Car died but started back up?

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buickstyle
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:37 am

Car died but started back up?

Post by buickstyle »

Man I could really use some help. I have a 2007 Vibe with approx. 68-69K miles on it. Today after work I started it up just fine, drove out of my parking garage and pulled onto the street and drove about 30 feet, hit the break a little and the car died, just shut off. No engine sputter or anything but the battery light and oil light indicators came on. I immediately put the car in park and turned the key off and then back on again and it started up just fine. I drove it home on the freeway about 14 miles back to my house with no indicator lights on and no problems. When I got home I hooked up a voltmeter to the battery (car running) and it registered a 13.4-13.16. With the car still running, I disconnected the battery leads and checked those and they were the same voltage as previously mentioned.

I turned the radio up, A/C on blast, had the car idling up my driveway and it didn't die again. In my experiences with cars there are no such things as "flukes" like my roommate suggests. Does anyone have any ideas?? I checked wires leading to the battery and on the alternator and on top of the engine block and everything is clipped in good and I couldn't find any loose wires or anything!

Thanks in advance
star_deceiver
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Location: Airdrie, AB

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by star_deceiver »

Have you had the PCM/ECU recall done yet?
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2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 Cheyenne 4x4 (Traded in - 03/30/16)
2009 Vibe. (Traded in - 12/12/12)
buickstyle
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Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:37 am

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by buickstyle »

Thanks for the reply. I had my PCM replaced in 2008 or 2009 (pre-recall) by my Pontiac dealership bc the PCM blew before the recall was announced. Once I found out about the recall I'm pretty positive I spoke to Pontiac and asked them if the one they previously installed was still faulty and if I recall correctly, they were able to look it up and say it should be fine. Who knows though.

Do you know if it's possible to scan for error codes at Autozone even if there are no warning indicator lights on? I'm thinking I'll just go to AZ and have them scan and see what/if they find anything and go from there. If it is the PCM they better replace it for free!
star_deceiver
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Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:49 pm
Location: Airdrie, AB

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by star_deceiver »

I'm not sure if it will show pending codes or not.

As I recall, there's a way to tell if the PCM is the old or new style by the part number. I believe there's a post or two on here somewhere...

Bad PCM part number: 89661-02k30 http://www.faqs.org/car/pontiac-vibe-2007/power-train/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
2021 Ram 1500 4x4 CCSB
2019 Ram 3500 4x4 CCSB srw 8HP75 (traded in - 04/15/21)
2016 Ram 3500 4x4 RCLB Dually w/stick (traded in - 05/10/19)
2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 Cheyenne 4x4 (Traded in - 03/30/16)
2009 Vibe. (Traded in - 12/12/12)
buickstyle
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:37 am

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by buickstyle »

I guess my problem is not knowing if they updated my part number on my car when they replaced the faulty one back in 08/09. I scheduled a visit with Pontiac tomorrow so I'll see what they have to say! Thanks for the info.
buickstyle
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Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:37 am

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by buickstyle »

I take that back I just looked under my dash and I have 89661-02K41 / and the 9th number in the lot starts with 9191 which clears the list. So back to the drawing board?
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trb
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Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by trb »

Its possible it could still be bad even if it was replaced. That is what happened to my son's 06 when his PCM went out. It died on him 3 times and started right back up over a 2 week period, until it totally died. His new one is one of the OK part numbers. The PCM is covered under the emissions warranty that is I think 7 yrs, 85K miles. Might be worth it to check for codes now and if it does it again, then take it in.

Good luck!
Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
buickstyle
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Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:37 am

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by buickstyle »

Thanks guys I appreciate all the info. I'm going to take it to Auto Zone tomorrow and check for codes and probably will go to the dealer too. I'll post again when I have more info.
buickstyle
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:37 am

Re: Car died but started back up?

Post by buickstyle »

Took the car to Auto Zone today, no computer codes came about. I decided to take it to Pontiac to have them run diagnostics, normally I'm not so paranoid but the car is getting older and it's obviously never just cut out and stalled like that before (well, other than when my PCM crashed on me the first time). So I ponied up the $109 dollars, they had it all day, couldn't find a single thing wrong with it. No electrical issues, no error codes, fuel pressure good, wires good, connections good, drove the car 2 separate times. Nothing. This drives me crazy.
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