GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My motor started ticking at about 68,000 miles, took it to my mechanic and he said it could be a lifter or a wrist pin noise.....He said its hard to tell the difference between the two in an OHC motor.Now I have to figure out if I want to rebuild it or just replace it. In my mind a 2003 with 72,000 miles on it should not have these problems. I took very good care of my car too (regular oil changes, etc). Any one know where I can find a rebuld kit for my car? (1ZZ, Vin8) Thanks!

Is it possible that your Vibe (badly) needs a valve clearance adjustment?I'm sure you probably thought of this, but under Scheduled Maintenance is:Every 60,000 Miles (100 000 km): Valve Clearance Inspection, adjust if necessary (or every 48 months, whichever occurs first).EDIT: Welcome to Genvibe, by the way!

Any idea how to check and or fix this problem?

ever check the oil level? also i usually put a level higher thicker oil. no milage drop or anything.

I know your car is far out of warranty. Not to be a smart@ss, but a Pontiac dealer or a Toyota dealer could most likely check the engine against factory specs AND adjust the valves, IF that is the problem, but obviously at a price. I would hope that your mechanic has experience with Toyota engines, and would also have access to the tools and parts (shims?) needed to do the adjustment, if that's truly all that is needed. Since your mechanic seemed unsure about the cause of the noise, he may also be able to quickly tell you if it's just a valve adjustment problem or not.

I have talked to 3 pontiac dealers about this.Nun of them knew that it takes shims to adjust it.2 of them had heard of this.1 Quoted me a price of $200.00 flat, So I ask what about the shims. Response was "What about Shims, is your front end messed up to.Just save yourself the trouble and take it to a toyota dealer.The 1st Toyota dealer quoted me $150 labor and $10.00 for each shim needed.

Quote, originally posted by 03VibeGT6Spd » So I ask what about the shims.You trying to level a table or something?

ever check the oil level?Come on if I never checked the oil, my car would not be running I talked to a dealer near me, he said that my car DOES sound like it needs some valve adjustment......quoted me $220 plus any shims <---Not bad,(better than a new motor!!)

The factory change interval is a bit on the long side. There's a very gentile product called Auto RX that will get the varnish and sludge out over 2 shorter oil changes. It can't hurt and doesn't work by thinning or with aggressive additives. You may also need the valve adjustment but Toyota shimmed lifters tend to hold up longer than this. Even if they're starting to need adjustment, they shouldn't be sounding like that. http://www.auto-rx.com/index.html

what does it sound like?i have a clicking coming from my engine on idle...very subtlesounds almost like an exhaust leakbut its not loud

what does it sound like?i have a clicking coming from my engine on idle...very subtlesounds almost like an exhaust leakbut its not loudMy tick is more of a tappet or steady tick. At idle theres almost no noise, but once the RPM's get above 1100-1200 its stats ticking. The higher the RPM's the louder the tick.

i have that same sound at idle, very subtle...engine only has 31,000 miles in three years...does anyone know if this in normal?...Quote, originally posted by tecton »what does it sound like?i have a clicking coming from my engine on idle...very subtlesounds almost like an exhaust leakbut its not loud

is it a really noticable noise or do you have to listen for it

Quote, originally posted by white vibe »sounds almost like an exhaust leakbut its not loudMy tick is more of a tappet or steady tick. At idle theres almost no noise, but once the RPM's get above 1100-1200 its stats ticking. The higher the RPM's the louder the tick.I had a similar problem with my GT. Turns out it was a bad exhaust gasket, which after keeping my car all day, the dealer says he has to special order it and bring it back once it arrives... Ugh!

sometimes it's noticable, sometimes you have to listen for it..

Quote, originally posted by kharman »i have that same sound at idle, very subtle...engine only has 31,000 miles in three years...does anyone know if this in normal?...that's likely to be the vacuum switching valve. normal.

thanks, i hope so...

Valve clearance adjustment? I thought these engines had hydraulic lifters??? Can someone verify this?

I almost forgot. The fuel injectors can also click when gummed a bit. Probably not your problem but run a batch of techron for kicks.