how reliable are the 1.8

[robertvibe05]

I have a 2005 vibe base 1.8 and it is the awsome Neptune blue and it has 167xxx on it and was wondering how long of I life I have wit her. This is my first vibe and pontiac for that matter I always had jeeps n vw's but I really love this car

[trb]

Your car is barely broken in, since it has a Toyota drivetrain. Look on here and you will find people with 250K, 300K, there are even a few with 400K miles or close. As long as you take care of the maintenance, you should easily get 200K+ out of it. I just bought my 03 GT a few months ago with 207K and hope to put another 100K on it.

And welcome! Post up some pics of your car if you can.

[vibe63]

The 1.8 is a tried and true engine. As TRB said, the Vibe is a Toyota Corolla drive train. As long as you take care of it, the car will take care of you. Do the necessary maintenance and don't wait 100k to change the trans fluid and coolant. I'm old-school and still change both at 50k. Actually, since you can't get all the tranny fluid out when draining, I drained it at 45k and again at 70k. It's worth the time and (minimal) expense to avoid a costly transmission repair. I'm just about to turn (only) 100k, so I'll be doing both again shortly. Other than tires, the Vibe has cost me very little in maintenance. Surprisingly, mpg is better than a lot of comparable new cars. It's one of many reasons, I've not be car hunting. Not the least of which is, I like not having a car payment. I've owned the Vibe longer than any car I've ever had (bought "almost new" 12/05, 5k on the odometer), and I've had a lot of cars.

Now I have a confession: I live in FL which automatically reduces maintenance costs. No weather extremes and, IMO, the roads are some of the best in the country. I use to live in PA, so I'm well-educated on both.

Something you may want to look into is a product called Cerma. It's an additive for engines, steering, transmissions and a/c. I've used it and while I didn't notice any appreciable difference in performance, I'm convinced it's helping to keep the car healthy. I did notice an improvement in my a/c - it's colder. Part of that may have come from wrapping the exposed low pressure line in foam pipe insulation. Regardless, I have no regrets using Cerma. No, I do not have any financial interest, nor am I an employee of Cerma. You can check out their website and draw your own conclusions.

One other item I've been using for the last year is a product called StarTron (available at Wal Mart). It removes the ethanol from the fuel. I think the engine is quieter and has more power, as a result of using it. Make sure you get the concentrated bottle (treats 128 gallons). Again, it's your decision.

One last item: change your intake gasket - they were a problem. I just recently changed mine and it made a difference. Be sure you get the updated gasket (it's red). If you have a modicum of mechanical ability, it's an easy project. There's a big blurb on the Genvibe website on how to do it.

Enjoy your Vibe.

[robertvibe05]

Thanks guys and ill look into that maybe u guys can awsner my other question I'm getting kinda bad fuel economy I had a check engine code of po171 and I cleared it it hasn't came back on but I drive about 53miles one way to work n I use a quarter tank of fuel each time and I drive about average 70miles n hour

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe Robert Can't comment on the 1.8 'cause I have the bigger 2.4 in mine and very low miles on it! Looking forward to pics of your Vibe.

[joatmon]

Thanks guys and ill look into that maybe u guys can awsner my other question I'm getting kinda bad fuel economy I had a check engine code of po171 and I cleared it it hasn't came back on but I drive about 53miles one way to work n I use a quarter tank of fuel each time and I drive about average 70miles n hour

The 2005 base vibe tank is rated at 13.2 gallons, a quarter tank is 3.3 gallons, 53 miles/3.3 gallons = really awful 16 mpg. A quarter tank for a round trip would be 32 mpg, pretty good for winter, but I think you meant a quarter tank for one way.

A lot of things affect mpgs, and it's hard to know what to suggest. viewtopic.php?f=17&p=65128#p65128" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has an excerpt from the 03 Vibe factory service manual on what to check if fuel economy is too low.

P0171 is the code for too lean a fuel/air mix. An easy first thing to do is to try to clean the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor.

Other things to try might be general tune up stuff, change the air filter, spark plugs, run some fuel injector cleaner through the system, etc



Overall, the 1.8 1ZZ engines are quite reliable. My first one got up to 288K miles before I traded it in on another, it was still running fine but was starting to lose oil. The replacement, another 03, has about 200K miles on it, but 150K of them are from before I bought it

[robertvibe05]

Thanks man u no u stuff about the vibes I'm clean the maf and c wat happens to start with I have no other check engine codes and it runs smooth doesn't missfire so ill try the maf

[vibrologist]

Are you filling up everyday?
In order to get a good average of your mpg you may want to keep track over 3 or 4 tank full. With an automatic you should get about 28 mpg.

The P0171 would indicate a vacuum leak. Even though the light went out you likely have a vacuum leak somewhere. The prime suspect is the intake manifold gasket. Fix that, get new spark plugs and air filter and your fuel economy should improve. Also make sure the brakes don't drag and the bearings of the accessories (AC, water pump, alternator, idler pulley) and the wheel bearings are in good shape.

The 2005 base vibe tank is rated at 13.2 gallons, a quarter tank is 3.3 gallons, 53 miles/3.3 gallons = really awful 16 mpg. A quarter tank for a round trip would be 32 mpg, pretty good for winter, but I think you meant a quarter tank for one way.

While the math is correct the reading most likely is wrong. Fuel gauges are notorious liers. At first they make you think you have a hole in the fuel lines and at the end they make you think the engine runs on fumes only. This is on purpose, so you start worrying and fill up. That is why you should get an average over a few tanks full.

[circuitsmith]

Did you buy this Vibe used?
If the previous owner was lax with maintenance life could be greatly shortened.
At this mileage changing the thermostat (and radiator cap while you're at it could improve MPG's.

[robertvibe05]

I bought it used wit 164 I only had it for a month now and I replace the air filter wit the spectea highflow and the plugs I didn't chage yet but I love the car just need to get better mpg

[lobi]

General maintenance and regular oil changes and the 1ZZ (1.8) will outlast the rest of the car. It has been around a long time and has proven itself to be a pretty bullet proof engine. I put an 05 from a matrix into my nieces 01 corolla last summer. Had to swap intakes because the 05 had DBW and a couple of the sensors had to be swapped (knock and coolant temp, i think) because the connectors changed over the years on the wiring harness.
Vibe, Matrix, Corolla, Prizm, Celica, Rav4, MR2 all used this engine so there are a lot of them on the road.
The Vibe GT, Matrix XRS, Celica GTS, and even the Lotus Elise used the 2ZZ version of the same engine.
Take care of it and it will take care of you.

[2010VibeIN]

I had an 03 Base model I bought with 67,000 miles on it.Totaled it out at 120,000 miles. Only problem I had was a new starter I put on besides oil changes,brakes and tires. I took that car everywhere and it ran like it was new when I wrecked it.