GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

It's brand new and runs great, but it won't just fire off like most FI cars. It always needs to turn over a few revolutions before it will fire. I have tried leaving the key on for a few seconds and then cranking, but this makes no difference. It does not matter if the engine is hot or cold. What's up with this?

i would take it to the dealer. should turn over right away.

My car always turns over 6 times before it starts.

So it's normal then, but why? I would like my engine to start right up when I begin cranking. Anyone have any ideas on this.

Mine is the same way turns over about 2 seconds before it fires.I think it's normal! The funny thing is it will fire the first time, push starting it.

I have had many car/trucks and this is my conclution... High compression 4 bangers take longer to crank.. cause my Silverado and my Camaro both 350's and they started on just bumping the starter.... almost every other car/truck I have had had to roll over at least 2-3 times to start including my 04 vibe... but it does start everytime

Sometimes engines are intentionally calibrated this way. It may be implemented to ensure that your engine will start in extreme conditions such as a battery that is not fully charged combined with cold temperatures, etc. From one year to another and one engine to another the calibration can be different. If you are worried, you might want to look at another '05 Vibe with the same engine just to see if it does the same thing. Maybe MadBill can explain engine calibration more eloquently. Are you around Bill?

Due to the high compression which is 10:1 (insanley high compared ot other older V-8's and 6's) one must crank it a few times in my opinion; but i could be wrong on that one. Also, if the engine fires right up to 1000 rpm's with out having oil run up the cylinder walls, which can be easily done by cranking it a little, it will cause some undue wear. And this priming is one of the many reasons our little 4-bangers go forever. Believe it or not, it is somewaht helpful -- and yes mine takes about 5-7 cranks to start.

Quote, originally posted by Susiegirl »So it's normal then, but why? I would like my engine to start right up when I begin cranking. Anyone have any ideas on this.As others have said, we've been told this is the way the engine was designed. I initially thought my battery was weak, but got a new battery, it still does it.We haven't been given a straight reason, but I suspect it has something to do with getting the oil flowing...

Nothing wrong with your engine... a couple of cranks before it fires is normal. My Vibe maybe cranks twice before it fires right up but I got me a nice new more powerful battery under there thanks to Joseph Pontiac in MI.

my vibe starts instantly. mabey caused its garaged? but its never takes more than 2 turnovers.WEIRD....

mine cranks the first time too. but it's not garaged, but under a car port. w/ the exception of the winter time, it starts right up.

Quote, originally posted by satur9 »my vibe starts instantly. mabey caused its garaged? but its never takes more than 2 turnovers.WEIRD....Wish mine was like that. Takes a full "One-Mississippi" to fire, but it is consistant at least. It doesnt worry me but if it took longer than that I would worry. I live in the south, so the weak battery issue is not a big deal for me, but I am sure it has something to do with the slow starts in the winter time.Do the 2004 vibes have the stronger battery, or just upon complaint like the rest of us?

2005 is the first model year to get a 510 CCA battery direct from the factory.

My GT labors for a few seconds...key or Remote Start.. I think it's just the compression. Sometimes it's a little slower to crank in the cold, but never where it doesn't seem like it wants to turn over...

is it a GT?? tha GT should takea little longer, Satur has a base(one person with quick starts) but i dont know why Hopes(TRDVibe) starts right up unless it was only that way since she got the chip?!?!!? anyways i would rather have long life on my engine then a few seconds saved starting it up,

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »My GT labors for a few seconds...key or Remote Start.. I think it's just the compression. Sometimes it's a little slower to crank in the cold, but never where it doesn't seem like it wants to turn over...Remote start on a GT... Kinda dangerous there... I know some people that have chased there cars with a remote start and a standard... if you have fixed that problem please let me know... cause I loved my remote start in my Tracker

I started this thread, but I have been away...My Vibe is a 05 Base, and so it does not have the high compression of the GT. I think it must be somthing in the programming, like ignition or injectors are inhibited for a few seconds ( maybe the second or third count on the crank position sensor).

I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed that this is inherent to the design of the engines...Something with Toyotas...

It is common for a fuel injected engine to do that. Remember, fuel injection depends on fuel pressure to spray. It takes a second or two for the fuel pump to build pressure, especially if you turn the key from LOCK directly to START. I always turn the key from LOCK to ON and pause a second for the fuel pump to build pressure and then turn to START. I've done this for every FI car I've ever owned.On a quiet morning, turn the key to ON and pause. You should hear the fuel pump whine for a second and then go off. This is the pump building pressure.

Quote, originally posted by NovaResource2 »On a quiet morning, turn the key to ON and pause. You shoudl hear the fuel pump whine for a second and then go off. This is the pump building pressure.Dude, THAT'S what that noise is? How cool!Never realized that...Learn a new thing every day!

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed that this is inherent to the design of the engines...Something with Toyotas...thats so true... I am finding more and more that GM is not who we should be turning to for answers... its a toyota vehicle... the top guys at my shop who can fix anything and I mean anything don't have a clue when it comes to the Vibe. Their best educated answer is "Um... take it to toyota..."Wonder if GM will allow us to sublet our repairs to toyota for a warranty work... doubtful But on topic here keep monitoring your starting situation and see if it gets better or worse.

Mine is the same with the long crank time. I swear sometimes I am trying to starting a diesel engine. Guess it just the nature of the beast but I would like it to start with a lot less cranking time. It doesn't make any difference with letting the key on for a couple of seconds before starting either. The fuel pump should need only a second to reach full fuel pressure and this doesn't seem to be the cause of the long crank time. I have checked tech bulletins and there is no mention of anything pertaining to this problem. Can't be too good for the starter crank that long every time you start the car. Bet the starter is the first thing mechanical to go. I am a mechanic at a GM dealership and I wouldn't be all that fond of working on my vibe engine. I have looked at the special tools required to work on the vibe engine and they look pretty unusual to me. Nobody in my shop has had to work on the vibe engine yet and maybe that is a good thing.

I personally am not too worried...FWIK, the 1ZZ has a solid reliability record...My guess is, if there was a problem with premature starter failure in earlier versions, it would've been corrected by now.This is all speculation, of course.

Yeah but who knows what GM has done to this engine Mine starts right up. A few things come to mind with long starts: 1) if you're parked on a slant 2) it could be an emmisions thing ie the new standard that the 2005 adopted compared to that of the 2003.

Quote, originally posted by MoonDogg »Remote start on a GT... Kinda dangerous there... I know some people that have chased there cars with a remote start and a standard... if you have fixed that problem please let me know... cause I loved my remote start in my Tracker Yep. Set your parking brake all the way each time you park your car. Everyone is supposed to do this anyway as a safety precaution, though it seems that few people do. Setting the parking brake also automatically adjusts the rear brakes on many cars so it's important to do this regularly to keep the car's braking at its' best.Back on topic. I have the long cranking time issue with my '03 GT also. When I first got the car, I noticed this and it annoyed me a bit. I thought about it and came up with the same things that several others have here. I agree about the high compression delaying the start a bit. This could have been fairly easily prevented with a simple pressure relief system that self-deactivates after the engine fires. But after thinking further about it, I also came up with the idea that they probably left it so that the engine cranks a few times to prime the oil system to reduce wear on the engine's internal parts. The more that I think about it, the more I feel that this contributes to the longevity of modern 4 cylinder engines, as someone already stated. Very simple solution to a potentially big problem.