Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

General discussions about the Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix. New members, introduce yourself here!
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g0ldrush1958
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2018 5:16 am
Location: St-Lambert, QC. Canada

Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by g0ldrush1958 »

I'm from South-Shore Montréal, Canada. I'm a mechanic and know every corner of the Vibe. If I can help anyone to solve problem on their Vibe, It will make me happy.

Regards!

Denis
Caretaker

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by Caretaker »

every corner, huh?? wow, did you just ask for it......... :lol: :lol:

I'll start. 2nd gen Vibe with the 1.8 liter Corolla engine. Consuming oil at a rate of one quart per 1000 miles. Perfect for a Maserati, but not so good for a Corolla. I am currently doing Seafoam into the engine 200 miles before my oil changes, and adding one quart of Lucas oil in with my fresh oil changes. Is there any hope of of unclogging the oil return holes at the base of the piston, which seems to be the consensus on what is wrong with these engines? If your answer is no, there is no hope, how long can I expect a catalytic converter to live under the strain of burning off all these lovely quarts of blow-by oil?

Ironically, the car is running fantastically at 125,000 miles and passed its most recent California smog check. Thank you for your generous offer to assist us.
g0ldrush1958
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2018 5:16 am
Location: St-Lambert, QC. Canada

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by g0ldrush1958 »

Hummm... what is the pistons compression so far?
Caretaker

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by Caretaker »

no clue. I'm assuming to test it, it would cost me money? Given that my personal mechanic is about as expensive as a dealership service department, I've issued a DNR (do not resuscitate) order on this car. Having just been blindsided by a $2,000 repair bill to pull my entire engine out just to fix a minor oil leak in the timing gear cover, I feel very stupid that I spent that kind of money on something that may or may not have done damage to the pulleys and belt had I just let it be. I can get a couple of thousand dollars for this car and move on to my next one, but if there is some "magic in a bottle" at the local auto store, I'm willing to pour it in. Otherwise, a quart of oil every month won't break my wallet. Again, thank you very much for your time. It is very kind of you.
g0ldrush1958
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2018 5:16 am
Location: St-Lambert, QC. Canada

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by g0ldrush1958 »

I don't believe on seafoam, did you ever heard on this fantastic product?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC7fd3yuQFw

Dura Lube Engine Treatment immediately helps your engine run cooler and quieter by reducing heat and friction a major cause of engine sludge
Dura Lube offers four times more wear protection than your lubricants alone and contains no solid particles like PTFE, lead, molybdenum, or graphite
For gas and diesel engines, compatible with synthetic and non-synthetic oils. Replace one quart of motor oil with Dura Lube Advanced Engine Treatment at every oil change
Use on Higher Mileage Vehicles or add the additional protection on newer engines, Dura Lube helps all engines last longer, run quieter and optimize fuel economy.
Out performs oil treatment products because it treats the metal not the oil!
hogdoctor
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 4:28 am

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by hogdoctor »

I'm curious about the effect that soaking your rings in a carbon busting solution... pull your coils and spark plugs, turn the crank so that pistons are mid-stroke, and drop maybe 4 oz or so of something like marvel mystery oil or what not on top of the pistons... let it soak a day or two if you can, suck out whatever might be left, spin it over to clear the chamber, reinstall the spark plugs and coils, and recheck oil consumption.

Compression test will only cost you the price of a compression gauge and a spark plug socket. Easy test. Be certain the throttle is open when you do it.
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by zbyers »

You can rent a compression tester at most auto parts stores.
'74 Thing, '79 El Camino, '83 VW DoKa '91 Vanagon, '03 Base, 04 GT
'06 CRV, '06 AWD, '07 Base, '12 Highlander Limited, '17 Frontier CCLB

Byerscrew Garage, GenVibe Facebook, How-To Index
Everything You Need To Know About the Pontiac Vibe
g0ldrush1958
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2018 5:16 am
Location: St-Lambert, QC. Canada

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by g0ldrush1958 »

A very good compression test should read between 195 to 210 PSI
If between 175 to 190 PSI piston rings are tired..
below 175 PSI your cylinder bores are scratch enough to loose a lot of compression and more oil consumption.
Caretaker

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by Caretaker »

The manager at Pep Boys and I had a talk today regarding my oil consumption. When I asked him about a compression test, he stated that there are three rings, of which the bottom one is the culprit. He said that a compression test would not be a reliable test against that lower ring and that if I was having loss of compression, I would have noticed it in the car's performance. Secondly, he said that while he has had success soaking the pistons overnight with Seafoam, sometimes it does not work and recommended that I do nothing except add oil to the car for the rest of its life. Lastly, he said that he wasn't too concerned with a quart per 1000 miles given the Corolla's propensity and history of burning oil. I have done well by this manager over the past 2 years and appreciated his candor. I think I will skip the $200 he wanted for the labor/seafoam/oil change and put that money towards oil instead. I have read many 1.8 liter engine oil consumption stories from owners simply doing the same thing, with their "Corollas" lasting well over 200,000 miles. I'll cross my fingers and hope the same works for me.
Zimm
Posts: 332
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:47 pm

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by Zimm »

welcome! i'll actually be in the fair city of montreal in a couple weeks time for a little vacationing. looking forward to it.

what are your thoughts on removing the exhaust heat shields? i've paid to have mine reattached several times and they inevitably get loose and cause a lot of noise within 12-18 months. am i running any significant risk to my vehicle by simply removing them? it's no longer something i want to spend money on.


and caretaker-i've had a reduction in my oil consumption (135,000 miles on a '10) by switching from straight 10w/30 penzoil platinum to mixing it 50/50 with their platinum high mileage oil. not that i've ever burned a lot-usually 1 quart between changes (7,500-8,500 miles.) but this switch cut my consumption in half the past year.
'10 Black w/1.8L AutoAir/PW/PL/PM
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by zbyers »

Zimm wrote:what are your thoughts on removing the exhaust heat shields? i've paid to have mine reattached several times and they inevitably get loose and cause a lot of noise within 12-18 months. am i running any significant risk to my vehicle by simply removing them? it's no longer something i want to spend money on.
You'll be just fine removing them. I have since removed them on both of my Vibes due to the constant rattling.
'74 Thing, '79 El Camino, '83 VW DoKa '91 Vanagon, '03 Base, 04 GT
'06 CRV, '06 AWD, '07 Base, '12 Highlander Limited, '17 Frontier CCLB

Byerscrew Garage, GenVibe Facebook, How-To Index
Everything You Need To Know About the Pontiac Vibe
GORGO
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 1:47 pm

Re: Hi all, glad to be part of the community!

Post by GORGO »

Welcome from a fellow mechanic.
Previously known as,TONY-TAT2 /GODZILLA
09 Base bought new. 08 Pontiac G6 the Wifes bought new. 93 Vette 40th Ruby Red Anniversary Rag top 6spd.
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