Pavit

I have been reading these forums for speaker problems but can't seem to nail it down. My 2008 HHR has a CD MP3 AM/FM unit. No subwoofer so I guess it is the factory standard. Only right front speaker works. Both post tweeters work. I pulled the driver door panel and replaced speaker with brand new one and it worked for about a week and now only the right side again. From the forum I learned I probably have rear speakers in the doors there but no sound. I also have never heard any car chimes and I have had the car for about a month. I am trying to understand what the interface is that routes the sounds of the car thru the speaker system and if that is bad that could produce my problems. I have another head unit I could adapt and rewire everything myself if need be because I don't care about the chimes (unless someone thinks I should for a good reason). But would just rather fix this with existing system. Thanks

donbrew

If you have never heard any chimes then your driver door speaker has never worked, assuming a factory head unit.

Maybe you already have an after market head unit? I don't remember if MP3 was an option in 2008.

Give the SEARCH tool a try there have been 100's of post about the radio.

Pavit

First I had an intermittent problem where the drivers door speaker worked at times. When it finally stopped for a while I pulled the speaker out and it didn't work when I tested on another home unit. I used an old speaker and it worked. So I replaced that with a new set I bought thinking to replace the passenger door soon also. But now that new one is out and I know it isn't the speakers (possibly it is in the back) but what about no chimes since I've had it (used car for about a month). Could that unit affect the speakers that chimes the doors and whatever else it signals?

Pavit

it is a factory unit by comparing it to one being replaced in a youtube video.

Grizzly old man

When I was having problems with my factory stereo at first everything was fine. Then the rear speakers stopped working all the time. This didn't bother me all that much but eventually the drivers side front stopped working most of the time too.

I took it to the dealer who told me that as far as they could tell one side of the amp was getting hot had shutting down. I bought a different radio off eBay and installed it and brought the car over to the dealer to have them flash the brain so it would work.

They tried for two days to get it to work but told me the head unit was evidently toast. Since I got it used off eBay I wrote the seller who said “**** happens” and he sent me another radio. In the mean time I installed an old Clarion stereo with a wiring adapter in the car.

All the speakers worked fine but I had no chimes.

When the second stereo got here I installed it and took it to the dealer. Again they could not get it to work. I then emailed directly to GM asking if I had to have a radio specifically from another HHR to make it work and they said no any stereo from the right family of radios should work. So one from a Cobalt should have been fine in my HHR.

This made me think the local dealer just didn't know what going on enough to make it accept the programing.

My wife complained that the door chimes were no longer working so I looked into getting one of the chime replacement units. Then the speakers started being intermittent again. I went to the garage and got out the big box of speakers and put a pair of Bose coaxial speakers in the front and some Sony speakers in the back doors.

Since the HHR has funny shaped holes for the speakers I made some adapters out of some half inch thick plastic left over from when I built my router table. You can buy speaker mounting rings from a lot of places like Amazon and eBay.

Now with all 4 doors having sound coming out again I put the original stereo back in and all was fine. A short time later I got a deal on a set of 4 new speakers at Wally's and put those in. Everything has been fine since.

I whipped up some speaker enclosures out of pallet boards and put the original HHR speakers in them and have it lashed up to a power supply running the old Clarion stereo and they play just fine out there. I have no clue why they won't work in the HHR but since I have good speakers in the car now I don't care all that much.

What all this boils down to is Replace your original speakers. The radio itself is probably fine. If not or if you really want a new stereo go ahead and get one and install it but I urge you to get the wiring harness for an HHR instead of butchering the original wires. They ain't that expensive.

If you miss the chimes get the thing that generates them, those are a little expensive though.

donbrew

Correct impedance? IIRC the doors are 4 Ohm?

The chimes are commanded by the "computer" generated by the radio heard through the driver door speaker.

Once again, the SEARCH comes through.

Pavit

Search is great... I stated in my first post that I had read and searched for hours about this problem but none seemed to go further than replace speakers. I then stated I did that and they worked for a week and now nothing again. Most people say it probably isn't the head unit but it could be. Impedence is correct for the front speakers. One original on pass. side and one replacement that I bought new recently. Original has always worked but the replacement new one stopped. So I'm thinking it is not the speakers. Again no sound out of the rear doors and I haven't looked at them yet. Am I understanding right that if it is not the speakers it is the head unit? or is there something in the system that could go bad (besides wires/connectors) that could cause this? From reading I thought that because I had no car chimes at all some other part may be in the line of travel of the sound but donbrew says the computer controls that so I guess there is no other part in the sound line. Just head unit and wires and speakers. Is this right? If so I think the head unit is bad.

donbrew

I think you should check the wires for continuit.

May we assUme that you know how to get to the balance and fade controls.

Pavit

I know how to use the controls. Check for continuity on the wires...ok. I assume you mean from the head unit to the speakers. Again...is there anything on the sound path that would need checked?

firemangeorge

Not 100% sure on this, but even without a subwoofer, the repair manual shows the speakers going through an amp at the right rear of the car.