GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

joatmon

Congrats on having the skill/tools/time to do so much on that poor Vibe. When you bought it, you likely didn't think it would be more of a project than your Cox GTM

joatmon

Why are all links not working and why can't I post a question? welcome to genvibe The previous posts in n this thread are 15 years old, and I guess for the privately posted links, the owner moved on and didn't keep the content on line. For links to vendors, perhaps the vendors no longer support car...

joatmon

One other unprofessional thing to try is to pull the starter relay, and with the key in the On/Run position, use a paper clip to temporarily jumper the holes in the now empty starter relay socket pins 3 and 5. This should put 12V straight from the battery to the starter solenoid, bypassing all the o...

joatmon

welcome to genvibe sucks about the coolant in the oil. I hadn't heard about the timing cover/water pump possibility but google turned up a bunch of hits on that. I can't offer any insight other than I hope that's the cause, would be a lot easier to deal with than a head gasket, or an engine swap. Wo...

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe You've replaced the starter, which would be the prime suspect, but the odds are really low that a new one would also be bad. There is a wiring diagram for the starter circuit at https://forums.genvibe.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=5873 You said you get 12.4V at the starter solen...

joatmon

I'd say it might be the clutch, but since yours is an AWD that doesn't apply.

Have you checked the transmission fluid level?

When it feels like it's slipping, does it happen when the transmission is shifting, or when just rolling at a steady speed/load?

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe.

That's a lot to have to fix. After all that I hope the car serves you well for a long time.

Too bad the history of the car isn't known, whoever abused the car like that shouldn't be allowed to touch another

joatmon

It might be, but not for me. When i was going to trade in my first Vibe for a different Vibe, I tried and failed to do so, and ended up trading in a car with a nearly full tank of gas. But just because I couldn't do it doesn't mean its not possible

joatmon

A bad time of year to have window issues There was a recall on the 03-04s for that nut coming loose, might be worth looking up your VIN at NHTSA to se if it was ever addressed. If not, I suppose there might be some remote chance you could get GM to pay for the repairs. While I have never personally ...

joatmon

welcome to genvibe if you're the original owner,how did you go so long without dealing with the airbag recall yet? My 03 had both driver and passenger bags replaced under recall. If you are in the USA, then NHTSA oversees recalls, and in the recall section of the FAQa at the bottom of https://www.nh...

joatmon

Sorry to be late replying, but Welcome to GenVibe For the limp mode, I'd start (no pun intended) with hooking up a code reader and seeing what it says. I'd expect an error causing lip mode to throw a code. If you do check it, let us know what code(s) show up. For the start issue, if you get a replac...

joatmon

The only ones I can find even remotely close are two Matrixes in Calgary, both manual tranny, using https://www.cargurus.ca/Cars/spt-used-c ... rta_L82493

joatmon

crazy that the tire popped like that. Unfortunate too that tires that size are hard to cone by. my only experience with a donut spare was that I didn't check the pressure before putting it on, and it was out of air, when i lowered the car onto it, it slipped the bead off the rim, and that is not som...

joatmon

fwiw, even the wayback machine doesn't have a copy of cohocarl's pictures, and since he hasn't posted in 15 years, it seems unlikely that he'll be back to repost them but if anyone does add trailer wiring to a Vibe, take and post pictures. Quick tip: in an older Vibe (aren’t they all?) Use a M12X1.2...

joatmon

my 03 Vibe service manual doesn't say anything about calibration when replacing an idle air control valve in a GT, just replace the part. Only twist is you may need to drain some coolant before disconnecting the hoses from it (and of course putting coolant back in when you're done)

joatmon

That suck. I don't remember anyone having an auto tranny just up and die. A couple of blown cv joints though. There will come a time where a car isn't worth it to fix, or is so unreliable you can't trust it anymore. I don't know what else might be an issue in your Vibe (still the 08?) but if the tra...

joatmon

Is the quoted info accurate? The following is straight from my 2007 owner's manual: "A red light blinks while the engine is off to indicate the radio is protected. It will not operate if it is installed in a different vehicle ." I see that in the 07 manual, and while I think the quoted in...

joatmon

I’m beginning to suspect I burnt out some sort of motor in the climate control system. I’m smelling electronics smoke and hearing whirring noises separate from the flap actuator :( There are only 2 motors in the HVAC system. One is the main blower motor, the other is the small failure prone motor a...

joatmon

Sounds like you've ruled out everything except the starter and the ignition switch. My vibes only ever failed to start once, it was a bad starter. worked fine and then one day, just click and dead. Some folks here say if you're lucky you can smack the starter and it will work again, that didn't work...

joatmon

mikeibe2003 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 23, 2025 12:13 pm
However, if it was a heat shield the puzzling thing is it only happens from 2800 to 3000 RPM in all gears.

I had a loose heat shield on my truck that only rattled at a small engine RPM range. I think the engine vibration matched the resonant frequency of the loose shield.

joatmon

The wiring diagrams I have say that the positive and ground for all the lights in the center dash come from "splice point I7" (eye 7)

Here's a pic showing where I7 is located.

: I7.jpg (64.02 KiB) Viewed 692 times

You said you bought your 08 Vibe used, so maybe a previous owner did something odd in that area.

joatmon

sorry to see you go, what are you driving instead?

joatmon

Don't know about replacement housings, but I've had good luck with the sylvania restore kit. some hand sanding. Did my truck 2 years ago, it's out in the sun all the time, lenses still look nice and clear

joatmon

Most of the ABS error codes in my 03 Vibe service manual are related to the wheel speed sensors. Might be worth checking all the wheels to see if you someone messed with one of them when you were doing the brakes, something like damage to the connector or wiring, or perhaps one being unplugged.

joatmon

My first 03 base didn't have power locks/windows/keyless entry. I thought about trying to add it, but never did. Confused passengers when they had to use a mechanical crank on the window, and why I waited until everyone got out to manually lock all the doors. I know someone here may have done what y...

joatmon

Late reply, but if it were me I'd probably just replace the compressor. I guess it really depends on how much all the other stuff would cost to replace.

joatmon

I'm no LED headlight expert, never put any in a Vibe. There are projector LEDs that don't rely on the headlight housing to shoot the light forward. Also, it seems like converting to LED headlights also requires disabling the half bright day time running lights. Sylvania does make a series of brighte...

joatmon

depending on how complete the new engine is, there may be some things worth doing before you put it in, such as intake manifold and valve cover gaskets, timing chain tensioner o-ring, etc you'll want to use your current throttle body, since your cable throttle 04 Vibe's computer won't know what to d...

joatmon

a lot of the internet suspects fuel injectors, letting the pressure leak into the cylinders causing an effective flooded engine issue, and test involves hooking up a pressure gauge to the fuel rail There is also a Technical support Bulletin (TSB) for a computer software update but that's supposedly ...

joatmon

I used a CD slot phone mount in my VIbes. Lose radio visibility, but easy, good phone viewing location

joatmon

You may also want to keep an eye out for a Toyota Matrix XRS. Same as a Vibe GT, except - I think the Vibe looks better than the matrix, but that's just me, others may disagree, which is fine - the matrix has better visibility out the back - different HVAC box, so no future issues with the fresh/rec...

joatmon

Disc brakes are easy on these cars. Drum brakes are a pain on all cars. The old drum is likely rust welded to the hub by now. Hopefully its not worn enough that you'll have to go in from the backside to unspin the self adjuster. Digital cameras are great, you can take and instantly see a thousand pi...

joatmon

hadn't said it before, so

Welcome to GenVibe!

Great twice, once that you got the car to pass inspection and I hope it gives you years or service, and second that you posted the solution so others can benefit.

joatmon

I hate replacing brake lines. I think they are the first thing installed on the chassis at the factory, and then tons of other stuff gets installed over them, making it near impossible to get a preformed replacement line in. The kits look like they have a length of brake line (different diameter for...

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe Looking at the 03 Matrix parts listing at http://www.genvibe.com/images/misc/manuals/matrix_parts_catalog.pdf page 4 of 17 shows only one front rotor, so I assume its the same for AWD, FWD and GT (XRS) but it has the pads for AWD and GT(XRS) and a different one for FWD. When I loo...

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe I assume the same part from an 09 Matrix would fit your Vibe, however, I can't find it online https://www.toyotatownpartsdirect.com/a/Toyota_2009_Matrix-1800CC-16-VALVE-DOHC-EFI--AUTOMATIC-4-SPEED/47744964__5901632/Deck-board--deck-trim-cover/640993j-6404-155450.html shows rear de...

joatmon

I don't know why that would make a difference in the fan assembly, unless it is for a fit issue. Auto tranny radiators have a passage for transmission fluid to be pumped through, manual tranny radiators do not. Maybe its something to do with the different radiators, and how the shroud fits to it. I ...

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe! You may have already guessed, but we here are fans of the Vibe, and think it should be a great car for your daughter. I don't have any input on which parts to buy. Those should be fine. Before she heads off to college, make sure - she knows how to change a tire, even if you have ...

joatmon

Anyone change out the rear diff on AWD ‘09 or any posts related to? Thanks All I have is this from the 03 Matrix manual diffoil.jpg This is the procedure for pretty much any differential (and manual transmission) I've ever worked on, although I can't say where the drain and fill plugs are on yours....

joatmon

Good that you found one, hope it works out. Where did you order from?

Any idea why yours failed after only 56K miles?

joatmon

Anybody have the AC/Delco spec for the clutch air gap? There's nothing in the VIbe service manual, it only covers whole compressor swap. The one time I did a clutch swap, I think the kit came with instructions and spare shim washers to adjust the gap, but I just put the thing on without any of the ...

joatmon

amazon sells lots of them, but they all seem to be for 2" hitches, and I've only ever seen 1 1/4" hitches for Vibes

joatmon

Its a tough call, and depends a lot on your priorities. I've had a number of old cars over the years, and aesthetics took a back seat to keeping them on the road. For me, a couple grand for cosmetics on a $4K car isn't worth it, unless it was truly a classic, but that's me, and luckily we're all dif...

joatmon

Was there ever a navigation system for the 09-10 Vibe, and if so how easy would it be to install? If not, would it be feasible to install the equivalent Matrix system, and easy enough? A cursory look and I can't find any reference to an 09-10 Nav system. Even if there was, you probably would have a...

joatmon

I agree the voltages sound normal. The heater relay coil gets power from the 10A gauge fuse, I'd expect it to blow before the relay coil got hot enough to melt the relay, but who knows. Uncommon, but sometimes some people here have had problems with a relay in the panel above the glove box working i...

joatmon

My guess is that there is a problem with the 12V outlet in the dash, the one next to the 110V switch and outlet.My vibes had terrible luck with them, the factory ones aren't as robust as I would have liked. That was the cause of multiple CIG fuse blows for me. Did you use that outlet the day the sec...

joatmon

That's what I thought. Found this pic in another thread

joatmon

I'd hit autotrader.com, cars.com, and craigslist. autotrader has some in/near Ohio, but I've lost track of what a reasonable price is

joatmon

Looks like power comes from the ECU-IG 1 fuse, which, according to the diagram, only gets power when the ignition relay is closed. Perhaps the problem is further upstream. why would the ECU-IG 1 fuse get power, and why would the PCM send a signal to the cooling fan relay control to turn the fan on, ...

joatmon

I do not think its worth it. I've looked at the clusters and the back lights are really not accessible, unless you take it completely apart. It may be that the lights are soldered in and not plug in, never got that far into one to see. If it were me, I might put some white lines on the front of that...

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