GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I recently got a 05 vibe for cheap and I'm trying to get the car back on the road. It has 255,000 miles and needs a few things but the biggest issue is the Trans. Previous owner had the Trans rebuilt 4 years ago by a well known shop. Shop finished the install and found that the car had a rod knock on start up so the car was towed home and parked for 4 years. I bought it and repaired the knock, (replaced the bearing and cleaned the clogged oil pick up) and on my test drive I found the Trans acts like 2nd gear doesn't exist. With light throttle the car goes to 4k rpms in 1st then shifts to 4th! Regardless of me pressing the over drive off button. With very light throttle I can get it downshift to 3rd but it won't even try for 2nd. Trans doesn't slip at all in 1st or 4th. What could cause this issue?

Have your checked the level and condition of the AT fluid?

Fluid is clean and full. I don't know much about transmissions. The shop said it could be a solinoid but wouldn't know without seeing it. I was hoping to repair it on my own though

Now you know why the original owner wanted to sell. Seems like original owner wanted to "fix" this tranny to last until he/she could get rid of it.The tranny shop obliged and probably did the repair as cheap as possible. Now,it is your concern.

Aw don't be a pessimist lol. Previous owner was my uncle and I know the shop owners too. Car was only $250 and I knew it had issues. I can make money parting out but I'd rather fix it and keep it. I really like the way the car feels and drives. Also worst case I know where a cheap donor car is. I'm just hoping I can scrape by with a cheap fix. So far I've only spent $50 getting it drivable agin. Just gotta figure the Trans out now

Bigbird wrote:Aw don't be a pessimist lol. Previous owner was my uncle and I know the shop owners too. Car was only $250 and I knew it had issues. I can make money parting out but I'd rather fix it and keep it. I really like the way the car feels and drives. Also worst case I know where a cheap donor car is. I'm just hoping I can scrape by with a cheap fix. So far I've only spent $50 getting it drivable agin. Just gotta figure the Trans out now

I see, Lol. There are decent mechanics out there. Good luck with the transmission.

Bigbird wrote:Aw don't be a pessimist lol. Previous owner was my uncle and I know the shop owners too. Cat was only $250 and I knew it had issues. I can make money parting out but I'd rather fix it and keep it. I really like the way the cat feels and drives. Also worst case I know where a cheap donor cat is. I'm just hoping I can scrape by with a cheap fix. So far I've only spent $50 getting it drivable agin. Just gotta figure the Trans out now

I got a replacement 4-speed auto for $200 used, with 120k miles on it. No issues. My old one got messed up because I uh...made mistakes that I will never make again. I would expect one between $120-500 used. MAKE SURE the donor car was wrecked lol, that way you know it's not there because of the trans

Does it manually shift through the gears when you move it to L, 2 and D? Looks like a new shift solenoid runs between $85-500 on rockauto.com At this point, I would probably just take it to the shop and have them look at it, especially if you know them. They should be able to tell you what is wrong hopefully for not too much of a diagnosis charge. Since they did the rebuild, and know the history, maybe they will look at it for free, even though it is out of warranty. Compared to the running value of the car ($2k+) you are waaaaay ahead already just by fixing the motor. A few hundred for a trans fix is money well spent.

Good luck with it!

Bigbird wrote:Aw don't be a pessimist lol.

Impossible! Just read the multiple posts and you'll see

Im thinking Ill save some money and take it to them. And sort of. If I put the trans in 2 it stays in 1st gear until I shift to D.