lefty51

Well I discovered this forum 4 months ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I recently retired after hauling GM products for 40 years. I always liked the HHR from the day we first started hauling them. Now I am retired and I now have two.. An 06 LT (black)loaded and in great shape and an 07 LT gold in color and in need of TLC. I need something to keep me occupied, retirement is harder than it looks, especially when it's cold outside Anyway thanks to Lucky for his help with the left rear power window and latch cable. I also went through the denial phase of believing the radio was bad until I bought a replacement and discovering the door speakers were all bad. By the way if it hasn't been covered before, the way to get around paying the dealer to "RE program" the new radio, if your adventurous is to swap the EEprom from the old one to the new one. The BCM looks and says yep that's it. Also I noticed some discussion as to the strong points of the frame as far as lifting and putting jack stands. If you look at the sub frame behind the front tire and in front of the back tire you should see an oval shaped hole in the "frame". Those are the transportation holes where we inserted the "R" hook and tightened the chains to transport the vehicle. It is one of the few strong points on today cars. But if you look at a transport truck today you will probably notice straps over the tires instead of chains in the frame. That's because almost all manufacturers are going to this "soft tie" method and not stamping transportation holes in the frames. Some said it saved money not stamping holes, some say it prolonged the life of suspension components (?). Who knows. Thanks for allowing me to ramble, I really enjoy this site and it's members and of course, their HHRs!!

843de

Well we learn something new almost every day here, so it's possible to swap the EPROMs from one head unit to another, as we say here in the South "Well I'll be dipped!"

Could you take the time to write up exactly how you performed the EPROM transplant?

It would be a great bit of info for members to have, especially ones with electrical or computer backgrounds.

Lift and jacking points were discussed here ages ago, but that thread is eluding me right now.

Feel free to ramble anytime lefty.

lefty51

I'll see if I can. I will try to take pictures of the procedure as I had to buy a new EEprom for my old radio, because I lost the useless one from the radio I bought. So when I put that one in my old one which I'm assuming is still good I will try to take pictures of where it is. I ended up taking the whole radio apart to get the main board out as my hands and eyesight ain't what they used to be Also both radios are mp3 single cd radios. I would guess the chip is the same on my six cd changer model. But I don't know if location is the same. maybe i'll dig it out of the 06 and check. The EEprom is non volatile memory that the tech II stores with VIN info when it's programed and the BCM checks and verifies it when it's turned on. Now if I just had the ability to transfer the info from the 07s' chip to the new one, both would work in car. Boy I sure wish I could Justify buying a Tech II

Lucky

That's a really good idea
I have not thought about swapping the EPROM. I did see a youtube post where they would cut part of the EPROM.
It would let the radio work in any car but it would also show an error code for the prom across the screen.

donbrew

When a flatbed tow driver over did the hook in that hole in the rear it peeled 4 inches.


I stick with the jack points designated by the arrows and cutouts on the skirt, as shown in the Owner Manual. I figure if they went to all the trouble to design a mold with arrows, they might mean something. On the front horns there is a nice flat spot made for jack stands.

843de

Took a bit to find, but here's the lifting point thread....

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/maintenance-upkeep-50/jack-lifting-positions-36164/

lefty51

Thanks for the thread link, 843de. That's what I like about this forum. Nacademus did an excellent job detailing the strong points. That's where I like to put jack stands (always use jack stands) Where suspension or cradle tie into frame. I agree Donbrew, the reason I mention the tiedown slots is they are sturdy for lifting with a floor jack as I have seen some who try to lift near the rocker panels and end up bending sheet metal or plastic. Plus the front slot ( the yellow circle in the picture is a good spot for floor jack as it makes it easier to put the jack stand near the cradle points. Hi again Lucky, that's where I first got the idea about the EEprom. They said if you removed the power to the chip it would work to a degree. I know just enough about electronics to create a lot of headaches for myself It's getting to the point that I need more and more magnification AND light to do these kinds of projects. The temp is about 2 degrees this morning, if I can I'll venture out to the shop and try to take pictures of how I did it.

Sno White

Here is a picture of the insides of a 2009 base radio with the CD player removed – not an easily removed chip in there. It is all surface mount components and requires a very talented hand. Earlier and more advanced radios of course may differ as the OP to this thread has outlined – just saying changing a chip, in this case a PROM, in our radios maybe more difficult with the newer years.

lefty51

Well 843de, I posted the EEprom swap in the how to section. I hope I posted it right. It was harder putting online then actually doing it. Oh to be a technology native instead of a technology immigrant !!

Oldblue

Nice work Lefty51, you and Sno White have enlightened us on the radio chip swap