GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Alright, as many of you know, I was one of the many who went through a GT clutch in less than two years.I just burnt through my second clutch. Time? Less than a year.After I told a friend of mine it's been a ***** to shift into first on the downshift (won't let me get into gear unless i'm at less than 5~10 mph), that the tranny might be tight, and if I don't get the tranny fixed, i'll keep burning clutches.Anyone confirm this might be true? Also, would something like this be considered under the extended warranty, AND, if it were the tranny frying my clutches, could I get the second clutch replaced under warranty?I'll go to the dealer if there's a chance it'll be done under warranty (but hell if i'm giving them any money if it's not!)Anyone?

IMHO I think your S.O.L.I would suggest a good replacement part and Not the stock GM Slash Toyota Clutch.I had replaced my girl friends with an exedy off ebay clutch presure plate and throw out bearing kit for like $118.00then I took the flywheel in and had it turned about $40 because it has 2 surfaces.But be very careful if you go that route.I hit 3 gear hard about 100 miles later and blew the back of the transmission case apart.I wish I would have waited much longer before trying to race it.GM wanted $2600.00 for a new transmission.But I bought one a used 1 online for $750.00. http://www.car-parts.comDon't forget to order new flywheel to crankshaft bolts there one time torque bolts.I bought all the bolts including pressure plate bolts and pins. it was like $67.00 wholesale for all of them.If you need advise as to what to do or how to do it, just ask! I could talk you thru the job.

Seperate issues unless you clutch wasn't fully releasing. If it worked fine after replacement then the shifting problem probably isn't clutch related.

Okay..missin' the point.I'm saying the TRANNY was causing the CLUTCH to wear wrong.03VibeGT6Spd - That's what I did the first time I replaced the clutch, only it wasn't Exedy, but similar. Heck for all I know it was exedy. I've been babying the clutch ever since then. Trying not to slip it and making sure it was fully engaged before accelerating.The whole point of buying this car was to NOT have to do major repairs on it every year.

I got it. Sorry it wasn't the answer you wanted. The tranny won't mess the clutch but a bad clutch job will make the tranny shift like that and cause clutch wear. If it wasn;t releasing completely when new, it would wear our quicker and cause shifting issues. You can't blame Pontiac for quick wear on an aftermarket clutch or the work unless the dealer did it. Is the clutch slipping? If not, it's not worn out and may just not be releasing completely. In that case, I would check my hydrolic fluid level, linkage and throwout bearing which I assume was replaced with the cllutch. The stock ones also seem to go quickly and should always be serviced with the clutch and flywheel resurfacing. If you didn't do these other things, it could also cause quicker wear especially if your old clutch was already slipping before replacement.

I don't understand what you mean by a tight tranny, Unless your fluid is cold or thick!I agree with goodvibe.The fluid comes from the brakes master cylinder.there are 4 problems the Vibe has with there clutches that cause them to start slipping.#1- There's No Pilot Shaft Bushing or Bearing.#2- The factory pressure plate is weak.#3- the throw out bushing stick's on the input shaft. #4- The stamping of the floor pan makes it hard to push the clutch pedal down all the way.

The clutch was replaced by GM. The flywheel was resurfaced and Clutch plate, pressure plate and throwout bearing was replaced as a kit.The original clutch wasn't slipping, it was destroyed. There was literally nothing left of it by the time I could actually get it replaced.I did notice that my fluid level on the master brake cylinder is practically on the bottom of the 'fill cup' part of the resivoir, the round part where it has a 'max' line. However, I don't know what the minimum is. I'm concerned that I seem to have a bad clutch (or other clutch issue) merely a year after getting the first replaced, and I babied this clutch more than the original, knowing the original clutch would have issues. I'm not entirely willing to put yet another clutch in it without knowing there isn't some other inherent problem with the car.

If your clutch isn't slipping, Fill the hydrolic fluid to full and see if it feels different. That's not the master cylinder by the way. The clutch on these should last the warranty period even if they're not babied. A non releasing clutch can make it shift like you describe but if it's already slipping you'll definitely need to bring it in.

Quote, originally posted by goodvibe »If your clutch isn't slipping, Fill the hydrolic fluid to full and see if it feels different. The level in this reservoir seems to vary according to temp or usage. I have seen it from the bottom of the upper section all the way to the max line. Can it vary this much with the same amount of fluid in the system? So when should I check the level to best decide the true level?

just a second at what speeds are you trying to shift into first gear.I have seen many people who have shifted into first gear in other cars that blew there clutch apart.You really shouldn't be down shifting into first over 5-8 mph at the MAX.the problem is the clutch spins to fast and the lining just breaks up.

Quote, originally posted by 03VibeGT6Spd »You really shouldn't be down shifting into first over 5-8 mph at the MAX.Agreed. And for me is it is rare that I ever downshift to first. The only reason I use first is to safely get to second

Unless the Vibe transmission is very different from most, the reason you have trouble shifting into first is that first gear is non-synchromesh. If you really must do it (and you don't mind the herky-jerkiness that will result if you actually manage to downshift into first at anything but a near-stop), you could blip the throttle a bit to match up the revs of the transmission and the engine. Really, though, the other posters are right, you shouldn't use first for anything other than acceleration from a stop/crawl (or bumping yourself along in slow-moving traffic).

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »Agreed. And for me is it is rare that I ever downshift to first. The only reason I use first is to safely get to second My thoughts also, I NEVER shift into 1st unless I am at a dead stop.

Quote, originally posted by iinan »My thoughts also, I NEVER shift into 1st unless I am at a dead stop.every car i've ever driven has been hard to shift into 1st unless going that slow...infact i vaguely remember reading (on here?) that there is a restriction put in place to NOT let you do that.....could that be what's blowing up your trannys?

You are not supposed to be downshifting to 1st unless at a near dead stop.

Regardless of everything else, I just said 'screw it' and put a six puck ceramic in the Vibe. Spring loaded hub and new release bearing / pressure plate. The flywheel was in good enough shape that it was resurfaced with no problem.The new clutch does NOT engage as harsh as I thought it would. Yes, it does grip like a sonofa*****..but with the sprung hub it's nothing bad. Take a week or abouts to get used to it, that's all.$240 for the clutch kit / resurface$528 for about a day of labor.

nobody ever came up with a good reason for the GT clutch problems, and you probably resent those that will tell you you must be using it wrong to burn though them so fast. Hope this one lasts better, if it does then that would point to some general unreliability or mismatch with the stock setup. Glad you're Vibing again

Good luck this time Jahntassa keep us posted on the 6-puck's durability. Did you go ACT?

Yeah, I know no 'cause' was found, but seriously. How many people are driving their cars 'wrong'? And if it's wrong, why didn't they offer lessons at the dealership? HA!Not ACT. Got it from a local place, I think the brand is RAM clutch.

Jahntassa, be very careful with that clutch and don't race it hard. I blew the back out of my girl friends transmission with a new exedy clutch.I know that 6 puck will hold a lot more torque.Trust me those transmissions are expensive to replace. give it lots of time and miles to break in before you romp on it, all it takes is one hard shift and some good traction.

Guys, i have to chalk SOME of these issues to shifting method. I have one of the very first Vibe GTs ever built (built 4/02) and at 43k+ miles my clutch still grips hard. And i drive it hard almost nonstop, it's just a blast to rev.The trick i have found is to hold the rpms at 2k as you slip into 1st and do it fast. also dont be afraid of a little shimmy when you shift, this tranny is tight like spandex. Slipping to avoid this burns it off fast.

Hey guys,I'm new to this board but my brother Petrucci has been on here for awhile. I currently do not own a Pontiac Vibe but I'm considering an 0'3 Vibe GT. I love my brother's Vibe (base auto) as it has plenty of room and utility. However, all this talk about the clutches going out worry me. I don't want to buy something that isn't going to be reliable. I know the engine is Toyota or Yamaha but what about the tranny and clutch? Is that GM or Toyota?-Juelze

It's a toyota engine and transmission.Yamaha tuned the engine.