My 2002 Pontiac Vibe with 90K miles is having an intermittent problem. It has the Celica GTS engine, and GTS 6 speed manual transmission. When I attempt to accelerate from any gear, very occasionally, the engine will rev up for a second or two and then it is fine. This happens maybe two or three times a day. My usual car repair place only works on Japanese Cars. I told him it was a twin of the Matrix. He said he has never worked on a Matrix either. He thinks it sounds like the clutch is going. Two questions: First, does it sound like a clutch to you? And second, has GM done anything funky to the vehicle or is it identical to a Toyota? If it is, I am sure I can talk him into fixing it. I really like this guy and the work he does, and honestly have been less than satisfied with the GM service.
Yes, it sounds like the onset of clutch slip, which is a pretty good indication that your clutch needs to be replaced. I had a 5-speed that I nursed for a while like that that got to the point where it would go 0-60 in around 20 seconds and any attempt to vary speed quickly would simply cause the clutch to break loose and overrev the engine.