What did you do to your Vibe today?

Discuss any maintenance you've done to your Vibe & Matrix and ask how to perform maintenance on your vehicle
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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

The other day I decided it was spring oil change time. And with winter + pandemic, it was a super short OCI this time. Dumped out ~4 qt of perfectly good Maxlife 5W-30 from October that had a whole 803 miles on it. Yeah, I know I could/should have ran this much, much longer... What can I say, I was bored! :lol:

And ZOMG ORANGE CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111
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First time I've used one of those in 20+ years. Hey, it was convenient and inexpensive to acquire during these dangerous times. The engine grenaded before I could get it backed off the ramps, amirite? :lol:

Found some distilled water, was thinking doing some cooling system work this weekend but mother nature isn't going to let those shenanigans take place.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Picked it up (2004 Vibe GT) from my buddy's local garage/business where they made several repairs to it. They were slow due to the covid-19 pandemic and needed the work. Details here .... viewtopic.php?f=12&t=46475&p=529061#p529061
Best $600 I ever spent :D
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
Caretaker

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

I guess the question is, what did you do ON your Vibe today?

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MikeReilly
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MikeReilly »

Today I drained the transmission fluid and oil and then put in a new filter. Next I filled the oil and transmission fluid. I'll be doing another transmission fluid drain/fill in a week or two because you only get about half of it each time.

I last had the oil changed in Puerto Vallarta. They torqued the cap for the cartridge style filter on there hard enough I had to bust out the air tools. Why can't people use a torque wrench and get it right? It's supposed to be 18 ft lbs, not 180.
Caretaker

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

I didn't think there was a torque spec for our Gen 2 Vibes with the plastic cup over the paper filter. Once it turns and hits the metal, that's it. There is a metal clip that is supposed to hold it in place and keep it from unscrewing but I never figured out what it did since my clip doesn't come close to the plastic slots that surround the outer cup.
zbyers
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by zbyers »

I washed and detailed mine a little bit yesterday. Got some life changes coming in about 5 weeks, so will be the only chance I have to make it look pretty this summer lol
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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

Yesterday I was going to replace the thermostat, the radiator hoses and heater hoses and flush the coolant... Then I thought to myself I should probably see how the 17 year old water pump was doing since I'd be working right next to it anyway. It's not leaking, but the pulley is looking a little rusty crusty. Took the belt off and spun the pulley - uh yeah, a little rough.

Ordered an Aisin pump from Amazon and put a soon to expire O'reilly coupon toward a new serpentine belt for good measure. Guess I'll be doing all of that next weekend...

And oh, replaced the radio antenna again. The lower portion of the antenna just likes to disintegrate from being out in the weather all the time. Used OEM last time but went with a lesser expensive one from ebay this time.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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cptnsolo77
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

ColonelPanic wrote: Mon Jun 15, 2020 1:51 pm Yesterday I was going to replace the thermostat, the radiator hoses and heater hoses and flush the coolant... Then I thought to myself I should probably see how the 17 year old water pump was doing since I'd be working right next to it anyway. It's not leaking, but the pulley is looking a little rusty crusty. Took the belt off and spun the pulley - uh yeah, a little rough.

Ordered an Aisin pump from Amazon and put a soon to expire O'reilly coupon toward a new serpentine belt for good measure. Guess I'll be doing all of that next weekend...

And oh, replaced the radio antenna again. The lower portion of the antenna just likes to disintegrate from being out in the weather all the time. Used OEM last time but went with a lesser expensive one from ebay this time.
Funny, I just did my water pump, thermostat upper and lower hoses this past December. Water pump had a small drip at 269K. Water pump isnt bad at all. removing the alternator gives you full access to the pump and thermostat. The lower pump bolt is just a lil tricky.
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

This was a few days ago BUT I had to totally recharge my AC system in the 2004 Vibe Gt. It worked great all of last year and prior and I'm pretty sure parts of this year. At least in the defrost mode. Here were the symptoms for those of you familiar with refrigeration:

-Compressor DID engage, this told me there was enough pressure to close the low pressure cutout.
-Suction (low)pressure was about 35psi (good) BUT the line was NOT cold at all :(
-Discharge (high) line was 115psi (not good) and was not condensing the refrigerant
-Compressor on it's way out? Bad refrigerant?

Ended up dumping the charge and I didn't like the smell of it. Something happened OR changed and I'm clueless at this point.
Evacuated and recharged with 24 ounces of virgin R134A. High side now 185 & low side 35 and cooling big time :D

Went back to my buddies garage where they did the timing chain cover repair recently and ask them if they had to recharge the system. They said NO, but something tells me that they did something to where it altered the chemical composition of the charge. No big deal for me as I do HVACR for a living and had everything to correct this problem myself.
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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

Ahhh!
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New KYB Strut Plus assemblies, Moog stabilizer bar end links, ACDelco Professional tie rod ends, a pair of inner tie rods picked up locally at Oreilly, one hack job driveway "alignment" followed by one at a shop.

The old stuff was clearly in great shape. :lol:
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Had a few surprises along the way - minor stuff, like snapping a stud off the driver's side strut when torquing the nuts down. :roll: Wasn't expecting to have to replace the inner tie rods either, but when I took the ends off it was obvious they were trash too. Found a pair locally, but nobody had the loaner tool to help replace them. Found an adjustable tie rod tool at AutoZone, fought with that thing for a couple hours but never could get them to budge. Had to track down a Harbor Freight that had their tie rod tool set in stock, that worked like a charm.

She drives and rides beautifully now. Quite an amazing transformation. Sure, I spent more than I had originally expected on tools and extra parts. Not to mention spent way too much time out on an asphalt driveway in direct sunlight wrenching on her. But she's worth every bit of it. 8-)
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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A Psycho Martyr
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by A Psycho Martyr »

Trip to Lowe's for some 8ft 2x6's with my boy to help me load it!
Time to build a table!

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radioarno
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by radioarno »

I sanded the lip of the fuel filler neck in hopes of removing the check engine light. I then drove 300 miles. It didn't work. I guess I have to spring for that new charcoal canister. I was hoping to avoid it...
tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Had the '04 GT in the shop and while there I majorly polished the entire front of the car. Headlight lenses & all! :D Basically I've been driving a lot of sunset trips to the lake and the BUGS are terrible around sunset. Thank goodness for those Bounce fabric softener sheets as they work wonders on removing bugs from paint & glass. This nose has really been abused so it felt good to somewhat restore it to a nicer looking front end! ;)

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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

What a gorgeous Fusion Vibe, tpollauf! 8-)
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

I solved the Vibe's unbearable vibin' at idle today! Not surprise here, it was the aftermarket front transmission mount which actually made things worse when I installed it a year ago. Installed a new OE ACDelco mount (P/N 88969066) and wow, what a difference. In gear/brakes applied/at warm idle speed, the only vibrations noticeable are nothing more than what I'd expect out of this engine (we all know the 1ZZ was hardly a marvel of refinement.) She's such a joy to drive now that I didn't even mind getting stuck at every red light during my test drive. :lol:

Beck Arnley aftermarket mount on left / GM on the right.
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I'm no NVH engineer, but it seems the Beck Arnley mount was just far too stiff. The rubber section in the center of the aftermarket mount has hardly any give to it compared to the new OE mount which will flex without too much effort. When I pulled the original mount a year ago I had noticed similar flexing but thought it was because the mount was just worn out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well - I would say it's a bummer that I wasted money on the first mount and that I had to do the job again, but the smoothness more than makes up for that.

In other news, it has been over a year since the tires were rotated (2500 miles ago, LOL) so I took care of that. Greased up the tie rod ends and sway bar links. Sprayed some fluid film on random places.

And I switched out the sort-of dim cool white LED's in the dome lights to some warm white ones.
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03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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'21 Elantra Limited - 2.0L/IVT
'15 Escape SE - 1.6L EcoBoost (hers)
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cptnsolo77
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

ColonelPanic wrote: Sat Mar 06, 2021 7:22 pm I solved the Vibe's unbearable vibin' at idle today! Not surprise here, it was the aftermarket front transmission mount which actually made things worse when I installed it a year ago. Installed a new OE ACDelco mount (P/N 88969066) and wow, what a difference. In gear/brakes applied/at warm idle speed, the only vibrations noticeable are nothing more than what I'd expect out of this engine (we all know the 1ZZ was hardly a marvel of refinement.) She's such a joy to drive now that I didn't even mind getting stuck at every red light during my test drive. :lol:

Beck Arnley aftermarket mount on left / GM on the right.
mounts.jpg

I'm no NVH engineer, but it seems the Beck Arnley mount was just far too stiff. The rubber section in the center of the aftermarket mount has hardly any give to it compared to the new OE mount which will flex without too much effort. When I pulled the original mount a year ago I had noticed similar flexing but thought it was because the mount was just worn out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well - I would say it's a bummer that I wasted money on the first mount and that I had to do the job again, but the smoothness more than makes up for that.

In other news, it has been over a year since the tires were rotated (2500 miles ago, LOL) so I took care of that. Greased up the tie rod ends and sway bar links. Sprayed some fluid film on random places.

And I switched out the sort-of dim cool white LED's in the dome lights to some warm white ones.
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dome2.jpg
Thats good to hear ! Im in the middle of tracing down a vibration at idle as well. I think my problem was a mix of old/new mounts...so I redoing them all. I replaced the sides and front mount and that reduced the vibration dramatically. I still have a bit of vibration left....hoping the rear mount solves the rest. Its been almost 2 months and I have to to replace the rear mount, but Im going to pay someone to do it. Hope I didnt wait too long and ruin the new mounts again :roll: This is driving me nuts. The vibe has never been a smooth idling car, so anything more than that in unbearable. This is actually the first time I wanna get rid of the car and I have owned it for 14 years :(

As a side note how bad was the vibration with that one bad mount ? Its amazing that one mount solved your issue !
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

cptnsolo77 wrote: As a side note how bad was the vibration with that one bad mount ? Its amazing that one mount solved your issue !
If I had to rate it on a scale from 1-10, probably about 11. :D This month we've put more miles on the car than usual and so far things are still quite smooth. Very happy with the way things have turned out.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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zbyers
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by zbyers »

Saturday I finally put on the Tokico Blue struts I picked up from SlammedNiss.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CM_-USOBw3M ... _copy_link

I need to replace the AC Clutch, and then I'll see how much better it rides with Tokico Blues.

I am going to pick up some Koni Oranges for a Corolla to throw on the rear eventually.
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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Finally performed oil changes to THREE of our vehicles. First the wifes G8GT sitting at 66k miles, had 9200 between oil changes and went 13 months during that time.

Then the 2004 Vibe GT, sitting at 151k miles, it went 8700 miles between oil changes lasting 15 months.

Finally my 2009 Vibe GT, sitting at 35k miles, it went 10200 miles since its last oil change back in May 2017 :o Yeah I somehow let that one slip as it doesn't get driven that much. All looked good and we're well lubed up for now ;)

Also replaced several random clips on the underside while up on the lift. I lost them due to driving through snowbanks, ice, and scraping a lot of those parking blocks.

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CraftsmanQuad19
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by CraftsmanQuad19 »

Changed the oil in my 03 GT yesterday. Switched over to Mobil 1 both oil and filter. Only had about 2950 on the old oil, but I noticed it wasn’t staying in lift when I was messing around with an R/T the other night so I figured it was time
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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Had to replace the alternator on my son's Blue 09 GT automatic. Actually I let my friends shop perform the repair so that my son can PAY somebody else for the repair. I do enough freebies for the kid so this way he takes a little financial responsibility :lol: At just over 150k miles this was the first engine accessory component that went bad. It all started with his radio display going out, then the dash wend dead. With the car still running, he drove another 15 minutes before the engine finally died. Battery light on dash NEVER came on :o It did however finally come on when we drove it to my buddy's shop so the system does somewhat alert you about the problem
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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

Did my spring oil change this afternoon. 7 months and 1,548.1 miles on this OCI. :lol: Valvoline Maxlife 5W-30/Fram orange can out, Meijer high mileage 5W-30/PureOne PL14477 in.

I think the next order of business is to replace the door checks, they're shot.
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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dale321
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by dale321 »

since getting the vibe about a month+1wk ago .. , i have put on ~ 1500 miles .. the first thing i noticed when i got it (it was very clean) .. soon , the dash got dusty and i wasnt even driving in dusty conditions .. cleaned cabin af then replaced with reusable af.
another thing: it turned over kinda slow .. dead battery ? checked the water level in the battery (which may be from 2011?) and it was low ..
put distilled water in .. had tested at autozone .. apparently 84% is good enuf .. it seems to have regained strength and keeps good charge and turns over fast enuf .
Replaced the AF (though pretty clean) with reuseable , higher flow engine AF. - I notice the MAFs gets close to 300 cfm .. i dont take it much over 3k .
I notice the restriction in the cold air pipe .. there is def. a choke point / bottle neck .. have pod filter and pipe to replace air box but the problem:
air box is a mount point and cable strain relief for MAFs and some other wiring .. will require some time to hack it in at a later point.

I know the rotors (now with 39k miles) will be going in the next 10-20k .. so got drilled rotors and ceramic pads .. the price on these kinds of parts has increased about 1/3 or more in the past month or so .
(i have no idea what the drum looks like and dont look forward to fooling with it but thought about the possbility of replacing with rear discs -- as others have done ..)
- because i live in a hot climate, i feel lucky to have found a seat cushion which air pocket fan . yes a kind of air cushioned seat mat.. kinda noisy but it does have 2 speeds as well as a back massage with a few different settings/patterns .
Seat covers came but have not installed yet.

As there were periods of sitting .. tires have prob flat spots which u hear the humb at higher speeds -- tires will be replaced and why not get aluminum hweels to match .. (future wish list ) .. in the meantime ill suffer with these tires that still have over half the tread left ...

couldnt find the droid fone with torque pro installed , dont know what google acct it was paid for with and
just went ahead and bought torque pro again and put it on another old droid phone ..
it is great being able to monitor just about any engine parameter .. but to get a tranny temp, i think requires a 3rd party sensor install and wiring a guage to inside the dash ? if u ever r gonna do much towing , this is a real good idea to have ..

oh yeah, forgot abmout those pesky day time driving lights .. stock are incandescent/halogen and the plastic lenses get real hot to the touch ..
got some cheap LED replacements and saved some wattage and heat output, thought not super happy about the bright setting ...
would really lyke to shut the lights off during day .. like most normal cars .. in very bright daylight, they don't really do much ...

would like to get some window tinting -

oil change will likely be mobil 1 full synth , not sure what filter recomendation .. i had a ford contour that had a problem with cold start and really neeeded a special filter with 'anti-drain back silicon valve' to reduce the nasty timing chaing noise on cold start ..
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by andrewclaus »

The other day I put in new coils and plugs in my '07, 190K miles. Then I drove it on a 240 mile camping trip in the Rockies and it ran fine, maybe a tad more power and fuel efficiency. Didn't quite use half a tank.

I also changed the cabin air filter. I didn't see a couple of leaves fall into the blower, and next time I put the blower on high the whole dash was shaking. I took that apart today to clean it and all is well.

The PS airbag finally got changed at the dealer, a year after I got the notice. Of course, they broke one of the tabs on the plastic cover. I may try to fix it. I could see it from below when I had the blower motor out. I may try to figure out a way to stiffen the tab.
dale321
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today? (bodhi_tree777)

Post by dale321 »

bodhi_tree777 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:20 am finally got rid of the stock battery, 6 years and 75k miles
the 2 kinds of LA bat are sealed and mtc .. or maintanence (fill caps) and type 2) mtc free ..
guy told me that the fill caps bats last alot longer (because u can refill) whereas the sealed , whilst sexy and all, dont last as long because , unless u drill fill holes, u cant put more water back in and they dry up !
cptnsolo77
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Gave these LED fogs a try. The LED technology has been improving so I thought why not. They are nice a bright, but they makes the yellow halogens look silly at night. Yellow headlights and white fogs....and yes my headlight lenses are clear :lol: The bulb base doesnt fit that snug though as the halogen. So im on the fence.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078S3MR7B?ps ... ct_details
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
cptnsolo77
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Been a busy week:

-New tires. Bridgestone ECOPIA 150. Guys....these tires are super quiet. It will REALLY help with road noise if thats an
issue for you. I had Cooper Evolution Tour tires prior to these and I thought the Coopers were quiet :o . The
Bridgestones
are quieter than the Coopers. I couldnt believe it. Trust me on this one.

- Oil change and upgraded dipstick for 4.4 QT capacity. I dont know why I didnt do this sooner. It MAY help with the oil consumption from a post I read here. It may not affect anything due to my mileage. If it doesnt....oh well. It least I have the correct oil level after 14 years :lol:

- Had my mechanic replace lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, stabilizer links, rear struts and sway bar bushings with all Moog parts. Of course an alignment. After seeing what used cars are costing....its worth spending some money on the Vibe. The prices are ridiculous for used cars :shock:

- Turtle wax polishing compound, Meguires NXT wax followed with turtle wax seal and shine for the headlight lenses.

- All new wipers

Off to Orlando on Friday.....with 280K on the odo :D
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Changed oil and got the kids Vibe ready for winter. Also had to reattach the rear "mid section" heat shield. It was rubbing on the cat & exhaust components. Made oversize washer type supports and fastened them in place. It will take quite awhile for these to rub & break through. Anti-seized the S H I T out of them too!

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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Well I FINALLY transported my 2003 Vibe GT project car, down to my shop. It only took me 59 months to move it !!! :o Bought it back in January 2017 and parked it outdoors at my dad's place. Didn't thing it would sit there almost FIVE years! Oh well, I'll finally start to work on it soon and hopefully get it back on the road. This was one of the first Vibes to roll off the assembly line back in the spring of 2002.

Imageroad. This was one of the very first Vibes to roll off the assembly line

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zbyers
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by zbyers »

looks like it's in decent shape. What's it need? Motor?

I also thought the forklift was holding up that car body in the second picture. :lol:
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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Vibe needs engine work, which is why I got it cheap! Last time I started it (Jan 2017) you had to floor it to get it to start then it would run real rough and not idle. Timing gear off by a tooth? Bad coils? Didn't get real specifics from the previous owner except that it went from running great, to running like s h i t ! Been sitting outdoors for over 5 years and surprisingly the finish is still in good shape! I'll actually start working on it early January now that it's indoors and not out in the weather. If I can get it running good for under $1000 then I'll fix it. If it needs way too much to get it back on the road, they it will become a parts car. I'm optimistic in keeping it on the road :D

That "other" car in the pic is suspended form the ceiling (a rare 1956 Dodge Custom Royal convertible) and has been "hanging around" (no pun intended :lol: ) for close to 10 years :o It likely will NEVER be restored to it's glory days.
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Jedman
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Jedman »

Well it wasn’t all done today but, in the past 1 1/2 weeks I have done the following to my 2010 Vibe.
Changed oil and filter, Castrol Edge 0- 20 full synthetic, Purolator Boss oil filter.
Changed the ATF and filter, Valvoline Max Life ATF Multi Vehicle compatible with WS ATF , Napa trans filter for U250E
Drained and replaced all brake fluid from ABS brake system, used a full quart of Preston’s DOT 3 synthetic brake fluid
Flushed radiator and replaced all hoses and clamps and Dex-Cool coolant
Replaced the 4 spark blues with new Denso Iridium spark plugs.
Removed all 4 wheels and inspected rotors, brake pads, front and rear struts, rotated tires.
I have on order a new valve cover gasket and drive belt and intend to check valve lash when I have the valve cover off.

Working in a unseated garage in Michigan at this time of year isn’t that much fun really but I want the Vibe right before I start driving it any distance.
When it warms up some I intend to use a power buffer and some rubbing compound to polish the exterior and also need to do the same with the headlight covers to clean them up.

Jedman
Last edited by Jedman on Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Jedman »

Jedman wrote: Sun Jan 16, 2022 3:35 pm Well it wasn’t all done today but, in the past 1 1/2 weeks I have done the following to my 2010 Vibe.
Changed oil and filter, Castrol Edge 0- 20 full synthetic, Purolator Boss oil filter.
Changed the ATF and filter, Valvoline Max Life ATF Multi Vehicle compatible with WS ATF , Napa trans filter for U250E
Drained and replaced all brake fluid from ABS brake system, used a full quart of Preston’s DOT 3 synthetic brake fluid
Flushed radiator and replaced all hoses and clamps and Dex-Cool coolant
Replaced the 4 spark blues with new Denso Iridium spark plugs.
Removed all 4 wheels and inspected rotors, brake pads, front and rear struts, rotated tires.
I have on order a new valve cover gasket and drive belt and intend to check valve lash when I have the valve cover off.

Working in a unseated garage in Michigan at this time of year isn’t that much fun really but I want the Vibe right before I start driving it any distance.
When it warms up some I intend to use a power buffer and some rubbing compound to polish the exterior and also need to do the same with the headlight covers to clean them up.

Jedman
tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Jedman wrote: Sun Jan 16, 2022 3:35 pm Flushed radiator and replaced all hoses and clamps and Dex-Cool coolant
Hopefully you DID NOT refill with Dex-cool coolant. Many posts here on GenVibe about the owners manuals being WRONG an giving bad information about which coolant to use. Toyota SLLc pink coolant only is what you must use. Here's one of MANY topics/posts on this issue:

viewtopic.php?p=495915&hilit=antifreeze#p495915
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Caretaker

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

+1. Correct. If you used Dexcool, consider it a dress rehearsal and fully flush the stuff out. Put in the proper super long life coolant (pink) from either a Toyota dealership, online or Zerex Asian. And if you've been studying your owner's manual, tear out the pages that wrongly speak of Dexcool and Toyota Type IV transmission fluid in 2009-10 Vibes.
Jedman
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Jedman »

Thanks for the warning about Dex Cool, I will replace it with the correct stuff. Jedman
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

It finally dawned on me that I have two unused air filters for two of my cars and three charcoal activated cabin air filters for the Vibe. As I have plans on replacing both the HET and Vibe within 12 months, I decided to put them into action. I also drove to two Sam's Clubs today to witness lines for gas out the wazoo. I finally topped off the Vibe at a local gas station with no wait. While at Sam's I set all tire air pressure to 32 and filled the always neglected spare tire to 60psi. The car also got a new coat of wax, Back to Black on the tires and trim, interior Armour All, the usual top off of engine oil, a sip of distilled water for the Costco battery, and a sip of fuel additive to mix in with the gas. Time for a road trip to see if the St. Augustine/Jacksonville area is more interesting that where we currently live.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Well the 4-post lift was finally available for me to use this weekend and I took advantage of it. 2004 Vibe GT was overdue for an oil change AND I started noticing a drop or two of fluid (oil, gear lube) in the center of the front car (see pics below) not sure where it's coming from yet BUT I'll be keeping an eye on it over the next few months. Repaired missing clips to juniors 2009 Vibe GT, mainly the splash shield & front wheel well liners. Tomorrow morning, the wife's G8GT gets the lift for it's annual oil change.

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Bookworm
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Bookworm »

Yesterday, on the old Vibe, changed oil, drained and filled transmission fluid.

Yesterday, on the new Matrix, changed the side mirrors for powered mirrors (and cleaned the paint under them)

Yesterday, on Mazda5, replaced the passenger front fender liner completely.

Today, replaced popits on the front fender liners on the Matrix, the PCV hose (hard and stretched out), PCV valve (have to return the one from O'Reilly - it says 16mm, but it's the BSP. So got one from Autozone that fit), replaced the broken beauty cover, pulled the brake pads out and cleaned everything, adding some grease to the path for the pads. One piston boot is abraded, so I'll need to do a caliper rebuild kit (replace the boot and gaskets).

Tested brakes and they're doing much better. Tires will need to be replaced, the rears are from 2015, the fronts are from 2019 (Goodyear), and all are showing massive cracking on the tread, like they've been cooked/rotted.

I wish it was easier to find tires that are quiet. I get to choose high price, long warranty, or lower price (not low), shorter warranty - either way, I get road hazard. I expect to be driving the Matrix as my daily driver sometime this week, I think. Then this Vibe goes on the market for anyone who wants a running vehicle that can pass inspection, for parts. It'll need tires if you want to try to drive it cross country, though.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

If money is an issue, Walmart just lowered their price on the Goodyear Reliant A/S tires. These are made specifically for Walmart and the reviews seem to be positive given it is a Goodyear tire (I'm not a fan). Nonetheless, for $69, I will put on two new ones which will serve as four. First they go on the rear axle, and then in 6 months or so, they go to the front and the last two good General Altimax will go to the rear for the remaining life of my HET. Hopefully that will get us to the time where I can see/test all five cars waiting in the wings (listed below). The Goodyear tires might not be a good fit for anyone dealing with snow from time to time.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Bookworm »

Turns out those tires are $79 in Houston. I could do Douglas, which are made by Goodyear.
Caretaker

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

right. The price difference is probably the 15''s for the HET versus the 16''s for the Vibe. I was going to do the Douglas but the ratings are really squirrely. The Reliant tire has the aquatred technology for heavy rain environs and at $69 (versus $56 for the Douglas), the ratings would indicate it is worth the extra 13 bucks even for my on-the-way-out HET.
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ColonelPanic
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

A few things. :lol:

Replaced the cabin air filter and the blower vibrating the dash badly thereafter. Great! I pulled the blower motor and found one tiny leaf in the squirrel cage. Disaster averted.

Changed the oil and rotated the tires. QS high mileage synthetic blend 5W-30 and a Fram orange can this time.

Replaced the serpentine belt, tensioner and tensioner bolt. I last replaced the tensioner in 2016 at 119k for a rattly idler pulley and leaking piston. At 140k the bearing in the replacement started to rattle, meeting an untimely demise. :?

I used an OEM GM tensioner last time (GM P/N 19205431, now discontinued.) I recall the original and replacement tensioners were both INA and rockauto also carried an INA part. Wasn't sure if it was the same as OEM but it was the least expensive part in the standard replacement category so I went for it.

It does appear the INA tensioner at rockauto for $71.79 is an exact match to the $145.99 OEM one I bought previously. The only difference I can see is the manufacture date stamped on it.
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Not a bad price for an "OEM" part! Really not sure what happened to kill the bearing this time but I hope this one hangs in there for the rest of the car's life.
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andrewclaus
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by andrewclaus »

I fixed a couple of items before a road trip to AZ. The car has 205K miles on it now.

I found engine oil dripping all around the front of the engine and suspension below it. So I replaced the timing cover oil seal, but the harmonic balancer had a groove worn in it from the old seal. I tried sanding the groove out but it still leaked. So I bought a new pulley and seal and did it again. I got fast at doing the serpentine belt. I got an aftermarket pulley for $50. The two seals were $10 each from Toyota.

And I found an exhaust leak at the rear gasketed joint before the muffler. I could see there was still tension in the springs and there was a hole blown through the gasket, a failure mode I hadn't seen before. When I took it apart I found the flange was almost completely rusted through. So I bought a new section of pipe including the resonator and flange, cut the old pipe just aft of CAT2, and clamped it on. Since I easily found a replacement piece locally, I assume this is a common problem.

I hate to think of what that exhaust work that would have cost at a dealer. They would have had to replace the entire pipe including the two CATs. The retail cost of the part is about $1200. Add in a new O2 sensor, gaskets, and labor, that flange failure would have totaled the car for me. It cost me $150 and two hours on the garage floor.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by joatmon »

A relative with an 03 Matrix who lives multiple states away had a power steering line fail, and ran it dry to the point the pump ate itself, wouldn't support the serpentine belt, and he had to take it to a shop for an expensive repair. A month later he came to visit, said the car was making a strange noise. Found out that the passenger side motor mount had separated. The mount is made of two halves, one above that bolts to the frame, the lower half bolts to the motor, and the two halves are joined with two studs on the frame half that get nuts underneath the motor half, and a bolt that goes through the frame half from the top into a threaded hole in the motor half. There bolt was just hanging there, and the nuts were missing from the studs, about an inch air gap between the two mount halves. Surprising how much the motor flies around when that mount is split.

A couple bucks at a hardware store for some nuts and lock washers, and problem solved. Sent him home with the homework task of chewing out the shop that did the PS pump replacement.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

So it's more like "what did mother nature do to my Vibe today" !!! Two of our Vibes were victims of tornado damage last Thursday (6-15-2023). My son's was parked at his place of employment when the EF1 tornado came through and ripped siding & lots of other building materials off and flew them directly into the path where his car was parked. It's amazing that only one window was shattered! Mine, a couple miles further away, was victim to golf ball (minimum) to baseball (maximum) sized hail. Lots of dents that I'm simply going to live with due to the age of the car. They both still run GREAT which is the most important part.

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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Mark »

Resolved my issue with the clock/radio digits fading away, plus can't see them with polarized sun glasses either. Found this on Amazon for 8 bucks. The display is inset just a bit so I added a strip of double sided tape to the adhesive as a spacer.
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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

I SOLD one of my Vibe Gt's the other day. This poor EARLY build 2003 Vibe GT (one of the first few hundred rolling off the line at the NUMMI plant), which needed engine work, won't see it back on the road with any of my help after all. I bought it off of a GenViber on this forum almost SEVEN years ago and drove out to New Jersey to bring it home to the Ohio/\Michigan line. After resting peacefully for all that time, I finally found a young kid (one of my son's friends) who wanted it and will put in the time and effort to get it back on the road. So we loaded it up on a flatbed trailer and off it went onto another new home. Sad on one hand BUT happy for this young kid as he took an oath to keep it on the road and give it some new life. I've just had waaaayyy too much going on to where any major work is simply not going to happen. I'll keep all posted as to what it takes to get this Vibe back on the road.

Pics of when I first got it, to when I passed it n to another owner ;)

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tpollauf
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Just a test post. My 4000th post :D
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Mark
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Mark »

Today I used a coat hanger to rescue my oil dipstick. Big sigh of relief, there are none in stock at any of the parts stores in the area that I can find.

Yesterday I changed the oil in Silver and while I was checking and topping off I set the dipstick down on top of the fan shroud. It immediately rolled over and dove through the narrow gap and fell between the radiator and condenser. I have an extensible magnet but the dipstick is non-ferrous stainless steel. I gave up and was just going to plug the tube and check the Toyota dealer tomorrow, but today I was somehow able to snag the handle with a coat hanger and pull it out.
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