GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys I am new to the vibe world! I have typically stayed with the Jeep and rock crawling forums, seeing how that's my first car. But we Picked up a 03 gt last August in hopes for better mileage, and better reliability. The vibe has been good so far but we are having a feed issues with it. 1-if you coast to a stop in neutral and try to put it into first it work go you have push it in and it will make a grinding noise. Not the most pleasant noise to hear. 2-there is a constant ticking noise from behind the passenger dash when the key is in the on position. So I think it's electrical. 3-there is always a high idel when starting even though it's 60+ outside. If anyone had any ideas what it is that would be great! Thanks and I look forward to being on the forum!

Re: The ticking noise, is your heater/AC on when you hear it? Does it stop if you turn off the blower?Re: The high idle, mine does that too, I always figured it was the car's normal way of warming itself up and it stops when the car's been running for a bit.

No I have turned the blower off and it still ticks. It's really odd. It's kinda loud when at a stop but when moving it gets over powered by road noise.

welcome to genvibe.problem 1: had same problem with a camaro i bought a few years ago where it would alway grind going into first coming to a stop. i was able to get it to not grind by putting it into 2nd before first to stop the shafts from spinning in the trans. the real fix is a new blocker ring for first gear, which involves removing trans and tearing it down. thats how i fixed my camaro. in your description it kinda sounds like your clutch is dragging and not releasing all the way. this wouls also cause the blocker ring to wear out faster and grind going into first at a stop.problem 2 sounds like the recirc door. here is link http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=29575good luck

See if the fresh/recirculate button affects the ticking.Change the transmission oil and see if that helps with the shifting.

1) The vibes just have a picky/crunchy transmission. Don't go into 1st unless you're at a complete stop. Even then, you may have to throw it into second and then 1st sometimes. Reverse is especially tough on mine, takes me 3-4 trys some days.2) Agreed on the hvac evap door. Test it by playing with the recirculate button3) This is a Toyota thing, engine will idle high at first start up. It's normal and just how they like to warm up.Definitely recommending a drain/fill of the trans fluid if you haven't already.

try double clutching before you shift into first it sould help lol.had the same problem

I'm an original owner of an 03 GT. Lived through several transmissions so far, and still going back for more. We just crossed into the 200,000 mile territory a few months ago. So I have some (LOL) experience with these issues.

Call it a damper door, call it anything, but it is annoying. The simplest, cheapest solution is to keep the button on RECIRC. For those of us too chicken and too cheap to do anything further, it solves the clicking noise issue in a flash. Your car will reset it to flow-through when you turn on the defroster, so just remember that you need to put it back to recirc when you're able to see.

Crunchy/touchy transmission. We learned long ago that it's a total stop or life is not good. It's a quirk the car has, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. A little inconvenient perhaps, but I'm looking forward to getting my car up past the 300,000 mile mark. And you know, the Yamaha engine in the GT will probably get us there. I'll probably be looking at another transmission (or two), but with my handy, dedicated mechanic who works wonders and tells me the smart, cheap fixes (instead of the $500+ to change a little Toyota part that clicks), we'll get there... Enjoy the ride!

The clicking noise is the solved by pushing in the recalculating button.
The transmission is still slightly annoying, but we have just figured out how to drive with it so there is minimal issues. Thanks!
I have noticed that while driving on the freeway and I have the cruise control set once it goes up a slight hill it will accelerate and once it reaches the top it will turn the cruise off. Any ideas on this??