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Reatta Won't Start - Sudden Death


Posti

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I have not had the first hiccup from the Reatta in two weeks - running perfectly.  I drove it out to my parents' today, then to Cracker barrel, and back again to my parents'.  My mom wanted to see the inside, so i stuck the key in to start it up, and it didn't.  Cranks over great, but either no spark or no gas.  I just replaced the oil pressure sending unit this afternoon as a possible culprit for an intermittent engine code error - my first thought was that the new part had failed, but I think the Reatta has a separate circuit through the starter that power the fuel pump until you release the key.  Could be the coil packs or the fuel pump.  Time to diagnose!  Hagerty has free towing, so I will see about getting it home to work on.

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Swap the relays on the firewall. My fuel pump relay came out of the holder and landed on the manifold and melted. Might be the quick fix you are looking for...

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When you get it home basic no-start troubleshooting is needed. Check for spark - check for fuel pressure. When you know which one is missing find out why. When troubleshooting a Reatta a fuel pressure gauge is a good tool to own. It takes a lot of guess work out of the process.

 

I don't think the problem is a bad oil sender but as Dave said, the fuel pump relay is a likely suspect.

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Hagerty brought the car home on a flatbed, and I met the truck at the house. As I was figuring the best way to push the car up into my driveway, the driver started the car right up and drove it into position! He said the car started fine when he picked it up. I tried several times last night and it was just spinning. My chief suspect at this point is the Fuel Pump Relay, which seems the most likely culprit to be intermittent. I'll go ahead and replace it with a new one just to be safe. I have also been told that the original square coil packs can fail with no warning and cause the same symptoms. Depending on cost, I may go ahead and replace them as well. Although i would prefer to have positively identified the issue, it is nice to have the car running!

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Hopefully the fuel pump relay will fix it but it is common for the ICM (ignition control module) to fail when it heats up and restart again when it cools off. Look on the side of the ICM and see if there is any gray.green goo on the side. That is a sure sign that it is on it's way out. You can upgrade to a Delco ICM and coils that is a better ignition system.

ICM-magnavox-2.jpg.dafb46a38e0217f7cab986243396cdb8.jpg

ICM-magnavox-4.jpg.2ae1f415e60655b22d3f3f9c29c4e446.jpg

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If it is your ignition coil and ICM here is a hint.

On my 88 the ICM (3 bolts) attaches to a plate connected to the engine block. By placing fat washers to keep the base of the ICM from touching the plate will keep it somewhat cooler and helps prevent your new one from melting or overheating.

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If it is your ignition coil and ICM here is a hint.  

On my 88 the ICM (3 bolts) attaches to a plate connected to the engine block.  By placing fat washers to keep the base of the ICM from touching the plate will keep it somewhat cooler and helps prevent your new one from melting or overheating.

 

Although that might seem like a good idea to keep the ICM cool, this should be considered before doing it.

 

  1. The ICM grounds through the plate it is mounted on. It is important to make sure the mounting plate is clean of dirt, grease and rust (and not painted under the ICM) to ensure a good ground.
     
  2. I believe the mounting plate might be intended to act as a heat sink for the ICM to help disperse the heat thru the plate since it is mounted solidly on a flat surface. If the ICM needed air cooling you would think GM would have put holes in the mounting plate to allow air flow to get to the bottom of it.

Just my 2 cents. :)

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I made my way back to the local Pick-N-Pull salvage yard today and picked up a complete Delco ICM/coil pack assembly for $34 (plus another $6 climate control fan module).  I followed the instructions exactly as provided in the transplant article Ronnie pointed me towards.  I followed them so carefully that I also had to go back for a second unit, as the first was bad.  Oh, well.  The second setup worked perfectly - no guarantee that I have solved the no-start issue as it only happened once, and the car started up every time I tested it this week.  However, I have taken care of three of the more common issues brought up by other members:  the fuel pump relay, the oil pressure sending unit, and the ICM/coil packs.  I also ended up with a  spare Delco ICM and base plate (The guy at the counter knows me from many past visits and let me have them as compensation for having to drive back out again.)  Many thanks to Ronnie and the other folks here who provided invaluable advice.  Oh, I did install the unit with three MGB manifold washers to provide air flow  under the ICM assembly.  Ronnie may be right about the heat sink idea, but I think the 1/4" airflow underneath will be more helpful.

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