GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Here's what happens: I hit the gas, and it revs like a beast, but hardly accelerates at all. It's getting so bad at highway speeds that I avoid going over 55 MPH and opt for back roads (where it still happens, but less likelihood of getting smooshed by an 18-wheeler.)

I bought the car 2 years ago(it's at 158k miles now) and it's behaved impeccably until this issue started a couple months ago. A friend of mine said it could be the clutch starting to go (I don't know how old the clutch is -- it could be original equipment.) There's none of the behavior I would expect of a bad clutch -- difficulty going into/out of gear, noise when shifting, need to double-shift to get into first gear -- but nothing else springs to mind.

Any suggestions appreciated!

ZenVibe What is happening is you clutch is wearing out that is why it slips. Your list of expected problems are what would happen if it needed bleeding , slave or master cylinder problems or pressure plate failure.

Agreed. That is how all of my clutches acted before I had to replace them. I've done at least 4 or 5 on my Mustang in 300K miles, two on a prior 78 Fairmont, and one on my current Vibe GT. Worst on the Mustang got so bad I eventually could not drive up my driveway. Had to push it up and into the garage before I could replace it. The Vibe totally disintegrated on me, but it increasingly slipped over the weeks leading up to the failure.

Here is my repair thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=43780


Good luck on it!

Bingo, clutch is wearing out and slipping.
Think of it this way, your engine is spinning, the transmission needs to spin too and the clutch is the 'grip' that allows the engine to grab the transmission and spin it. When the grip wears out, the engine is still spinning (revs going up) but it's not able to grab the transmission and move the power to the wheels (no increase in speed).
Consider yourself lucky if it's the original clutch, GT's were known for needing new clutches very early on.

Thanks for the info! Looks like it's time to schedule a clutch replacement before it gives up the ghost entirely