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Chevrolet Prizm Vibration Issues

35 messages,  Last post on Nov 03, 2009 at 6:39 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Prizm, Engine, Sedan

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#2 of 35 jhoeft by jenhoeft Oct 16, 1999 (10:39 pm)
For anyone who has a Prizm, take my advice and trade it in for a Saturn SL2 as I did. I bought my 1997 Prizm new, and after 2 years I began having suspension problems (squeaking/creaking sounds in the front of the car). I took it to the dealership five different times, and they replaced the bushings, ball joint & lower lever control arm. After replacing all these parts, the problem was not even phased. The dealer even told me there was nothing more they could do.(It's pretty bad when the dealer can't even fix your car). Also, I had to replace the tires due to the car vibrating at 55 mph, and spent $400 on new Michelin 70,000 mile tires. The car did not meet my expectations, and like many of you, I feel I did not get what I paid for. In October 1999 I traded it in for a 2000 Saturn SL2, and I love it. No road noise, independent suspension, and it just handles the road so much better. Heed my advice and pay a little more for a better car.
#3 of 35 prizm trans is junk by gmgremlins Apr 28, 2000 (4:14 am)
i have had my 99 prizm for a year now. its and lsi with the 4sp auto . have had it to dealer 5 times for shifting problems. will not shift into overdrive properly and slips constantly. dealer claims that this is normal. LOL , gm has contacted me and says nothing they can do for the car. i asked how many other prizms have they drove to form this opinion. what do you know all 3 persons from the dealership have not driven one. so therefore i am amazed how they formed this opinion. its a shame the car is fun to drive and its zippy. i have owned toyotas in the pat and was lured in by the lower price i got at the local chevy dealer.I now recall what my father told me as a boy. you get what you pay for.point blank, its a great little car but when the chevy dealer only has techs who have no experience working on asian cars and how to properly diagnose and repair them this is what you get. plus gm with there " we are big and dont care if we piss you off attitude". the car is useless to me . i had a vibration problem when we 1st got the car . i ended up fixing this myself after 5 trips for it. well i am tired of fixing my own new car and so tommorrow myself and gm are squaring off in a bbb hearing. gm hasnt even sent a rep or tech advisor to ride in the vehicle. but yet they constantly call me and tell me that this is a normal operation of the car, and wonder why i would want to take it to arbitration.so to gm i say get a clue because i will never buy another car that has your emblems or parts on or in it whatsoever. all i wish was that i had my 87 toyota supra back that i traded in. now that was a car.
#4 of 35 Front end vibration when braking on 2000 Prism by johnmar1 Jun 24, 2003 (5:42 pm)
2000 Prism with 29,000 miles. Brakes done at 26,000 miles. When hard stopping from over 40MPH there is a vibration in the front end that is felt in the steering wheel. Engine mounts are OK. There is no pulsations in the break pedal so rotors are true. Is this a common occurrence?
#5 of 35 What's your Mileage? by squeak6 Jul 01, 2003 (12:09 pm)
I've always paid close attention to my car mileage. I was wondering does anyone have very high mileage like I do...?   1998 5-speed, 179,991 ( as of 12 noon today )
#6 of 35 To: SQUEAK6 / JOHNMAR1 by lrlprizm Jul 03, 2003 (10:30 pm)
SQUEAK: You're racking up the miles. I'm a tad behind you with my '95 prizm LSI at 152k. She's still running fine. Since May, I've bled the rear brakes (including the ABS hydrau. modulator)--no problems; it was easier than I thought. I've also replaced 4 qts of transm fluid, washed & waxed (new Prestone "total car care" is real ez to use), and ran a compression test. My results were: 220psi, 230psi, 231psi, and 233psi. Altho the #1 cylinder is a bit below the others, it's still within tolerance. Summary: Engine is still healthy! I reinstalled my platinum plugs with di-electric grease on the spark plug boots. My MPG is about 29-30 during winter, and 31-33 during the summer. Great mileage for a car over 8 yrs old. My next project is to bleed the front brakes and replace the front pads. Should be no problems (did it 3+yrs ago myself). JOHNMAR: Bummer to hear about your vibration problems with such a relatively young car. It's either suspension (doubtful), steering (maybe), or tires (probably). I'd rotate the tires to see if you get the same vibration. Tires are the cause of many "feel" problems with cars. Unusual for a young car to have brake/steering/suspension problems unless you really drive it hard and constantly go over killer potholes. Good luck in your diagnosis; I bet the cause is pretty basic.
#7 of 35 JOHNMAR1 by wjf1013 Jul 06, 2003 (4:00 am)
Did you have the vibration problem before you had your brakes serviced ? If the problem was not there before you had the brakes service it was probably something done at the shop. Check your lug nuts they might be loose or not torqued correctly. A friend of mine brought his truck in for service and they broke the stud off of the wheel when they over tightened a lug nut with a power tool. I have a 00 Prizm. Last week I had the brakes checked and they were only half worn at 58,000 miles. Most of my driving is parkway/suburban - not city.
#8 of 35 Engine Mounts by prizmlsi Aug 11, 2004 (7:36 am)
I have a 1995 Prizm Lsi w/ 89k miles. I have noticed that I feel some vibration while at idle throughout the car. It goes away mostly when I apply the gas but it is bothersome because the car is very nice otherwise. I have replaced plugs, wires, fuel filter, and air filter. I suspect it is the motor mounts.   Has anyone replaced these and noticed a difference afterwards?   Thanks!! Replies to this message: dverespey (Aug 17, 2004 12:18 pm) hruiz617 (Mar 02, 2008 7:42 pm)
#9 of 35 Re: Engine Mounts [prizmlsi] by dverespey Aug 17, 2004 (12:18 pm)
Replying to: prizmlsi (Aug 11, 2004 7:36 am) Since you say it is at idle, I would have someone do a basic tune up check. Could be a bad plug, wire of idle setting that would be less noticible at highway speed.
#10 of 35 help! by ash2 Nov 30, 2004 (6:20 pm)
I have a 98 prizm with the 5 speed manual trans....Bought it 4 years ago with 40000 miles on it, no problems til this year. 60,00 miles replaced clutch. 65000 miles,replaced clutch again (warrantied so labor only). 70,000 miles it would clunk and engine or trans seemed to jump upon ignition and in reverse it made noise. Took it to mechanic, he said bad tranny mount. Talked to another mechanic who said there are no tranny mounts, just engine mounts? After a month the tranny mount came in, was installed, mechanic now says the vibration/noise that occurred only in reverse before is now worse and even does it in forward and while idling, and he suspects soem problem (not sure what yet) in either the trans or engine. Am I getting taken for a ride? I've used this mechanic for quite awhile and have no reason to distrust him. Any suggestions or ideas on what the problem might be? Replies to this message: mcdawgg (Dec 01, 2004 6:27 am) ash2 (Dec 01, 2004 8:39 am)

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