GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

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...

joatmon

welcome to genvibe, and sucks to have that happen. been a while since you posted, and I hope you've got it resolved by now. I'd reconnect the wires and see what happens. Some, don't know if all 09s had keys with transponders in them, needed to start the car, so if yours has that, it may be why yours...

joatmon

it would take a lot more than that post to convince my kids I'm cool ;) looking at various phpBB issue sites, seems like the avatar problem could be something simple like permissions on a directory, or something more obscure like an errant blank line in some config file. None of those things are any...

joatmon

highly improbable, but check to make sure that all the various plastic shields under the car and in the wheel wells are secure, and not flapping violently when you get above 30 mph

joatmon

3.5 A seems like a lot, but it could be, I never measured it Shouldn't make much difference given batteries are rated multiple hundreds of cranking amps, and at least in the 03-08s, the gauge fuse (and all the stuff powered by relays it activates) gets disconnected when you turn from ON to Start Not...

joatmon

welcome to genvibe Are both rear wheels locked up or is just the passenger side? If both, then maybe the parking brake cable isn't releasing, which could be a problem inside the drum, or the cable itself Sometimes you have to de-adjust the self adjuster in the drum to get the drum off. Its no fun, c...

joatmon

As andrewclaus said, not sure you really need to disconnect the battery for that job, because the blower and resistor only get power when the key is in the ON position. Leave the key out of the ignition and you'll be fine. However, its easy, and and go ahead and disconnect the battery negative termi...

joatmon

I thought a long shot would be a small exhaust leak cause by forced air escaping upstream from a clogged catalytic converter but I doubt that would manifest itself on the drivers side, and can't see how replacing a tensioner and belt would cause that. Also hard to imagine what a shop might do in rep...

joatmon

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/04/new-gm-trademark-filing-has-pontiac-vibe-vibes/ April 9, 2025 New GM Trademark Filing Has Pontiac Vibe… Vibes General Motors has filed to trademark Vibe and Vibe Edition, GM Authority has learned. The trademarks will be used in conjunction with new vehicles, but ...

joatmon

A #Florida suspect claims the #CIA is following her, flashes a gun, and sparks a chase with a dramatic ending — kicking off our first #OPL3Play of the weekend. #OPLive #OPNation #REELZ #OPLTriplePlay Click the pic for the FB video. That lady wasn't right in the head. Would be interesting to know if...

joatmon

I don't know what the differences are between the two, but Toyota alternator part numbers for an 04 Matrix are 27060-0D110-84 (1ZZ, base, XR) 27060-22090-84 (2ZZ, XRS) so it does seem like the different engines get different alternators. Perhaps its a mounting thing. autozone seems to offer differen...

joatmon

welcome to genvibe might be a couple of things. first guess is maybe a weak motor mount, although I'm not sure how to check them. One way is to look at the engine (from the safety of the side of the car) while someone else stands on the brake, shifts between drive and reverse, maybe steps on the gas...

joatmon

Glad to hear its running again I may just have to find a cheap 5-speed version for a track/autocrosser. If that happens, I'll be back here for advice and help. The 5 speeds haven't had a good reliability record. Some last well, but more failed than should be expected. The six speed in the 1st gen GT...

joatmon

This page https://parts.olathetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-engine-crankshaft-seal-9008031049?c=bD0xJm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1tYXRyaXgmeT0yMDA1JnQ9eHImZT0xLThsLWw0LWdhcw%3D%3D says the crank seal for an 05 matrix XR (1ZZ) is Toyota part number 90080-31049 can't find a number for a crank p...

joatmon

Cool

It is a lot easier to work on the passenger side. I have in the past had a lot of trouble finding the spot where the battery hold down rod hooks to.

joatmon

I thought that too, would be the better than some wiring or socket issue. Hope that's all it is quick test would be to see if the "bad" bulbs work in the passenger side headlight.

joatmon

Oh this is brilliant. So, a few questions. 1. Where would I find this fuse block? On the left side of the steering wheel, there is a small fold out storage bin. The fuse block is inside the dash, under that bin. The fuses are on the bottom of that fuse block, to get to them you have to stick you he...

joatmon

If it's like one of my Vibes, it's the CIG fuse, located in the very awkwardly placed under dash fuse block. On mine, the 12V outlet under the HVAC controls was bad, and if I wasn't super careful, it would short out and take out the fuse, which also provides power to the radio in the 03-08's (don't ...

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe I don't see where the pulley is available separate from the rest of the tensioner assembly, but that doesn't mean it isn't. Also, I can't say how hard it would be to replace the whole tensioner compared to replacing just the pulley, if you can find one If you decide to go for the ...

joatmon

WIsh I could help more but don't know the area at all, and it's getting harder to know who is still around on genvibe anymore. Also, when genvibe switched forum software from zeroforum to phpBB, we lost the ability to search the members list based on location, so I can't tell who is or was from NOLA...

joatmon

welcome to genvibe Theoretically, should not cause any drivabilty issues. The first O2 sensor is upstream of the first cat, it's used to monitor fuel/air mixture, so anything downstream from that O2 sensor shouldn't affect the mix. The second O2 is after the second cat, it's used to compare to the f...

joatmon

Another year, genvibe's still here

23 since it launched, it's prime again

joatmon

Welcome to GenVIbe My gut feeling is that they should be the same. However, sometimes I go to car-part.com an online searchable database for junkyard inventories, and they use some interchangeability reference. When I looked up 09 Vibe 1.8L manifolds, it only gave me Vibe ones, when I looked up the ...

joatmon

Welcome to genvibe There's a couple of threads here where people have talked about adding steering wheel radio controls, but it looks like nobody ever reported success might be better to work up some switch assembly and fit it on the door, or the center console, or a new stationary stalk sticking ou...

joatmon

You can always go to autotrader.com and use the advanced search to find a listing for a Matrix of comparable year and engine/tranny and use the VIN from one of the search hits you have an 05 base, I assume auto transmission, so, for example, looks like some VINs for a comparable 05 Matrix XR auto cu...

joatmon

your right, I was just trying to guess at a scenario where while driving down the road the starter relay closed to connect the bad solenoid circuit to the 30A fuse

joatmon

I tried in vain to find some info on various toyota parts sites. Sems like they must sell them, but they don't seem to be shown in any of the parts diagrams. No telling what Toyota might call them. Looks like the auto part chain stores sell lots of different door lock rod clips, maybe you can find o...

joatmon

Not sure how the bad starter got too much juice if the starter relay wasn't closed, which obviously wouldn't be normal. Maybe some bump in the road shocked the bad starter into engaging, and stalled the engine, the the fuse blew when you tried to start it again. Freakish coincidences. Glad you've go...

joatmon

that's a significant size difference, sorry for the bad info

hope you get it all back together and leak free soon

joatmon

sorry about the double post by me. off topic, but if it comes up again, you can delete one of your own posts by clicking on the X dpost.jpg The X is only there if: - you are logged in - it is one of your posts (not anyone else's) - nobody has replied to it. Has to be the last post in the thread, if...

joatmon

Sorry it didn't work out, you had great expectations, but don't let the hard times leave you the haunted man in a bleak house

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