GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I have a 2005 automatic vibe. It is just about to the hundred thousand mile mark and now its starting to give me some trouble.the other day I was driving home from work and the engine lost power and kind of shook a little. Luckily i was only a few hundred feet from my house so I let the car inch along to the yard and turned it off. My boyfriend came out and did not believe that my car was having issues so he turned it on and it drove fine around the block and back. I had to drive to the vets to pick up my kittens from being fixed and the car did the same thing on my way there. Long story short it did this multiple times And after I turned it off and then back on it would be ok for a little while. I took it to advance auto parts to see if they could pull a code but ever time I turned the car off, the check engine light went away and the guy said he could not get a code. After doing some research and reviewing posts on this forum I thought maybe it was the fuel pump. So my boyfriend and I went and picked one up today and he got to feel and see the car do its thing. He no longer believed it was the fuel pump and the check engine light stayed on long enough for us to pull a code at another auto parts store. It gave us the code P2118. This code deals with the throttle body.So he took the connectors off and cleaned them and had me hit the gas peddle a few times and he says it is making an odd sound-he has some back ground in cars but not really in Toyotas or Pontiacs. So now I'm looking for second or third opinions before I go out and spend a lot more money at a dealership or scrap yard. To recap and for further info:Year: 20052 wheel driveAutomatichad spark plugs changed last year car is about to hit 100k milescar acts fine for a short time after it is turned off and on again, check engine light comes on and goes off. Car loses power and goes into limp-modeerror code P2118 I love my car and its never given me any trouble before.Thanks in advance for any and all help.advise!Missina

Did you put the new fuel pump in? A fuel pump on it's way out can mask itself as many other problems.Although you should be able to get a used TB from a scrapyard for fairly cheap.

I have not put it in yet. We opened the hatch for it and then took it for a test drive so my boyfriend could hear it when it lost power. the sound of the fuel pump did not appear to change. So I did not want to put it in and then it not be the problem and have issues returning it. The scrap yards around here are closed on weekends so I'm waiting until Monday. On Monday I will try to get a used throttle body and if it fixes it great and if not then I still have the fuel pump to put in. I would take it to the dealership and let them diagnose it..but they want $100 just to tell me which is causing the problem for sure. Missina

The code indicated that your DBW is screwing up. You won't need to replace the entire throttle body. Just the DBW receiver that is mounted to the throttle body.But if you can find the entire TB for a song and dance in the junk yard, go for it. Maybe that receiver is working properly. If that don't fix the issue your going to have to start tracing the issue further upstream in the DBW system.

hmm ok I have to ask, what is the DBW? is it the cars computer or just another chip or sensor some were? I'm trying to look it up online and no one really has a clear answer or photo.and another question, could this be related in any way to the new recall that just came out 2 months ago?Missina

DBW = Drive By Wire, or electronically controlled throttle. Like keithvibe said, with the code that you are having, I would guess that there is a problem not with the throttle body, but the communication of the DBW.

Quote, originally posted by Missinasworld »hmm ok I have to ask, what is the DBW? is it the cars computer or just another chip or sensor some were? I'm trying to look it up online and no one really has a clear answer or photo.and another question, could this be related in any way to the new recall that just came out 2 months ago?MissinaI'm sorry, as raffe pointed out DBW=drive by wire.. there are two different types of throttle bodys for the vibe.DBWandDBC= drive by cablewhen you step on the gas there is a sending unit part inside the car the measures the amount of throttle and sends a signal to the receiver on the TB telling it how much to open the throttle. My guess would be one of those are going on the fritz.DBC... has none of that crap... it's a cable... when you step on the gas pulls the TB openthis is a photo from a HONDA but it shows the diff from the dbw and dbc

Thanks for the explanations I called around to a few scrap yards..no one has a newer vibe let alone a whole vibe to get parts off of. I can order a TB but since there is a possibility it may be something else I'm worried about doing that So I'm going to dig some money out of my savings account and take it in to the dealership. I want to have them look at the possible recall issue any ways. I can't live without a car and i cannot drive our Jeep on populated streets..its more of an off roading vehicle...Well wish my car luck and I will report the findings so maybe is someone else finds themselves in this position this may help them.

well I sat at the dealership for 2.5hr..they fed me lunch so it was not to bad. But I ended up going home without my car. The mechanic took the car out 2 or 3 times and it was not until after I had gone home that he could get it to to go into limp mode-which makes me wounder how he drove it cuz it was doing it every time I drove it for the last few days..or maybe its good old Murphy! In the end he saw the issue and they need to run more tests so they wanted to keep the car until tomorrow. they believe it is a problem with the throttle body actuator..or something like that. Its a shame my car is paid off because they have a really hot black 2010 vibe..but I cannot afford another car at this moment. Missina

Another update:The dealership still has my car..I have not seen her in days! They now think the problem *might* be due to the recall issue But they do not have the parts to fix it nor the stuff to really test it. They are going to start replacing parts and testing it to go by the process of elimination. Now they think it might be the computer on the car..soo this will either come out free or Very pricey.

Quote, originally posted by Missinasworld » the throttle body actuator..This is what I mentioned above... or the sender unit at the gas peddle is still my guess, is what is causing your problem.

I did not know that Drive By Wire was used as long ago as 2005. Is it really a wire connection and not a wireless?

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »I did not know that Drive By Wire was used as long ago as 2005. Is it really a wire connection and not a wireless? drive by wire means that there are electronics between the gas pedal and the throttle body, there is a sensor on the gas pedal that sends a signal to the computer, the computer electrically controls a motor on the trottle body, the motor opens and closes it. In the earlier drive by cable means that there is a mechanical linkage (usually a metal cable) between the gas pedal and the throttle. cable and wire are sometimes synonyms, but in this case, wire means electronic, cable means mechanical. As a side note, it is this drive by wire beginning in the 2005 models that makes it possible to add cruise control by just adding the cruise control switch, since all the rest of the parts are already there to support electronic throttle control. In the 2003/2004 models with cable throttle, adding cruise control means adding the switch, and also a motor to move the throttle( and probably a cruise control computer module)http://www.9thgencorolla.com/f...00352 says P2118 is "throttle actuator control motor,performance range(2005 only)" which would indicate a problem with the motor on the throttle body that opens and closes the throttle based on the electrical signals from the ECU/PCM. Maybe it just needs to be cleaned, or maybe the throttle control motor and not the whole throttle body needs to be replaced. Or maybe its a sensor, or a computer thing. Hard to tell from all the way over here

After reading that your engine completely dies in gear and shakes, I have to chalk it up to the PCM problem my 2006 had. I wasn't aware any 2005s had this issue, but maybe yours was part of the last 2005 models to be assembled with the bad PCM. I'm guessing you didn't receive a letter like these GenVibers have: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=42564Might want to check if you are part of the recall so you're not on the hook for all these repairs/parts.

I just got my car back and it WAS the recall issue!!!! I am soo unbelievable happy. They put a new PCM in my car and is is doing great and hasn't died once. They have not officially started fixing the recalls yet but my dealership is unbelievable and did it free of charge and when I get my 2nd letter I will go back in and fill out some paper work to make it all legit. So I guess it was not the throttle body after all and they told me my car was the worst they have seen in terms of trying to diagnose. *does a happy dance*

thats great news that it didn't cost you a dime other than being without your vibe for two days...