GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Mark

Wasn't there a known problem with some of the sockets getting hot and melting the wire(s). That happened to my 04 and the prior owner replaced the socket. It was ONLY on the drivers side! That's what happened on my 04 as well. I cut the old one off and replaced the socket. I cut the old socket off ...

Mark

I usually don't remove the battery, I just remove the front hold down bolt and shove the battery as far to the left as I can. That gives me room to get the headlight bulb out. The problem is that the harness on the driver side is really short, so you can't pull it out far enough to make it easy to w...

Mark

Well, my can of electrical cleaner has lost all of the propellant over the years but I was able to dribble enough out into the contacts to get it working. Hopefully that's all it was, and I'll pick up another can of cleaner and see if I can do a better job on it.

Mark

They do, and these are brand new Osram bulbs. I think it's corrosion in the plug but I have to see if I can cut some sheathing or a tie or something so I can pull it out enough to see it and clean it up. The passenger side is long enough to work on but the driver's is really short. So of course that...

Mark

My son has been using my 08 for a while now, and last week when he came by I notice the driver side headlight was out, so I replaced the bulb and it was working fine again. I finally got it back and changed the oil today, and noticed that it was out again. Tried a new bulb and no luck. Voltages on t...

Mark

I've had some luck going to the Toyota dealer and going through the exploded diagrams with the parts guy.

Mark

Did you need to buy a different type of lug nut? I believe the alloy wheels used a conical type of lug nut Maybe steel wheels for the vibe uses flat type. BTW= I noticed the tires on a stock vibe with steel wheels are not as wide as tires on a stock vibe with alloys. Does that matter? Sorry I misse...

Mark

jamesmetairie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 9:58 am Mark did the tires from the alloys fit perfectly on the steel wheels ?

Yes, they fit fine and have been trouble free. I bought a second set and have my winter tires mounted as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ID ... UTF8&psc=1

Mark

Best bet is a junk yard, any Vibe/Matrix/Corolla should work. When the one on my 04 broke I pulled one from an 09 Matrix and it worked better than the original.

Mark

I tighten my filter as much as I can by hand only, and they come off by hand as well. Have never had a leak. One time I though I did on the 04 Frosty but it turned out to be a bad sending unit and not the filter. I don't really have all that strong of a grip, but it seems like a filter wrench is jus...

Mark

Here are the lug nuts for the alloy wheels: https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NOE6414281

Mark

tpollauf wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2024 4:15 am Do you have a part number for the one you bought at NAPA?

I have the non-threaded type, part number THM 7031628. They also list a threaded type part number THM 7031719 that's a lot cheaper. Figures.

Mark

The seal on my 05 gas cap failed last year, I just bought a new one at NAPA. Guess I don't get the point of going to the trouble of moving the seal only.

Mark

I've also just been exclusively fueling up with chevron and I think the cumulative techron treatment that comes with it has been helping as well. My gas mileage (kilometrage?) is getting better for sure. I was going to suggest switching to a Top Tier gas for at least a few tanks but you've got that...

Mark

Yes, you will begin to see bead leaks, a slow leak that will result in underinflated tires. I finally got tired of finding low tires in the morning and bought a set of Dorman steel wheels and some plastic wheel covers on Amazon. My tire guy had the alloys ground as smooth as he could get them and th...

Mark

I replaced the whole regulator, only about 40 buck on Amazon, and never had any more issues.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004A ... UTF8&psc=1

Mark

I've used that process to program 2 or 3 fob's for the same Vibe, so I really have no idea why it's not working for you. But the process does indeed work. 1. Setup: - ignition is off and key out - all doors closed except driver door - driver door unlocked 2. insert and remove ignition key twice with...

Mark

Here's the WT mats. Yes I need to clean them and vacuum the carpet, I'm well aware of that. But it's pretty easy to ignore until you see a picture of it lol.

: driver-mat.jpg (276.54 KiB) Viewed 2706 times

: pass-mat.jpg (661.11 KiB) Viewed 2706 times

Mark

I don't have a pic but I do have them installed. I can get you a pic tomorrow if you want.

Mark

Mark

My 2005 had 101k when when I bought it and I have no idea what oil had been run in it previously, but first oil change I did was with Mobil-1 0W-30 and a WIX synthetic filter. And a Fumoto drain valve.

Mark

No idea why you would think that 10W-40 was in any way a good idea in a 1zz-fe motor. I would dump it asap and refill with Mobil-1 0W-30. If you haven't read it yet, a good place to start is oil university 101.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/

Mark

I did the same thing on Frosty many years ago, the driver side plug fried. I bought a wiring harness with the 9003 plug and 3 wires, then did some cutting, soldering and shrink wrapping. It held up fine for years after that though.

*Frosty = 2004 Base, recently sadly deceased. May she rest in peace.

Mark

I used to break and re-torque every lug nut after I had the tires rotated. Tire shop guys seem to just hate 76-80 ft/lbs, anything less than 100 is too little, and 120 should be the standard I think is how they view it. Now I have one guy at the shop who knows that I want 80 and not anything else on...

Mark

Still here, still checking a few times a week. Drive Silver every day, but my son has appropriated Stealth and I'm not sure if I'll ever get her back. But after being totaled, salvaged and repaired three times for way less than the insurance settlements, it's basically a free car at this point anyway.

Mark

NGK or Denso only for my Vibes.

Mark

We're getting about 62% here. I have a sister in Vermont who will be in the path of 100%, but I have no intention of traveling that 1500 miles to see it. We had 100% here a few years ago and it was really cool, but it's not pilgrimage worthy to me. Right now I'm just hoping it's not too cloudy tomor...

Mark

Just out of curiosity, where abouts is this this located?

My son has "borrowed" my 2008 for a couple of years now and the way it's going I'm probably unlikely to get it back any time soon.

Mark

I've noticed another small detail, our 04 has a threaded screw-in gas cap. My 05 has a twist & click cap, but then when my wife bought her 05, I noticed it has the threaded cap like the 04......early 05 maybe? My 04 (RIP) and 08 have screw-in caps, while the 05 is twist and click. Not sure why ...

Mark

$2.749 with $0.10/gal Sinclair app discount yesterday here in Cheyenne.

Thanks Joe Biden!

Mark

Today I used a coat hanger to rescue my oil dipstick. Big sigh of relief, there are none in stock at any of the parts stores in the area that I can find. Yesterday I changed the oil in Silver and while I was checking and topping off I set the dipstick down on top of the fan shroud. It immediately ro...

Mark

I have a 2008 Stealth Grey that needs an A/C compressor and an hood. But I'm in WY so shipping cost could be a limiting factor, on the hood at least.

Mark

This was a very sad moment for me, but burning the bacon is soul crushing

Mark

So long Frosty, it's been a great ride. And thanks for all the fish.

: ByeFrosty.gif (113.77 KiB) Viewed 23024 times

Mark

I haven't decided yet, but I'm not finding a lot of Vibe options on Craigslist or Autotrader. Sometimes I think that something newer with some of the electronic goodies might be nice, little things like Bluetooth enabled radio, led lights and adaptive cruise control. Also thinking this might be the ...

Mark

I ended up getting a second estimate that came in much higher than the first one. I figured out the first place gave me a low-ball initial estimate and would then submit a supplemental that would result in a total loss. But they would have got a payment from my insurance for the initial work at leas...

Mark

Resolved my issue with the clock/radio digits fading away, plus can't see them with polarized sun glasses either. Found this on Amazon for 8 bucks. The display is inset just a bit so I added a strip of double sided tape to the adhesive as a spacer.

Mark

Finally got an estimate today, came in much lower than expected and insurance accepted it. So I get Frosty fixed I guess. Can't really believe that State Farm is paying $3k+ to fix a 2004 with 209k miles, but I'm not complaining either. As regards to scrap yards, finding 1st gen Vibes in scrap yards...

Mark

Well I guess I spoke too soon and likely jinxed myself. I was leaving a parking lot today when a truck pulled into the exit lane right in front of me, I reflexively dodged to the right but in doing so hit the bumper of a parked truck. Never even saw it as I was looking at the truck I though was abou...

Mark

Right now I'm getting all the miles I can out of Frosty. At 209k miles I just replace the right front wheel bearing, and the left probably only has a few thousand left on it. I replaced the A/C condenser just a month or so ago, and the front rotors and calipers a few months before that. And the stru...

Mark

Thought all the Vibes had dome light supervision? That looks like the sunroof switch/map lamp assembly. Strange as it may be, while the dome lights would time out after a while, the map light didn't have those kind of smarts. It'll stay on until the battery is dead or the bulb burns out, whichever ...

Mark

Welcome to Genvibe, me and Frosty go back a ways. She'll always be my baby, though.

Mark

I have a broken lens on Frosty, I put some clear packing tape on it a few years ago and it's still holding up fine. I bought some clear Gorilla tape since then, so one of these days maybe I'll peal off the packing tape and put the Gorilla on. That will probably be permanent. I've also bought several...

Mark

My first choice would be a new Trax. Second choice would be a new Trailblazer. Next in line are the new little Buicks. I hope my Vibe lasts forever so I don't have to fuss with all the new-fangled equipment on today's new cars. My daughter bought a 2021 Trailblazer a couple years ago (Jan 2021) and...

Mark

Photobucket sucks (removed), but you can see enough of the pics in this thread of the 04 front end we welded on my 08 Vibe

viewtopic.php?t=44098

Mark

I have the same issue on Frosty, and am looking at buying a Moog complete assembly from Rock Auto. It's more expensive but will save a ton of labor.

http://tiny.cc/u949vz

Mark

Very cool article, thanks!

Mark

I've listened to parts of collage football games on AM, but not in the last few years that I can think of. Other than that - never. In the Vibes and my pickup that don't have bluetooth radios I use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088TCSH8T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&a...

Mark

The 11A is what I've always used on mine, snaps right on.

Mark

I've had the panel off of my 04 dozens of times and there's no "slide" that I recall. Just connect the electrical plug and hook the top over the door and snap it back in place. I'm not sure if there's a way to slide it so that all the panel clips slide out of their mounts? I just pop them ...

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