Jump to content

1988 with instrumentation issues


DAVES89

Recommended Posts

About 2 weeks ago I got the Black out of storage to prep it for winter driving. Almost immediately I had instrumentation issues. First thing was all dash and CRT lights inoperable. After talking to a couple of forum members we determined that the Central Power Supply was bad so I swapped a different one in and all is good... for a week. Then the CRT started acting up on its own by going blank as if it had no power coming to it. It would work for a period of time [no consistency in how long] then go blank screen and no changes using either the hard buttons of touch screen and then coming back on [with no loss of settings. 

 As discussed I have replaced the CPS and just now the CRT Controller and the CRT still does the "blank out" routine. My next step is to replace the CRT as I have other working units.

 Any other ideas? I did have some codes and cleared them out and are waiting for the screen to work again so I can see if any are there.

 I will mention that prior to the "blank out" I would get a warning "beep beep" [and the tone buttons are turned off] with the climate changing from either Heat or Econ over to Auto which would trigger the beep beep as the A/C is inoperable on this my winter Reatta.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you checked to see if the radio screen comes on when it goes black? If it does it could be a RAP issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I swapped back the ccrt I removed this morning and everything works again. I lost radio presets and the tone has to be deactivated. Codes are E042H, B335H, and C331H

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like every time you change something the problem is fixed and then it pops back up. Maybe a loose connection but hard to say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't say it is fixed because I removed it because the CRT issue was intermittent. The one I replaced it with made the issue permanent. So now I have put the original back in probably making my issue once again intermittent.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, DAVES89 said:

I swapped back the ccrt I removed this morning and everything works again.

I think I misread this earlier. It took this to mean you swapped the CRT controller but now I believe you meant you swapped the CRT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I think I misread this earlier. It took this to mean you swapped the CRT controller but now I believe you meant you swapped the CRT.

Was not too clear on that. I replaced the ccrt controller with a different bone this morning and it worked once. I then later today put the original one back in and so far it has worked for the two times I drove the car [to dinner and then home again [about a 3 mile round trip] with the original in. We'll see if it was just a connection [I did put dielectric grease on the CRT connection].

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went out to Gibson's today and got a shifter panel, CRT, and the Temperature Control Module. All are installed, module in the Red, the other two in the Black.

 All work great except the CRT is goofy with the reminder page. I didn't think it was part of the CCRT program. Also keep getting a E042c the E042H. Gotta check that out. But so far no loss of CRT function. However I can't program the reminder button.

Edited by DAVES89
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"But so far no loss of CRT function. However I can't program the reminder button." Keep in mind that the CRT and the touchscream/buttons are two separate and independent  modules. I'd swap the touchscream first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Padgett said:

"But so far no loss of CRT function. However I can't program the reminder button." Keep in mind that the CRT and the touchscream/buttons are two separate and independent  modules. I'd swap the touchscream first.

And that's just it. I played around with it some more and have it down to where it's a weird sequence where I have to press the status button to kind of put it in "Nuetral" and then I can program the Reminder. And this morning it put up "I'm cruisin with Dave" which I put in years ago. But when I go to look for it all that is there is "Hi Melody" [my granddaughter].

 Also I had to turn off the chime reminder but everything else was saved. This CCRT is out of a 1989 Riv [56000 miles Gibson junkyard not tested] but has the same part number. Keep in mind that of the other two CCRTs, one wouldn't light up the CRT and the other [the original one] would work intermittently. I do have one more in inventory to try. This last untried one came out of a working/running Reatta. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When have A Lot, the Kent Moore CRT Tester J34914 can be found for $50 if patient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it is the CRT but I made an offer on Ebay for one. In the last two months two of them went for less then $40.00. He wants $74.00 plus freight. I offered $40.00 plus freight. See what happens...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I got my car back. Yesterday was a rough day where I put over 300 miles and got about 21 miles a gallon, so I went through a lot of fuel. So today I put back in the ECM that came with the car. You might remember I had an ignition/running issue that turned out to be a loose Crank sensor. I swapped numerous parts including the ECM trying to track it down, so when I started having e042 codes I really thought that it was I should swap back in. Glad I did as the car runs so much smoother.

 Tomorrow I swap out the muffler as I have a rather sizeable seam split. The one I'm replacing is an aftermarket one that the original owner installed.

 Then I should be done for awhile again...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have 4 back up ECMs. Over the years I have acquired two extra proms but they are 1989.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to say that I was to the point a couple of days ago that I was just going to call 2seater to give me an offer and I would just get out of winter driving a Reatta. The days are shorter and colder and typically I am busier with work and can't afford down time with this car. Remember I have the Red in storage and the vert in Texas so just getting another car to drive isn't so easy. 

 If you guys remember just a few months ago I had that crank sensor issue that hid itself so well that I swapped in all those parts trying to figure out what it was. Then after it caused such a misfire that I started a small car fire, I figured it had to be the crank sensor. There were a couple of other things that went wrong and then when  just this last week the CCRT controller and now the ECM, and with the split in the seam on the muffler I said this is it.

 I have most of the replacement parts on hand and Gibson's to go to for parts I don't have, and I am developing the expertise to do the repairs but still it is getting to be a grind. 

 But as I said now that the work is done and the car is running good, its what I like driving, and it's a real conversation starter with both clients and people on the street. It has also become part of my identity. My oldest granddaughter likes to get my Reattas and read the message I put in the CRT's reminder to start a conversation.

 So a little venting and I am good for now. The Red will never leave me. Of all the cars I have ever owned that is the one I like the best.

Edited by DAVES89
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Glad you decided to keep it.

It's a beautiful car both inside and out, and I too am glad I still have it. But I did buy it to be a future "parts " car for the Red.

But it still comes down to trust. I have to trust that when I leave in the morning and drive a good distance that I will get back. When I left on Thursday at 5:00 am and the car kept throwing code e047 and the engine was surging with poor gas mileage I really worried about getting home. I should have addressed it the night before but I didn't think it was going to run like it did. Every so often the ECM would correct itself, the code would not be current but history only so I knew it was the component and not the wiring. 

 Also the reminder programing now works as it should, I no longer lose the presets, [radio, temperature, time/date].

I trust Buick's engineering, but the "silver boxes" are 34 years old now and can fail. Maybe I should start carrying an extra BCM and ECM just to be sure. I can swap either one out in less then 30 minutes and I always carry my junking tools. 

 Something to think about. 

  • Agree 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...