GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi, all!I have an 06 auto Vibe with a little more than 45,000 miles on it. On my way home from work yesterday, the check engine light came on. The car ran fine all the way home and ran fine again this morning on my way back to work so I'm not too worried about it right now. I plan to run over to Autozone to scan for the trouble code this afternoon, but I was wondering if anyone knows of common problems the Vibe may experience at 45,000 so I know what to expect when I get the code.

welcome,cel's have nothing to do with how many miles. We really need to have you get the scan done and post the cel code and then we can help. Most common cel's are like misfires, o2 sensors but thats in every car at any mileage.

Could be absolutely anything from the transmission to the EGR valve. Most of the time on new cars it's usually it's an emissions thing that triggers the light. If you have on-star, you can press the button and they'll tell you what the code is. In the meantime check all of your fluids. My '04 engine light never came on for the 5 years I had it.

Fluids were all good. I checked them last night when I got home.I just got back from Autozone and code was P0171. The guy told me it meant I was running lean. He reset it so if the light comes back on I know I have a problem.Would bad or "different" gas trigger a lean code? I always fill up at the same station, but this past weekend I was traveling for Thanksgiving weekend and I filled up at a different station out of town. I was still running on the "out of town gas" when the light came on.

Quote, originally posted by penguinonbud »...just got back from Autozone and code was P0171. The guy told me it meant I was running lean...i think that code is for a bad o2 sensor... the rest of the guys will correct me if i'm wrong, but there might have beena tsb for that

if belive that's what it is. I just had mine replced, unfortunately my cEL is back on now and i'm taking it there tonight to see what else is wrong, but that was the initial code i hade and that's what they replaced

I found this thru Google... Basically this means that an oxygen sensor in bank 1 detected a lean condition (too much oxygen in the exhaust). On V6/V8/V10 engines, Bank 1 is the side of the engine that has cylinder #1.You will more than likely not notice any drivability problems, although there may be symptoms such as a lack of power, detonation (spark knock), and/or a hesitation/surge on acceleration.A code P0171 may mean that one or more of the following has happened: * The MAF (Mass Air Flow) Sensor is dirty or faulty. Note: The use of "oiled" air filters may cause the MAF to become dirty if the filter is over-oiled. There is also an issue with some vehicles where the MAF sensors leak the silicone potting material used to protect the circuitry. * There could be a vacuum leak downstream of the MAF sensor.Possible solutions include: * In the vast majority of cases, simply cleaning the MAF sensor does the trick. Consult your service manual for it's location if you need help. I find it's best to take it off and spray it with electronics cleaner or brake cleaner. Make sure you are careful not to damage the MAF sensor, and make sure it's dry before reinstalling * Inspect all vacuum and PCV hoses, replace if necessary * Check for a dirty fuel filter and proper fuel pressureWas your gas cap on tight? I believe that this may lead to this CEL poppin up...

I always make sure the gas cap clicks when I tighten it. A few years back I had a friend go to the dealer because of a CEL. $60 later it was determined that the gas cap was not tightned and the gas tank wasn't preasurized.The MAF (Mass Air Flow) Sensor is dirty or faulty. Note: The use of "oiled" air filters may cause the MAF to become dirty if the filter is over-oiled. There is also an issue with some vehicles where the MAF sensors leak the silicone potting material used to protect the circuitry. I use a K&N filter. I have been using it for about 10 - 15 miles now and I have not cleaned/oiled it yet.EDIT: I meant I have been using the K&N filter for 10 - 15,000 miles. I installed it earlier this year.

clean the maf with maf cleaner or I've heard brake cleaner works too. I bet its almost pure black....OHHH if you've had a k&n filter the oil may of confused the maf (stock oil on it). Try cleaning the maf and i bet it may go away.... oil filters sometimes do this, its not uncommon but once they break in that oil it should be fine.

I'll go home and check it tonight. The MAF is located in the air intake hose, correct?Just so I understand what's going on here... assuming the MAF is bad/dirty, the theory is it is sending a low air quantity signal to ECM therfore reducing fuel to the cylinders resulting in a lean condition. Right?

That sounds about right. The correlation between installing the K&N and the CEL seems definate. I over oiled one once and the same thing happened. I cleaned the MAF with brake cleaner and problem solved. If it's not the MAF, I usually find running a tank of Techron seems to clear up any injector issues pretty quickly.

I found a post in a Matrix forum about cleaning the MAF. It has several nice pictures which is good.http://matrixowners.com/?showtopic=27838I hope this helps anyone in the future with the same problem!

Quote, originally posted by penguinonbud »I found a post in a Matrix forum about cleaning the MAF. It has several nice pictures which is good.http://matrixowners.com/?showtopic=27838I hope this helps anyone in the future with the same problem!dude you're on your way to a happy home here at genvibe!welcome to the famiily!!!!now post picks of the vibe, or we'll burn your house down.

Just be aware that the bulbous thing is indeed the temperature sensor and not the MAF (someone in the thread pointed this out as well). The MAF is the final picture in the first post (i.e. the resistor-looking thing). I've cleaned those multiple times on my other cars, and it was because of a K&N filter each time. For anyone who has a K&N, you should make "cleaning-the-MAF" a once every 5000 miles maintenance just to be sure you're operating optimally. (Clean the temp sensor too while you're in there) It's pretty easy job on most cars. I haven't done it on my Vibe, though.

Quote, originally posted by 5speed4 »Just be aware that the bulbous thing is indeed the temperature sensor and not the MAF (someone in the thread pointed this out as well). The MAF is the final picture in the first post (i.e. the resistor-looking thing). I've cleaned those multiple times on my other cars, and it was because of a K&N filter each time. For anyone who has a K&N, you should make "cleaning-the-MAF" a once every 5000 miles maintenance just to be sure you're operating optimally. (Clean the temp sensor too while you're in there) It's pretty easy job on most cars. I haven't done it on my Vibe, though. cleaning the MAF on my vgt is a breeze. 2 screws, a plug, and about 10 minutes of your time.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear. If your car has all stock parts. ANY CEL related to emissions has to be fixed at no charge for 7 years or 70k miles. This is federal law. If the Dealer tries to bill you...show him the back of the owners manual. It's in there. Could he blame your K&N filter...maybe.

Here's what happened over the weekend...Saturday I mistakenly cleaned the temp sensor on the MAF sensor, let it dry, and took the car for a drive. Within a few miles the CEL was on again. Crap! I came back to this thread and realized my stupid mistake so Sunday I cleaned the two wires inside plastic housing of the MAF sensor and I unplugged the battery to clear the CEL. I didn't drive the car Sunday, but I did drive about 30 miles to work this morning. So far no CEL. Keep your fingers crossed! Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe »Let me make one thing perfectly clear. If your car has all stock parts. ANY CEL related to emissions has to be fixed at no charge for 7 years or 70k miles. This is federal law. If the Dealer tries to bill you...show him the back of the owners manual. It's in there. Could he blame your K&N filter...maybe. Interesting... I'll look at the back of my manual tonight. I have a K&N filter right now, but'll I'll spend a few bucks on an OEM filter if I can go to a dealership and have it fixed for free.

I hope you disconnected the battery before removing the MAF. If not you should next time.

I've driven 90+ miles and so far no CEL. It would appear that cleaning the MAF sensor did the trick.