Probably the first to replace this part in 2nd gen Vibe

[ctgottapee]

I don't know what the PO did before.... dump a can of oil on it and light it on fire is what it looks like. It was brittle as well and didn't want that stuff flaking down down into the pan. In far too bad of shape to try and clean up....

Surprisingly it mostly just sits in its entry point; there is a rubber gasket. One bolt holds it in place. Removal took a lot of twisting, I thought for sure something held it in there, likely just years of gunk/crud around opening.

vibeStickNew.jpg (118.85 KiB) Viewed 932 times

[tpollauf]

Yeah I'll agree with you on this one. This prompted me to check out mine to see how badly corroded it was and surprisingly it is in very good shape so far.

Where are you located (hint.. profile update)? You must be somewhere where the winters are brutal with lots of salt/brine on the roads.

On another note, a lot of engines on older models NEVER had any additional bracket to secure the tube. They were simply "pressed in" the block and never fell out!

[ctgottapee]

It drove 220k miles in Michigan

I'm going through and looking for all the cheaper metal parts, like the dipstick tube and replacing them. It's interesting where they chose to use a cheaper part, or not ready for weather I should say.
It wouldn't surprise me that nothing was needed to hold the tube in. I really had to work it out and pry and was almost sure it was somehow attached inside

Could you post a picture of your lower exhaust support brackets. There are two right below where this pick cuts off attached right below the bottom heat shield. Mine are literally almost gone, and the bolts disintegrate going after them.