Bought a used 2005 Vibe AWD with quirks

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acii
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:54 am

Bought a used 2005 Vibe AWD with quirks

Post by acii »

Hello Forum,

I've had the Vibe for a month. Love the car but not the quirks.

I'm worried about the wiring...some problems I've had appear to have occasional threads in the forum such as dash lights intermittently on and off. This I can live with.

The more difficult problem occurs when windshield wipers are turned on. Speedometer stops working (won't move from zero) and the transmission stops shifting (appears to be stuck in a low gear). The break light in the instrument cluster goes on.

If the car is stopped and turned off, things seem to reset and work OK when started again.

The Vibe appears to be in good shape. I'm probably the 4th or 5th owner and I'm told the engine was replaced somewhere along the way. Odometer says 163000, but no one seems to know for sure.

I'm wondering if there's some best way of trying to figure out what's going on and determine a possible fix. There are no engine codes either in the normal driving situation or when the car is not shifting.

Thanks for any thoughts
ehoff121
Posts: 756
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: Bought a used 2005 Vibe AWD with quirks

Post by ehoff121 »

Welcome to genvibe!

Does the speedometer/shift problem happen as soon as the wipers are turned on or is it just when it rains? The speed for an AWD is measured from the ABS Speed Sensors on each wheel, so the brake light coming on when the speedometer stops would make sense. The sensor wires are thin and easy to damage, especially if front end work was done to the car. If the insulation on the wire was nicked, water could cause a short. A code scanner with ABS capability would show the stored codes and tell you which wheel's sensor is malfunctioning. The sensors run about $65 for Delco parts.

The transmission not working sounds like the car is entering "limp" mode- here's a post that mentions the same behavior in another Pontiac vehicle when a front speed sensor failed: viewtopic.php?t=28916#p326835

My guess is when you pull over, the heat of the engine dries out the short and you can restart with everything working until it gets wet again.

Silly question, but re: the dash lights going on and off intermittently- do they blink or does the brightness level change? There's a little wheel on the dash behind the turn signal that controls the brightness. Does moving the wheel make a difference?
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
Ugetmyvibe
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:23 pm

Re: Bought a used 2005 Vibe AWD with quirks

Post by Ugetmyvibe »

Could seem stupid, but I would try and sell/trade it for a different vibe or matrix. I have a base with the 5 speed manual and it's the best. Good fuel economy and better power. You lose both of those with the AWD (unless you live somewhere extremely cold and icy, then by all means, keep it). Now I'm not sure about your specific issues, but I feel like electrics weren't the sting part if these cars. Non of my interior cigarette outlets or done lights work. It might be in the harness somewhere. Good luck though!
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