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The forum has been overwhelmed with an attack by spammers trying to register for an account, mostly from Russia. For that reason I have temporarily disabled new forum registrations. I'm hoping that the spammers will go away soon and new forum registrations can be restored. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

After two failures of brand-new AC Delco HR6 Compressors, I did some research and found that there is a known manufacturing defect, or "decision" as it might be put. For whatever reason, GM removed the dowel pin from the body of the compressor. Some speculate that it was done to make it easier to assemble at the factory. There is just one problem with this. When the unit is installed on the car, tightening the bolts without using shims to make the mounting surface fit perfectly flush with the compressor results in the compressor housing twisting and coming apart at the seams in the middle of the housing, and complete loss of refrigerant in short order. There are improved aftermarket versions of the compressor available that have dowel pins wisely reinstalled where they belong to keep the compressor body intact. Note that these compressors use PAG 46 rather than the PAG 150 of the original design. I hope this helps someone else who may be experiencing this problem, or prevents it from happening entirely.

Yes one of my horn buttons finally popped off/broke and I was facing removing my steering wheel and figuring out a better mouse trap. Don't know if I did, but check it out--I glued a pair standard foam earplugs, cutting a slot to fit along the plastic tabs, and glued the button back into place. Seems to be the exact depth, rebounds after making contact, and so far has stayed in place, even in the Los Angeles sun. I used Permatex clear RTV silicone adhesive. Too simple to be true?

Update: problem solved. It turns out that the blend door was sticking and with a bit of wiggling the arm back and forth, I was able to get it to the Max Cool position where it will stay for the summer. That How To Guide here was so helpful. Thanks again ROJ

Just today hit 333,200 miles on the Red of which almost exactly 220,000 were put on by me. Bought the Red in December of 2006 for my 50th birthday. Flew to Fort Lauderdale to get it. Bought it from a private party and drove it home. Took the rest of the fly in day and the next to get home. Had my first experience of sleeping in a Reatta with 16 way seats!

The servo was used on multiple GM cars in multiple years. take a walk through a you pick yard and look for a lower mileage Buick. Once you get it off suck on the big hose nipple. If it holds while you have vacuum on it, it probably is good.

Greetings to the Reatta community. I recently purchased a 1991 Reatta that was featured on Barn Finds, and listed on Ebay. It was a one family car since new, in pretty nice shape, 63K. Red with saddle interior. Not my favorite interior color, but the red/tan combo looks good enough for me. It was shipped from Cincinnati down to it's new home here in Florida. Arrived on Tuesday, and has gotten a wash, clay bar, wax, and started fiddling with buffing out the oxidized tail light and front running lights. Interior is in good shape, but will be totally gone through as well. The only issue that does need attention sooner than later is the not cold AC. I was amazed to see the car has a "service AC" light on the dash. I will change out all the light bulbs to LED, upgrade all the speakers, and maybe the head unit to something modern with either XM or Bluetooth. Looking forward to learning about this great car thanks to this site. Peace, John

I was able to purchase them at my local Lowes store. There is an assortment of them in drawers in the hardware section.

No, they are solid aluminum and can be buffed. The top layer is anodized and really should be stripped and then buffed. When you are finished you have bare aluminum. I took mine off and stripped them, then I took them to a fellow I know and he polished them, only the part that shows. To keep them shiny I polish them with a product the polisher recommends. It's called " White Diamond."

My reatta isn’t nice like most of the ones in here but very soon it will be my dad painted it put rims on it and changed the seats for me to like it 10yrs ago everything else on this car is original from 1989 when it was manufactured as a teenager I didn’t think much of it I’m a little older now I’ve fell in love with it the 1st time I spent money on in April of this year its just the rarity and Chase of finding parts. Boy when I tell people the parts are for a 1990 Buick reatta with 73k original miles the responses and reactions make me fell as if brand new Porsche… Can’t wait to hear the responses my kids get with it

Look at that! Both a Mustang and a Reatta can coexist in the same garage!

I had to install an axle in my Reatta a few years ago and this is what I remember. The axle and transmission splines have to line up properly to get the axle started inside the transmission. I don't remember anything else that needs to be lined up. After the axle slides in so far it will seem to stop. Then you will need to put a large screwdriver, or something similar, in the grove shown in the photo below and carefully hit the screwdriver with just enough force to get the axle to pop over the snap ring to lock the axle in place. As the FSM instructions said, don't push or pull on anything except the part of the axle that has the grove in it or the CV joints could come apart.

I'd been having intermittent issues with rough idle, and rough running. I've cleaned the MAF sensor, I've cleaned the IAC, I've replaced the crank position sensor. No change. I was on the verge of replacing the ECM. But while I was under the car replacing the crank sensor, I noticed a foul viscous sticky goo on the frame, that seemed to have come from above. The slime was beige, with a greenish tint to it, really nasty looking, very sticky, and impervious to WD-40 and Goo-Gone. When I traced it uphill, it was leaking from the seam between the coil pack (Motorola) and the ignition module. I removed the coil pack, and sure enough, there was a crack on the bottom side with this gross slime oozing out. I had to clean a lot of slime off the wiring that connects the coil pack to the Ignition module. But replacing the obviously failing coil pack didn't change anything, which really surprised me. Inspired by Daves89 post about the ignition harness on his '99 Regal having been the problem, I thought I'd take a look at my Reatta's ignition harness. First step was unplugging the ignition harness from its socket on the ignition module, and that's when I discovered that the wiring harness connector and socket on the ignition module were both fouled with the slime that had leaked out of the old cracked coil. I tried electronic parts cleaner, but the slime was unimpressed. Lots of scraping and digging with tweezers and tiny screwdrivers got much of the goo off of the connector, but there was still plenty of sticky residue on everything. I was concerned that something as aggressive as carb cleaner might soften the wiring harness connector, but as it was useless anyway, unless I could get the slime off, I gave it a try. Carb cleaner did the trick. I wrapped a rag around the connector to keep the cleaner from removing paint or anything else important in the vicinity, and cleaned the socket on the ignition module the same way. Finally, I sprayed off all the goo that had embedded itself into the wiring bundle, hoping that carb cleaner doesn't soften wiring insulation either. After putting it all back together, she started right up and idled smoothly. A short test drive was similarly uneventful. As the problem has been somewhat intermittent, I'm hesitant to say I'm home clear, but it does look like the slime was actually the culprit.

Update: SOLVED! I was about to give up and return the Delco coil pack and ICM, but for fun I put the old Magnavox pack on and it wouldn’t work either! I did I did a little googling and came across this old post: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/332605-1990-reatta-occasionally-wont-start/ His problem was that the coil pack wasn’t grounded. I already thought of this, or so I thought. I double-checked and tightened the bolt where the ground wire goes from the engine to the frame. I had loosened it to get to the screws for the coil pack and I thought I had tightened it enough, but I hadn’t. Once I tightened the bolts for both the ground wire and the coil packs, both coil packs worked! It just wasn’t grounded “enough.” Of course I removed the Magnavox one and installed the Delco as has been recommended to me by many people. So the good news is that yes, a coil pack from a 3300 engine (in this case a Buick Century 1993) is the same part and will work. hopefully that opens up some junkyard options for people. Thanks for the helpful comments.

another project completed that made a huge difference in how the car was running and idling, i went thru the dx screen and codes , had a code for the cruise servo, ordered a new one on Rock Auto,. installation took all of about 20 minutes, maybe 30 once vac lines was replaced since the connection was cracked on the old one and broke off inside the hose, but once that all was done , took it out for a test drive and i guess that was one cause for vac leak and why the idle was slow and varied up and down. now it is steady and constant idle, and the cruise now works perfectly. Drove to work today and enjoyed being able to set the cruise on the highway for my 20 mile commute.

Try www.car-part.com

or try www.car-part.com Very simple easy to use website. there's 4 of them within 200 miles of you for less then $200.00 with the lowest $70.00. You can drive over and pick it up along with the extra parts you also need.

We need some background on the charging problem. Was the battery not being charged the reason you installed the new alternator? Or did the problem start after you replaced the alternator? Any additional info you can give us would be helpful. Don't assume the alternator is good just because it is new.

Edit: nevermind, culprit seems to be two fuses were blown/corroded

I put new wheels on the driver side and left the old stock wheels on the passenger side, then pulled it outside and took a few photos for comparison. This sealed the deal for me. I will be swapping my tires onto the new wheels soon. I think I will be very happy with the wheels Gary gave me. Before I got my Mustang Gary said he would help me with parts if I bought one but I wasn't expecting this. I offered to pay but he refused take anything. He's a good guy.

I found the issue. To answer your question, it would idle fine with my foot on the brake and other foot lightly on the accelerator. I looked under the hood and way down by the ac drier, the link hose to the vacuum accumulator tank was rotted and broken. Changed it and now it runs fine. I will be going through all these hoses this weekend. The plastic one for the climate control appears to have been changed and is in good shape.

Just installed a compass mirror from an Olds. It has the map lights, auto dimming and compass. It was a direct plug and play. No harness adaption needed.

The Regal has been running great. Hate to say it, but I like the extra room the Regal has so I use it more and more. One of my cars has to stay outside [the Regal] so I only drive the Red when I know the weather is going to stay nice.

The hood might just be stuck. Hold the hood release lever out and get someone to push up and down on the front of the hood and see if it pops up. I had this very same thing happen on an old Mercedes I bought and it took me quite a while to figure out why the hood wouldn't open.

I have 4 servos in my parts bin and never replaced a one. Use the one off your parts car. Next week I will turn 331,000 miles on the Red of which 220,000 were put on by me.

You, can use any small air-tight tank to replace the vacuum tank.

I built a 12 X 12 shed in the backyard just for spare parts.

I had submitted a reply earlier but I see that it was lost. I am not so rude as to ignore either the information given me on this site or Ronnie's very kind request for an update. My axle did not have a grove, or any place I could hammer on to seat the snap ring so my only option was using my hands to push as hard as possible. I did put the axle in but never got that satisfying click or clunk that allowed me to feel confident it was properly seated. It sounds like it's turning the gears in the transfer case, but I figured when I installed the knuckle and hub I'd get a good idea of whether it was in as far as it is supposed to be. About that time I noticed I neglected to install the boot and stop on the new strut rod so I had to remove the strut assembly to correct that moment of stupidity. I then decided I did not feel the new strut, which had been in my garage for years, was working properly [the seals probably dried out] so I ordered a replacement that put the whole project on hold. I was then offshore for a few days and just returned. The strut should arrive today or tomorrow so I hope to have a more definitive answer on how this project went after that.

I've been active on a few "owners web sites" (cars, boats, RVs,) over the years. This has always been an issue. Someone asks for help, a lot of guys jump in, but there is no " Hey guys, I'm back on the road/water" thanks for the help. There doesn't seem to be a way the solve this..... No closure............

I don't see a lot of wobble, although there is a little movement. It is called a flexplate, essentially sheet metal, and is designed to have some flexibility. The crankshaft can have up to five or six thousandths of endplay and the torque converter floats in and out. I think some of the visual is actually the counterweight appearing and disappearing.

Standard operation for Federal Reatta's: fog light switch on and the lights will go on and off with the ignition switch. Bear in mind, all lights except headlights will now operate with ignition.

Burning smell and smoke? Yeah I think it went bad...

My Reatta sat in a garage/pole building (concrete floor, but no heat) for two years after my father was no longer able to drive. The interior was covered with mildew and there were several mouse nests under the hood that would smell like, well, hot mouse pee when I drove the car. Meticulous inspection from up top and under the car revealed all of the locations. Shop vac with crevice tool followed by steam cleaning got rid of the mouse issue. The interior cleaned up readily using standard cleaners and leather conditioners. I cleaned the carpets (without removing them) with our household hot water extractor unit and everything looks as good as it should for a car with 26k miles. I used Febreeze on the carpets and also sprayed some into the intake for the HVAC when it was running.

I had to run a wire from the engine compartment into the inside of the car to a toggle switch. I didn't do it the expert way. I did it the easy way. 🙂 If you look at the base of the steering column where it goes through the firewall you will find a rubber bellows like seal around the steering column. You can use a sharp pointed awl or similar tool to pierce a small hole in the rubber seal (smaller than the wire) and then force the wire through it. That will give a good seal around the wire and you won't have to drill any holes. Someone may have a different idea on how to do it but that worked for me without doing much damage to the car.

It used to be easy to walk into any auto parts store and get what you need but not so much today, The LN3 was discontinued in 1990 and while similar to the Series 1 there are some small differences. You will want a gasket set for the timing cover, which should have not just the case gasket but also a new crank seal, new o-rings for the heater pipes and maybe one for the oil filter adapter but that can stay in place when the cover is removed. Definitely replace the magnet if doing the timing chain set, also called an interrupter. Replace the formed water bypass hose which connects the intake manifold to the water pump area. There is no reason to replace the harmonic balancer unless the rubber face is getting cracks in it or missing pieces. Yes, replace the CPS. The timing chain set is up to you, but I have always recommended the genuine GM part, chain made by Morse, due to the smoother top surface which rubs against the plastic chain damper. Be sure the chain damper is the correct one, not just the style. There is one for counter-bored and chamfered bolt holes. Usually the chamfered is the correct one. In case it comes up while gathering parts, it is a three bolt cam.

You might also try installing a camber bolt that will allow for somewhat more camber adjustment then the OEM bolt in the knuckle. I like them because the installation is so easy and once in, alignment shops do the camber adjustment as part of the alignment without any additional charge.

Not related to my car, but the black 88 that my son purchased from Daves89. He was having random loss of brake boost, first noticed on a recent warm day here. While the brake pump ran, and would come up to pressure, it was slow to do so. The fluid level drop appeared normal for an operational accumulator. The pump even sounded weak or slow. He decided to go to the local junkyard that Dave is very familiar with and I had warned my son that Dave had mentioned it looked like the days were numbered for being able to mine the available donors. In any case, he found two complete boost pumps which he salvaged. We had made plans to test the salvaged parts but before we could get together he installed one of the pumps and it now sounds much healthier and lights now go out much more quickly. We also verified that the later model pump with the steel pressure line can be substituted for the 88 pump that uses the high pressure hose. The thread sizes are different but a simple thread adapter bushing can be installed in the larger opening of the late model pump and the smaller banjo style bolt for the hose threads right in. Pump with steel line is M10 x 1.0, and the early pump with the hose is M8 x 1.0.

Something to think about... 🙂 The Quotes of Steven Wright: 1 - I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. 2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back. 3 - Half the people you know are below average. 4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. 5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot. 6 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good. 7 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 8 - If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain. 9 - All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand. 10 - The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. 11 - I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ..... But she left me before we met. 12 - OK, so what's the speed of dark? 13 - How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink? 14 - If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. 15 - Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. 16 - When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. 17 - Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. 18 - Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now. 19 - I intend to live forever ... So far, so good. 20 - If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? 21 - Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. 22 - What happens if you get scared half to death twice? 23 - My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder." 24 - Why do psychics have to ask you for your name 25 - If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. 26 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. 27 - Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. 28 - The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. 29 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. 30 - The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. 31 - The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up. 32 - The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it. 33 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film. 34 - If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. 35 - If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?

I put them on all 4 wheels. Helps with tracking and stopping. I have had them in the past and dedicated snow tires adds a lot to driver confidence.

Just got back from my long day driving. 355 miles and no hiccups. Ran like a top with some long drives, short drives between appointments and numerous start and stop on the ignition. Also checked the gas mileage and got just a tad over 30 miles to the gallon. Pretty impressed!

About your unrelated question about the brake fluid reservoir and fill mark. I'll attach a photo of an article regarding brake pressurization and fluid level that I keep in my Reatta to show any mechanics that work on my brake lines that require adding brake fluid. Invariably, mechanics unaware of how the Reatta system works will over-fill. I got the instructions somewhere on the ROJ.

Welcome to the forum! Popping and crackling is usually cause by bad capacitors in the radio and/or bad speakers. The original speakers have paper cones and will rot and come apart over time. Reatta Owners Journal - Radio Capacitor Replacement

Yeah, I agree that some chrome wheels are needed. Even though it has the "premium" wheels for that year, it has the same problem the stock Reatta wheels have. They look too much like hubcaps. They don't add much bling to the car. In my opinion wheels can completely change the look of a car. I'm just waiting for the right wheels to come along locally at a good price.

Since this is a recent purchase, it would be a good idea to replace the O2 sensor just as a maintenance item. The comment about the o-rings above would seem to indicate perhaps some service work was performed incorrectly as well.

I don't see how changing the timing chain could cause that code. Since it is sporadic the culprit might be a problem with the EGR valve. The EGR has three ports and one of them could be sticking in the open position randomly causing a lean mixture. I would check the EGR first before doing all the other work you described. BTW, you can open and close the 3 EGR solenoids using the onboard diagnostics while the engine is running to see how they respond. If you cycle them repeatedly maybe you can catch one of them sticking open when it should be closed.

Yeah, I took some pictures of my Reatta there. It's a popular place in the center of town for taking photos of cars. The mural is there to remind people that Kingston was once called the "peach capital". Over a million peach trees were planted in this area. It was a huge industry that died almost overnight when a blight hit the peach trees and killed them. My house sits on land that once a peach orchard. I always wonder who the old man in the mural is supposed to be and why he is looking so intently at the back of the young lady picking peaches. 🙂

I would disconnect the motor and check the connector to see if 12 volts is getting to the motor when you try to open the doors.