Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 2:58 pm

Just picked up an '05 Vibe base today, 93K miles, maroon...The wife wrecked "ol reliable" ('97 Sentra, 196K miles, had it since day one, ZERO major problems in 14 years, never left me stranded) last week. Sad to see it go.Been lurking here for a few hours, surfing threads, trying to find info. Looking forward to finding those threads with all of the 'common problems'/'easy fixes'/etc (for instance, the GA16DE in the Sentra was known for needing new front crank seals and new upper chain tensioners at around 150K miles).I still gotta find one of those big present bows to put on top of the car so the wife will see it when she gets up Xmas morning. She's been wanting a Vibe (or something similar) for quite a few years now and I've been holding off for just the right deal...Let's see if this Toyota drive train will hold up as well as I think it will...which I'm sure it will.The only "issue" I've found so far (only 120 miles of driving it back from the dealer) is a tiny bit of VIBEration at idle. Neither of my 4 cylinder Nissan's had any vibration at idle. The engine runs nice and smooth, accelerates good, starts nice (cold and hot), get it just a hair above idle and it smooths right out...just a little bit of shaky-shaky and ONLY at idle.

Bedlam · Post by **Bedlam** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:33 pm

pull the MAF sensor and carefully clean it with the appropriate cleaner. Check the airfilter as well while you are at it.

TONY TAT2 · Post by **TONY TAT2** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:44 pm

Hi !

CAMOGIRL · Post by **CAMOGIRL** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:16 pm

Welcome! Many of us have that very low idle vibration... But cleaning the MAF takes care of the big deal stuff. You should go hide when you take her out and photo her face when she sees it!

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:25 pm

Ya, I'm going to have a couple of cameras running and she'll be able to see it from the living room thru the bay window. Hopefully she doesn't get up before me. I want to stuff it in the garage, but that's 250ft away at the other end of the driveway and I can't think of a good reason for her to go down there by herself. meh...living room is good enough...Saw the thread about MAF cleaning. Gonna have a look. Probably the same sort of thing I did for my '97 & '98 Nissan B14's...real cotton Q-tips & real high strength iso-alcohol, and a fair amount of scrubbing behind the throttle body (crud buildup) where the idle air bypass holes ran worked for me there.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:35 pm

seems to be generally strongly recommended to never touch the MAF with anything. Instead, get a can of spray MAF cleaner form an auto parts store, spray the crap off it.Unless your faith in the history of the vehicle indicates its not needed, might be worth a preventative changing of the tranny fluid and the engine coolant.

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:15 am

Welcome to the GenVibe family!

jkm311 · Post by **jkm311** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:47 am

Welcome to the family. And as the poster of the MAF thread, I know you will still have quite a bit of vibration after the procedure. Why? You've unhooked the negative on the battery during the cleaning and the ECU will be reset, and your idle will be VERY low until the system learns a few things. Hook the battery back up, drive it around for 20 minutes, and you'll be set. And if cleaning the MAF doesn't do it, check to see how cruddy the air filter is, whether you have a vacuum leak, or the motor mounts could also be shot. Nothing too hard to remedy. Hopefully simply cleaning the MAF does it. And as you probably read, the area to really spray well is not the amber tear-drop I originally indicated, it's the thin steel-looking wire UP & INSIDE the housing you remove. Spray that, but lean the assembly up-right so any spray you get in there will dry well before re-installing.Again, welcome, and I hope the surprise goes off without a hitch. No matter what, we will have an answer or 12 to any question you and your wife may have.

Post by **mkowdley** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 6:14 am

Hello!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:43 am

Welcome to GenVibe! Be sure and post how the Christmas surprise goes. Also, post some pictures of the Vibe when you get a chance .

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:01 am

Welcome to GenVibe!!!

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:35 am

Quote, originally posted by skimask Â»I still gotta find one of those big present bows to put on top of the car so the wife will see it when she gets up Xmas morning. How are you going to fit the Vibe in your living room, next to the fireplace & Christmas tree Welcome and hope however you surprise her that it truly is a surprise. Visit here often

zaxellord · Post by **zaxellord** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:25 am

Hi and Welcome. I hope she likes the Vibe.

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:08 pm

@joatmon - Nope, no faith here! A full set of new fluids (including a brake fluid flush, probably skip the P/S fluid though) and a complete tune-up (along with the MAF cleaning) is the first order of business when I get a free afternoon, as well as buying a chunk of carpet to deaden the noise a bit back in the hatch. Never had a problem wiping the MAF hot wire with the Q-tip on my Nissan's, but if you say to stay away, I'll go with that.@jkm311 - Yep, I'm familiar with the whole "ECU resetting itself" business. My 97 & 98 Nissan B14 don't care if I pull the battery. My '01 Dodge hates it.@tpollauf - Almost had it in there, but didn't want to take the doors off the hinges Pictures coming up. Nothing special at all. Regular ol' '05 Vibe Base, SALSA...I wasn't able to get pic's of her finding it or even a movie. She got up to go to the bathroom, I hauled out to the garage, grabbed it, hauled back, parked it in front of the big bay window with the bow on it. It sat out there for a few hours with the outside lights on before she finally noticed it. Everybody (about 15 of us) in the house was in on it except her.....and starting to get a bit anxious to get her out there to see it. But they all kept their cool. I finally grabbed the remote and started it so the headlights were on, and even then took her another 15 minutes to see it...and I had just set the camera down to grab a fresh drink.Oh well...maybe next time...like 50 years down the road when this car finally dies...or not...EDIT: Salsa, not Lava.

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:26 pm

And I forgot...First mod is going to be an install of an OBD2 reader/scanner/calculator that I built awhile back. The first version I built was bulky, didn't really have all the options I wanted, kinda ugly, etc. All of my previous vehicles used the ISO9141 protocol, which is a bit slow. Parameter updates on the screen were slower than I wanted, but it worked.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzd_ydoEGUk5 part video seriesThe 2nd version that I was working on for my (now wrecked) Nissan has a touch screen, color LCD, built in GPS, WiFi, camera, SD card slot for datalogging, and since the Vibe is CAN based, updates will be a lot faster, more real time, and it's all in one much smaller box. Once I get the programming all done, the color LCD touch screen will end up remotely mounted somewhere.(begin techno-babble)I'm also changing the processor from a PIC18F4685 over to a PIC32MX795F512L and redoing the PCB yet again. Likely have enough processing power left over to further modify this system to incorporate an FM receiver, MP3 decoder, USB mass storage device reader/writer, add a couple more chips, a DVD drive, a 2nd screen, and instant homebuilt in-vehicle entertainment system with vehicle interface. Lots of options come available switching from an 8-bit MCU over to a 32-bit MIPS based MCU.Anybody have a list of active PIDs that the '05 Vibe responds to?(end techno-babble)

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 12:06 pm

Notes after a day of thinking about it and looking over the Vibe:- Crossbars for the roof rails. Looks like there's a whole bunch of options out there. But jeeze...$100 and up for those things? What? They're kidding me right? I'm handy with a welder and a paint booth. Gonna make me a couple of cross bars, tray and a deflector.- "Vent visors" - I got 'em on the rest of my vehicles. Gotta find a good set.- Bug deflector. Another needed item up here.- Block heater. This one looks like a bit of work here. I couldn't find a decent hole in the block for the install, although I didn't look very long or very hard. On my other cars, I kinda "stack the deck"...block heater, lower radiator hose heater, battery blanket, one car has all that plus an oil pan blanket along with a low current trickle charger.- "Orange coolant" vs "Green coolant" (i.e. propylene glycol vs. ethylene glycol) - I got orange, I want green like the rest of my cars. Any upsides/downsides in this particular engine (vs the normal arguments)?- Headlights. Ya, those stocks headlight bulbs are going away when they finally burn out.- Hitch. The book says it can tow 1500 lbs. I don't plan on towing anything...ever. BUT...it would be nice to throw one of those hitch mounted racks back there. Again, I'm handy with a welder. Built a full size hitch mounted rack for my Class C RV. Strong as hell. Gotta find a decent kit to bolt up back there.If my reading is right, 2003 - 2008 Vibe's are practically the same with small variations. A part built for an '03 will likely fit an '08, and so on. Not a hard/fast rule, but should apply in most cases. Yes/No?I also noticed I've got throttle-by-wire. I'm not concerned in the least about that whole "engine run away" thing that's supposedly been happening to other Toyota's. Me and the wife are smart enough to throw it in neutral, step on the brake and pull the e-brake if needed, and shut off the key as a last resort. BUT...if anything in that system fails, you'll be stuck at idle right? Any thing noteworthy there?

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 12:39 pm

I have AVS Vent visors and like them. For twice the price you can get some in-channel ones from Weathertech. I installed a block heater for my Vibe, and its actually really easy. There is a hole on the block already, you just need the block heater from Toyota ($50) and it literally snaps into place. It'll take some finaggling, but it is on the driver side of the block, way down low somewhere. Any part from 03-08 will work on your Vibe. I could take any body panel, engine component, etc and put it onto my 04 Vibe. Pretty much all parts online just say "03-08 Vibe part."

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:30 pm

@KIT222 - Thanks for the info.Vent visors - Way back when, I was a bit hesitant to buy the stick-on type vent visors. I've had that type on one car or another for the past 16 years. No problems with them at all.Block heater - Noted. I'll get a better look in the light tomorrow. Front or rear of block for the hole?Took a look at your "garage".I'm digging those hood struts. Any more info on them?Same with the headlight mods, the "eyebrows" and "teeth". Haven't searched around yet for aftermarket pieces/parts. I'm sure I can Google the stuff when I get to it. I'm big into playing with electronics, so I'm thinking a "Knight Rider" kind of thing for those "teeth" would be kinda neat...multi-color RGB too. Something else to play with down the road.Savage huh? I'm originally from southern Mn, right next to Fairmont. Used to drive 13 (?) thru Savage every time we visited relatives up in St.Anthony and Woodbury. I don't like the Shakopee bypass, never have...Oh crap...now I don't know if my Vibe is "Salsa" or "Lava". I thought it was maroon in the first place!

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:52 pm

The AVS ones are stick-on only, but they've stayed put pretty well. The hole is near the rear of the block. The hood struts came off Ebay. The title stated they were for the Matrix. I absolutely love them! The eyelids are fiberglass and painted with black plasti-dip (a rubberized coating). I may do my spoiler in this black as well. They don't affect my low beams but highs loose a negligible amount. The teeth are just my lower grille block, to get my car to heat up faster in the mornings. Its coroplast, the same stuff elections signs are made of. Neat! Savage has grown a bit; we're up to 29,XXX population. I live near Prior Lake, south of 42 but still go to Burnsville high school. The Shakpee bypass is actually being redone, but only where 101 turned into 13. Its a big pain right now and no visible progress has occurred for some time now. If you don't know if you've got a salsa or a lava, and you originally thought it was maroon, you've got a salsa. Salsa is a darker red while lava is a bright red, like the stapler in Officespace.

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:07 pm

All noted... I'm surfing eBay right now to get some ideas of what's out there.Teeth - My bad...I meant the row of lights under your headlights.Salsa vs. Lava - That's what I'm thinking. It's more the color of your 222 than the KITT.Also trying to find some fairly tiny 7 segment LEDs or a really small LCD. Thinking eventually I'm going to open up that dead button cover under the A/C & RECIRC button and put a fuel mileage display in there...or maybe just use that for the connector for an externally mounted display. Who knows...too many options.It's been awhile since I've been on that road. Last time I went thru the TC and back home to southern Mn, I took I35/I90. Is Valley Fair still even open? Last time I went there was '94 or so. It was starting to lose it's shine back then.

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 6:40 am

Ohh, those little LEDs under my headlights... Those are just some cheap Ebay China LEDs I stuck on since my grille block blocks my other ones (which need replacing anyway). Salsa v Lava: exactly (apparently). I have a fuel economy gauge in my Vibe, actually. Its a Kiwi MPG and it plugs right into the OBD II port. It gives me instant and average MPG, money spent on fuel, engine speed, car speed, engine load, fuel left, it reads and clears codes etc etc... I love it. Again, ebay. Under $100. Oh yeah, Valleyfair is still open. I worked there over the summer. They've gotten some new rides since '94, but it still isn't anything special.

paulclassa · Post by **paulclassa** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 1:46 pm

Good luck, hey I live in Florida I was in Williston & bainsville Montana 90 days ago on Frac wells I drive a Saturn sl I bought a 2004 vibe fixer upper to make a trip to Dakota I needed room to haul gear & vibes have a ton of room & get 33 hiway I'll bet you think I'm nuts for thinking leaving the sunshine state for ND but I'm starving here & living on the bread line , no jobs here !!! My vibe has a bad engine & beat up body faded paint I think I can get on the road myself for cheap the weather here is 80 tempature I flew into Minot & ate at cafe in airport awaiting for a ride to bainsville hours away, they pay $80000 for school kids on oil wells & 120K for truck drivers & room & board I'm hoping to drive 2000 miles in my 2004 $1800 fixed up vibe to Williston in late march when bad weather is almost over wish me luck

paulclassa · Post by **paulclassa** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 2:04 pm

Look in glove box that is where paint codes are mine is 44u. Wa-721 h bc/cc red mica

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 4:05 pm

Nope, I don't think you're crazy at all...except for wanting to come up here without a good plan for housing, unless the company provides it, then that's a different story.I just retired from the military a couple months ago, and while I don't need the $$$, $100K/yr or more ain't nothing to sneeze at, even if it is consider "blood money". I can grab a job in Stanley, about an hour away from my house, and pull in about $90K/yr doing nothing but trans-loading.Next time you fly into Minot, if you got time, don't eat at that overpriced cafe in the airport. There's a small-ish Mom/Pop place just to the north of the airport on the main road, as well as a decent Quizno's Subs, Hardee's, and a few other places to eat right across the street.

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Thu May 24, 2012 12:03 am

Aye...it's been awhile...too much fun. Winter (easy), retirement (easier), 3 y/o kid (not so easy, but lots of fun)...

Handful of items coming up on the '05 Vibe...

1 - Front/right strut squeaks at low speeds, can't hear it at high speeds, but I assume it still squeaks. I can get it to squeak just by pushing down on the fender.
2 - Front end makes a noise at low speeds, same thing, assume it still thunks at high speeds but can't hear it. Just like my '98 Nissan, I assume it's the upper strut mounts thunking.
3 - And at the same time, the struts are OEM, so it's probably time for them to go (~98K miles). Any advice on which brands to stay away from? Looking at getting the same brand I got for my Nissan's, KYB. Same for the mounts, bellows, bushings, etc. Don't want to lower it, just want to keep it stock.
4 - Driver's side door interior window/lock panel button/facia is still broken, held together with a zip-tie. Can't find a new one. Any help?
5 - Driver's side door exterior lower 'trim panel' rear 3 clips broke a couple weeks ago, panel is kinda flopping around a bit. Saw a post in the 'Exterior' forum about fixing this. Hoping the '05 and the '03 are the same thing. Good timing.
6 - System voltage drops a fair amount with headlights on, blower on low, etc. Runs about ~14.2v above idle, but drops to 12.5v at low idle, again with headlights on, and the headlights dim enough to notice. Nothing wrong with the system itself and checked out a friend's '04 Vibe. His does exactly the same thing. Just comparing it to the other vehicles in my fleet which don't drop so much...
7. Front wheel well splash shields both have 'holes' in them, I assume caused by wheels full of snow/ice. Think it's even worth it to replace them?
8. Every door opening rubber weather-strip that goes around the opening has shrunk and doesn't fit any more. If I push it up in one the corner, it pops loose in the other corner. Replacement part numbers/sources anyone?

And the local Toyota and GM dealerships up here are useless...absolutely useless. Except for the PCM recall (which I didn't need), apparently, according to them, the '05 Vibe never existed because Pontiac isn't around anymore (GM dealer) and/or the Vibe isn't a Toyota (Toyota dealer). Clowns everywhere... I got basically the same story in Bismarck, except for one dude at the Toyota dealer, but I can't seem to find him anymore...and I don't live there. 120+ mile drive for parts every other week isn't in my future plans...

Pulled the old plugs (original I think) out awhile back. How were these things still firing? The center electrode was worn down to a nub, almost flush with the porcelain. If those would've been in my old GM HEI, they would've given up years ago. Swapped out the plugs, PCV valve, cleaned the MAF again, did the TPS reset thing. Slightly shaky idle = Gone. But one thing still remains, and I'm thinking it's due to the DBW throttle. When leaving a stop light, it seems like there's no room between idle and GO. The thing basically lurches outta there. The OBD scanner shows the TPS response as nice and linear when slowly pushing the pedal and there's no dropouts that I can see. Nature of the beast methinks.

Squeezing ~35MPG out of it over the highway, ~31MPG in mixed driving, ~26MPG with the wife driving ((removed)?).
2 oil changes came and gone, switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic. Oil stays real nice over the 5,000 mile change interval (in fact, I reuse the stuff in one of my lawnmowers mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with SAE30).

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Thu May 24, 2012 7:13 am

The only thing I can help you with is in dealing with Toyota: Never, ever, ever mention that you are driving/working on a Vibe. Always say "I need XXXX part for my 05 Matrix." I've heard of Toyota dealers asking for vin numbers, easiest way around that is to google some 05 base Matrix for sale and copy down one of their vin's.

If you're trying to get Pontiac parts from a GM dealer, go to a GM dealer that used to be a Pontiac dealer.... and bring your lucky rabbit's foot and Horseshoe!

zyzyix · Post by **zyzyix** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:55 am

star_deceiver wrote:The only thing I can help you with is in dealing with Toyota: Never, ever, ever mention that you are driving/working on a Vibe. Always say "I need XXXX part for my 05 Matrix." I've heard of Toyota dealers asking for vin numbers, easiest way around that is to google some 05 base Matrix for sale and copy down one of their vin's.

If you're trying to get Pontiac parts from a GM dealer, go to a GM dealer that used to be a Pontiac dealer.... and bring your lucky rabbit's foot and Horseshoe!

I'm not surprised with GM dealers. Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Hummer, and Saab are old news for GM. GM has been "reborn" and has moved on with the marques they have left.

journeyforce · Post by **journeyforce** » Thu May 24, 2012 6:30 pm

Try this site for part numbers and a ball park price on cost

http://parts.nalleygmc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Try these folks for the Toyota stuff

http://www.partswebsite.com/autopartspeople/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This outfit is run by Toyota Scion of Pullyulp(spelling???) Washington. They run a good business, with good prices and good shipping time. I have been satisfied with them since I had my 2006 Sonata

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Fri May 25, 2012 4:35 am

journeyforce wrote:Try this site for part numbers and a ball park price on cost
http://parts.nalleygmc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Took me awhile to find the right drawings, but I'm getting there. At least I got part numbers to work with.

Try these folks for the Toyota stuff
http://www.partswebsite.com/autopartspeople/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This outfit is run by Toyota Scion of Pullyulp(spelling???) Washington. They run a good business, with good prices and good shipping time. I have been satisfied with them since I had my 2006 Sonata

Not that it'll make much difference, but I'm going to be driving by the local dealer today, so I figure, to be a jerk, I'm going to stop in, give them the part numbers, ask them if they can get the parts, then back out and tell 'em I'd rather order the parts from out of state because the local guys are inept...just to be a jerk. Again, not that it'll make any difference other than me getting a quick laugh.

skimask · Post by **skimask** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:54 pm

Took the Vibe on a 7,500 mile trip, hot days, cold days, up the mountains, down the mountains, high speed, stop-and-go rush hour traffic, the whole nine yards...

I just got around to changing the oil today after I'd put 8,200 miles on it. Mobil 1 full synthetic 5W-30.
The stuff that came out...well, I almost hated to waste it. It looked too good to be true. Still relatively clean, smelled good, tastes great (less filling)...
I'm gonna mix it down and use it in my old lawnmowers.

Now it's time to get those squeaky struts and mounts replaced, rear door weatherstripping, driver's door switch panel, and a handful of other things taken care of.

Oh...and the wife just rolled it over past 100K miles on the way home from work. Only 200K to go before the odometer quits adding up...

Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (skimask)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (TONY TAT2)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (skimask)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (skimask)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (kostby)

Re: (mkowdley)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (skimask)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base. (skimask)

Re: (skimask)

Re: (skimask)

Re: (skimask)

Re: (Bedlam)

Re: (skimask)

Re: (paulclassa)

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

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Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.

Re: Newb...just bought '05 Vibe base.