So I took the car out today to go shopping and had some odd things happen...

Here is a little background. Its a 2007 Chevy HHR 2.4L LT2 automatic 140000 miles.
I have four brand new hubs.

I decided to use my remote start to get the car running with the air conditioner, while i was getting ready to leave the house but the first odd thing happened. t started fine ran for a few seconds and then shut off. I then unlocked the car and started it with the key and everything was fine...Weird.

So, while driving the traction control light came on and service traction was blinking on the dash. I thought to myself WHAT! i just changed all my hubs I shouldn't be having this problem. But then a second later the car starting shifting very weird and rough. Now I'm thinking OMG what is happening???

luckily I have a code scanner in the back of my car and decided to see if i had any codes, even though there was no check engine light. And P0011 was pending. After doing some research I found out it may be the Camshaft Position Actuator Solenoid Valve and would cause all of the above symptoms. More info found here!

I will be buying a new Camshaft Position Actuator Solenoid Valve for both the intake and exhaust, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THAT IS THE CORRECT THING TO DO.

So I stopped the car and did my shopping and started it back up for the drive home...

It started up fine no traction control light or shifting problem and it drove fine all the way home except...

I usually watch the temp on the digital readout on the dash. It just so happened to be 110 degrees out which is the hottest i have ever drove the car in, but luckily i just did a coolant and thermostat change, and everything has been running good. EXCEPT FOR TODAY!!! The coolant used to stay around 185 when driving and topped out at 195, but would sometimes reach 210 on long steep hills giving it a little gas, which is the freeway i drive home everyday. But today, I don't know if it was because of the heat outside or what, it reached 225 at the top of that hill, and i did not wail on the gas.

SO PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK...

My idea is that new Camshaft Position Actuator Solenoid Valves will fix the rough shifting, traction control light, and P0011 code.
...And maybe because of the faulty camshaft problem it could be causing the fuel to ignite at the wrong time causing it to heat up a little in combination with the 110 degree heat outside???

 

Faulty valve timing can cause temp problems. I think the VVT valves will probably fix everything.

 

Yes, I'm hoping so. :)

 

x2 - yeah throw in a new solenoid on the intake and that should resolve it. I'd suggest using a genuine GM replacement as the aftermarket ones may not be up to the latest part revision issued by GM. Replacing the Exhaust solenoid is optional at this point, as there is no indication that it is at fault.

If you have neglected oil changes, it would also be a good idea to do a oil/filter change at the same time, as dirty oil can contaminate the solenoid.

Did you do a search for the code here? If not, do so, and you will find a description of the process to replace the solenoid in the "How-To" section.

 

No, I have not neglected oil changes. The car is almost perfectly maintained with semi synthetic oil. And at the proper mileage intervals not using the dash percentage.

I provided the diy link you were talking about in my first post.

I was going to get the parts at napa about $40 each, but I will check what the dealer is asking for them. Hopefully they are the same price.

And I wanted to change both just because if I'm going to do one I might as well do the other especially with the amount of miles I have on the car, I don't want the other one to fail anytime soon.

 

Your coolant and thermostat change, was Dexcool and an AC Delco thermostat used?

 

Good on the oil changes.

Yeah, if it was me, I'd change them both while I had it apart, and keep the Exhaust one as a spare. Keep us posted on it if you can.

The p0011 might have been a one-hit-wonder, and shouldn't be a problem if you wait a bit and see if it returns, then swap the solenoids out if it comes back.

 

Yes I used dexcool orange and an ac delco thermostat.

Also, I have been noticing poor gas mileage before this happened and the shifting has been acting up every once in a while, so even though the code is not a check engine light yet I think it is definitely my problem.

 

Yeah I think so !

 

Well here's an update.

I just put them both in, the old ones had plastic and these new ones are all aluminum.

They only had a little debris on them especially the exhaust side (which wasn't the problem side) when I took them out.

I didn't have a chance to take it up the big hill freeway I take home each day, but I took it on a test drive on a familiar road where I know how it was going to perform.

The results so far...

The shifting problem seems to be completely gone, there is even some additional power it didn't have before.

There is no check engine code or traction lights, but they went away on there own the first day.

The coolant was perfect, and now even cooler because, it usually heated up a bit when I was wailing on the gas, but that didn't happen, it stayed perfect the whole time.

So for day one of testing it's turned out great, I will have to drive it all day as normal to give a final review, but so far so good.

And I bet I'll be getting better gas mileage now too.

And as a side note, I decided to get a K&N intake, which should be here in two days, and I'll tell you guys about that too. :)