2.4 potential benefit from just bolt ons
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Joined: 09-01-2024
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From: NJ, USA
Enjoy the car. Great economy, excellent handling with good dampeners. 2LT came with the FE3 “sport” suspension. (Some day I’ll figure out exactly what that means. At minimum, better shocks. Maybe better struts and stiffer springs, IDK.) [/QUOTE}
I'm eyeing a rear sway bar as probably my first mod
[QUOTE}Don’t get good tires. Get GREAT tires. The stock 215/50R17’s are excellent on that car.
I'm eyeing a rear sway bar as probably my first mod
[QUOTE}Don’t get good tires. Get GREAT tires. The stock 215/50R17’s are excellent on that car.
From your earlier post, those wheels don’t look correct for 2LT. You may have a loaded 1LT. Check the silver RPO sticker in the glove box. Better yet, take a pic and post here. What size tires are those.
Leveling and lowering springs are popular.
An issue with naturally aspirated Ecotecs is that you get ur power near the read line, but timing chain system hates that. Maybe ur car is due for a chain job anyway. You need the ZZP front guide. The stock ones break all the time. Get EOM chain tensioners, the latest ones. GM has a tighter spring in the balance chain tensioner for later models. Be sure to get that. Even tho most sources don’t seem to list it for the HHR, it seems to be listed for later Ecotecs, can’t give you a year, maybe after 2014 ish?
Keep you RPMs down until you do this chain job. You have been warned.
Keep you RPMs down until you do this chain job. You have been warned.
To be honest, I'm a little more concerned about the the transmission than the engine. The 4T45E is not known for its strength. Fortunately, I'm an oddball person who genuinely thinks rebuilding an automatic transmission is fun and I've done a 4T65 in the past.
That motor breathes well enough at both ends. Factory 2-1/4” exhaust is fine, but if you have the original muffler, it’s prolly a mess inside. The factory resonator was good, but someone may have replaced it. Factory sized resonator with a nice 2-1/2 muffler or 2-1/4 straight-thru is a good setup.
The headlights are often hideous on these cars due to us damage. There are some cool ones available at totally reasonable prices. Tails, too.
[/QUOTE]
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From: NJ, USA
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From: Fredericksburg,VA
Maybe they have some failures but they are among the most used in the world. Around here the only failures are the solenoids at high mileage and the transfer pipe. Mostly known as "bullet proof". Many "mechanics" think that "hard shifting" is a problem in the transmission, it is not.
Your teacher was either biased or misinformed.
Your teacher was either biased or misinformed.
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Joined: 12-05-2014
Posts: 3,330
From: Northern Ohio
The 4T45E is serious overkill for the car. It’s used in some GM V6s. A variant is used in HHR SS, and there, with 100 more HP, its limits emerge. But I’ve been on an eyeballs-in ride in a 400hp SS automatic that survived at least for awhile.
The only issues ur likely to hear about are solenoids and leaky transfer pipes.
BTW, I think if you really have a 2LT, you have a lower final ratio than LS. IDK if that’s always the case with 2.4.
Dump the fluid. Might as well change the filter, but there may be nuthin in it. Enjoy.
The only issues ur likely to hear about are solenoids and leaky transfer pipes.
BTW, I think if you really have a 2LT, you have a lower final ratio than LS. IDK if that’s always the case with 2.4.
Dump the fluid. Might as well change the filter, but there may be nuthin in it. Enjoy.
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Joined: 09-01-2024
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From: NJ, USA
The car has a transmission code, which is why I got it so cheap. P0842, which is supposed to mean the pressure switch in the valve body is shorted to ground. The car sometimes starts shuddering when under 10 mph, sometimes stalling. From what I've read on here and on Cobalt forums, the cause is typically a bad connection within the internal transmission harness
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