Questions Regarding Service Manuals

Technical info on the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix including do-it-yourself info
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mathgr
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 6:52 pm

Questions Regarding Service Manuals

Post by mathgr »

Hi all,

I own an 09' Pontiac Vibe GT with 5-speed manual. I've had it for awhile, but the car needs some general maintenance done. The issues I can think of off the top of my head are:
  • Clunk from passenger side wheel well at full lock. This is only noticeable when parking.
  • Noticeable amount of play from the steering.
  • Shifter is pretty sloppy and imprecise, especially the shift from 3rd to 4th.
  • Clutch is insanely heavy and engages at the bottom of pedal travel. I've never driven a car with a heavier clutch.
The main problem I'm having at this point is locating a service manual. I'm having a real problem locating a service manual for this car. I can find a few manuals for the previous generation on eBay, but most of those are running in the $300-$400 range. I can find some of the 3rd-party manuals, for instance Haynes, for much cheaper, however I'm not sure on the quality of these. It seems like they're hit or miss, and some say they're not helpful or even contain incorrect information.

I'm pretty comfortable working on cars, I've done two engine swaps before, but I don't know what specifics this car has, and I don't feel comfortable just guessing on torque-specs, etc. What do most people who do their own maintenance do for manuals? For instance, if I have to change the clutch, it would be real nice to have a service manual, etc.
tpollauf
Posts: 4023
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: Questions Regarding Service Manuals

Post by tpollauf »

Welcome to GenVibe :D First off update profile showing your location. This could be helpful if you end up being close to another active member here. Secondly, I just happen to have the complete 3-book set of 2009-10 manuals. I could scan the clutch section and email or text it to you. I too own a 2009 Vibe Gt 5-speed manual BUT unlike yours, it's still practically brand new and has ZERO issues (only 36k miles on it). I'll check back and try to help you out ;)
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
mathgr
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 6:52 pm

Re: Questions Regarding Service Manuals

Post by mathgr »

@tpollauf:

Thank you for the response and kind regards. A scan of the relevant manual pages would certainly be helpful, and definitely appreciated! No need at this point yet, I need to go through the issues one by one. I'm starting with the suspension / steering issues first, so that it doesn't turn into a safety issue or anything. I am guessing that the culprit is either the lower ball-joint, tie-rod end or swaybar endlink. My plan is to get the car on stands this weekend and see if I can figure out where the play / clunk is coming from.

By the way the car has ~120k miles on it, but in general drives well with the exception of the issues I listed above.
Bookworm
Posts: 764
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: Questions Regarding Service Manuals

Post by Bookworm »

Even with a standard transmission, with that many miles, I'd still do a drain and fill on the gear oil. (or whatever that one uses).
mathgr
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 6:52 pm

Re: Questions Regarding Service Manuals

Post by mathgr »

I still haven’t had time to get under the car yet, too many things going on with work, life and other cars.

Does anyone know if the Toyota Matrix shifter is the same as the Pontiac Vibe part? The part has been discontinued by GM, and I can’t find a part number for the individual bushings. The shifter is terrible, there is a huge amount of play in it and it’s often difficult to shift from 2nd to 3rd. I took the boot off and it does seem that the bushing for where the shifter pivots around is the culprit.

My plan is to hopefully get under the car this upcoming weekend and look at the front suspension. My guess is tie-rod ends and ball joints will need to be replaced which shouldn’t be too bad, I’d imagine.
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