HELP!!!!! My Vibe died and won't start!

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »I do not have it handy but the Pontiac Customer Assistance Center is where you need to call. The number is in the back of your owners manual. They will listen and start a case for you. If need be they contact the dealer to hear their side... This does not sound good... Thanks for the info, hopefully I don't need it!

[joholste]

hey just so you know if they start telling you all that bull about how the mods you did are what caused the problem, the official name of the law that states that they have to prove that was the cause of the engine failure would be the Moss/Magnusson Warranty Act. it states that anything modification that enhances the efficiency and performance of an engine cannot void a warranty unless they can prove specifically that it was the cause. I take my car in even with the CAI on and i don't care, especially now as i am out of my warranty... but i took it in under warranty as well... good luck jason

[ZubenElGenubi]

Oh man, I sure hope I don't get the same runaround when I take my Vibe in next week! My A/C quit (can you believe it? I need A/C in January!) and I have to bring it in. I've only got 27K on the car, so I don't think this should be happening.Sorry to hijack the thread...it's just that your predicament is gettin' me nervous!

[Kari]

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »Oh man, I sure hope I don't get the same runaround when I take my Vibe in next week! My A/C quit (can you believe it? I need A/C in January!) and I have to bring it in. I've only got 27K on the car, so I don't think this should be happening.Sorry to hijack the thread...it's just that your predicament is gettin' me nervous! Did you mod the A/C system though? If not, then I'd say you have nothing to worry about. The dealership's doubts in this situation are stemming from the fact that there are engine mods present with the potential to cause the problem.

[Mavrik]

But if you have a strut bar that rested on the a/c line and wore a hole through it causing the freon to evaporate... that would not be warranty. Even though the mod did not physicly change anything to the a/c...

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »(can you believe it? I need A/C in January!) and I have to bring it in. I've only got 27K on the car, so I don't think this should be happening.heh, yep, I can believe it! Had my compressor replaced for the first time in December when it was like 24 degrees outside. I feel your pain man... Hopefully the dealer is capable of geting all of the crap out of the system so you don't end up with perpetual compressor failures like I've had to deal with.... And no, it shouldn't be happening... A part like that should last a very long time...

[damronjr]

Hey hijackers! Well, I don't even have the time or patience to type everything that happened today, but let's just say I was about to push my car to the Toyota dealer next door and pay them to fix it b/c of that crap I am getting from Pontiac. Basically they told me they don't know how to work on it b/c it is a Toyota, and it has aftermarket Toyota parts, and they don't have the tools or knowledge to fix it. At this point they are telling me that they won't work on it as long as the aftermarket alarm and supercharger ECM are on it, and Toyota can't work on it under warranty b/c it is warrantied by GM. If they (toyota) fix it I will have to pay a minimum if 4hrs labor, and if I want GM to fix it I have to either pay 4hrs labor (appr $340 if I recall properly) to put everything back to stock as far as the wiring and alarm goes, or I can go in and do it myself and they will fix it under warranty once it is back to stock so they don't have to worry about the aftermarket wiring issues. The S/C ECM is cake, but I have NO clue how to uninstall a Viper 5000! I know where the brain is, where the light is, where the receiver/transmitter antenna is, where some wires are hacked into the ECU wiring, and where some other little clear box is, but I don't know how any of it is wired or what I have to do to get all that crap back to stock. This seems like something maybe Jahntassa would be knoweldgeable on, but I need to go do this tomorrow so they can get it fixed ASAP. I tried DEI's website, but no instructions there. If anyone has any clue where I can find this info it would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Kari]

Why is the alarm of concern to them? Does it have the ability to shut off the fuel system or something?

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »Why is the alarm of concern to them? Does it have the ability to shut off the fuel system or something?Yeah, it has a valet mode and kill switch relay. + it's wired into the ECU for that purpose.Edit: Oh, and did I mention, they have now managed to screw the car up more than it was before! At first they claimed it was giving them a ridiculously crazy reading at the MAF so they figured the MAF was bad. Now that the MAF didn't work (told you so!), they figured something was causing it to make a bad reading. They tried unhooking the S/C harness supposedly and putting everything back to stock and then everything went dead, or so they claim. The CEL doesn't come on when you turn the key, they can't get any info from the computer (sounds like they fried the main ECU to me at this point), and when they try to start it now they get absolutely no response! These guys are complete and total IDIOTS!

[ArcsVibe]

Here is the install manual for the Viper 5000:http://www.directechs.com/guid...5.pdf

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by ArcsVibe »Here is the install manual for the Viper 5000:http://www.directechs.com/guid...5.pdfDon't know where you found it, but you rock, Sam!

[ArcsVibe]

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Don't know where you found it, but you rock, Sam! LOL you are very welcome and thanks BTW I found it on this website, it is also good for car audio etc : http://www.the12volt.com/

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Yeah, it has a valet mode and kill switch relay. + it's wired into the ECU for that purpose.Didn't know you had a security system on the car. Something designed to kill the engine and keep it from running would probably be a good suspect in troubleshooting why the engine died and won't start.

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Didn't know you had a security system on the car. Something designed to kill the engine and keep it from running would probably be a good suspect in troubleshooting why the engine died and won't start. Perhaps, but according to the guys who installed it and the owners manual, if properly wired there is no way it can kill your engine while you are driving, and once it is in kill mode, once you disarm it it will work as normal. I even removed the brain of the alarm system (Viperr 5000) and it still wouldn't start.

[joatmon]

if the kill swich relay malfunctioned into permanent kill mode though ...

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »if the kill swich relay malfunctioned into permanent kill mode though ...Well, we'll find out today when I tear it all out! Now that they've hosed the entire system though, I don't know that that will matter anymore anyways.

[GMJAP]

Hang in there, man. Your situation totally blows; I hope you're able to get it taken care of soon.

[damronjr]

Just called GM Customer Support. Might as well have called my grandma! They told me they don't recommend putting aftermarket parts on and that they basically have to take the Service Managers word for it. They all have the same mind-set, it's my fault for putting aftermarket parts and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act doesn't exist. I don't even know what to do at this point.Gonna try to call the dealership owner before I go over and see if he's willing to help out any.

[damronjr]

And the mystery ends! Pontiac just called me and here's what they are "claiming" happened. Apparently somehow the S/C wiring caused a PCM fuse to blow and somehow everyone (including me ) missed it. I don't see how that explains the jump from attempted starting to full out dead, but they are fixing everything under warranty (after it was my fault, hmm, weird!). Now they are claiming that the S/C wiring is incorrect thus causing the blown fuse and that it is currently running rich (or lean, not sure which he said) so they are leaving it disconnected. I had called Pontiac Customer Service earlier which was a waste of time, called the place that installed my alarm and they offered to go unhook it for free tomorrow (awesome guys, they were even going to go to the dealer to do it! ). So, I called Andre and I'll see if he can come look at it, but it's pretty hard to mess up a bunch of plug and play harness clips and 1 ground and 1 power wire! They said they will show me what is wrong with it and we'll go from there, but after all this fighting it will be back on the road shortly all under warranty, including the tow and rental (which also seems weird as they would have made a lot more $$$ off of me than through the warranty company, and after all the fighting and blaming everyting on me and telling me nothing was in warranty)! I don't understand all this, but I'm just glad to get out of it with all my money! Hopefully they didn't (removed) anything else up, and I think I may have an explanation if it is running rich (thanks wife's uncle ), but that should pass after just driving it home. If not I will take it to Toyota and get the S/C ECU read and make sure there's no problems with it. Anyways, just wanted to let everyone know! December's VOTM is back in business!

[BlueCrush]

Whew! That was a close one! Glad to see it was something simple. Hope your back to boosting in no time!

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Whew! That was a close one! Glad to see it was something simple. Hope your back to boosting in no time! I don't think they're telling the whole story, though. If their story was really the case they would have made me pay for everything, to include towing, rental, diagnostics, a new MAF, and the hourly fees for working on it. I guess we'll never know the truth, but I'm just glad to be back in business and still have my pockets and everything in them!

[damronjr]

Well, I spoke too soon! I took the rental back, went to Pontiac to get the Vibe, and got there assuming all was well and off I would go just like new. I got there and everything was still strewn all over the floor. 2 of the 4 harness' that go into the ECU were disconnected. I hooked them up to leave and started the car. Let me restate that, I tried to start the car and it didn't start! Then I tried again and after a couple of seconds it started, but ran horribly and is idling at 2k rpm WITH a CEL! They just got it running and in order to get it off their hands just warrantied everything so I wouldn't complain and they could get rid of it! As I drove it slowly the few miles home with the S/C ECM disconnected (they said when they hooked it up it killed the engine and they think it is bad) I noticed that, most likely due to the idle, it was shifting hard from P-D, P-R, D-R, etc... When I got here I checked the CEL with my OBD II reader and got 4 codes! 2 of them weren't even in my book! The other 2 were high air temp and high coolant temp, most likely due to the lack of the S/C ECM. They left the new MAF in there as they had to special order it and couldn't return it. They replaced the PCM fuse, supposedly replaced a spark plug (probably with a wrong one!), and cleaned the other spark plugs. I guess I should be happy that nothing came out of pocket, but I guess if Andre and I can't figure this out when he gets here I will have to take it to Toyota and let them fix it the right way and pay for it. This is so damn ridiculous and there are a lot of other things I would like to have done with that kind of money, especially if the S/C ECM is bad, but the 12mo/12k mi warranty should cover it.OK, before I could even post this Andre came and we looked at everything. The car starts and idles fine now with no CEL. We tried hooking the S/C stuff back up and it refused to start, just like it was doing from the beginning. Basically we are back to square one, but he is trying to see how much he can get the part for and a MO is coming down with his Trix and we are going to swap ECM's with his and make sure that is the problem. Hopefully we will determine that is the fault and I can get that fixed ASAP as I have to drive it -boost until I get a new one. If anyone sees one F/S anywhere please let me know! The GM or TRD will work as they are the same part with different part numbers.

[joatmon]

well, it's some progress

[BlueCrush]

Good God, Man! I'll keep a look out for a S/C ECU. How about contacting the person you bought the S/C from. Didn't that guy have a couple ECU's one for AT and MT?

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Good God, Man! I'll keep a look out for a S/C ECU. How about contacting the person you bought the S/C from. Didn't that guy have a couple ECU's one for AT and MT?Hmm, might have to try to locate that info and see if he does have any spares. Otherwise, I think Andre can get them for a discount, so we'll see what they say. Gonna try the swap here in a few, we'll see what happens. He's freakin b/c he's afraid something might hurt his as well.

[BlueCrush]

You can get the Unichip set up for the S/C for $873.50 on sale! http://www.autopartswarehouse....d=175

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »You can get the Unichip set up for the S/C for $873.50 on sale! http://www.autopartswarehouse....d=175Thanks, I'll keep it in mind anyways. Well, we swapped the ECM's and mine ran fine in his car, thus leading me to believe that it now has to be the wire harness for the ECM or the adapter clip from the ECM harness to the ECU harness. Gonna do some resistance checks on the clip and see what happens there, so if it's not that then it has to be the wiring harness. I tired it again and as soon as it wants to start it dies and then does what it was doing at the very beginning. Once I removed it it takes a few tries to get the car to realize it's not there and then it pours black smoke for a few seconds, but otherwise runs normal afterwards. Anyways, I'll be keeping everyone posted!

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »You can get the Unichip set up for the S/C for $873.50 on sale! http://www.autopartswarehouse....d=175Oh, and this may actually be a better idea anyways as it will get more out of my mods! Will seriously have to keep in mind while spending that much already hurts!

[Baltovibe]

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act doesn't exist.Wasn't sure this was covered, but found this:http://www.matrixrides.com/content/view/15/1

[damronjr]

Update for those who are still following this or care!Well, I went to Toyota Friday ( dodges various objects being thrown at him! ), and basically got the same crap as the Pontiac dealer! I couldn't believe it! I went to the service dept to try to find out if they knew of a way to test the S/C wiring harness and adapter. The guy said the only person who really knew anything about the S/C's was a guy in parts! Speechless!!!! So I go to the guy in parts and basically he tells me that since they are discontinuing making the S/C's that TRD has no parts available, the only way I could get those parts anyway would be to buy the entire install kit (ECU, wiring harness, adapter, and probably some other misc crap) for $1k! He gave me a number to a guy at TRD and I called. He told me it had to be a wiring issue and there must be a short somewhere. He gave me some suggestions of where to look and told me if I needed any more assistance to call him back. He also confirmed that there are no parts available for the S/C's, so I sure hope no one else has any problems, especially those under warranty for dealer installs(even though everyone is supposed to be under warranty for 12mo/12k mi)! Looks like if I can't find and fix the source of the problem I will most likely end up having to drop $1k anyways on a Unichip, which should be better anyways. Just sucks. I just want my boost back!

[ToolGuy]

Wow what a story and run around! Nice of TuRD to stand behind their products with parts even when they are discontinued! There should have been another solution for the parts that may be bad on yours. Possibly you can send it in for a rebuild if you get the right person at TuRD to listen.At least it runs now and you will figure out the SC in due time...

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »Wow what a story and run around! Nice of TuRD to stand behind their products with parts even when they are discontinued! There should have been another solution for the parts that may be bad on yours. Possibly you can send it in for a rebuild if you get the right person at TuRD to listen.At least it runs now and you will figure out the SC in due time... I certainly agree! Only problem is I have a gut feeling that it can't be good to be running around with all the supercharger stuff hooked up under the hood and no electronics to control it. I'm just afraid I might be damaging the engine and not even know it. I'm going to try to call the guy at TRD again today and let him know I looked at the wiring, but don't see any shorting. Maybe he will be able to help me, but I wish I could get someone who knew what they were doing like that who could actually SEE it and figure it out. Too bad none of the dealerships that sell them know anything about them otherwise!

[damronjr]

Just another update. We finally found the source of the problem!!!!!! Larry, a guy from MO and Orange County (just up north an 1 1/2hr) came down to Andre's and we were installing W/I kits on our cars. While Andre was messing with those we decided to swap S/C ECM wiring harness adapters. He put the adapter from my car into his, and sure enough the same thing happened to his!!!! We pulled it out and after a few failed attempts, it started up all jacked up like mine did and then ran fine. So, we finally got the stupid thing apart and sure enough one of the wire runs on the circuit board was fried! I am going to see if the guys at my work can fix it, but if not I may still be screwed as TRD aparently doesn't have any parts and they want to be stupid about it anyways and tell me I have to buy a whole install kit ($1k!) just to get it. I am going to call Carson Toyota (Larry recommended them) Monday and see if they can get it for me. If not I may have to try to get a SS AIC1 to replace the TRD stuff as it will be a lot cheaper than the Unichip and supposedly gives better gains. Anyways, just wanted to update everyone. We also found a way to keep the boost closed to I can drive normally without having to worry about going into boost!

[damronjr]

Well, the guys at my work fixed it and it is up and running again! They just put some jumpers on it and I hooked it up and started with no problem. Running again at full boost, but I'm probably gonna go ahead and get the SS AIC1 from Dug anyways. I'll keep everyone posted!

[BlueCrush]

Yahooooooo!!!!!

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Yahooooooo!!!!! Haha, if you only knew! Blew away an older Grand Prix on the freeway just to get the feeling back!

[zionzr2]

ALRIGHT!!!! WAY TO GO!!!!

[Mase]

Great news dude. Hopefully I'll get to see it in action this weekend. I never get tired of hearing the sc'd cars.

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by Mase »Great news dude. Hopefully I'll get to see it in action this weekend. I never get tired of hearing the sc'd cars.I'll be there, and on that note, I forgot to make a post here about it!