GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

last night i went racing to Ave P in Newark...its a spot where people been racing for like 30 years. there was around 50 cars and another 50 spectating. Well i raced a 3000gt and 2 Si's and won, but i have a serious problem. I have alot of trouble getting into second at 8300 Rpm or just before the limiter. My foot is all the way down on the clutch and im sure of it because it hits the floor, yet it still grinds and just WONT go in. I have to let the rpm's go down to around 6k, then it goes in. It did this while i raced all three times. Third is also difficult to get into at times. When pushing down my clutch, it seems notchy and sometimes uneven pushing it down, and it makes noises (not loud but if you listen, you can detect them). Can this be a throwout bearing. If it is that, will the replace my transmission because it caused me to grind so much?

I seem to have a hard time shifting around the 5 or 6 g. spot too....and mine's a new vehicle. Are you going to take it in? let me know?

mine was always hard to shift...i think its just getting used to it...but mine now is GRINDING and wont go in at times. It happens during hard and fast shifting, if i shift slow and move it in carefully it goes in, but i loose alot of rpm and it brings me to around 5k rpm

mabey your synchos are messed up.take it to the dealer and have them check it.

Why wait til 8300 anyway! The power peaks at 5500 in the base and only a litttle bit higher in the GT! You're just wastin valuble time waiting to hit the limiter, get out of first and start climbing the ladder man! BTW I don't think toyota imagined this tranny was going to be shifted at 8300 RPM in any gear!! You maybe, and this is a big maybe exceding the tolerances a little!

if you looked at my signature, i have a vibe GT...the peak power is at the highest RPM possible...Would the clutch make the tranny grind like that? i dont think its slipping. If it was soemthing other then the trans itself, how do i know i didnt damage the trans from all the grinding etc.

Quote, originally posted by dmitri »if you looked at my signature, i have a vibe GTSome people have images and signatures turned off.

This may have something to do with it. "lol i dont let off the gas when i shift i let go so its not floored but im still pushing it." Sounds like the power shifting's got your synchros but I thought the clutch would gone first and your synchros would still be functional.

Who makes good performance clutches and is it hard to swap them out?Desi

Quote, originally posted by dmitri »mine was always hard to shift...i think its just getting used to it...but mine now is GRINDING and wont go in at times. It happens during hard and fast shifting, if i shift slow and move it in carefully it goes in, but i loose alot of rpm and it brings me to around 5k rpmI have noticed this with my GT as well. I think that the synchros take a second to catch up during the shift. Also, if I hold off a bit and shift a little before redline, I catch the next gear easier. I agree that redlining in first is wasting time. Taking it to 8K in first is plenty. To eliminate the problem, you would probably have to install a performance shift kit. Sometimes a shorty shifter helps because it changes the timing of the shift throws a little bit. Changing the clutch will probably not make a difference in this case. A performance clutch will help the tranny grab better and take the forces better, but should have no effect on the speed of your shift. That is an issue with the shifting mechanisms and the synchros. And you should feel a varying pressure as you press the clutch down, this helps you to determing when the clutch is grabbing and slipping. It should feel real easy to push at first, then tighten up a bit as the pedal goes down. That's normal. If the throwout bearing is going bad, you will hear an intermittant squealing when the clutch pedal is fully released, but goes away as soon as you put any pressure on the clutch pedal. This happened with my Mustang, so I'm familiar with it.In short, this tranny was not meant for hard, very fast shifting as it is in stock condition. You might want to check with some Celica GT-S owners to see if they have improved the shifting somehow. The engine, clutch, and tranny in the Vibe GT are the same as in the Celica GT-S.

Quote, originally posted by dsegundo »Who makes good performance clutches and is it hard to swap them out?DesiYou might want to check with the Celica owners on this one as well for brand recommendations. To change the clutch, the tranny has to be pulled from the car. Usually a performance clutch will come with a matching performance pressure plate to optimize the perfomance capabilities of the clutch. This should be installed when the performance clutch is installed.

Shifting at top rpm is the only way to hit lift in second and there is still more power at 8200 rpm than there is at 6200 rpm. I don't do often but I have never had a problem with shifting from that rpm. Perhaps differences in how slippery the trany oil is has something to do with these trannies or they are just quirky. I use RP oil. The 1-2 and all other moving shifts are great but 1st can sometimes be hesitant from a stop.

i did it again today taking my time and it still grinded...i was just under lift. The worst part is that under normal driving its perfectly smooth. At high rpm is when it gets notchy. is this possible?

Beats me. Taking your time wont help much since a reasonably fast shift matches rpms if your getting off the gas. Any mechanics? If your clutch isn't completely releasing it could cause this but I don't think it would only happen at high rpm unless you shift well enough to basically not need a clutch at normal speeds. How's your hydrolic fluid? Still sounds like synchros to me but I hope I'm wrong. What's your tranny oil?

Quote, originally posted by dsegundo »Who makes good performance clutches and is it hard to swap them out?Desii plan to swap mine out next summer with a TRD performance clutch. it will fit on the vibe and matrix as well as the celica. http://www.trdperformance.com/ Quote »TRD also has approved the installation of the TRD Performance Clutch, part number 00602-31201-025, for the Matrix XRS 6-spd. The TRD Clutch is designed to increase clamping force and pedal pressure while reducing slippage and chatter of 2ZZGE-powered engines. it runs about $341 + shipping. not sure how much to install.

TRD clutch is an oem disc with higher clamping force.

Quote, originally posted by goodvibe »TRD clutch is an oem disc with higher clamping force.so, you're saying.... it's not really that much better? if not, do you know who makes one that is?

can we go back to my original topic....i dont think my clutch is slipping btw because i slow down and floor it all the time in first and no slipping...

dang....this is going to be too hard for me to do bymyself huh?I hate that.

These trannies/clutches are like glass! Hope your warranty is still intact! Take it in immadiately. If you've been running this hard as often as it sounds, then my guess is the synchros. Gotta be careful with these toyota 6's! Celica guys have been experiencing this for quite sometime now!I believe ACT makes a 6 puck for our trannies. Check out http://newcelica.org. Do a search under clutch and you should find plenty of info.

im not putting any more money into this car. let the dealer deal with it. if they dont fix it, sh*ts gonna hit the fan.....

dmitri (and everyone else with this problem), let me ask you this. When you shift from second into third, do you find that your engine will make a crunch noise and act as if it wasn't all the way in gear when you thought it was? My car will do that sometimes and when it does, I feel like scum. I am now beginning to wonder if it is me, or if there is something going on with the transmission. I would ask the dealer, but I don't want to get that "service guy" stare. You know the one where they look at you like you are the biggest idiot they have ever met.Anyhow, I don't know if it is me or not, this is my first manual transmission and it may just be me. But I am curious. If it is me, then I feel really dumb. My only excuse is I am 32 and just now learning how to drive a manual.

Quote, originally posted by dmitri »im not putting any more money into this car. let the dealer deal with it. if they dont fix it, sh*ts gonna hit the fan.....Sounds like you abused the car and now feel entitled to a free repair.

theres a difference between bad design and abuse nit just with the clutch and transmition but a lot of things with the 1zz and 2zz period. it youd search other forums youd find a lot of people with similiar problems.. is everbody abusing thier car.probably not. is that the case here, its not up to me to decide. but as an example, many on here agree with my paint problems and people here and on new celicas have my cel problem. but mabey we all just drive our cars like crap. anyway i hope he gets it fixed, what good is the "high performance" model if you cant wring it out every now and again?

umm just because i race doesnt mean i abuse it. it means i use it harder. there is a difference betweeen proper shifting and use, and abuse.

satur9, you're right, my comment was inappropriate. I need my car to last forever, and also went for the low performance option. I should have stayed out of this thread. dmitri, sorry about the comment. Make sure you haven't posted your VIN anywhere, even the last 5 digits would be enough to match your posts to the car. Wouldn't that suck if GM started to match posts here to claims for warranty repair? "I'm sorry Mr. Dmitri, based on genvibe thread 7456, we can no longer honor the warranty on your transmission ... " There's probably some fine print in the warranty that would let them not fix it for free if you told them about the racing, so be sure to not tell them about stuff like that.

nah i didnt post my vin anywhere. but they do know my name, dmitri im going back once my winter break is over. after tha i give the car to my father and project civic hatchback goes into effect.