GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I have to ask a question about a phenomenon I have noticed the last couple of years. My friend and I go to the auto wrecker while he's in town because to him it is a form of meditation. Let's not going to his mental health. So I've noticed that compared to other cars, the drivetrain from the vibe and Matrix are often gone. I just saw five cars in 1 wrecker this weekend and all engines we're missing. Is this because the engines grenade often or because even the low lean on GT drivetrain is desirable for another car? Me has to know.

If this is a big salvage yard they likely have a separate building for storing engine & transmissions only. By pulling them from the car they can store them and are more readily available to sell complete on short notice.

That's a good point. With the engines out it also makes stacking the cars more stable.

Nope, nothing gets stored. It's all pick your parts. And the same goes for the other two yards in a nearby city...drivetrain are almost always gone.

The drivetrains are used in other Toyotas.

Can't speak to how often the engines grenade in the wild, but its pretty rare here among genvibers. One positive way of looking at it is that all those missing engines that have been sold must have survived the wreck well enough to be worth pulling and reusing

The drive trains in these are pretty reliable. with slight variations throughout the years, the 1zz was in cars from the mid90s to 2008. given the longevity of these, its quite possible they do get pulled that fast.

I would still suspect tpollauf is correct. Many yards, even pick-a-part yards, do have outbuildings they store engines/trans in. it's quite possible they get bought up before even going in the yard.

I know these places well, and that's the thing...they don't have storage or removal areas. Even if they did, why this engine over so many others!? So I guess the engines are that popular...which really surprises me. I can understand the GT engine, but not the base.

bratboy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:34 am I know these places well, and that's the thing...they don't have storage or removal areas. Even if they did, why this engine over so many others!? So I guess the engines are that popular...which really surprises me. I can understand the GT engine, but not the base.

There must be somebody in your neck of the woods who prefers to change the engine rather than the oil.

I used to love hitting the junkyards, but now most of them near me no longer allow walking the yard to scrounge for parts

And the alien was on its way back to Mexico?

I know engines are removed before they go into a crusher - the crushers can't break cast iron blocks.

Pick-n-Pull leaves entire car out for going to the crusher. Before it heads to the crusher they clear a row and that's probably when they remove the drivetrain is once it's out of the actual yard.

vibrologist wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:56 am There must be somebody in your neck of the woods who prefers to change the engine rather than the oil.

I wouldn't doubt it. XD

Also... There was a recall for certain Toyotas having to do with bad piston rings that, among a variety of other quirks, caused an unacceptable amount of oil loss. (Apparently 1 quart every 1000 miles or less is where they draw the line, but not before). A lot of people might just take to replacing the engines instead of attempting to diagnose and fix specific issues when they start burning much oil, as many Toyotas Vibes do, especially if they can get one cheap from a scrap yard.

350kVibe wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:58 pm

vibrologist wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:56 am There must be somebody in your neck of the woods who prefers to change the engine rather than the oil.

I wouldn't doubt it. XD

Also... There was a recall for certain Toyotas having to do with bad piston rings that, among a variety of other quirks, caused an unacceptable amount of oil loss. (Apparently 1 quart every 1000 miles or less is where they draw the line, but not before). A lot of people might just take to replacing the engines instead of attempting to diagnose and fix specific issues when they start burning much oil, as many Toyotas Vibes do, especially if they can get one cheap from a scrap yard.

The oil burning was on the 09 2AZ (2.4L). This really isn't a huge issue if watched. This engine was also one of the least common in the vibes. I presume OP was referring to the 1ZZ or 2ZZ as those are the most common engines these cars had.