5 speed transmission or differential noise

rock_hopper · Post by **rock_hopper** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:20 am

I have a 2003 base Vibe with a 5-speed manual that has been dealer maintained. It just rolled over 70,000 Km (44,000 mi) and on my last road trip I noticed the powertrain was getting noisy. While at highway speeds I can hear what sounds like a bad bearing, it I let up off the gas it goes away so it is not the engine. I can now hear the sound (hard to describe if you have never heard a bad bearing) in 3rd, 4th and 5th. There are no leaks under the car and as I said it had been faithfully dealer maintained so the fluids should be good. Has anyone heard of standard transmission or differential problems on the Vibe/MatrixThanks

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:45 am

I hate to say, but your description pretty much matches the way mine was before I had the trannies replaced.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:49 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»I hate to say, but your description pretty much matches the way mine was before I had the trannies replaced.

rock_hopper · Post by **rock_hopper** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:18 am

I read up on your post thanks for the link. How has tranny number 3 been workin'Should I sell now?....

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:39 am

#3 is ok for now, but it's only been about 20 days, 2000 miles. #2 lasted about 5Kmiles hindsight - I took the car in to a toyota dealer and they gave me a quote of 1700 to put in a used one. I bought a used one myselg and put it in, then had to pay labor to get it replaced. The extra $300 I would have had to pay to get the toyota shop to do the work would have been well worth it given the amount of work and down time.Also while Toyota said they wouldn't rebuild the original one, the tranny shop said they could have fixed the first one for cheaper than the price of the replacement from a junkyard. I don't know if thats true or not because I had already bought the replacement.I can't say whether you should sell now or not. For me, the car was paid for and the cost of repair was less than what I would have to pay to get an equivalent replacement. If my #3 goes bad, I'll sell it. I want a car I don't have to worry about.If you do get it repaired, make sure you get a good warranty on the parts/labor.

rock_hopper · Post by **rock_hopper** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:44 pm

Good advice...Thanks for your help Joatmon

rubberman · Post by **rubberman** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 1:07 am

Mine start making noise in third it has now spread to 4th and 5th should get louder soon then it will go get fixed so the retards at the dealer can't say "its normal" 38.000kms 2003 base

rock_hopper · Post by **rock_hopper** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:36 am

Sounds like you still have warrenty so at least you can put the screws to them. I'd be interested in what the dealership has to say. I am still debating whether to swap out my tranny or rebuild it (no warrenty).

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:56 am

Well we canadians got a little something special that the americans did not get with their Vibes and its called 100,000km Powertrain warranty, covers from bearings, wheel axles and pretty sure transmission concerns as well. Zip that lil Vibe of yours into the dealership and have them run a GM warranty coverage listing of your 03 Vibe because my 04 has powertrain so I would assume (and for your luck) your 03 does as well. Have them take it for a drive while you hold that powertrain warranty in your hand and have them tell you what they think. Also if you bought this new you should have a powertrain booklet included in your owners manual. Mine is in the car or I'd check for you myself on listed coverages.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:05 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»Well we canadians got a little something special that the americans did not get with their Vibes and its called 100,000km Powertrain warrantyI am curious as to why we get it and not the Americans ?

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:26 am

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover Â»I am curious as to why we get it and not the Americans ?no idea but canadian sold Vibes have it and american sold Vibes don't. Good question, I remember asking the sales manager at the dealership I worked at. He did not know either. I never looked into it further.

rock_hopper · Post by **rock_hopper** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 7:04 am

Wickedâ€¦.just called the dealership and your right (I thought it might be to good to be true)Iâ€™ve been preparing to pay for this tranny myself. Thanks for the heads up!

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:30 am

sweet, make them fix it and then some

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:37 am

Glad its all working out for ya and exactly as stated, get em to fix it now

rubberman · Post by **rubberman** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 2:49 am

Like I said retards...took the car in for the tranny noise and for the tires and like I expected "Its normal"...BS!!!!!! no wonder GM is going down the crapper will never buy GM again! Sad my dad work there 40yrs.They might make some good products but there service end sucks!!!Time to have sticker made up saying I bought this piece of *hit from.......

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 4:09 am

take it somewhere else then, second opinion. noise is not normal because then maybe all us quiet tranny guys have abnormal vibes...

rock_hopper · Post by **rock_hopper** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:59 am

I realize this thread is getting old but I wanted to update those interested. Just heard from my dealership in Oshawa (Mills) and they found it was the mainshaft bearing. They are ordering bearing(s) today and hope to have the car back to me tomorrow.....under warrenty, no hassles so far....I thought I read other places were swapping the tranny, mine is being rebuilt......hopefully they flush out all the filings...

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:25 pm

When mine first had probs I took it to a Toyota dealer because the local GM dealer was so backed up fixing trailblazers that they couldn't fit me in for a couple of weeks. The Toyota dealer said that their policy was to replace a lot of parts on a tranny rebuild, and it was cheaper to just drop in a new tranny. The tranny shop I took it to (after buying the replacement) said it probably would have been cheaper to have them rebuild it, but since I'd already dropped the cash on the replacement, I was committed. Since my car had tranny bearings go out (twice) I am sensitive to this issue, so to me it seems like there is an increasing number of these 5 speeds that are having bearing problems, could be normal fatality rates for a manual tranny, but I wonder if this is an emerging issue. Haven't been paying attention to the other models, but the same tranny is in same year Corollas and Matrixes, and Corollas are built both at NUMMI and in the canada plant, so eventually there will be data somewhere to indicate if there is a problem with the particular model or year of tranny, or perhaps only at a specific assembly plant, but it may need to wait until more vehicles get more mileage on them. You and I have both exceeded the average miles per year.I don't know, but if mine goes out again, I will reluctantly get another car instead of repairing it. I really like this one, so I am hoping I will have many trouble free years of driving it.

silver_vibe · Post by **silver_vibe** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:11 am

Sorry to revive this old thread but my 2003 base 5 speed started making (what sounds like) this exact noise. The best description I can think of is a diesel engine sound in 3rd at about 30 mph...is that right?This is depressing...I bought the car 3 years ago (4 days before the U.S. invaded Iraq) and it only has 57,000 miles. How long will the transmission survive with bad bearings?Between my wife's Toyota ('99 V6 known to cause engine oil gelling) and this Toyota transmission, I'm totally not impressed with Toyota products. I had a '93 Ford Thunderbird with 85000 trouble free miles before I totaled it. I know people bash Ford all the time, but Ford has been better to me than Toyota.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:44 am

seems like 5 speed problems are back in the active topics again. luckily for me, I'm at 25K miles on this one and no problems yet. Quote, originally posted by silver_vibe Â»How long will the transmission survive with bad bearings?No idea. I'd guess it depends on long you drive it each trip, and how you drive it. Easy has got to be better than hard. No idea how catastrophic it can fail. I think I put on a few thousand miles on mine as the bearings got worse, I didn't wait until it seized or broke hard, but I can't remember how long I listened to the sound before I took action. I'd recommend taking it in to a tranny shop, not necessarily a dealership, and get it checked out. Could be some other thing making the noise, and someone who deals with trannies all day can probably listen to it and tell in a minute if its the tranny. Probably still have to pay for the diagnosis though, since you're past warranty.Anybody know if the Matrixes are having 5-speed problems?

merv100 · Post by **merv100** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:30 am

Another angry vibe owner. Just came back from the tranny shop after paying $3100 for replacement tranny, Car has 13700 KM and out of warranty. Sounds like this is becoming a big issue, can anything be done to help all of us out with a battle with GM.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:25 am

Quote, originally posted by merv100 Â»Another angry vibe owner. Just came back from the tranny shop after paying $3100 for replacement tranny, Car has 13700 KM and out of warranty. Sounds like this is becoming a big issue, can anything be done to help all of us out with a battle with GM.ouch - why are you out of warranty at only 13700 kms, ar your three years up?13700 KMs, that's only 8562 miles (sorry, my brain still can't intuit metric) Terrible that the tranny went so soon. Sorry to hear about the problem, but welcome to genvibe

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:36 am

That certainly sounds rotten! I know what it's like, some of us can't win for losing with these transmissions...6 speeds, 5 speeds, and the automatics have died for several of us here, my automatic only has about 9,000 miles on it right now.. Certainly not "bulletproof," that's for sure.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:43 am

Quote, originally posted by merv100 Â»Another angry vibe owner. Just came back from the tranny shop after paying $3100 for replacement tranny, Car has 13700 KM and out of warranty. Sounds like this is becoming a big issue, can anything be done to help all of us out with a battle with GM.WHOA?Ok... your in Ontario Canada... 13700km on the car? If your out because of time... a fast one was pulled on you. Canadian Vibes have 100,000km powertrain warranty which I believe the 03 Vibes have. I know my 04 has it. Its also a couple more years onto the engine and transmission as far as time wise to. Call GM is all I can say. I don't know your details in the matter but you might have been cheated.

Atomb · Post by **Atomb** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:33 am

i'm just guessing but i bet he forgot one more zero on the milage....just a typo...137,000 is probably his milage.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:50 am

Quote, originally posted by Atomb Â»i'm just guessing but i bet he forgot one more zero on the milage....just a typo...137,000 is probably his milage.then yeah he is way out everywhere...

rubberman · Post by **rubberman** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 1:31 pm

137,000 or not it should last longer then that.....my HONDAs did!

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:27 pm

Hey, it has been a long time I did not come over here....It looks i have the same trouble on my Vibe. It has 76 000km and I'm hearing some king of grinding noise (sound like when you have ice stuck in the innerfender and the tire touch it) in all gear. It does not make the sound when I press the clutch or while the tranny is on neutral.Do t have the same trouble as yours?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:20 am

Quote, originally posted by Sub-Vibe-R Â»Hey, it has been a long time I did not come over here...It has been way too long since you have been over here, it is great to see you post again, but sad that t's for such a problem. I hope the noise is something else and easy to fix, but it sounds like it could be the transmission.

silver_vibe · Post by **silver_vibe** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:39 am

UPDATE: my tranny lasted about 7500 miles with the noise. I felt the first slip last Friday and immediately took it to a local transmission shop. They originally quoted me $1200 + labor to replace it with a used one or $1200 total to rebuild the original one. They recommended I rebuild the original because the used one would not be guarenteed to be noise free. Once they opened it up, they said the bearings had gone everywhere and two gears were stuck together and the clutch was damaged. They said it would be $300 more for the clutch. So total cost will be $1500. I think it'll be ready this afternoon.I should have got the Matrix with the 5yr/60k powertrain warranty.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:29 am

silver_vibe, how many miles on your vibe?

silver_vibe · Post by **silver_vibe** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 2:19 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»silver_vibe, how many miles on your vibe?Now?, under 65k. I first noticed the noise somewhere around 55k.I pick up my car last night and it feels "weird". The tanny/clutch now have more of a Honda feel than Toyota. A Honda clutch provides less resistance and is smoother throughout the full range of motion than Toyota (imho). Right now, I just don't know if "weird" equals "the way it was supposed to be all along." I'm curious to see if my mileage goes up at all. I consistently got 26.5-28 mpg over the past 3+ years. If it goes up at all - even just to 29.5 mpg, I will assume the tranny was not right since the day I bought it.

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:00 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»It has been way too long since you have been over here, it is great to see you post again, but sad that t's for such a problem. I hope the noise is something else and easy to fix, but it sounds like it could be the transmission. It was the tranny. It died in the middle of the road on last saturday. The Vibe is at the delaer now, waiting for a new transmission...... At least, it is covered under warranty, and I'm driving a "wonderfull" Sunfire 2004...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:33 am

lol well at least they are fixing it. Sunfires are not all that bad are they? Well I used to own a 96 GT and it was a blast.

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:33 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»lol well at least they are fixing it. Sunfires are not all that bad are they? Well I used to own a 96 GT and it was a blast.The handling is just terrible, I'm unable to set the seat to be confortable and the audio system sound like crap. Beside this, it is ok.....

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:19 am

Quote, originally posted by Sub-Vibe-R Â»It was the tranny. It died in the middle of the road on last saturday. The Vibe is at the delaer now, waiting for a new transmission...... At least, it is covered under warranty, and I'm driving a "wonderfull" Sunfire 2004...Lucky it is under warranty. Did you get it back yet?-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Is it just the 2003's that are having problems with the 5 speed transmission?

OttVibeGirl · Post by **OttVibeGirl** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:14 am

No, I have a 2004 manual that I had been having problems with. Sorry if I'm reviving an old thread but this is a raw issue for me. For details you can read my other thread http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=25835. It started off with the grinding noise at under 35,000Km. It would go away whenever I took my foot off the gas or put it in neutral. After several attempts to "fix it", the dealer had to take the transmission apart and found a bushing had come off and got grounded up in the transmission. Filings were everywhere so they had to replace the whole assembly. GM customer service told me I was the first they had ever heard of with this problem. I asked if this was a BRAND NEW transmission and they admitted that I was getting a refurbished one and it's in the warranty agreement that they can basically replace it with whatever works. (removed)! Now that I realize this is not an isolated incident I will have to start researching into getting a new car.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:22 am

refurbished usually implies rebuilt. Basicly its an old case with all brand new parts. This tranny issue is not a big deal as far as I am concerned. While yes several people are having it... the vast majority are not. There isn't a single car manufacture out there that doesn't have a flaw somewhere in the framework. Not every Vibe has a bad transmission. Mine is still good after all the beatings I've given it autocrossing and racing at the drag strip.

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:29 am

i was gonna say that i was also going to add that the warranty is not for "whatever works" if thats the deal then that would seem to be an aftermarket warranty where used parts are used.GM warranty will fix or replace with OEM new parts only. Trannys and engines may be rebuilt or remanufactured using only new parts (except casings) and to OEM specs.not just some loser grabbing what he can and throwing it together. Usually reman units are just as good as new.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 1:50 am

Quote, originally posted by OttVibeGirl Â»No, I have a 2004 manual that I had been having problems with. Sorry if I'm reviving an old thread but this is a raw issue for me. For details you can read my other thread http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=25835. It started off with the grinding noise at under 35,000Km. It would go away whenever I took my foot off the gas or put it in neutral. I cant find the thread that I contributed to but I noticed my 05 5 speed give an omnious pronounced 'marbly' noise on startup last January (around the 21000 km/12k mile). The noise would cease with the clutch depressed. After the car had been driven for 5 to 10 minutes the noise would stop completely regardless of the position of the clutch. This never occurrs in warm weather ie spring or summer. The car is now at 37k km/27k miles and the noise has returned this November (colder weather). I am now convinced that this is just how my Vibe acts in cold weather. Either the input shaft (to housing) bearing or the mainshaft-to-input shaft bearing is noisy in cold weather but if it hasnt failed in almost a year since I first noticed then I figure it wont.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:13 am

Quote, originally posted by 21Rouge Â»I cant find the thread that I contributed to but I noticed my 05 5 speed give an omnious pronounced 'marbly' noise on startup last January (around the 21000 km/18k mile).was it http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=20765 ?

dtw80209 · Post by **dtw80209** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:39 am

After reading through this thread, this might be similar to my problem. Perhaps I could tell you the stats of my car and the problem and I could get everyone's feedback?*2003 Vibe*5 Speed Manual Transmission*75,000 MilesI have no trouble shifting at all while driving, however, when I am accelerating, I can hear a clicking noise. The speed of the clicking is directly related to how fast I'm going. The faster I go, the faster the clicking is - that is until I'm going so fast that you can't really hear the different distinctive clicks.When I let off of the gas, the volume of the clicking drops significantly, but I can still hear it. However, when I push the clutch in, the sounds are gone.Could this be the same problem everyone else is experiencing? Also, does anyone know if this would be covered by warranty? On page 5 of my warranty manual, it says catalytic converters and the powertrain control module are covered for 8 yrs/80k miles ... or is that something completely different?Thanks.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 9:08 am

hey Matt, been a while, sorry it's a problem that brings you back, but glad you are backwhen mine had the problem, it was a steady whirring or growling noise. I don't think a failing tranny is going to click. Do you hear the clicking in all the gears? Do you hear the sound when the clutch is out but the tranny is in Neutral? How about if you "float" the transmission (rolling along at some speed, clutch engaged, giving it just the right amount of gas so that any more and it would speed up, any less and it would slow down) My first guess would be a constant velocity (CV) joint, but ta bad CV joint is supposed to click more in turns. There ios a decent write up about CV joints at http://www.aa1car.com/library/cvjoint1.htm. The second page talks about symptoms of a bad CV joint, suggest one diagnostic is :"A quick way to verify this condition is to put the car in reverse, crank the steering wheel to one side and drive the vehicle backwards in a circle (check the rearview mirror first!). If the noise gets louder, it confirms the diagnosis and the need for a new joint or replacement shaft assembly."If it does turn out to be a CV joint, that is good news, since it would be a lot easier and way much cheaper to fix than to have to replace the transmissionUnfortunately, I seriously doubt that it is the catalytic converter ( part of the exhaust system that helps reduce pollution) or the powertrain control module (the car's computer that controls all the details of timing, fuel/air mixture, sensors, etc) so I'd be surprised if the symptoms you describe would be caused by anything covered under the emissions warranty. Would probably be best if it was just some random piece of road debris stuck under the car somewhere.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:09 am

saw this online, figured this was as good as any of the other multiple threads about 5 speed tranny problems. Seems like this 5 speed continues to be a reliability issue for Vibers. http://autos.canada.com/news/s...8f72aQuote Â»Court may be only recourse for Transmission woesBrian Turner, The Ottawa CitizenQ: I have a 2003 Pontiac Vibe with a five-speed manual transmission and the base 1800 cc engine. In January, when I took it to the dealer for the 65,000-km service, I mentioned there was a noise in the transmission that was not there before.They checked the transmission fluid level and assured me that the sound was not significant. The noise continued to increase but I just thought I had a whiney transmission. Meanwhile, the five-year, 80,000-km power train warranty ended in April.When I had the car serviced in June at 70,000 km, the tranny noise was very noticeable and I had to have the transmission rebuilt because a bearing had blown and scattered debris through the entire mechanism.This cost me about $3,000 at an independent transmission shop, which saved all the parts for me. I took the parts to the GM dealer where I bought the car and left them with the service manager.I am asking them for some kind of a settlement because the problem began while the car was still under warranty.Can you advise or help me with this problem? I am retired and $3,000 is a big financial hit for me.Ken Erickson, Burnaby, B.C.A: While on the surface you seem to have a very good case for some type of financial relief from GM on a goodwill basis, you've left out one important detail that could sink your ship.If you didn't give the dealership and/or GM Canada the chance to review your request for assistance before the transmission work was completed, then I can't think of any automaker that would consider refunding any portion of your independent's shop repair.To be fair, auto companies are quite clear that all repairs performed under warranty must be completed at their authorized dealers to ensure that original equipment parts are used and the repairs are completed according the manufacturer's standards.This caveat is usually contained in the first few paragraphs of almost all warranty booklets supplied with new cars and trucks. Any consideration for repairs beyond the terms of the warranty would have this rule applied to it as well.British Columbia, like Ontario, does have an automotive consumer arbitration program but it applies only to vehicles and repairs (or failure to repair) within the manufacturers' warranty limits.If you made your repair assistance request to the dealership before the work was done and were turned down, and the transmission complaint filed within the terms of the warranty can be documented, and the failure was a result of a defect and not driver abuse, then you stand a very good chance of winning one in small claims court. But I'm pretty sure that's where it will have to be handled.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:41 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»saw this online, figured this was as good as any of the other multiple threads about 5 speed tranny problems. Seems like this 5 speed continues to be a reliability issue for Vibers. http://autos.canada.com/news/s...8f72aGreat article. Just curious on how you discovered it.In this same thread, just a few posts above, describes my symptoms: first appearing at around 12k miles. I was convinced at that time that it wouldnt be long till the bearing would blow . But now at around 30k miles..still nothing. And the bearing is only rackety in cold weather.

VibeHigher · Post by **VibeHigher** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:37 am

This is my problem...*2003 Vibe*5 Speed Manual Transmission*66,000 MilesI have no trouble shifting at all while driving, however, when I am accelerating, I can hear a clicking noise. The speed of the clicking is directly related to how much load I put on the engine. If I'm accelerating then I get the clicking noise...sometimes it resembles a diesel engine. The more I punch down on the gas, the more clicking/clacking I hear - that is until I'm going so fast that you can't really hear the different distinctive clicks.With the transmission in neutral, the engine idling and the clutch out, I get a clicking noise. If I turn on the AC, it gets louder (however at speed, it doesn't matter if the AC is on or not...only at idle). If I get the RPMs over 1,000 then the noise goes away.I just checked with AllData and it says that "noise in neutral with engine running" is either the input shaft bearing or the clutch release bearning. Does that sound right? Neither of which would be easy to replace....

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:37 am

Quote, originally posted by 21Rouge Â»Great article. Just curious on how you discovered it.Sometimes I go to news.google.com and search for Pontiac VIbe stuff. Every now and then something turns up about a Vibe in an accident, or a criminal escaping in a Vibe, that time it was this thing about the Vibe tranny issue. The challenge is figuring out if the various things that turn up are worth posting, and if so, then where to post them.Quote, originally posted by VibeHigher Â»This is my problem...*2003 Vibe*5 Speed Manual Transmission*66,000 MilesI have no trouble shifting at all while driving, however, when I am accelerating, I can hear a clicking noise. The speed of the clicking is directly related to how much load I put on the engine. If I'm accelerating then I get the clicking noise...sometimes it resembles a diesel engine. The more I punch down on the gas, the more clicking/clacking I hear - that is until I'm going so fast that you can't really hear the different distinctive clicks.With the transmission in neutral, the engine idling and the clutch out, I get a clicking noise. If I turn on the AC, it gets louder (however at speed, it doesn't matter if the AC is on or not...only at idle). If I get the RPMs over 1,000 then the noise goes away.I just checked with AllData and it says that "noise in neutral with engine running" is either the input shaft bearing or the clutch release bearning. Does that sound right? Neither of which would be easy to replace....I'd say it sounds belt related, if turning the AC on affects the noise. The tranny problems with bearings don't cause clicking sounds. If you have it in gear, clutch pedal presses, vehicle not moving, and you still hear the noise, then it is not the transmission, since nothing in the transmission is moving. Then if you put it in neutral and let the clutch out and it is still there, then it I don't see how it could be the throwout bearing either.

VibeHigher · Post by **VibeHigher** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 12:21 pm

Tonight I replaced the belt tensioner pulley and that definitely wasn't the problem. In fact, when the belt was off I took the car for a short drive and it still made all the same noises.I found the perfect way to describe the noise: At idle in neutral it sounds like a roller coaster as it's going up the first big hill. That clickity clackity noise is spot on to describe how my Vibe sounds.When I put the engine under load at higher RPMs, it sounds just like a diesel engine. In fact, while on the highway today I could punch the gas and make my Vibe sound just like the 18 wheeler next to me.It was not as cool as you might think

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:06 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»saw this online, figured this was as good as any of the other multiple threads about 5 speed tranny problems. Seems like this 5 speed continues to be a reliability issue for Vibers. http://autos.canada.com/news/s...8f72aStrange that he has to pay himself to get the tranny rebuilt, since the canadian Vibe have the 5 years 100 000km warranty on the powertrain. My transmission been totally replaced by a new one, under warranty, at 76 000 km.

VibeHigher · Post by **VibeHigher** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 4:20 am

Ok folks, well I went to the shop and they told me it was nothing major...just a noisy clutch release bearing. It's not worn out or broken, just noisy. They also found some plastic splash guards that were loose and the engine cover is missing two bolts; they think that might be part of the problem, too.Honestly I still think it's something bad, but when two ASE certified master technicians are looking and listening to my car while I show them exactly what it does...I guess I should trust them!