GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I have an 04 Matrix with low miles I bought from an estate, and the trans blew up but good. Vehicle is located in NW WI by Eau Claire/Rice Lake currently


If anyone out there has a parts donor car with a 5 spd manufactured before 04/2004, or any year 6 speed up to '09 body style change, could you please DM me? I have an 06 Silverado and can travel the Midwest to get this assembly. Can help pull it or just pull up and load it, contact me we can work a deal. I'm gonna change it out in a cement floor enclosed shed, so not able to do a great deal of custom work to make parts or linkages or axles fit. Looking for a pretty strait swap out.


If you can help you will have a Christmas card buddy for life. And thank you for your kind consideration, and helping keep these cool cars rolling.


lm7212

You might check https://www.partshotlines.com/ or one of the other salvage yard networks.

www.car-part.com is also a solid resource.

lm7212 wrote: ... a 5 spd manufactured before 04/2004 ...

My understanding is that the earlier year 5 speeds were the ones prone to bearing issues.

Why do you one manufactured before 4/04? If it were me I'd want one made after that. Is there something you know of that changed that gives you the specific 4/04 date?

I agree with joatmon, getting a 05-08 5-speed would be better because it's less likely to have bearing failures. The 6-speeds are nice too, but the final drive gearing is a little different.

Yes 06/03 manufacture date. I'm in the Midwest. Toyota dealer here told me they have 11 Matrix's waiting for same repair. The polar cold really did a number on them up here. Prices on a used one are though the roof around here. Dealer says they send theirs out to a transmission shop that orders parts through them. My buddy has a press, and he is ASC certified. I'm wondering if I should order a rebuild kit and just tear it down ourselves.


Anybody have any luck with the $995 remanufactured units out of Maryland on Ebay?

I have a 6 speed out of an 05 Vibe Gt. I gave my 17 year old son my beloved GT when I bought a new car and he promptly hit a tree, totaling it out 3 weeks after I gave it to him. 185thousand on the drivetrain. Located near Big Lake, MN. Make an offer. I haven't started parting the car out yet so I have absolutely everything. Car took frame damage, hood, bumper, radiator support.

Appreciate the offer on the 6 speed, I bought a 5 spd untested out of a junk yard down the road from home for $300, installing it this weekend or next. Planning to replace clutch, axel seals, and crankshaft seal all at once.

What a bummer on the wreck. Truly sad to hear.

Final update, junk yard tranny lasted a half mile and started grinding. Ugh. Took a gamble on cheap fix and lost. Ordered a reman out of Riverside CA on ebay. About $950 plus shipping, not horrible, and no core required. A buddy and I had it replaced in 3.5 hrs start to finish, including time getting it up on jack stands. An air wrench helps speed up the job and break some stubborn threadlocked bolts. Installed an Exceedy Clutch, and I highly recommend that brand. I used the Redline MT-90 gear oil, 1.9 quarts, good stuff too.

Just a word of advise, the remans are super tight for the first 20 miles, so don't be surprised to have to rev to 3000rpm to get it moving at first. Just drive it gently the first 20 miles, going through all the gears, lean the car into corners a bit to get everything seated once you get some confidence in it. Vary your speeds first few hundred miles too. I waited until 350 miles before I did any long haul interstate, but maybe I am just overcautious.

Thank you all for the posts and links on getting the parts acquired. I may have been harsh on Toyota, but it was a pretty frustrating ordeal. Drivetrain should be good for another 150k now though.

Anybody need a boat anchor? haha

lm7212 wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2019 1:31 pmDrivetrain should be good for another 150k now though.

Drivetrain should be good for well past another 150k! It's the clutch that should go before the tranny. Glad to hear you go it back on the road. Did you reach out to the junkyard to see if they would do anything to compensate you?