Soon to be new Vibe owner

General discussions about the Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix. New members, introduce yourself here!
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fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

Greetings everyone. Today, as 'luck' would have it that i'm in the process of completing the paperwork on a silver 03 vibe gt. the gt has ~151k miles. clean car with an accident report but has a clean title. 2 previous owners. drove nice but I am going back in and before completing the paperwork want to do one last test drive and see if the clutch needs replacing yet or not. when I went on the first test drive the sales person was talking and being too distracting. this time around i'm gonna ask to go by myself.

the car thus far rides nice, no leaks or rust underneath that I'm aware of. blows A/C cold. is there anything else I need to check while I take one last look before signing it over?
-the shifter felt a bit stiff compared to prior vehicles I had owned, is that normal? I read that ppl upgrade the rubber shifter linkage with brass but I didn't find the links to them as of yet. would that help in the smoother shifting? i'm also going to change the manual trans fluid just in case. I read any 75w-90 but needs to be GL-4 and not GL-5. I don't know of any areas around my town that sells redline mt90. would royal purple or mobil one work long as it has GL-4?
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
Caretaker

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by Caretaker »

I get the heebie geebies every time I read the word "salesman" or "dealer." Please pay the $100 to take it to your local mechanic to have it gone over before purchasing from these snake oil salesmen. If you are buying the car some distance from your town, consult https://repairpal.com/ to find a reputable mechanic in the area of the car sale.
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

thanks for the friendly advice. the dealer is a large dealership and not a small one by any means. however a dealership is still a stealership by any means :o . I tested driving it a 2nd time and the clutch felt great. no leaks, and drove and shifted well. I'm planning on picking it up this Wednesday and will be doing a trans fluid change. I can't find any place locally that has GL-4.

all I can find are ones that state it meets or exceeds GL-4 and GL-5 like royal purple, mobil 1, vavlvoline, carquest etc. can I use mobil 1 or royal purple for the time being as they're plentiful and change them out when I mail order redline mt90 via like amazon?
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
tpollauf
Posts: 4025
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by tpollauf »

Welcome to GenVibe. Hope all goes well and you end up getting this Vibe GT :) Looking forward to you becoming a REAL member and posting pics of this car soon!
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

haha will do. it's not as pretty looking though. it's the basic Pontiac 2 tone silver and bottom charcoal appearance. I just ordered some royal purple 75w-90 gear oil to change the trans.

I'm going to try and not let the modbug bite me on this vehicle, but I may just add a CAI and call it a day. looks like the only other forum that's active for the 2zz is on the Toyota forum. not much activity is going on the celica forum. just seeing if there's anything to tune fueling and spark. hp tuners doesn't support the 1.8. how many wires is the MAF?
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

been a few days but I'm now a vibe owner :lol: i'll post pics hopefully soon.
no pics yet. been too busy. been searching on here as well as Toyota nation and celica forums but I come to realize that a lot of the links that I would come across on this forum are broken :cry:

just changed the trans fluid with royal purple 75w-90 because shifting thru the gears felt hard. after changing it, which the old fluid still looked clear and new, but I don't think it was the correct GL-4. the shifts are better however I still noticed some resistance when I downshift from 5th/6th and trying to get into either 3rd or 4th? has anyone with the 6-speed had similar instances? I just placed an order from TWM for the shifter bushing kit (the price is now at $53!? when they were like $30 back in 2005ish???) so hopefully that'll help in shifting the car better.

I've gotten into Lift a few times but it still feels weird winding it out past 6500. I'm coming form a pushrod engine background where redline IS at around 6k :lol:

only other impulse mod was a K&N drop in filter. that's prolly it for mods, just mainly maintenance stuff.
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

Pic of the vibe....finally. :lol:
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2017-10-24 13.56.27.jpg
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01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
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vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by vibenvy »

Welcome to GenVibe! If you're on Facebook, and haven't already, be sure to join GenVibe on there as well ;)!
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

thanks. I sent a request to join the fb group. I currently am making a homemade SRI. not pretty but I think it's coming along. got a vac leak or dirty filter to sort out as it is causing inadequate air making a misfire and CEL light. temporarily threw the stock airbox and the problem went away.
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
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ImUrOBGYN
Posts: 438
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:23 pm

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by ImUrOBGYN »

Welcome. Glad to hear you're enjoying your Vibe. I can't count the times I've had a passenger lean over in fear and disbelief to check my tach when I'm revving it out. :lol:
I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. - George Best
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fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

yea definitely not use to the hi rev. if I read it right somewhere on here or the Toyota forum, the VVTL-I engages sooner if it's not at the standard 195* coolant temp correct? I noticed if I get on it when its in the middle between cold and where the needle rests (slightly below half way mark), that I notice VVTL-I starts at like 4500-ish RPMs?

I also removed the 2 grills on the front bumper, I just didn't like them. was thinking about getting some of the black gutter guard and making a front grill instead. I did something similar to my previous vehicle which was a 2007 jeep jk. it looked way better than the stock appearance on the jeep.

edit-still awaiting my shifter bushing kit from TWM as they said it's a 2 week backorder :cry:
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

another thing I noticed is that the gas pedal is very sensitive if i'm not careful otherwise it'll just light up the tires. i noticed theres no traction control or ABS from the factory?

lastly, these cars have horrible wheel hop! :oops:
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
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runningslow
Posts: 294
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by runningslow »

fst wrote:yea definitely not use to the hi rev. if I read it right somewhere on here or the Toyota forum, the VVTL-I engages sooner if it's not at the standard 195* coolant temp correct? I noticed if I get on it when its in the middle between cold and where the needle rests (slightly below half way mark), that I notice VVTL-I starts at like 4500-ish RPMs?
On an 03' GT, the secondary cam profile ("lift" as its colloquially known) will engage at 6200rpm. This is the "L" in VVTL-i. The engine needs to be warm with good oil pressure, otherwise it won't engage. What you're likely feeling at 4500 rpm is the variable valve timing.

Lift engagement varies depending on the year. '04 is 6400rpm and '05-'06 is 6800 rpm. I've got an '05 and I've seriously thought about getting the ECU flashed to lower it. Other cars with the 2ZZ-GE engine have different lift rpms, too.
Josh
2005 Vibe GT ~ Platinum
2006 Vibe ~ Lava, Base, Auto
2005 Corolla S ~ Silver Streak Mica, Manual (Wife's)
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

Hmm ok, would make sense. i dont notice the vvt once the car's at operating temp as much as when it's getting up to temp. I imagine it's in my head :mrgreen:
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
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runningslow
Posts: 294
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by runningslow »

Yeah, I don't think I've ever consciously felt the VVT in any of the 3 cars I've had with it. Lift on the other hand.. I definitely notice that, but I'm still not quite comfortable revving my car that high. 20 years of conditioning to shift at 3-4000k.... Nope! Lets hit the 8200rpm redline! :lol:
Josh
2005 Vibe GT ~ Platinum
2006 Vibe ~ Lava, Base, Auto
2005 Corolla S ~ Silver Streak Mica, Manual (Wife's)
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
fst
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:27 am
Location: Lanc, PA

Re: Soon to be new Vibe owner

Post by fst »

see, this is where I wish I can use my hp tuners and check how everything's programmed in the pcm. I understand there are currently tuning tools out there but they're way more expensive than the cost of hp tuners :roll:
01 Z28-3600 stall, A4, HPTuned, FTRA, LTs 12.3@113
03 Vibe GT (daily)
(Sold)98 GTP-zzp z7 turbo kit, FBO, tune, alky injection 12.3@118
(Sold)98 V6 Firebird-LQ4 swap, cam, LTs, 3.73s, stock 9.4:1CR 12.4@115
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