New 2003 GT Owner

[sclay115]

Hey everyone, I wanted to stop in an introduce myself and give a word of thanks to this message board.

I'm a long time Toyota fan, having owned quite a few interesting models in the past, and also currently own an 85 MR2. I also own a 99 Forester that was just feeling too much like an appliance and wasn't nearly large enough in the backseat area as I would've liked it to be when I'm loading my Son in and out of the car.

I stumbled upon the Vibe/Matrix model and it checked every box I could think of for an inexpensive replacement vehicle.

Reliable, interesting, spacious without being huge, utilitarian, and safe for it's size.

I knew two things going in.

1: It needed to be a GT. Strong brakes, the six speed, 2ZZ which tickles my love for high revving Toyota's, and that little extra something that makes it not just another commuter.

2: I wanted the Vibe. I don't know why, but something about the grey body cladding, and the other changes to the exterior, I love the styling. That combined with the joint partnership to then have the Toyota drivetrain, again, that little extra something.


I started the hunt, there I found my first hurdle. Not a whole lot for sale, and most out of my drag a car home and fix it type of budget. I found one a days drive away that was gone in a day. I generally gave up hope and continued to drive the Forester while I explored some other options but kept my eyes open.

And then it appeared. A 2003 in blue, with a relatively clean interior/exterior, about an hour from my house. 750$? Really? I asked the seller if it would make it back to the city I live in, he said it would no problem, just probably needs a clutch and the 6th gear pops out. I can handle those things.

So I mobilize the family and we go look at it the next day after I send a deposit for him to hold it. I show up to a farm in rural Washington and yea, there it is, a 150k mile, mostly straight, very dirty, 2003 Vibe GT. I take it for a drive around the block, yep, good tires, it stops, goes, has crappy tint, and the interior needs a thorough cleaning.

Take my money.

Then I proceed to drive my new 750 dollar car home on the highway (in 5th) for an hour, with the cruise control on. The last sub 1,000 dollar car I bought I had to get on a flatbed. I felt like I'm already ahead of the game.

I took it easy on the way home since you know, 750 bucks. But when I got within "help me Wife I blew the car up" distance from home, I pulled off the highway and just had to, I mean, I really had to let that engine do it's thing.

So I did. A second gear rip right up to where I reminded myself that this car has some problems and I really shouldn't beat on it too much hey what is that smoke out the back of the car?

I thought to myself, yea cheap car, probably burns a little bit of oil at high revs. That was right before I realized I couldn't get it into another gear. Uh oh. Clutch pedal was working, neutral was fine, but no disengagement. Time to get creative. Made it home the next few miles through a combination of rev matching, shutting the car off at stop lights, and California rolling a few stop signs.

In the next episode, we survey the damage, and that's where this forum came in.

Lots of great help on here, and it was instrumental in tackling what I thought would be a quick trans R&R but turned into a monster of a jigsaw puzzle and me cracking the transmission case open.

Stay tuned....

[Transylvania]

Welcome! Post a few pics when ready and let us know the rest of the story...

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe. Interesting introduction. I'm dying to know the rest of the story. Don't leave us hanging too long

[zbyers]

I'm with the other fellas. Cliffhanger!

[sclay115]

Okay friends, in this chapter, we limp the wounded GT into the garage to see if we can figure out what's going on. First, I learn that this car might've seen some love at some point. A TRD air filter? And Polyurethane shift bushings? Yes please!

So we've got zero clutch disengagement. Nothing. It is locked in gear with the pedal on the floor. Rolls fine in neutral, so I start thinking about clutch hydraulics. Nope, have plenty of fork movement there. Is it a broken fork? Not that I can see from above.

I'm trying to avoid pulling the transmission, because once I got this thing in the garage and really started to look at it, I said to myself ; "Holy crap this engine bay is TIGHT, and I have no idea how to work on a modern Toyota." To the internet I go!

Through a combination of posts on here and ToyotaNation, I learned a few things;

1. The C60 weighs 87 pounds
2. The rear transmission mount is a nightmare
3. You're going to have a problem aligning the clutch disk
4. You're probably going to want a second set of hands unless you hate yourself
5. You should probably take most of the suspension apart
6. You can access the 5/6 gear pack by taking the end of the transmission case off

Well, with the Forester still in service, there's nothing to it but to do it!

Off came the driver's front strut, and knuckle/balljoint/rotor/axle as one unit. Pull the transmission drain plugs and start stripping the transmission as I wait for it to drain what I can only describe as the worst manual condition manual transmission fluid I've ever seen. No metal flecks, so that's a plus, but man oh man, this stuff is thin.

With the transmission stripped, the fluid drained, the jacks in place, crossmember pulled and the front and rear mounts (I hate this mount, so, so much) pulled, it was time to tip this thing and get the C60 out of it's home.

The actual transmission removal was straightforward enough, just lots of disassembly.

Time for some investigation!

Well, these are some well worn components.

As they say, "Well, there's your problem."

So a few things interesting here, obviously someone has put a non OEM clutch in the car, which sounds like a pretty normal thing due to the power output of the 2ZZ. What they unfortunately also did was adjust the clutch master cylinder to have just a little bit of pressure on the system at all times (please don't do this), which I believe caused the TO bearing to ride on the pressure plate fingers all of the time, wearing the groove as shown and applying pressure to the fingers just enough to cause the disk to slip every so slightly and absolutely destroy the flywheel and pressure plate. I don't know if I've ever seen a setup worn so much in my time working on cars.

Thankfully, you can buy a new flywheel for less than 75$.

Parts on order:

Clutch kit
Flywheel
Rear main seal
ARP flywheel bolts
Front and rear transmission mounts

Okay, with those parts headed my way, time to check out the 6th gear issue.

Originally, I said to myself, "Oh I'll change the fluid and see if that fixes it and tackle the 6th gear later." After evaluating re-installation of the transmission and then possibly having to take it back out for another repair immediately, I knew I was going to fix it right the first time. Luckily, 5/6 can be accessed by pulling the end cap off the case.

And what did I find? Just what you'd expect in a Toyota transmission with a gear that pops out. Worn parts. In this case, I could engage the 6th gear by hand, and just by applying human torque it wanted to pop out of 6th gear.

Off to the Toyota parts catalog I go. A new 6th gear, 6th gear driven, 5/6 hub ring, and 6th gear syncro (probably what caused the problem originally), ordered up from a pal at Toyota and now I just get to wait and clean things up.

Onto the reassembly!

[sclay115]

Seems like I can only add five photos at a time to a post. So here is the one showing the worn transmission bits!

[JerryV]

Things do look a bit worn in there. Maybe I missed it, but how many miles?

You mention adjusting the master cylinder. I put a new clutch in my 09 when I replaced the engine. I hadn't worked on a hydraulic clutch before and I was surprised to not find a spring to lift the throw out bearing away from the pressure plate. This seems wrong to me, but I couldn't find any information about it. What is the adjustment?

Thanks
Jerry

[sclay115]

Things do look a bit worn in there. Maybe I missed it, but how many miles?

You mention adjusting the master cylinder. I put a new clutch in my 09 when I replaced the engine. I hadn't worked on a hydraulic clutch before and I was surprised to not find a spring to lift the throw out bearing away from the pressure plate. This seems wrong to me, but I couldn't find any information about it. What is the adjustment?

Thanks
Jerry

Everything is self adjusting, but you can set the baseline freeplay in the pedal, at the pedal itself. The pushrod that is attached to the clevis on the master cylinder is threaded for an adjustment. You would loosen a 12mm locknut, and then turn the pushrod to adjust freeplay. You always want just a little bit of free play in the pedal/master cylinder system to ensure that the TO bearing is returning to a resting position.

[tpollauf]

Very well done .... so far! Kudos for taking the time and motivation to disassemble this mess and return it to service. Never seen a throw-out bearing do wear like that onto a pressure plate Nice pics also where they clearly show the wear and damage done! Awaiting the final end of this story

[sclay115]

All that's left is to reinstall some new stuff and throw that transmission back in there. Should be easy right? Installation is reverse of removal!

First, let's install those shiny Toyota bits so we can get back to 6th gear cruising. Went back together easy enough, don't tell Toyota I installed these gears and their bearings with a block of wood and a hammer please.

Second, take that new rear transmission mount and beat the absolute hell out of that front stud to remove it. Never, never again. I'm buying a bolt for that thing (It's an M10x1.25x70mm by the way). And if I had realized that would only solve half my problem, I'd have done it for the rear ones too.

Third, install the flywheel/clutch/disk, align it the best you can because your clutch tool sucks. Measure. Twice. Three times even. Trust me.

Fourth, remember that passenger side axle that you didn't remove when you took everything apart because there isn't a circlip and you figured you could just slide the transmission back on no problem? Nope, get it out of the way. I ended up dropping it off of the strut so I could just back it out of the way a bit, but that's not until after I destroyed the passenger side axle seal the first time because I couldn't get everything to line up properly. But that's a few steps ahead.



It's Thursday, I get home from work, I say to myself, all of these shiny new parts installed, it's time to throw this transmission back in before the weekend. What followed was a lesson in new vehicle construction and patience. The C60 isn't really a heavy transmission, but that's not the problem. The problem is that it's so damn long, and a lot of it's weight is way out in free space towards the end (non bellhousing side) of the transmission. If you've ever done this before, you know it's a tight squeeze in between the rear subframe/engine/body that requires the engine to angle downward in a way that facilitates the transmission installation as the assembly will only fit between the pressed unibody when it is assembled. You also know that there isn't a whole lot of room for your arms in that engine bay. You might also know that I should have removed that passenger side axle that I didn't get out of the way yet.

There was much swearing, and damaged forearms, and sweat, and hatred for all things Nummi. I couldn't even get close. I fought with it for about two hours and was covered in grime. As a semi-responsible adult, I know when I need to pack it in and regroup.

Shower, glass of wine with the Wife, say goodnight to my Son. Brainstorm.

Friday. Fresh set of eyes. I have a stern talking to with the transmission. I recheck and slightly adjust the pressure plate (I centered it using a tape measure). I pulled the passenger side axle (but of course didn't notice that I destroyed the seal on that side already) so I can focus on just engaging the disk and input shaft splines.

I take a deep breath, load up the transmission on the the motorcycle jack, and get to it.

It goes up into it's home, I shift it a bit on the jack, I do that awkward jiggle shuffle we all do with transmission when we're trying to move them forward during installation, and then...

**thwunk**

My eyes go wide and I realize the transmission just slid all the way up against the alignment dowel. I was out there for 20 minutes and the thing that I wrestled with for 2 hours the day before was done. Just goes to show you that a little cool headed-ness and more preparation is sometimes all you need to not want to set your car on fire during a difficult job.

The rest of the work was pretty straightforward, except for that destroyed axle seal, which promptly leaked most of the fluid out, but was fairly easy to replace now that I knew how everything came apart.

So what's next? The stunning conclusion!

The stunning conclusion is a fully functioning, nicely driving, 2003 Vibe GT with a fully functioning 6th gear! Still in the break in period for the clutch, but my Son and I took a drive last weekend and what a great little car. It's been a long time since I've driven a somewhat modern Toyota, and really, their drivelines are brilliant. Coming from the Subaru, that boxer engine and the mating transmission feels like a tractor. The 2ZZ is better to drive in every way, and just has power everywhere. Though there are six gears, I find myself shifting less as there isn't really a need to always downshift to pull yourself out of a corner due to lack of power.

Future plans? Clean it. The exterior is disgusting still. Besides that, nothing. While the car was sitting, I cleaned up the throttle body and IACV, threw some plugs in, and I'm just going to drive it. It scoots about and handles well enough for what it is and what I'll be using it for, even with the Michelin all season tires.

Does it need anything else mechanically? Oh sure. I think the AC has a leak, but it works for now. It's got an oil leak, probably a combination of tensioner o ring and front timing cover seal (fun!). A few worn out interior bits and electrical tidbits, but it drives great, the moonroof works, it's easy to get my Son in and out of the back seat, and it's got good tires and brakes.

Pictures as soon as I get some breathing room to clean the thing!

[tpollauf]

Nice work and glad it eventually got fixed (had no doubts about that at all!). Yeah you likely have the famous 2zz oil leak where the cylinder head, engine block, and timing cover all meet on the rear side (at least that's where mine was). That will be a fun 8-10 hour job whenever you decide to tackle it. Take a break for now and enjoy the ride.

[jolt]

JerryV, here is link to clutch adjustment on '09-'10 Vibe: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=46586&p=522254&hil ... nt#p522254

sclay115, good write up and progress on the repairs. Popping out of gear is most always a syncro problem. Seen this many time on pickups with manual transmissions that are used for snow plowing. The strange thing is that it was sixth gear. It is usually second gear, with people thinking they are speed racer, that runes a syncro. The pressure plate fingers that are worn do not look that strange. I have seen them turn blue from heat and worn almost through from a bad throwout bearings. People that tend to rest their foot on the pedal while driving are the ones that have throwout bearing problems that lead to high pressure plate and clutch disc wear. More people do this then you think, and after spending enough money on clutches, these drivers switch to automatic transmissions. Nice that it all come together for you. Some times it is best to retreat, gather your thoughts, and then attack it again.

[AnonymousStoner]

Hey man I just joined here I own a 04 Vibe GT and i had the same issue with that back mount xD I was laughing the whole time dude that's good storytelling i didn't change out the studs...(or even think of it) but I remember thinking "who made this??! This is ridiculous!"

[sclay115]

Thanks for following along everyone, it's been a bit of a journey, but I'm glad where it ended up.

I can't remember if I mentioned it but before I settled or found a GT, I was very inclined to build a 20V 4AGE powered Corolla E100 wagon. Basically, the GT/XRS is exactly that, a nice amount of power and a beautiful engine in some weird wagon type packaging. And it came built that way so I didn't need to build a wire harness! A buddy of mine also equated it to an early B13 SE-R, and I'd say that's pretty close too. You can take it to the store, but you can also put your foot into it and it really comes onto boil.

Anyways, as I've been driving it every day, I really enjoy this little thing. Shifter has been a bit to get used to in it's location in the dash, but I'm getting there.

I was also surprised about the sixth gear issue, but I'm betting it had something to do with the clutch being so far out and the gears just being smacked together without the engine being fully disengaged from the transmission gears. Fixed now though, so that's good!

I also did some reading about the front timing cover gasket, and yikes, that looks like a monster. I've got the tensioner ORing and VC gasket in the garage, so I'll do those first and see how it goes. Not looking forward to pulling the front cover if it's still needed.

[CraftsmanQuad19]

Sorry for bringing back an older thread, but my 03 GT just started popping out of 6th this weekend (500 miles after a complete drivetrain removal ) and was curious if it’s possible to simply remove the 5/6 cover and replace the synchros with the trans still in the car. Any help would be appreciated. I haven’t had a chance to look for myself yet