Joining the 200k mile club

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calivibes55
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:13 pm

Joining the 200k mile club

Post by calivibes55 »

Hi GenVibe,

I'll be joining the 200k mile club on my '07 Vibe base 5 speed by the end of the month, have a few road trips coming up.

It's running great, needs about half a quart of oil every 3k, other than that no issues to speak of. It has the timing chain tensioner leak but it's not bad so I haven't bothered fixing it yet.

I'm the second owner, bought it at 64k.

All I've done to it is spark plugs, tires, front brake pads, coolant drain/fill, manual trans drain and fill, two serpentine belts, and two batteries (first one was soon after I got it).
The biggest two maintenance things to come up were a new clutch last year and the belt tensioner this year (was still on the original!).

The car still looks really good and drives great. Mpg is still 33mpg +/- with 80% freeway driving, more like 29-30mpg if I'm mostly in town, which is what I've always gotten.

Other than the chain tensioner, I'm starting to think about the brakes and suspension. No brake symptoms but wondering if I should get the rear drums addressed because as far as I know they still have the original shoes. My main concern is SAFETY - otherwise I love driving an old car cause it's CHEAP and this car is perfect for my needs. Likewise, the suspension seems to be fine; the car brakes fine, drives straight, tires are wearing normally and the ride doesn't seem any different than it's been. But after 200k, even if it's mostly freeway, surely I should be thinking about new struts?

Other than timing chain tensioner, I'm thinking of doing a preemptive change on the hoses, swapping the thermostat while I'm in there, and since I'm draining the coolant anyway and taking off the alternator to get to the t-stat, also changing the water pump with an oem Aisin cause it's very inexpensive ($30 part on rock auto). However, nothing wrong with any of these systems yet - just want the car to stay as reliable as possible and avoid a mid-trip breakdown.

No other leaks or symptoms. Any thoughts, high mileage Vibers? Things to look out for? Stuff to take care of preemptively? Again my main concerns are safety and reliability! Thanks!
SeattleJeremy
Posts: 1170
Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:02 pm
Location: Tacoma, WA

Re: Joining the 200k mile club

Post by SeattleJeremy »

Welcome to the 200k club! Mine is at 232k right now (purchased new).

I really like the small one to three man shops. My mechanic, Brad, does most of the work on my car besides oil (dealer, cause it's quick,) tires, and alignments. Some larger shops would look at that engine list, and see $$$ rollin' in. I would suggest you hold off on the engine work. If nothing is actually broken, or making noise like it's about to break, I see no reason to conduct that work.

If the struts have never been done, I would suggest doing all four. My original front struts lasted 120k (I'm quite hard on suspension parts), the rears were fine at that time, but I replaced them anyway. In another week I'll be installing AC Delco "Strut / Coil / Spring Mount" these are about ~$35 more each than the OE quality Monro struts, but that's worth it because several people have reported the tower bolts break off when being torqued to spec. (downtime getting replacements spring mounts, and the actual work of replacing them on the assembly.)

Have a mechanic look at the front and rear brakes. Have them show you the pads, follow their recommendations. Drum brakes last a long time.
*Sold* 06' Vibe Base - Mono Platinum - Manual
Turo'ing 15' BMW 328i Sport - Jet Black - Auto
Daily 19' Toyota Camry SE Hybrid - Galactic Aqua Mica - eCVT
calivibes55
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:13 pm

Re: Joining the 200k mile club

Post by calivibes55 »

Hey SeattleJeremy, thanks very much for your reply! That's awesome, glad to hear your Vibe has lasted so long with minimal trouble. I also take my car to a small shop that I trust. I'll have them check out the brakes and suspension and see what they suggest.

For the rest of the stuff, sounds like if it's not broke don't fix it is a good mantra to follow. Cheers!
LobsterMan
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 6:49 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Re: Joining the 200k mile club

Post by LobsterMan »

I just hit 200k last month with my '03 GT. The clutch lasted 177k miles. The clutch had been slipping for a while and I finally parked it when I wasn't sure it would get me to work and back another time. I probably pushed that too far. Anyway, while I had the engine out to replace the clutch, I replaced the hoses, drive axles (remanufactured units - gets you new CV joints) and water pump. Nothing wrong with any of that, just wanted to do it while I had it apart so I wouldn't have to tear it back apart later. Plus, if you let a water pump dry out, it will often leak when you start it back up. With the engine and drive axles out, the struts are just dangling by the top so I replaced them too (they were the originals). It really did not make a huge difference in the way the car rides or drives. I have not yet replaced the rear struts, but I'm thinking I may need to (they are pretty cheap). The car is not as directionally stable as it once was. It wanders a little - particularly on rough pavement. The problem could be the rear struts or maybe it needs an alignment. Maybe tie rod ends, but they were fine 23k miles ago. My rear brakes are the originals too. The rear axle on the Vibe is a little further back than on a lot of other cars, and I think that makes for easier duty on the rear struts and brakes. It increases the wheel base for a smoother ride. A word of wisdom, if you replace the drive axle seals, don't get the cheap ones. I made this mistake. Twice. The only way I could get it to stop leaking was to get the original seals from GM. Holding the two styles side by side, you can clearly see the difference. Install them with a length of 2" PVC pipe and a few taps of a hammer - fits perfectly. Unfortunately, I got pretty good at removing and installing drive axles. I have not touched the timing chain or anything on the engine other than the starter, plugs, an idle valve (can't recall what this gizmo is called) and fuel injectors. Injectors are really easy to replace. You can get remanufactured ones. I did notice that all four ignition coils are badly cracked. As long as they keep working, I'll keep using them. But if the car every starts missing, I'll know where to look first. I hope you are able to enjoy your Vibe for a long time to come. If you take good care of your Vibe, your Vibe will take good care of you.
Derf
Posts: 529
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:19 pm
Location: NW Ohio
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Re: Joining the 200k mile club

Post by Derf »

I think you are on the right path to plan ahead getting a list together. I would keep monitoring the engine and make the updates once things change. The oil tensioner o-ring can be changed in position, would suggest completing that to keep the engine clean to identity any other leaks. My Vibe is still rolling on the original rear drums and struts. It does appear the vehicles design is easier on rear end parts.
2005 #10,524 Neptune Vibe "Bandit" Auto, Moon & Tunes 235k :D
1991 Pontiac Bonneville 3.8L "Granny's Whip" 142k (33nd Anniversary :o )
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calivibes55
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:13 pm

Re: Joining the 200k mile club

Post by calivibes55 »

Thanks all! Today was the day, pic attached. What an outstanding car.

Good to know re: rear suspension and drum brake life. I'll just keep it rolling for now and have my mechanic inspect periodically. Luckily his inspections often don't result in finding problem$ so I'm confident in his recommendations.

@LobstermanGT - Congrats! Also, interesting, that's right around the mileage when I replaced my clutch too, around 175k I believe for me. It was starting to slip a bit on steep hills under acceleration. Day to day driving was still fine but I decided better do it now before it gets down to the last bit. Thanks for the info re: your experiences with your Vibe as well, I'll keep an eye on those items and will be sure to go w/ OEM boots if needed. Also, what lead you to replace the fuel injectors?

@Derf - Yes, I agree. I'll start there and clean things up to be sure nothing else is leaking. Also, now that the belt tensioner is new (official Toyota part), the belt is running smoothly and everything seems fine, but it does sound like something else might be a little squeaky under there. I can only hear it if I'm parked next to a wall with my window down and the engine running. With the hood open standing over the engine I can't hear anything wrong so not too worried about it yet.

Any thoughts on preemptive fuel pump replacement?
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LobsterMan
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 6:49 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Re: Joining the 200k mile club

Post by LobsterMan »

Calivibes55 I replaced the fuel injectors thinking it would correct a high idle speed issue. In neutral the engine would idle anywhere from 1200 - 1600 RPM. 900 RPM is more normal. I could tap the gas petal and it would often settle down. I had heard or read that a clogged injector will cause the others to overcompensate and cause a high idle like that. They were getting pretty old by then so I decided to replace them. It did not change anything. The high idle speed persisted. After a little research I tried cleaning an idle air valve of some sort that is located at the inlet to the inlet manifold near where the rubber hose attaches. It also has a couple coolant hoses. This gizmo apparently controls the idle speed somehow. It was a little dirty and I cleaned it as best I could using carb cleaner. However, inside the thing was another part held on by two screws that refused to loosen no matter how much I cursed them. I'm sure I needed to clean inside there but could not. Anyway, I put it all back to gather and it did help the high idle speed - but did not cure it. Over time it continued to get better and now it now has a pretty normal idle speed. At least it does not hurt to have new injectors. One less thing to worry about.
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