covered in dust and there's a number of odd impact points to the body which indicates to me it was stored long term in a garage/barn. The coolant tank also has some kind of algae in it (will be flushing and cleaning) 3rd owner bought it out of the front yard and trailered it to a mechanic to get a new key made, owned it for 3 weeks and sold it to me, however I did find a sticker for a shop in San Antonio on the inside door, so it may have been US originally. The downside is, he absolutely tore apart the interior in the short time he owned it as he was trying to sell the interior on ebay so there's a lot of broken plastic and when I got it, it was already half disassembled. I'm in the process of diagnosing a number of issues and trying to find the common threads so any help is massively appreciated. I'll write out the oustanding issues in point form and then provide background below - Sunroof inoperable (see photos, may just be missing fuse) - CRT screen is off (was on before without any issues, no dimming or flickering) - Park lights are on continuously unless I unhook the battery - Trunk unable to open from outside - Ignition Cylinder was replaced improperly need to manually push a piece inside the steering column forwards and backwards to start (likely source of many issues) - Cruise control light came on but wouldn't set speed - Codes/errors prior to CRT going out - B448 - E063 - Check doors (even when shut) - AC Coolant extremely low - Rear defog non functioning - Engine sensor harness unattached with an aftermarket MAF (see photos) - A number of interior pieces missing or broken including latch to trunk from inside, console latch, window buttons on center console, exterior trim pieces missing - Missing Cabin light? - Light open and retract system issues - Leaking Roof Sunroof When purchased the owner said it wasn't working and he was going to remove everything, I pulled down some trim to observe, there is a harness still and it looks like it's missing a fuse, I can't seem to find online what fuse belongs in there, it also looks like they've possibly stuffed additional foam around the sunroof? it doesn't seem trimmed correctly. CRT When I bought it, the CRT was working fine and worked for the whole drive back to my house (2 hours). When I got back I went to my friends house and we poked at it for a sec noting that there was a harness in the engine bay that wasn't plugged in and an aftermarket MAF, upon touching the wires the engine RPMs dipped so we left it alone for the time being. When I got back in the car the CRT was out, I still have the physical buttons working and light up on touch but the CRT has been out since that point. I still have console lights Park Lights This was an issue the former owner didn't seem to be aware of, so possibly was not an issue prior to purchase, in an attempt to turn them off he almost smashed the button in which I stopped him from doing (an ongoing theme is him using brute force instead of assessing the situation). From what I've read this is a RAP issue and likely linked to the ignition cylinder Trunk Interior button doesn't open trunk, doesn't seem to be an exterior latch option or if there was it's been removed Ignition Cylinder The only work the previous owner did aside from an oil change and new battery was have a mechanic replace the ignition cylinder, this will need to get redone as they didn't rekey any of the doors and the door cylinders do not match the key. The key can turn almost freely forwards and backwards but I need to stick my finger in to move a square piece forwards or backwards to start or shut off the car, assuming this may be related to park light/CRT issue. Cruise Control Cruise control light was coming on at time of purchase but wouldn't set speed, later in the drive it would not light up. Upon looking inside the fusebox the fuse is blown, so that may be remedied there, may also be linked to engine bay harness issue. Prior to the CRT being out I had these error codes B448 and E063, it also said to check the doors being shut which I assumed had a lot to do with this guy ripping out the interior, I also can't turn the park lights off so it remains parked with the battery unhooked when I'm not working on it. Engine Sensor Harness Honestly this one is a bit baffling, I'm not sure what these belong to but I'm sure they're not meant to just be hanging out. The aftermarket MAF lines are extremely shredded as well. The duct taped line is a vaccuum line that was just sucking air so I figured it's best to just close it off. Light Opening and Retract Issues When I open the lights they pop up right away, however the right headlight motor can be heard running continuously for an extra 10 seconds with some clicking seeming to test resistance, I dissassembled yesterday and greased up everything as it all was quite dry and tried tightening things up but still persists. Also the retract button only works if I shut them off first, is this the norm? Leaking Roof The day of purchase it was raining sheets and I ended up getting soaked driving home anytime I had to stop. I'll assume that this is more a matter of replacing the seals around the sunroof, as all the window and glass seals look well, they look 35 years old and unloved. However it does present the risk of water touching electronics In the time I had yesterday to work on it, I managed to get the seat controls working again as they were non functioning at time of purchase. However if anyone knows anything about the orange/black harness under the seats and if it serves and purpose that would be helpful. End goal with this vehicle is to have a fun summer car alternative from my pick up truck, I fell in love with these cars because of the dash so it's definitely a big priority to get that back running. A full restoration seems unlikely as there's been much interior plastic broken and the exterior needs a lot of love and possibly a whole repaint but I'm a handy/tinkering personality so I don't mind working on things as I go. Appreciate all help!

I am trying to diagnose intermittent non-starting of my 1990 Reatta Convertible. I suspect it is something to do with the anti-theft system. After reading what I could in this AMAZING forum, I went searching under my dash for the starter interrupt relay and the anti theft module. Not far in I noticed a disconnected module and would like to ask if someone can tell me what it is. It is located above a metal bracket above the hood release latch. Photos attached. The second photo shows the best pic I could take of the wiring associated with it. Pink, Green, Red, Blue. Thank you!

I get a in a lucky guess every now an then. Glad you got your problem fixed.

Update - Ronnie hit the nail on the head with this one. I pulled the brake hose on the left front wheel and the new hose indeed fixed the problem. It is so nice to have correct brakes again! Thanks so much!