Wanted to share a road trip down and back for a golf outing yesterday with my HHR ('08 2.2L 5 spd manual LS) and get some feed back on my experience.

210 miles one way so the trip total was 420 and the info computer calculated 29.6 mpg with average speed 67 mph. I travel just a bit faster than the pace of the traffic in normal conditions (80mph max). Was on a fuel mileage run the last 35 miles as I was watching the fuel range closely and it went to low fuel warning after I last noticed 43 miles to empty.

As I exited interstate I pushed in my clutch and had little or no release of the clutch plate and the shifter was stiff hard to get out of gear or back into any gear at the stop light. I was able to get it in second and had just enough clutch to stop without stalling and starting slipping it to get going in second at a few other lights. I was fatigued from the drive and was panicking as I thought of how to get it home rather than stop for fuel. Then I notice how loose the clutch pedal is lots of free play. I put my foot under the pedal and pull back and the clutch hydraulics improve dramatically and drives near normal or better now.

Seems like the long 5 gear run (190 miles) of no clutch caused the system to relax and bleed down? for lack of a better description. Fluid is a bit dark and it's time for a brake check and a good bleeding to change the fluid may help.

Any thoughts? Thanks

 

Maybe the bulkhead has fatigued where the bolts go through or the bolts loosened.

There are a few codes that do not cause a CEL, you might pull them.

 

Didn't RJ have a problem and a fix for a spring on the clutch pedal ?

 

When I replaced the clutch set master and slave cylinders at 113k. I looked under the dash. The bracket has been worked over and rewelded (poor quality bead) but it appeared intact with hardware functioning properly. I have read some other topics here about the bracket and spring and other loss of pedal.

Strange about the process of pulling up on the pedal helps alleviate symptoms.

The codes are another topic. No cel. Had it in for diagnosis at the #1 Chevy dealership last week to reprogram the key fob that they provided when I had the ignition recall performed last year. . Battery went dead after recharge the remote entry didn't function. Brought it in to reprogram that ecm. Three and a half hours later they couldn't do that. Which is the same ecm as the TPMS system I think. I've searched and read the topics and TSB's about this repair here too. The service advisor said they had the latest up to date TECH II tool and were aware of the TSB update still to no avail.

 

Might need a new master cylinder. When they wear, fluid can bleed around the piston.

 

I guess dealers that sell lots of cars don't necessarily have good service departments. You are completely wrong about the ECM being involved with the fob, it is the RCDLR. The fob had nothing to do with the recall.
If the bulkhead has been repaired shoddily that would be my focus.

 

I had a (1989?) Nissan pickup V6 with a hydraulic clutch. The fluid would disappear. Seriously. Disappear. Never a drop on the ground, but I had to refill every week or so. Unless it had some kind of vacuum assist that I didn't know about, I have no idea where it could have gone. Never did figure it out. It got pretty rusty and I gave it to a farmer friend who swapped the motor into a better body. Probably still running.