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New to the forum

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:10 am
by DenverVibe
Hello genvibe,

My girlfriend, Hannah, has a silver with silver painted cladding 2005 base 5-speed with 165,000 miles. I am tasked with replacing her failed 5-speed with a 6-speed from a matrix/corolla XRS. It will be delivered to the loading dock at my work later today or tomorrow. I was just as approved for the forum last night, and I am excited to pick the brains of some of you vibe experts! I will be making another thread in the Engine & Transmission section this morning as I have quite a few questions.

Ironically, my mother had a Silver 2005 base with a 5-speed but with unpainted grey plastic cladding. She sold the vibe when she retired 3 years ago and bought a new car as a retirement gift to herself (2015 Jeep Compass). She also had issues with the 5 speed, but only leaking fluid. I wish I knew more at the time because she was taken to the cleaners, I think the repair bill for the failed seal and new clutch was close to $2000. That was the one an only major repairs I remember. She loved that car and probably put on 120,000 miles while she owned it.

I would consider myself very mechanically inclined, I am carpenter/construction estimator, so I am used to looking at and interpreting technical drawings, but I have no formal automotive training past advanced autoshop in high school.
I have never owed a vibe myself, but I've owned/maintained a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 4.0, since 2010. That keeps me very busy :lol:

I have done too many projects to list on the old ZJ, most recently did a complete overhaul on the NP242 "selec-trac" transfer case. I replaced all the bearings and seals along with replacing the drive chain. The 4.0 is pretty damn bulletproof so I haven't had to do a thing to it aside from changing the oil and an occasional water pump/thermostat. Suspension, I would say is my specialty, as I have also replaced every last suspension component and bushing on the solid axle suspension of the ZJ, including adding a 2.5" coil spring lift and swapping in a high pinion Dana 30 front axle from a 1995 Jeep Cherokee XJ. I do quite a bit of moderate off-road driving/dispersed camping/fishing in my spare time as well, when I'm not working on the ZJ. I also recently moved to Denver from Chicago, Illinois.

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 10:56 am
by ehoff121
Welcome to genvibe!

Good luck on the tranny swap. Feel free to take pictures and post a write up if you have the time and inclination...

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 12:29 pm
by Caretaker
My girlfriend, Hannah...........
Who knew that Derek Jeter is a Vibe-ster too!!!! Welcome Derek ;)

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 6:22 am
by tpollauf
Welcome to GenVibe :D Sorry to hear your that your mother "downgraded" to a jeep when she got rid of her Vibe. Anyways glad you found us here and you'll get a ton of support here. I own 2nd generation Vibes and won't be of much help to you. Just wanted to welcome you here ;)

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 6:45 am
by vibrologist
Welcome to GenVibe!
I'll echo the suggestion to take pictures along the way. Taking pictures along the disassembly will help with the reassembly and if you post it everyone can enjoy or feel the pain with you.
I think with your expertise you will handle this job fine.

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:34 pm
by vibenvy
Welcome to GenVibe! You've definitely come to the right place for help with the 6-speed swap. Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes.

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 3:31 pm
by DenverVibe
Thanks for the kind welcome all!

Re: New to the forum

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 6:13 pm
by LobsterMan
Welcome to Genvibe. I replaced the clutch on my 2003 GT three years ago. Had to pull the engine to get the tranny off. The two main things are to get a Haynes or Chilton manual and don't be intimidated. Sounds like you have a good mechanical background so #2 should not be a problem. Take your time, think through the steps. If she has to have the car back in a couple days to drive to work, find her an alternative mode of transportation. This project is not technically difficult, but it should not be rushed. If you are in a hurry, let a pro do it - and be ready to pay the price. The manual I got says to drop the front subframe and lower the engine/tranny out the bottom. This is BS. Just pull it out the top per the normal procedure. While you have it apart, consider replacing the water pump. They can dry out and leak once you put the engine back in service. Very easy to replace with the engine hanging on a hoist. Also, if you have a lot of miles on the car, think about replacing the drive axles with rebuilt units. This gets you new CV joints and boots. If you need a tool, buy or borrow it. It will save you lots of aggravation. Lastly, you will have the front struts dangling from the top. Again, no easier time to replace them. Same goes for radiator hoses. Good luck to you.