My First Vibe

[ORNJxVYBE]

Recently I purchased an 04 Vibe Base (1ZZ-FE). This is my first car and I don't have much experience working on cars so apologies if I am a tad slow on these things. I have been doing some research on my car ever since I got it about 3 days ago now. There are a couple things that I noticed that are going on with it and I would like to get a little bit of advice and the general direction to look in.

So first off the car idles a little rough. When I first start it (around 40-ish degrees F) it idles at 2k for some time but it doesn't feel that rough at that high rpm. Now as it warms up it goes down to the 750-900 range and that's when it starts to get a little rough. To me it doesn't seem like it wants to die as it gets up and goes when I give it gas. It only really seems to happen if I stop at a light/sign or if I am in park. No weird shakes when giving it gas or at a steady speed.

Secondly I have noticed that there is some ticking around the engine bay. One is right near (basically on) the MAF sensor but I have heard that is a purge valve or something like that but I just wanted to list it. There is also another tick that just popped up today at lower speeds somewhere around the engine on the front passenger side-ish.

My third issue is that the gas pedal seems a tad weird. I've driven other vehicles like Chevy HHRs, Chevy Silverados and Jeep Cherokees and their pedals I feel like I can touch them and creep at like 5mph but with my Vibe it kinda just jumps up to a decently high speed like 10-15 mph or something. The pedal doesn't seem very controllable and almost like it's missing the first few mphs (if that makes any sense lol). Mine is driven by cable and I've heard that it may need to just be readjusted or it might be damaged and need replacement. When I was taking it home I took off and spun the tires in the dudes driveway because it just kinda picked up all of a sudden.

For everything that I have done to the vehicle so far I have: replaced the cabin air filter, air filter, cleaned the throttle body, added Lucas Oil Upper Cylinder Lube. The idle did seem to lighten up ever so slightly after cleaning the throttle body but it could be placebo too. Today I am planning on putting in new spark plugs (Denso SK16R11). I checked the transmission fluid and it seems fine. The oil is still golden and right within range. If possible I can try and get some videos the next time I'm out there working on it if the new plugs don't help.

There have been 1 code but I don't know the exact one but I do know it had something the do with the cats but that was after I sprayed the throttle body with cleaner while it was still attached. After burning all the cleaner and clearing the codes there have been no other codes. Feel free to ask any questions and I will keep you updated if I come up with any new information

[VibeNation2024]

Welcome to the club and congrats on your first Vibe!

Could you let us know how many miles and if it is an auto or manual?

As far as idling rough, it might be the intake manifold gasket. Since it is an 04, even with low miles, the gasket could be hard or cracked and not forming a seal. There are plenty of youtube videos or posts on this forum about replacing that as well as looking at the symptoms to confirm if that is your issue. It is not a complicated job, just a little time consuming to do it right.

As far as ticking in the engine bay, could you provide some details on this one? Also, if you hear this inside the cabin, it might be the infamous air recirculate repair. There are plenty of posts/videos on this one as well such as viewtopic.php?t=38812.

As far as the gas pedal issue, that is unusual but I have not heard of this issue. Maybe someone else could comment on that one.