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On a 90 it is left of steering column under the dash, BUT, the 91 has a different ECM so maybe things moved, and it should have a cover over it that says "do not remove". Don't the onboard diagnostics work?

Yes! Here is what I bought. HEADLIGHT CRANK ASSEMBLY REPAIR KIT BUICK REATTA | eBay

Tested a few accumulators with Daves89. It turned out the latest one that was claimed to be good is in fact NOT. 100psi gas charge, maybe. Double checked a couple others that we had labeled previously and they tested @ 800psi, good and ~400psi, below minimum but will work as a temporary. This confirmed my rig is still operational and the first test wasn't a fluke. Exciting times😎

Great looking car. I like the color. Reattas are pretty much unicorns.

Here's my 1989 Reatta. Only one I have ever seen in real life. These cars are pretty much unicorns over here in Europe.

If it were me I would stick with the white plastic gear if it is in good condition. I see nothing to gain with the brass gear. I've not known of one of the white plastic gears failing... but maybe they have. I see a potential disadvantage to using the brass gear. The right and left headlight motor/gearbox assemblies are different. When you open the gearbox on one side (the left if I remember correctly) the white plastic gear and drive shaft assembly will pull right out with no problems. On the other side, the white gear must be forced past the worm gear that drives it to get it out of the gearbox. The plastic gear has enough give to allow you to do that but the brass gear may not. Otherwise you have to remove the electric motor from the gearbox to move the worm gear out of the way. When you do that you take a chance of breaking the small screws that hold the motor to the gearbox. It is common for those screws to break. It's a big headache to get the broken screw out so you can install a new screw. I believe the brass gears were intended to be used in the Pontiac Fieros that were prone to breaking the plastic gear. That system used switches to shut off power to the motor. If the switches failed, and the motor didn't shut off, the white plastic gear would break. The Reatta has a different system with a electronic headlight control module that senses the current driving the motor. It will shut off the motor before the plastic gear is broken in normal operation. It will also shut the motor off after a certain period of time if the motor keeps running due to bad rollers or a bad crank arm.

Frequent issue with most headlights. The bouncing is probably a bad and rounded crank. The continued running is likely due to shot bushings. The shot bushings look like "rice" as shown in the photos provided by Ronnie.

Below are the two things that usually go bad. Crumbled rollers inside the gearbox and the rounded out bell crank arm that attaches to the shaft. You will want to replace the rollers, sometimes called bushings, when you open the gearbox and possibly the crank arms depending on condition. Unless your plastic gear is stripped, which is unusual, you won't need the brass gear. Don't take the screws out of the electric motor on the end of the gearbox. It only makes the job harder. Carefully remove the three screws to open the gearbox as shown in the last photo. Instructions for removing the headlight motors from the car are in the How-To guides here on ROJ.

Hi Ron, Sorry, I can't recommend a repair shop in your area. Do you have the skills and tools to do the work on it yourself? There are lots of people on this forum with the knowledge to help you troubleshoot it and fix it if you can do the work. It would be helpful if you would describe exactly what is flashing. Is it the touch screen in the center of the dash or the instrument panel? The more details you can give us the more we will be able to help you.

1988 Buick Reatta has "electrical control system" for heat, radio, messages, etc. It flashes, being very unstable & becoming a pain in the ass. One was "ordered" & found to be defective. The dealership said they had a "source" of finding replacement ones & has had it for one week, having no calls about the car being "fixed". Wahlburg chevy, in Avon Lake, Ohio has it in their shop, having numerous issues with it. Is there a "pro" who could advise any possibilities on troubleshooting this "before it's time" electrical control system? The vehicle has but 89,431 miles on it & is pristine minus this issue. PLEASE HELP.. IS This the reason these Reatta's sold for $28,300.00 in 1988 or why they only mfg. them from 1988 to 1991??

Padgett, thanks so much for your reply and for the link. With testing, I was able to narrow down the trouble and repaired the cold solder joints. I now have two working displays! (Its always good to have a spare). Thanks again and have a great day!

See here. Is essentially a 6" TV.

I grew up in the days of black and white CRT TVs. Things like that happening weren't too unusual. We would beat on them and sometimes they would come on for a while, but in the end they would quit working completely. CRTs can fail in many ways. Sometimes there is just a thin line in the center and sometimes it just goes black. Young people just don't realize how trouble free TVs are nowadays.

I am new to site so excuse me if item has already posted and answered. I have a blank instrument cluster on a '89. I put a new battery in so it should have power. I have no idea what the issue could be.

Sent Eddie an eMail. Have a 5A fuse in there now and seems to be happy. Seems odd the size is not marked anywhere I've found, implies a booklet. I do not have.