GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello,

I changed out the original clutch at 190,000 miles. New Flywheel and clutch set by Sachs from Rockauto.com

Lasted 20k miles and the one year warranty was up......sucks. Never seen one fail like this before. I used to work for toyota/subaru. Changed lots of em one the years.

The new flywheel was unharmed!

I elected to swap out the E351 trans since I drove it for awhile without using the clutch and I did grind up the synchro's a bit.......ok by the pound!

Had a hard time finding the basic of basic parts locally and online.
1. axle nuts
2. PCV Valve Hose
3. Valve cover vent hose...........found at some misc. toyota/scion online store......last one in the country!? and for a Matrix to boot!
4. Manual trans fluid
5. OEM shift cables------not available, but over $500 & on back order if you chose a Matrix same year, model, etc. I had to transfer the bushings from the new cut cables on the junkyeard transmission ($250). The low price of the transmission was hilarious!

What I changed while the the engine/trans was out cause its easier!
1. PCV Valve
2. Intake manifold gasket.........was shot, hard, brittle,etc
3. TB Mounting gasket.......was shot, hard, brittle, etc.
4. Both output shaft seals for the axles......cause I didnt trust the junkyard ones that came with the trans

Also changed both front wheel bearings, all 4 struts, front sway bar end links, coolant flush, front lower control arms, alighnment and other misc. items

Im having a hard time wanting to hold onto this ride......The lack of parts is disturbing. Its not that that old of a car, but Pontiac liquidated everything. The short 2 year production crippled support via aftermarket companies...............Even a 2013 Matrix is tough to find items for. Ive looked just for shits and giggles. Toyota still sells a lot, but its very high priced! I want to Turbo the car, but with a last year Scion TC motor/trans swap (low milage).

Engine and trans came out the top. Just remove the wiper motor assembly and the wiper motor metal drain pan.....be sure not to touch the lower edge of the windshield with anything or you'll break it.

Passenger side axle likes to fight. The bracket attached to the engine block on the axle carrier bearing is usually sized up here in the rust belt. I replaced it with one made by Dorman Products (highly recommend).

This was a really simple jobas far as pulling the engine and trans out the top.

My clutch cable end bushings were siezed on the old transmission. I had to use the new old ones from the junkyard transmission. They had to be pressed out and transferred over to my old cable ends. The junkyards will always cut them so good luck finding new used shift cables at any of them. I tried all day......gave up and did as mentioned above. it worked well with no adverse concerns. They were solid and not worn to boot!

Sucks that the clutch only last 20K miles.

That was good deal on the new tranny.

Congratulations on having the tools, space and most importantly the skill to do that level or work, definitely not a trivial job for most of us.

Where did that metal piece break off from as shown in the pics? Nice work so far It will be several years before my 09 Vibe GT manual needs any of this work done BUT when that day comes, I hope GenVibe is still round and I can resource this thread for info.

Broke off the clutch disk. Held the shock absorber spring in place. It almost left!

joatmon wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:19 am Sucks that the clutch only last 20K miles.

That was good deal on the new tranny.

Congratulations on having the tools, space and most importantly the skill to do that level or work, definitely not a trivial job for most of us.

Thank you. I have a nice "new" pole barn at work. It's a factory oem clutch assembly to boot. Sachs brand and made in Japan. Also had Exedy stamped on it. Has a bit of a grind in 3rd gear downshifting, but it might wear out of it based on my driving habbits

Do you still have the vibe.

I bought the cheapest clutch I could for the 2.4l from autozone. Its the Duralast Clutch Set NU72456-1. Flywheel was LUK LFW245 from rock auto.

I've probably passed 20k miles on this new clutch and it's been perfect. I did notice the pressure place was a little easier than my original clutch though. I thought maybe it had a little less clamping force. It doesn't seem to affect the functionality. I spend even less than I had originally thought. 135 for the clutch set and 87 for the flywheel. $244 total. I wasted $40 buying a rear main seal which I didn't install.

I'm not finding parts too difficult to find unless their GM oem. I also recebrly ordered full shock absorber assemblies. It includes strut mount amd everything is preassembled.
I wont even need the spring compressors to install these. They were a bargain as well. Under $300 for the two fronts. My rears were ok..

My struts may have had a shortened lifespan from running the TRD springs many years ago. It's started to ride like crap so I went back to the original springs. Lately the front struts are shot.