New Member w/ an '05 vibe awd

[Tmontague]

Hey everyone, I just picked up an '05 awd vibe with 246k km on it for $2300 CAD. Had to do a bunch of suspension work before it passed the safety but in the end it cost just over 3k for parts and licensing etc. It's in great shape except for virtually every small bolt being seized which makes uninstalling parts a pita. Previous owner was not very handy on cars but he did take it in as soon as anything went wrong with it. He just never did much in terms of prevention. This will be the family mobile so no mods, but looking to put some new parts in.

I've already used a ton of the DIY posts for guidance and it's been a huge help. Ton of info on this site.

For those located in Ontario who want to review my experience passing the safety check out this link
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57248

lookin forward to learning more about this awesome car

[ehoff121]

Welcome to genvibe, fellow '05 AWD'er!

Yeah, salt is bad for our cars.

If you haven't already, you'll want to check the exhaust pipe joints for possible rot, change the rear differential and front transfer case fluids, and transmission fluid & filter.

Don't forget to zero out one of the trip meters when the odometer hits 299,999 km and stops permanently.

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe.

[Tmontague]

Thanks guys. Any fluid that was in this car was completely flushed by me when I bought it. Installed a new trans gasket and filter, old one was in good shape and magnets had virtually no shavings on them. I had to change the chain tensioner o-ring as well as the passenger side rear axle seal as it was leaking, all cleared up now.

I just noticed the other day that there are 2 exhaust gaskets up front, I assumed there was one like my Vios has so I'll have to order another. I scanned the fuel trims before I bought the car and there is no exhaust leaks. The past owners mechanic put red high temp RTV to seal the exhaust. I plan on removing that before the winter and replacing with proper gaskets and new spring bolts. The current bolts don't look too badly rusted and should come out no problem.

I swear the car has the original suspension on it but it performs like new? Are the Vibes known for great OEM shocks/struts? I know the Yaris last forever but that car is 700lbs lighter.

All I have left to do this weekend is as follows:

-fix driver window clunk (tighten bolt on arm)
-clean throttle body and IAC valve
-Polish and coat headlights
-replace fan recirculate motor (it's currently unplugged and left on the fresh air setting so the annoying click stopped)

The Vibe is my wife's daily and I usually drive it in the evenings and weekend when we're out and about. She loves the car and I'm starting to get pretty fond of it as well. The independent rear suspension makes a huge difference over the solid axle beam that I'm used to in regards to comfort.

[ehoff121]

You sound like you know what you're doing!

If you're going to take off the TB/IACV to clean them (and replace gaskets), you may as well take off the intake manifold to clean it and check that the gasket has been replaced with the Toyota orange gasket.

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! Glad to hear you're getting the Vibe all fixed up and that it's growing on you ! We love pictures around here, so please post some when you get a chance !

[Tmontague]

Finally got the work all done. I'll post some pictures up in a couple weeks, school is crazy busy right now.

I never bothered to take off the intake manifold due to me being a bit short on time and when I checked the fuel trims there was no sign of a vacuum leak so I knew it was sealing fine. I cleaned the TB and IACV, the TB was very clean and the IACV has some carbon buildup but nothing major. The gasket was stretched and couldn't be reinstalled and I forgot to order one from Rock Auto when I ordered all of the other parts. Turns out no parts stores carry it and the dealer wanted $11 for it and it would have taken a few days to get. I ended up using black RTV with a very small tip to fill the crack for the gasket. I let it firm up and bit and then softly tightened the IACV back on and then eventually fully tightened it. I may end up getting the proper gasket down the road, but for now it is working great with no leaks.

I spent a few hours sanding down the headlights and sprayed about 5 coats of UV resistant non yellowing gloss clear coat. They look brand new now and are properly protected. I removed all the hazing and yellowing. I also did the fog lights as well. Here is a link to the video with what I did https://youtu.be/UEJbKLZ7RmM I used 400, 600, 2000 and 3000 grit sandpaper and wet sanded with all of them.

As a side note, found out the car had low trans fluid as the previous owner's mechanic filled it enough when checking it with the engine off but this obviously is not enough fluid. When checked with the engine on (as what is proper) the level was obviously too low. It seems to shift earlier and pulls better in the low RPM's. Makes sense since the TC cannot be as efficient if it is low on fluid.

I've been averaging about 9.5l/100km which seems poor, mind you that is only after 2 tanks 60/40 highway/city and one of the tanks was with me idling it in our drive while flushing the fluids.

What are you guys averaging on the awd Vibes?

[ehoff121]

Had to do some math to answer :

62 miles (100km) on 2.5 US gallons (9.5l) = 24.8 mpg.

I find the length of trip has as much to do with the mileage as the type of driving.

My commute is less than 2 miles each way to the rail station, so it barely has time to warm up to temp (especially in winter). With 90% commuting, I get around 20 mpg (11.8l/100km). On interstate highway trips at 65 mph (105 kmh) with cruise control and no traffic, I've gotten as high as 30 mpg (7.9l/100km).

Seems within normal range.

[Tmontague]

Thanks for running the numbers. Good to know I seem to be within the normal for the awd Vibe. The fuel tank is tiny considering its consumption.

I guess I get spoiled driving my Vios daily. Even after all of the engine mods it gets 5.7L/100km (41 MPG) and that is with spirited driving (mostly highway). I assumed a 1.8L wouldnt be much worse than a 1.5L engine considering the Vibe is only ~700lbs heavier.

[ehoff121]

Found a site that shows fuel economy estimates by model and shows both imperial and metric: http://fueleconomydb.com/specs/PONTIAC/VIBE

2005 AWD Automatic:
City 22 mpg (10.7 litres/100km)
Hwy 28 mpg (8.4 litres/100km)
Combined 24 mpg (9.8 litres/100km)

2005 Base Automatic:
City 24 mpg (9.8 litres/100km)
Hwy 31 mpg (7.6 litres/100km)
Combined 27 mpg (8.7 litres/100km)

2005 Base Manual:
City 25 mpg (9.4 litres/100km)
Hwy 33 mpg (7.1 litres/100km)
Combined 29 mpg (8.1 litres/100km)

2005 GT Manual:
City 21 mpg (11.2 litres/100km)
Hwy 29 mpg (8.1 litres/100km)
Combined 24 mpg (9.8 litres/100km)