GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I have only had my Vibe for a month and have really loved it. Last night I was on the highway shifting when suddenly I heard a thud and my car would not shift into gear. I pulled off the road to discover it just would not shift at all. I was able to turn off the car, shift easily into second gear, start the car with the clutch in and limp back home going second gear the entire way.

I'm guessing my clutch has gone out? It seemed to work enough driving in 2nd that I could push it in and use the brakes to stop the car at red lights, and then release both and hit the gas to take off again.

If the clutch needs to be replaced, how difficult is this to fix yourself? I am really short on money, having just bought the car and cannot pay a shop. I have basic mechanic tools and have lots of experience in a small engine shop.

That doesn't sound like the clutch is the part that broke...

Sorry to say but that sounds more like an issue with the transmission...

Dang, really? I thought it would just be the clutch seeing as how it will drive once in gear, but just can't shift between gears >_<
I'm probably going to have to take it to a shop at least to have a proper inspection and diagnosis...

Can you shift through all the gears with the engine off?
Sounds like the clutch is not fully disengaging.
Could be a failing master or slave cylinder.
If one has failed both should be replaced. They're not very expensive.
Does the brake fluid look very dark? It may have been changed too infrequently or not at all.
That leads to earlier failure of clutch and brake components.

Yeah I can easily shift through all the gears with the engine off. That is how I've had to shift it to drive anywhere. I haven't looked at the break fluid though.

I took it to the local mechanic who said it was definitely the clutch. Since it's the GT model he said the last owner probably drove it like a race car and the clutch wouldn't last long like that. He said something about the pressure plate not disengaging completely. They quote $770 parts and labor to replace the entire clutch assembly. Supposedly as a dealer he can get a Japanese clutch for under $400. Unfortunately I'm broke so the car is going to be sitting around a while.

I'm willing to give replacing it a shot on my own if I can figure out where to buy the new clutch from.

I agree with circuit smith. It sounds more like an issue with the pedal hydraulics than the clutch itself.

In that case, how do I troubleshoot to narrow down if it's an issue with pedal hydraulics? I'm not seeing any leaking fluids under the vehicle.

Fatalmasterpiece wrote:In that case, how do I troubleshoot to narrow down if it's an issue with pedal hydraulics? I'm not seeing any leaking fluids under the vehicle.

The hydraulics are very simple. When you push the clutch pedal in you are pushing the master cylinder piston in, which reduces the internal volume, pushing fluid into the line. That fluid then fills the slave cylinder, increasing it's internal volume which pushes its piston out. There is then a pushrod attached to the slave cylinder piston that is connected to the clutch fork. The clutch fork has a pivot point in the middle. When the pedal is depressed the fork pivots and pushes against the pressure plate releasing the clutch.

Here is my theory. I believe the master cylinder may not be holding pressure due to the piston seals leaking. They wouldn't leak externally, they leak pressure back into the fluid reservoir.

You can test the system by checking clutch for travel. Make sure you have the proper amount of travel and that it does not fade over a couple minutes. I made a video a while back.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zUjU6rhnbog

If everything checks out then I would say either the throw out bearing or clutch fork is damaged. You can pull back the rubber boot on the clutch fork and peek in there. There isn't a whole lot of room so you may or may not be able to see the damage.

Hey nice video! So that is normal travel of the clutch fork? I'll check that today and see if I'm getting the correct travel. If that is operating correctly, how do I know if the clutch is just shot?

If the clutch itself is worn out, the car will not move when in gear but the engine will rev. This is caused by the friction material on the clutch being worn out enough that the clutch will not maintain friction when in contact with the flywheel.

Fatalmasterpiece wrote:Hey nice video! So that is normal travel of the clutch fork? I'll check that today and see if I'm getting the correct travel. If that is operating correctly, how do I know if the clutch is just shot?

If you have proper travel you will have to pull the trans to see what's going on. Like treesleavedents said in routine maintenance a clutch is normally replaced because the friction material on the disc is low. Similar to a brake pad. But in that case it would be the opposite effect. You would be able to shift into all the gears it would just slip a little. So the RPMs run higher than usual on acceleration and it would feel underpowered.

Something would have to be broken. I would imagine a throwout bearing or clutch fork.

That video was a lot of help. I just checked my travel on the fork and it's exactly like your video.

In that case the throwout bearing must have gone. In that case however would the pressure plate/disc and flywheel need to be replaced due to damage from running like this? I'm thinking of getting a OEM clutch kit and replacing it all.

Also, does the 04 GT have a single mass or dual mass flywheel which should be replaced or resurfaced?

It has a single mass flywheel. You could probably get away with resurfacing if this is the first time the clutch has been replaced. You could get a new one for penny's more but it's not going to be of the same quality as OEM. I didn't want to fork over the money for OEM so I just resurfaced mine. As for the clutch and throwout bearing, I would recommend OEM. I put a cheap throwout bearing in mine and ended up having to yank the trans again to replace it a week later.

Thanks for all the help. I ordered an Exety clutch kit and Luk flywheel on parts geek for $170 shipped. Found a mechanic to do the labor for $500. He said my pressure plate had broken into three pieces >_< now I'm back on the road with the replaced clutch

Great thread here. I’m having the same issue and the video of the arm actuating helps a lot. Mine has the same issue and I’m guessing it is the pressure plate as well on mine. I can drive it and go through the gears up and down, but when I stop, it will not go into gear and the synchros grind. So the clutch doesn’t seem to be totally releasing. I‘ve replaced clutches before and I hear it’s not to hard to do.