Hi everyone new to the page just want to introduce myself my name is Casey I have a 05 vibe and live in Arizona. I was hoping someone could help me figure out why my vibe drops in rpms when at a light or idle, but if the Ac is on it does not do this it runs perfect with the ac on. The vibe has 130,000 miles on it I bought it when it had about 123,000 on her. It’s usually pretty hot in Arizona so the ac is usually on but now that it is cooling off I don’t need the ac as often so the issue is really highlighted now. I really enjoy my vibe I bought it for my part time job of delivering food. I have tried replacing a few things to see if I could fix the problem myself but so far no luck. I am no mechanic by any means and I am trying to avoid going to a mechanic. I have replaced the alternator and fuel pump (I just replaced the pump not the complete assembly) new spark plugs and I tried a MAP sensor but that also didn’t fix the issue so I returned the sensor. Other than this issue the vibe runs great doesn’t burn or lose any oil. Also put on a rebuild throttle body that has the sensor built into it did not fix the problem. If anyone out there has any advice or has experienced the same issue and finally figured out what the problem is I would really appreciate the help. I see these vibes with 200,000-300,000 miles on them and I would like to get the same out of my vibe. Thank you everyone!
Welcome to Gen Vibe! In order to help and avoid throwing parts at it or a lot of time troubleshooting, could you provide some more details.
1. Is this a base Vibe or GT?
2. Did the Vibe always have this since you purchased or did you notice it recently?
3.. When you say at a light, I assume you are still in gear. But at idle, are you in Park? If so, what do the RPM's show in park vs idle?
4. Do the symptoms change after the vehicle is warmed up?
5. Have you changed the intake manifold gasket?
6. You mentioned that you had a rebuilt throttle body installed? Was the original one all fouled up with carbon? Did you try cleaning it first with throttle body cleaner?
Hi there I appreciate the help. It is a base model, the vibe has always done this since I bought it, I have put about 10,000 miles on it and it has started to get worse. It only happens when I am applying the brake if it is in park it runs normal if I have the ac on and apply the brakes it still runs normal. When it is cold it runs normal when applying the brakes. You can see the rpm’s drop once the brakes are applied, 900 to 700 give or take. I just recently replaced the intake manifold gasket I was hoping that was going to finally fix it but no luck. The original throttle body was pretty dirty I did take it off and thoroughly cleaned it, it has the built in sensor so when the cleaning didn’t work I opted to try replacing it. I checked all my houses for leaks and to make sure and everything seems as it should. Could it be the brake booster? Again thank you for the help.
You might want to stop shooting the parts cannon and do some tests. Get a vacuum gauge, read up on its use. Plug or pinch off the vacuum hose to the booster and look for a change. Also pull the fuse for the brake lights to eliminate an electrical problem.
And consider the car is 20 years old. If it continues to idle at 700 rpm, call it good, live with it.
(And a little more punctuation will make your posts easier to read.)
Thank you for the concern about my punctuation. Although I am not concerned about punctuation when it comes to genvibe posts. Just because something is 20 years old doesn’t mean it can’t be repaired or improved. I will give your suggestion a shot thanks.