Tinky

Hello everyone !

This will be my first post so thank you for letting me be part of this comunity.

I have a 2008 HHR LT. 2.2 which threw this code a few weeks ago. What i noticed was a hesitation when trying to start ( I actually needed to tow the car once ). I though maybe was a battery problem so i put n a new one ... no luck. Next step, after reading, was to replace the spark plugs .... no luck. I cleaned the mass air flow sensor with the right cleaner and seemed it helped a bit, for a couple of days ... i ended replacing the MAF after i did this test: " Started the engine, unplug the sensor and drive it" the rough driving and pulling dissapeared, actually drove nicely ... but still it takes 3 or 4 times to start. The gas cup was replaced a few months ago and seems to be in good condition.
The car now runs great with the new MAF .... after i get it to start. Code P0171 still there, hard to start the same ...
To go back to the begining of trouble, i changed oil, oil filter, AND air filter ( which havent been changed in a long time ). Right after that, i started getting the trouble.

What do you guys think ?
Btw, with the new MAF, no rough running, just the trouble starting.

Thank you for any help or inputs !



To add a little more, i have been reading about the PCV valve. Does this car have one? Or it is just a simple hose that relief unburned gases back?

I noticed when checking hoses, that the throttle body had a small trace of oil ... i cleaned the best i could the accesible part without taking it out ( Looked pretty dirty ) .. but not sure the problem will be here.

whopper

Welcome to the forum - lots of good info here, including the SEARCH TOOL at the top of the page. When I saw your post, I used that search tool and looked for your P code - so I did a search for p0171, and found this post that details two of the most common causes of your error code:

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...e-p0171-45271/

Check it out

Tinky

Thanks for your quick answer !

I guess i can start here ... i know the fuel pump works ( not sure at a 100% ). I can here it before starting the car, and once i am driving, it does great. I havent checked yet the fuel pressure and i guess that will be my next step ... i hope is not the pump since that would be quite expensive. They mentined also the purge solenoid being bad ... since it is a cheaper part, is there a way to check it ? Just replace it? And where is it located at?

Thabks again !

whopper

as per Donbrew (also found using the SEARCH tool): "It's the black box attached to the driver side of the head under the air filter. 2 hard black hoses and 1 electrical connector. One of the hoses connects to the intake manifold the other disappears under the car near the firewall."

donbrew

When it is disconnected if you can blow through it freely, it is bad.

Oldblue

Welcome to the site!
As per

https://www.obd-codes.com/p0171


It could be the wires at the MAF loose or broken
It could be a cracked flex pipe, mine took a few cranks to fire up, when mine broke!
It could be the little rubber cap , look down tithe drivers side of the throttle body on the intake manifold there is a 1/4 inch rubber cap, check it for cracks.

The throttle body can get gummed up by oil sucked down the hose from the valve cover to the elbow between the MAF and the throttle body.

Search clean throttle body

Tinky

Thank you guys for the hints !
I will be checking all these and will post updates soon.

donbrew

The car does not have a PCV valve ,but it does have a PCV tube that can be loose, cracked or otherwise leaking air into the throttle body (causing a lean condition),

Tinky

I have watched a few videos where they use brake cleaner to locate possible leaks. Do you guys recommend this as a test?

donbrew

It does not usually tell you anything. Just about anything that has a flammable gas propellant will work, like starting spray, TB cleaner etc. TB cleaner is probably the least destructive to rubber and coatings. Propane, like a torch may even be better, if you are careful.