after I got home from getting it scanned I pulled into my driveway and shut car off. I left for work 3 hours later and no CEL or traction light. Didn't come on at all on way to work. My speed doesn't get much over 45-50 on my commute to work. I'll bet it doesn't come one at all this week while driving to and from work. But i'll guarantee if i get on the highway and do 65 plus it will set off. Why do the higher speeds seem to be the key factor in setting it off? It's always when stepping on the gas like when passing or going up inclines. It's making me feel like this overhauled trans is doing something it shouldn't. I mean it shifts great but I have noticed that when I let off gas at lower speeds the car will surge and decelerate. Kind of points to what a lot of people say is the torque converter. The torque converter is the one I got with the now overhauled trans. I ordered a MAF sensor and can only see what happens after I install it.

 

Please let us know.

 

new MAF sensor yesterday. today traction light came back on but not the CEL. remained on until reaching destination. did not come back on after restarting car. I did not clear any codes from yesterday. Thought I would let the car sort it out. Stopped by transmission place today to get it scanned and asked them if it was just a coincidence that the traction light is coming on now after replacing the transmission. They didn't seem too concerned and just it didn't seem transmission related based off my explanation. They hooked up the scanner anyways and got the same thing auto zone did. He recommended disconnect the battery tonight which i normally do but I saw a thread on here saying it's better to let the car turn it off. So anyways, hoping it's just the stored code throwing the light back on again. there were no codes for anything trans related.

Just one more quick question. I've never taken notice before but is it normal for the HHR to be making a slight hissing sound from the intake manifold area? Almost sounds like you can hear the air sucking through the intake. I had the intake off this past summer to clean it out but i put new gaskets on when i put it back together. Also had fuel rail off to manually clean injectors but again, replace the o-rings on those as well as all new cups with o-rings down in the port. I can't seem to pinpoint this hissing sound. But the car is running good aside from the slight deceleration and surging when i leave off gas. Gas mileage has been awful though!

 

on way home from work traction light back on again. stopped at autozone again to see if same codes were coming up. Now along with the P0113 and C0561 there is a P0223. Something about TPS sensor. I did clean it over the weekend and worried some cleaner went down the butterfly shaft into the sensors. That being said, anyone had any good luck with after market TB's? Might be looking into buying one if I can't clear these codes up. OEM is running about $180 on Rock.

 

You need to buy your own code reader. Or an app for your phone.

 

yup! Just did that. Will no longer be leaving my driveway to get a code, lol!

 

got the code reader today and just in time. traction light back on again on way home from work. I did disconnect the battery this morning too so there shouldn't have been any codes pending or stored. It seems what sets it off is hard and quick acceleration such as passing. These cars take a bit more to downshift when you're in overdrive. It downshifted great no problems there but at the top of my rpm's is when the light came back on.

got home and got the code reader. was in as a pending code. same code P0113 IAT temp. I replaced the MAF sensor but it keeps coming back to that. There are no other codes with it just that one now. I ordered the MAF wire harness and will replace. Inspected current one and didn't see any issues. Even jostled it around with the car running thinking it would set off the light if that was it. but it did not. The IAT temp sensor is built into the MAF sensor correct? Why is it still pointing to that sensor when it's brand new? It's auto zone brand so maybe that's the problem but i'd expect it to at least work out of the box.

I can see if auto zone will swap it out

 

Ok guys, I got issues. I've replaced the wire harness and as stated earlier the MAF sensor too. Traction light coming on every drive cycle now but only shows up as a pending code P0113. It clears every time you shut car off but within 10-15 mins of driving car it's back on. Does not come on if just idling.

Decided to hook up the scanner I just got a look at live data. I was on highway doing 65mph and traction light on. IAT temp reading said -40c and I know right off the bat that's a problem. Get home and pull in driveway and put the car in park and now IAT temp is saying 96. Ok, that's a logical number. Put the car into ANY gear and it went straight to -36c. What in the bejesus is going on here? Why does putting the car into gear make the sensor read like this? Obviously, if I'm getting numbers like these with the car in drive that's why its setting off when driving and going off after parking car and shutting off.

Brand new MAF, brand new harness! These wires weren't even close to being in the way when i swapped the transmission. I unplugged TCM and ECM and the other plug (not sure which one) near fusebox because I had lifted that whole fuse box unit up and out of the way. No problems plugging them back in. checked pins, cleaned, etc. I don't know what else to check. Starting to ponder the idea of taking to dealer and spend hundreds. Not my ideal choice!

 

The fuse box, tighten the 4 bolts , real tight!

 

I really don't want to say this because I'll probably jinx myself, but it appears I have fixed the problem. The problem is I'm not really sure what I did to fix it! I was very perplexed that shifting into gear was making the IAT temp reading basically shut off but in park it registered normal. I unplugged main harness at transmission and also at the neutral safety switch and cleaned the terminals. The neutral safety switch was the one that came with transmission that I overhauled so i kept it with that transmission. The pins had almost a green look to them (corrosion). I swapped it out with the safety switch on the trans i took out. It was in much better condition.

After that, I checked the wires in the MAP harness. traced them (what i could get to anyways) to another connector and also into a harness that plugs into a module. Checked continuity and all good. Then i plugged the new MAP sensor in and out repeatedly until it plugged in with no resistance. I found that the new harness I soldered in was very tight and hard to get latched onto the tooth that prevents it from coming back off. Played with the harness for a little after connecting it while watching temp reading to IAT on my scanner and no fluctuation.

Lastly, I tightened down all 4 bolts on the fuse box per Oldblue's advice. Gave each one a good 6-7 turns past where they already were and now they are good and tight! Also pushed down on all relays and fuses to make sure they were all seated.

While I was under the hood decided to take the intake manifold off and clean out the pvc hole. When i took fuel injector rail off it came off with two out of the 4 cups that are down in the port. Started thinking maybe lubed them up too much when i put the new ones in and maybe there was a vacuum leak or something so i cleaned them all up and used a tiny bit of engine oil around the o-rings and they went in much tighter.

Put everything back together and started car. I can tell right away with my HHR just by the way it starts and idles if there's an improvement. I'm sure you guys are the same. Purrs like a kitten! Put scanner on and went through gears and the IAT now reads steady even when in gear. It does drop a few degrees when you put it in gear but no more -40 reading.