New owner of a 2003 Pontiac Vibe GT !!!

[klutzycarlover]

Hello all, I recently just bought a 2003 Pontiac Vibe GT in silver.
150k miles
1 owner
no rust
paint is decent considering the rock chips and the dent on the rear bumber, and a few scrapes here and there
sunroof

I never thought I would own a Pontiac in a million years. After going through 3 problematic cars this year, I decided to look at financing a newer car. I ended up looking at trade-ins at a findlay Kia. I figured it wouldn't be smart to have a car payment as I start college next year. I was looking through there list, and the Vibe caught my eye, as I knew it was basically a Matrix. One of my requirements was a manual transmission, and I knew the GT had a six-speed. The first car I looked at on the lot was actually a clean Celica GTS with low milage. I would of had to finance that one though, as they were asking 12k. So then I test drove the Vibe and I absolutly loved it! They had just gotten it on a trade in that day, and it was covered in dirt and mud inside and out! So I ended up getting a smoking deal for $2800!

However, one of the things I did not catch on the test-drive was that the clutch was on it's way out.
The car was a joy to drive about 130 miles back to Vegas, cruise control worked great, and plenty of power to pass obviously!

I have big plans for this car. I want to do some custom body work to make it look similar to the Vibe GXP that was never produced. And possibly doing FI next year.

But before any modifications, I need to work out the important things, as this is my daily driver. If you guys could help me out with the following things, it would be greatly appreciated.

1. Clutch has gotten really bad the past few days, and I need to replace it ASAP, but I've read that the stock clutch is not ideal for the GT. My budget is about $250 for a clutch. Would you guys recommend any of the cheap ebay clutch kits? Also, I'm highly considering getting a lightened flywheel. What else should I replace while I have the trans dropped?

2. The gas pedal feels like its stuck on something occasionally, which either entertains some tire squealing from a standstill, or I don't get it un-snagged and stall.

3. And lastly, the idle is high sometimes. Never consistent though. Half the time its around 1500, the rest of the time it's anywhere between 600-1900. It seems to change when I blip the throttle. I haven't cleaned the MAF or IAC yet, and its not throwing any codes (or atleast not until I decided to unplug the MAF).

Please share any comments, tips, or advice. Many thanks in advance!

[GTwannabe]

Welcome fellow uh... vibe owner?!! Love the GT, I wish I had the AWD and extra 60 hp.

1. I am about to install my F1 stage 1 clutch and fidazna flywheel. Got on ebay for $80 (clutch) and $300 (flywheel). The suggested retail for the clutch is $540 on f1-racing site. Some people hate on clutch brands, but ebay has a strange way of reducing prices. Spec, Clutch Masters, TRD, and others, all make clutches for the vibe for about that price. They should all be similar quality. From what I have read you would want a semi-organic clutch. Some people herer buy 3 puck ceramic ones, but that type was really made simply for the racetrack. Kevlar clutches sound cool, but they are fragile so your GF or BF (depending) might blow it up on the way to the groccery-store. Check the part number on the ebay listing with the part number from the manufactuerer for the vibe. If it matches go for it. Make sure to do a good bleed of the clutch/brake line fluid, who knows when the last time that might have been done. A nice flywheel sounds cool. Mine is being installed this week, and it weighs 8lbs (i think, its Fidazna). I wouldn't go for anything but the lighest. There are some steel 12lb flywheels, but the gain for them would be less substantial. Just ask to get yours resurfaced if possible, that would be the cheapest. Ask to replace the rear main seal while the tranny is out. Should only be 1/2 labor extra.

2. check the linkages? I don't think the vibe has a cable throttle, not sure.

3. Cleaning the throttlebody might help too. When was the last time the airfilter was changed? You might also want to check for recalls. I know my 07 base vibe had one back in 2011. The EFI chip was reprogrammed or replaced or sumthin The end result was that idle speed dropped from around 1k to 800

Good luck!

[SeattleJeremy]

The clutch is something you want to do right the first time, and don't want to over do it. Obviously, if you are looking to go FI at some point the stock clutch won't do. At the same time there is no reason to go overboard and get a clutch rated at 350ft/lb.
I would recommend the "Competition Clutch Stage 2 Street Carbon/Kevlar"
http://www.monkeywrenchracing.com/produ ... ts_id=1235" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you decide to get a flywheel remember the 2ZZ (your engine) and 1ZZ flywheels are different.

The 03 Vibes has a cable throttle body. Inspect the cable ends make sure they are connected correctly and the TB opens and closes with little resistance.
Make sure the floor mat isn't getting in the way

Tracking down the throttle sticking issue might lead to resolving your high idle issue.

[klutzycarlover]

The clutch is something you want to do right the first time, and don't want to over do it. Obviously, if you are looking to go FI at some point the stock clutch won't do. At the same time there is no reason to go overboard and get a clutch rated at 350ft/lb.
I would recommend the "Competition Clutch Stage 2 Street Carbon/Kevlar"
http://www.monkeywrenchracing.com/produ ... ts_id=1235" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you decide to get a flywheel remember the 2ZZ (your engine) and 1ZZ flywheels are different.

The 03 Vibes has a cable throttle body. Inspect the cable ends make sure they are connected correctly and the TB opens and closes with little resistance.
Make sure the floor mat isn't getting in the way

Tracking down the throttle sticking issue might lead to resolving your high idle issue.

I would do a nice clutch if I had the money, but that extra $100 I need for maintenance.

It seems like the major thing that goes wrong with those cheap clutch kits is the clutch disc. And people are also saying that only stage 3+ kits have a stronger pressure plate. So I think I'm going to get an OEM organic clutch disc, eBay stage 3-4 pressure plate, and eBay cromo flywheel. That should add up to about $250, and should hold 200 hp I think. I'll go with a much better clutch once I start doing FI.

That's true, cleaning my TB may fix all those problems. I'll go try it now, thanks!!

Oh, and what fluids should I get? Thanks again!

[klutzycarlover]

Welcome fellow uh... vibe owner?!! Love the GT, I wish I had the AWD and extra 60 hp.

1. I am about to install my F1 stage 1 clutch and fidazna flywheel. Got on ebay for $80 (clutch) and $300 (flywheel). The suggested retail for the clutch is $540 on f1-racing site. Some people hate on clutch brands, but ebay has a strange way of reducing prices. Spec, Clutch Masters, TRD, and others, all make clutches for the vibe for about that price. They should all be similar quality. From what I have read you would want a semi-organic clutch. Some people herer buy 3 puck ceramic ones, but that type was really made simply for the racetrack. Kevlar clutches sound cool, but they are fragile so your GF or BF (depending) might blow it up on the way to the groccery-store. Check the part number on the ebay listing with the part number from the manufactuerer for the vibe. If it matches go for it. Make sure to do a good bleed of the clutch/brake line fluid, who knows when the last time that might have been done. A nice flywheel sounds cool. Mine is being installed this week, and it weighs 8lbs (i think, its Fidazna). I wouldn't go for anything but the lighest. There are some steel 12lb flywheels, but the gain for them would be less substantial. Just ask to get yours resurfaced if possible, that would be the cheapest. Ask to replace the rear main seal while the tranny is out. Should only be 1/2 labor extra.

2. check the linkages? I don't think the vibe has a cable throttle, not sure.

3. Cleaning the throttlebody might help too. When was the last time the airfilter was changed? You might also want to check for recalls. I know my 07 base vibe had one back in 2011. The EFI chip was reprogrammed or replaced or sumthin The end result was that idle speed dropped from around 1k to 800

Good luck!

Let me know how that clutch feels. By the way F1, PPC, XTD, XTR etc. are all the same. That's a good deal for that flywheel, it looks like it's either 7.5lbs or 9.1lbs. I do all the labor myself by the way. The one I'm looking at is about 10.5, so I should definitely feel a difference.

I believe the Vibe switches to drive by wire in 2005.

See post above.

Thanks for your input!

[SeattleJeremy]

I would do a nice clutch if I had the money, but that extra $100 I need for maintenance.

It seems like the major thing that goes wrong with those cheap clutch kits is the clutch disc. And people are also saying that only stage 3+ kits have a stronger pressure plate. So I think I'm going to get an OEM organic clutch disc, eBay stage 3-4 pressure plate, and eBay cromo flywheel. That should add up to about $250, and should hold 200 hp I think. I'll go with a much better clutch once I start doing FI.

That's true, cleaning my TB may fix all those problems. I'll go try it now, thanks!!

Oh, and what fluids should I get? Thanks again!

The higher a clutch is rated (stage) the harder it will be to use in everyday driving.
Clutches are rated for Torque, HP doesn't mater. These Toyota 1.8L engines don't make very much torque to begin with. Take a look at revstohigh's Turbo GT thread, note the part where his car made 250HP, and only made 175tq.
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=41918&p=489199" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As for the fluids, have everything inspected. Brake fluid, Clutch fluid, Coolant, Transmission, Engine oil.
Flush the Brake/Clutch, drain and fill the coolant*, and transmission. Standard Oil change.

*Your car left the factory (NUMMI) with Red Toyota coolant. Somewhere a long the line someone might have put Orange GM Dexcool in the cooling system. Or maybe switched to Green. Find out what the cooling system has in it now, if it's in good shape, great. If it looks funny, or badly discolored, drain and fill with the same stuff that in there now.

[thebarber]

0. keep in mind you pretty well bought a toyota matrix.

1. ACT clutches are great. if you're just staying with intake/header/exhaust id grab an exedy. remember when looking that clutch parts are often interchangeable. honestly, contact Garm at microimageonline.com...mention my screen name and he'll help you out with a good price on a clutch

2. i would make sure the throttle cable isnt sticking at the throttle body. spray some penetrating lube on it (PB Blaster is my favorite)

3. the car will idle high on cold starts to warm the engine up faster....since you live in UT, im assuming you don't really get winter and are thus not used to that "feature"?

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! That is certainly a beautiful silver GT you've got there !

[mac99d]

Welcome to the site lots of helpful people on here. If you live in Vegas you should check out https://www.facebook.com/pages/ZZ-Garag ... 5614935316" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. BTW nice choice in cars

[klutzycarlover]

Okay, so my budget is cut short now, I may have been doing double the speed limit coming back from school, and there may have been a motorcycle cop hidden around the corner.

So I'm thinking of ordering the cheapest clutch kit on eBay, or one of those stage 2 clutch kits for less than $100. Just for a few months of course.

I cleaned the MAF sensor, throttle body, pcv, and IAC valve with some nice CRC stuff to no avail. Idle is very unpredictable now, will sit around 3k most of the time until I rev it sharply to snap the throttle shut. It seems like it doesn't run as smoothly either. Haven't had a chance to check anything yet. No codes still.

It looks like the previous owner did a decent job of taking care of it. It has Toyota coolant, and it looks fresh. I think I'm going to send the oil to get tested at Blackstone labs when I do the oil change shortly with royal purple.

Sorry if this post seems odd, or scattered. I've got a headache at 12am, and I should be doing homework. I was busy with school and what-not over the past week or so.
I will update more frequently.

[klutzycarlover]

Welcome to the site lots of helpful people on here. If you live in Vegas you should check out https://www.facebook.com/pages/ZZ-Garag ... 5614935316" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. BTW nice choice in cars

Sweet! I definitely will check that out. I love what you've done with your vibe by the way! I'm taking notes, as I plan to do many similar mods.
Thanks!

[Doug14]

Could also try cleaning maf connection and using proper dielectric grease. Are you making sure to disconnect the battery and drain excess power so the ecu can learn a new baseline? It likely will run rough after that until it's learned what it needs to.

[mac99d]

Any time...Thats what we are all here for to help out.

[klutzycarlover]

Here's what I did about a week ago.

I cleaned the crap (wow, really? c-r-a-p?) out of my IAC, TB, MAF sensor, and PCV.
Here you can see how dirty my TB was:


Closer look after pulling it out:



You can see how dirty the IAC valve was too:


It's hard to see, but I had to carefully cut slots in the IAC screws with an angle grinder. (my dremel was not on hand)


Heres the TB after cleaning:



After letting everything dry, I bolted it all back up:


I cleaned my engine cover since it was already off:


After all that, the idle got worse. Now it would Idle up to 3.2k, and sometimes it would come back down to 1.5-2k if I blipped the throttle. It was like that until I cleaned the MAF again, and adjusted the idle screw yesterday. Now it will idle around 950 rpm, which I'm happy with, but it will occasionally sit at 1.2k-2k until I blip the throttle, then it will idle normally again. And it still sometimes has an initial resistance when I press the throttle. Maybe a new throttle body, and/or throttle cable will fix those problems.

I got six quarts of Mobil-1 5w-30. I didn't have enough cash for Royal Purple. What filter should I use? Is there anything I should know before proceeding with an oil change? Also, what spark plugs do you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

[lannvouivre]

I got six quarts of Mobil-1 5w-30. I didn't have enough cash for Royal Purple. What filter should I use? Is there anything I should know before proceeding with an oil change? Also, what spark plugs do you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

Filters:
I personally like the K&N HP-1002, but you can also look into a Toyota or TRD oil filter for the 2ZZ-GE engine.

[hoooboy]

TB was really dirty!

Oil Filter = OEM
Spark Plugs = OEM

[Salsa Guy]

That thing was EATING dirt!!! Wow

[tpollauf]

That thing was EATING dirt!!! Wow

X2 to that comment. Too bad that you couldn't have had the oil tested immediately when you purchased the car to see how many contaminants would have been in it. With that much dirt entering the engine for who knows how long, it likely did some some internal damage to all of your lubricating parts. Definitely plan on your next oil change to get an oil analysis performed so you can see if you're witnessing any concerning internal engine wear. Hopefully you got the engine compartment cleaned up by now. What a mess it was when you got it

[klutzycarlover]

Quick update, will go into detail later. With many pictures.

I got the stage 3 F1 ebay clutch kit with lightweight flywheel. It's been about 2k miles since the install, and It works fairly well.

Put a fart can on it. It was as a joke, but it actually looks cool, and sounds surprisingly good. Video soon to come.

Restored headlights, makes a huge difference.

Not much else, Mostly planning and gathering parts. And countless hours of research.

For what, you might ask?

BOOOST!! and I also have a few other things coming. (But that's a secret for now)

Sorry for the Vague update. It seems I only ever remember to check genvibe at 3am.

Many more details and photos to come, of what has already been done, parts I've gathered, and plans.

[ken99287]

Ever get the idle figured out?

[klutzycarlover]

Ever get the idle figured out?

Yes. Combination of dirty maf, throttle body, and iac. After cleaning all those, it got much better. But my throttle body needs replacement, because it has play side to side, which causes it to catch a little high, or catches when fully closed to cause the throttle to have the initial resistance when pressed.

Maybe i can try to disassemble it, and shim it somehow.

[vibrologist]

Ever get the idle figured out?

Yes. Combination of dirty maf, throttle body, and iac. After cleaning all those, it got much better. But my throttle body needs replacement, because it has play side to side, which causes it to catch a little high, or catches when fully closed to cause the throttle to have the initial resistance when pressed.

Maybe i can try to disassemble it, and shim it somehow.

I know that is tempting. But you run the risk of experiencing a throttle that is stuck in wide open position. There are some life experiences you have to make on your own. This is not one of them.
Look for a good used TB.

Just my 2 cents.

[klutzycarlover]

Ever get the idle figured out?

Yes. Combination of dirty maf, throttle body, and iac. After cleaning all those, it got much better. But my throttle body needs replacement, because it has play side to side, which causes it to catch a little high, or catches when fully closed to cause the throttle to have the initial resistance when pressed.

Maybe i can try to disassemble it, and shim it somehow.

I know that is tempting. But you run the risk of experiencing a throttle that is stuck in wide open position. There are some life experiences you have to make on your own. This is not one of them.
Look for a good used TB.

Just my 2 cents.

How would it get stuck open? I would shim either side of the shaft, to keep the plate centered. As well as keeping it plenty loose enough to operate. Also, sand the edges of the flap, to prevent catching. Sounds a lot cheaper than a new throttle body.

[bountybuddy]

Very nice looking Vibe my friend. My wife and I bought our first Vibe back in 2010 I think. It had 135,000 miles on it and we bought it for $7,250.00. They were asking $7,500.00 but came down a bit for us. It was a base model 2003. Before buying it they let us take it home with us for the weekend so we could be sure it got the gas mileage they told us it got. We took a drive around Michigan's thumb, 175 miles and got 38 MPG. We both just loved it. We put the rear seats down and slept in the back of it to be sure we could. This is when the price of gas was about $4.00 per gallon. The car we bought the Vibe to replace had 125,000 miles on it. The only problem we have had with it was having to replace all four struts which cost us $1,500.00. The car now has just under 200,000 miles on it and it is still going strong. I think it is the best car I have ever owned. A couple of months ago I found a 2004 Vibe with 88,500 miles on it for $7,000.00 and we bought it. The new to us Vibe is silver and could pass for brand new. We are a very happy Vibe family. Take care my friend.

[klutzycarlover]

Very nice looking Vibe my friend. My wife and I bought our first Vibe back in 2010 I think. It had 135,000 miles on it and we bought it for $7,250.00. They were asking $7,500.00 but came down a bit for us. It was a base model 2003. Before buying it they let us take it home with us for the weekend so we could be sure it got the gas mileage they told us it got. We took a drive around Michigan's thumb, 175 miles and got 38 MPG. We both just loved it. We put the rear seats down and slept in the back of it to be sure we could. This is when the price of gas was about $4.00 per gallon. The car we bought the Vibe to replace had 125,000 miles on it. The only problem we have had with it was having to replace all four struts which cost us $1,500.00. The car now has just under 200,000 miles on it and it is still going strong. I think it is the best car I have ever owned. A couple of months ago I found a 2004 Vibe with 88,500 miles on it for $7,000.00 and we bought it. The new to us Vibe is silver and could pass for brand new. We are a very happy Vibe family. Take care my friend.

Wow, that's pretty low mileage. These will just go forever. Definitely can't knock Toyota reliability. I'm over 160k now, driven very hard for the last year and 10k miles. All the parts are factory still (besides the ones I've upgraded). Original struts, bushings, fuel pump, wheel bearings, coils, injectors, CV axles. It's amazing how long they can go, and how much abuse they can take.

I can't see myself getting a different car for a while. I just love the vibe too much. It's economical, fun, practical, and looks pretty decent.