2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Discuss any maintenance you've done to your Vibe & Matrix and ask how to perform maintenance on your vehicle
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Vibedude30
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:35 am

2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by Vibedude30 »

Does anyone have any info on the 09 vibe AWD 2.4l front transfer case fluid check? I heard there was a transfer case but i havent been able to track down any service information on a fluid check/ drain. Does anyone have any information on this?
ehoff121
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by ehoff121 »

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=44420

I have a 2005 AWD, so please double check the specs. :D

The pic in the post linked above shows the fill (top left) and drain (bottom center, red text) plugs for the 2009 transfer case. To check fluid level, on level ground or on lift, remove fill plug- fluid should be right up to the bottom of the hole (potentially seeping out). Should be a 10mm hex socket to remove plug and you'll likely need a breaker bar.

To change, make sure you are able to remove and to replace filler plug FIRST. Use GL-5 gear oil (75W-90?). There are replaceable crush washers on both plugs. Remove the drain plug and clean magnet- DO NOT SWAP THE PLUGS! Fluid will splash a bit (you have been warned ;) ). After fluid is removed, dab some anti-seize on the plug threads and replace the drain plug with new crush washer. You may need a pump/tubing to re-fill with 1.7 pints of fluid. Fill until it weeps out of the hole, dab some anti-seize on the plug threads and then replace the fill plug with new crush washer.

Note: it may be cheaper to buy a gallon of fluid if you are doing the rear differential as well- it uses the same type and procedure is identical.
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
jolt
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Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota

Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by jolt »

2009 Vibe Transfer Case
2009 Vibe Transfer Case
2009 transfer case.jpg (23.4 KiB) Viewed 3702 times
#6 is the drain plug
#4 is transfer case plug number 1
#2 is transfer case plug number 2

Plug torque is 36 lb ft
Vibedude30
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:35 am

Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by Vibedude30 »

Thanks ehoff and jolt for the information, my 09 vibe awd has just hit 140,000 miles and i doubt its ever been checked. I have changed the rear diff fluid when i had a oil seal put in last year
Kramy7
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Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2018 2:57 pm

Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by Kramy7 »

Can you fill the transfer case without using the upper plug? Using plug #4 & the drain without messing with plug #2. This is also on a 2009 AWD automatic with the 2az-fe engine.
billkilgallon
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Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by billkilgallon »

Hello, new member, dusting off a few old threads here.

We just got a new to us sliver 2009 Vibe AWD 2.4L in Silver with just under 100k miles on it. My college age daughter will be driving it. Paid $10k for it, and was happy to find a solid car in very good cosmetic and mechanical shape for that (don't laugh until you price what *everything* is selling for now... cars that should be selling for $6k all day long are unobtanium at under $10k, and a new CH-R is almost $30k. It's crazy.)

I spent the day doing all the stuff that may have been neglected... oil change, drained and replaced about 4 quarts of Valvoline Maxlife Multi Vehicle transmission fluid (which I will repeat in a month or so), and replaced the rear differential fluid with full synthetic 75w90 GL5 gear oil.

For anyone doing the oil change the first time, that filter is sunk way up there, and just about requires one of those fixed size giant socket adapter thingys. Not the strap wrench kinds of things, or four post clamping things. There isn't enough room. So when you get your filter, just get one of the stupid little stamped steel adapters that fits it for $8 or whatever. From what I can tell, there is no oil life indicator on our 2009 (which is kind of surprising), so I'll just replace it after 7500 miles of gentle mostly highway driving (knowing it probably has another 2500 left). I will watch to see if this is an oil burner (not panicking if it burns a little, I know that 2.4 can do that, and I have had several vehicles that burn a quart every 3000 miles or so, and never had a problem so long as I kept it topped off).

For anyone doing the rear diff, there are two plugs, both 10mm allen head, and very hard to get out. Make sure you clean out the holes in the drain bolt heads really well so you get the allen head socket deep in there. I hit it with heat and penetrating oil, but it wasn't budging, until I got out the 18" breaker bar. It popped free easily with that, not sure the heat and oil mattered. I took my time because I REALLY didn't want to strip them. The fluid came out black, but it was full, so that is good.

Anyway, over many years of bad ideas I have accumulated quite the garage full of tools, and this front AWD transfer case got me stuck. First, the exhaust is right in the way, too close to get a socket in there. I could have removed the bolts and disconnect at downpipe, but they have been there for 100k miles, and I expect they will break, and I didn't want to sign up for that project when the rest of the exhaust is perfectly fine.

The other problem besides the exhaust in the way is that those drain bolts are sunk with very little clearance. So my 24mm and 24mm impact sockets were too thick to be able to sit over the very shallow head of those bolts.

So I ordered a $12 24mm box end wrench, which I will try and use to loosen the drain bolts without removing the exhaust. I may have to hit the closed end of the wrench with a grinder to get it to fit and make it a dedicated tool. It will be weaker, but hopefully strong enough to remove those drain plugs.

I'll post the results when the wrench is here and the car comes back from college for a weekend. I am also curious about if all three bolts have to come out, I am guessing they do or they wouldn't be there. I'll see what I can figure out when I crawl under there and look at it.

Thanks for all the helpful information everyone is posting! Whenever I get a new to me car, I am always thankful for a good forum to help keep it useful and to save the planet a little by keeping it out of a landfill longer.
billkilgallon
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Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by billkilgallon »

Got the wrench and got the car back for a visit from college. With the box end 23mm wrench, I could fairly easily get the upper bolt out. The lower bolt had interference from the cases (why they gotta be like that?). But a couple of minutes on the grinder to make the outside walls of that closed end wrench near the edges thinner, and it slipped right on and worked perfectly. 15/16ths SAE wrench would work fine as well.

Combine that with a clever little pump you put right into the container of Mobil 1 Gear Oil and with tubes that go into the upper hole, and a little patience pumping a quart through there, and it was actually a really easy job. The fluid that came out looked clean (at 100k miles), so perhaps the previous owner had it done. No idea why the back differential oil came out black then (seems crazy you would do one but not the other). There appears to be a slow leak on the back differential as well, not enough to drip, but enough that dirt sticks back there, so more like a weep. I am not taking the whole thing apart to replace seals for that, I will just keep an eye on it.

So, anyway, a 23mm box end wrench with a little grinder work to thin it so it can clear the cases, and the little hand plunger pump thing, and it's an easy job.

I got the oil pump from Amazon, but I already had one I forgot about that I got from Rural King.

Slippery Pete - Fluid Pump for Quart Bottles - 8cc per Pump Stroke and 3rd Hand Adapter, Transfer Gear Oil, Transmission and Differential Fluid with This Hand Pump
Geode
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Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2022 5:45 pm
Location: Albany, NY

Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by Geode »

This is my first post here. I’ve found lots of useful information on this forum.

My son just bought a 2009 AWD Vibe, 2.4L, Auto with 82k miles. We’ve changed all the fluids: engine, transmission, rear differential, coolant, brake. The transfer case oil was the most difficult to change until I found the right tool. I wasn’t able to get a 15/16” wrench on the transfer case drain plug due to the small counterbore on the housing. I tried grinding the outside of the wrench but could not get it to fit. I could get a socket on the drain plug but the exhaust pipe gets in the way and you can’t attach a ratchet. I tried vise grips clamped on the socket but the vise grips would not grab on the smooth socket surface.

Finally I found a shallow 15/16” 6 point socket with four flat sides (search for Milwaukee Four Flat Sides socket) that I could attach a 1” open end wrench to. This made the job of removing the drain plug much easier!

Thanks for the useful tips!
2009 Vibe AWD, 2.4L, Auto
tpollauf
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Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: 2009 pontiac vibe 2.4l awd front transfer fluid check??

Post by tpollauf »

Geode wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 3:07 pm This is my first post here. I’ve found lots of useful information on this forum.

Thanks for the useful tips!
Welcome to GenVibe :D Nice repairs you've already done to the Vibe. They're pretty much easy to work on and parts should be readily available for quite some time, seeing that it's Corrolla/Camry equipment. Get involved here & visit often ;)
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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