Minor Vibe issues

[jamsandwich]

Bear in mind, I'm not much of a handyperson, myself, I've done some minor things on my Vibe, like getting down into the blower motor when a leaf fell into it while i was replacing a cabin filter (oh, the racket that imbalance caused) and disconnected power to the recirc/fresh air actuator after it went in the dead of winter when I really needed defrost!

Anyway, 14 years in, my old '08 has a handful of minor problems. It's not super high-mileage, since we tend to use my wife's vehicles for family-oriented outings and then also the pandemic happened:

• The aforementioned recirc/fresh air actuator. I feel like I could do this myself. I'm not sure I care enough to actually worry about it.
  - A noisy fan when A/C or defrost are activated. I have heard Vibes like mine before, and no tech's ever made an issue of it, but it's essentially this problem: viewtopic.php?p=532263&hilit=radiator+fan#p532263 I have lived with it for so long I don't think it's worth dealing with.
  - Catalytic converter throwing a CEL code. My mechanic said it's a lot of money to spend when the car is driving just fine.

I had some overdue brake work done before this winter and at the time nothing else was noted by the mechanic that I didn't already know. Just curious if any of the above are cause for concern for anyone... I think I have a bit of a list of maintenance items for the spring (and new summer tires, probably). So I figured it was a good time to take stock of whether I should add anything else.

The fan running at high speed bugs me a little with the overdue realization that it's maybe unusual

The CEL, I would love to get done with for the sake of whatever grams of CO2 I might not spew into the air/gas mileage savings, but my wallet disagrees.

But I thought I'd throw it out there -- does anyone disagree with the "it's running, it's fine" approach? Other than these issues, it's been serviced regularly and the only work it's ever needed was after it got rear-ended (grumble grumble). I would give it even odds that rust from snowy Canadian winters or another driver are more likely to be the end of this car than natural causes... but I also don't want to be the cause of any longer term issues.

[Bookworm]

On my 03, I replaced the cat and o2 sensors at about 220k miles, IIRC. I paid $800 for everything including labor, and that was for a good high-end aftermarket that was even california compliant. (local company)

You may not need a cat, though. Maybe just an O2 sensor (or two). They're not that bad to replace - I just had someone else do it because I had them put in the whole assembly at once.

The actuator is annoying, but if you're willing to pull the radio out as well, you can do it reasonably easily. if you've never done it before, you don't even have to spend money on it - just open it, flip the gear, and reassemble.

For the fan - I've had the weird speed issue on my wife's GM vehicle. The fan switch actually is fine. It's the resistors on the blower fan itself.

Here's an example at Autozone - https://www.autozone.com/cooling-heatin ... 535805_0_0

That's supposedly for the 2007 Toyota Matrix.

So, what happens is that you skip speeds, or you're stuck on high.

Hope that helps.

[andrewclaus]

The cat may restrict the exhaust and that could lead to engine damage. Given the value of used cars these days, I'd spend some money to fix it. I'd go a cheap (non-CARB) route if your local emissions testing allows it. Also check to be sure an engine issue isn't causing the cat breakdown--running too rich, burning oil.

I commented on the radiator fan speed in the thread you linked--it's normal for my Vibe and another car I own. That's one of the reasons I disconnected the A/C in defrost mode.

I virtually never use recirc mode. My wife does sometimes when we're following a diesel. If it cost more than $100 to fix, I wouldn't do it.

[Bookworm]

I misread. I read that as the interior fan speed, not the radiator.

I replaced my radiator fan assembly in my 03, due to rattling at high speed. In certain conditions while under load (the A/C), the original fan was touching somewhere. It cost something like $30 for the fan assembly, plus shipping. You might check the blade clearance when under load by pulling the blade towards the engine (turned off!) and manually rotating it.

[jamsandwich]

Thanks for the feedback, folks (and happy to keep hearing it if anyone else has two cents to share).

I'll talk to my mechanic and see what the options are for cats here. I've definitely seen some more affordable parts online... the quote I received was for a "proper" replacement.

We don't have regular emissions testing here but I'm sure there are rules around what is actually permitted vs. what you actually can do. I know some people who have had their cats stolen and then straight-piped their exhaust rather than replacing it. Some shops here will do that, but it's for sure not legal.

Regarding the recirc, I am the same, I hardly use it. In the dead of winter it can be nice for some added heat but generally I like to pull in dry outside air. If I am feeling ambitious I may one day try to replace the actuator myself. A real pain to get to, but the part isn't super expensive (even disconnecting it was annoying, but I guess actually reaching it is half the battle).

[Bookworm]

recirc is important when you're using the a/c. Straight in air means the a/c works a lot harder; it's better that once you've vented out most of the really hot air (a/c on, pointed to feet, back windows cracked slightly) you then flip to recirculate "max" and let it just cool the existing air. Our cars leak enough that you'll get outside air

[ColonelPanic]

The Vibe's A/C was weak enough when the cars were new and had everything working properly. Lose the ability to recirculate the air and the A/C is really going to struggle. As much of a pain it is to replace the actuator, personally it's not something I would put off.

Once you get the actuator out, when reinstalling just snug that top bolt down hand tight. Future you will thank you for it if you plan to keep the car. Because there will be a next time.

[andrewclaus]

Those sound like good tips if you use the A/C at low rpms, in city traffic. It seems to work okay at highway speeds at least. I use the A/C a few times a year, only on highway trips, so I haven't run into the issue. I live in a climate where A/C is optional.