GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

`hi i'm new so please bear with me.my wifes car is a 04 5 speed manual. it's been a great car over the years, and this is the only break down on the side of the highway ever for her. she had engine revs, but rpm gauge was not regestering and the car wouldn't accelerate, as she was decreasing in speed she geared down, and said it still held her back as it normally would. when she lost all her speed she then pulled over and shut the car off. tried to start the car but dead. battery is functioning properly, cables are clean. so we towed it to a shop, which normally i don't do. mechanic said there was a blown 15amp fuse, and starter was shot, it would be 485.00 to fix, so i towed it home took the strarter out, bench tested it and it worked great, so i put it back in and it worked a few times then jammed. so i rolled it an inch, and it works great now but still won't start. i tried roll starting it several times, it has compression, and the clutch and clutch pedal feel normal. while trying to roll start it i could smell fuel, so it must be getting fuel. any help would be much appreciatedCheers!

Getting spark? Could be bad coils? Not sure seems like an odd issue....

have not checked the coils yet, but if one or two coils were shot wouldn't the other two still fire? i am going to pick up a code reader tomorrow, hopefully they have one within budget, if there is one for this model. thanks for the reply.

You should be able to rent a code reader at Autozone so you get your money back when you return it. I agree something should fire if it was coils but I have seen the computer say no more and just not run on a motorcycle before. 3 out of 4 were bad in that case....

Which Fuse was blown? EFI or AM2? That year car is under the ECM/ECU recall. Have you done that yet?

Quote, originally posted by goldfinger55 »i am going to pick up a code reader tomorrow, hopefully they have one within budget,I know in this case you don't have time to wait for it but I recommend a bluetooth OBD2 reader that goes really cheap on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html..._sc=1. Just got one myself, works great. Only wish I had something better then OBDGauge for my PDA. Otherwise, there's lots of free OBD2 software out there if you've got a laptop or netbook. [sorry for the thread highjack]

it was not mentioned what fuse was blown when picked up, it was under the dash for sure, i took it to a friends cause we live out of town a bit i looked again for a burnt fuse, but nothing.

fortunatly my wife is going on holidays next week, i priced out a code reader 199.99, too much for me. but will definatly check out ebay, thanks for the link.

There's an EFI Fuse (15Amp I think) in the engine bay and the AM2 (10amp I think) is under the dash (That is what they are called and where they are located on the matrix). If either one of them are bad the car won't start.First thing first! HAVE YOU HAD THE ECU REPLACED? It is under a recall and if bad it will cause those conditions your having.

i will check all those things. thank you

Sorry about your troubles. First thing to know, your 04 VIBE is NOT being recalled for the ECU. Newer years are being recalled and even many of them are not bad, only certain units.A few questions....When you turn the key to on, all the lights come on and the gauges spring to life?When you operate the starter with the key, does the starter work normally? At one point you say no, at another you say yes. I'm confused.Starter drive gears that come out and stick into the ring gear indicate some problems. Either the solenoid has gone bad, the return spring has broken or there is a tremendous build up of "gunk" in the starter preventing free movement.Take a real careful look at the entire engine area. Have any mice moved in to keep warm? they chew up wires something fierce.Are all the electrical connections plugged in securely? If some are loose dirty or wet you will have some major running issues depending upon which one it is.Look under the drivers seat. Anything been shoved up under there to dislodge electrical connections?Headlights are BRIGHT when turned on?Look by the battery and under hood fuse / relay box, this car have fusable links, fuses that are wires designed to melt at certain conditions. See if any of them have been burned.Let us know what you find. We can go from there.Dave

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »Sorry about your troubles. First thing to know, your 04 VIBE is NOT being recalled for the ECU. I stand corrected it was the 05-08 non-GT and non-AWD models. Thanks djkeev!