Hey Guys, Hope all had a great Christmas and a New year so far !
We got a light coating of snow ( about 2 inches ) and the weather has dropped to -5 so far. The other night I made a late night dash to the store, when I went out to start the car it was a slow turn over but started. What was unsual is the headlights were dim and as I gassed it they would brighten but dim back down yet they were bright while driving.... not sure if the battery is getting weak or if its just so cold?

Now what really bugs me is going up my bumpy gravel drive, as the tires lose traction the TCS light pops up and the car completely loses power ( It wont pull it weight for the life of me ) once I let off the gas the light goes out and it pulls until the tire spins again ??? what is the deal with that as it is annoying as hell ??? Next month I should be able to get the driveway graded and new gravel to smooth it out but wow I never had this issue before especially losing power to get up a slight incline.

 

The TC is working as designed, nothing to do with the battery/alternator problems.
When a wheel loses traction the TC tries to get the traction back, when you back off the wheels all regain traction.
My driveway is about a 15 degree slant when there is ice on it I have to turn the TC off to get up it.

 

Why don’t you just turn the TC off when going off road ?

 

both...
A frozen battery - is a cold solution (electrolyte? acid?) inside the battery.
From the physics course we know that the colder the medium, the slower the molecules move in it. The electric charge inside the battery is nothing more than differently charged ions (molecules) on the cathode and anode. Those. the flow of electricity is the flow of negatively charged molecules towards positively charged molecules, they want to stick to each other like a magnet.
The frozen liquid inside the battery does not allow its molecules to run quickly enough in the right direction and you get a weak current. Warm up your battery, just bring it home, and it will be cheerful and cheerful again.
In cold weather, I recommend using the autostart function, when the car turns on on its own, for example, after 4 - 5 hours and the engine threshes for about 15 - 20 minutes. This uses up gas, but you are guaranteed to start at any time.

 

Oh Im not letting up, its pedal to the metal and the car basically just stops pulling, no tire spinning, nothing until I let off the gas then she will start pulling again... Just a stupid design in my opinion with TC to do this specific thing, seems to be a hazard more than anything ( like what if you were at an edge of a cliff and cant roll back ( I do have a drop off into a pond there on the curve ) I wasnt thinking of the TC being turned off since I rarely ever need/use it so Ill try it next time if I dont forget about it.
I know my buddy had a Pontiac GTP with TC and it kicked in while driving in bad weather in snow and Ice but he never lost power to the wheels going up hills and such when the tires spun, they just transfered from one wheel to the other or both, unlike the HHR seems to just give up and quit when one wheel spins ? Love the HHR for its MPG and reliability but some features are rediculous like the useless TC . Id does well in the snow and ice as its never kicked in during normal driving even with my other HHR I had, its just on my gravel drive when it happens, confusion and annoying to me.

 

I get it, but never had an issue with a battery freezing in any vehicle Ive owned ( just batteries going bad ( swelling, shorted cells ) it was just odd how it acted the other night with lights dimming... who knows, hasnt done it since although its still been -3 lately. Im almost debating a battery blanket or foam surround to add a little protection to it ? In a few months I should have a settlement and plan to finish some work on the HHR ( new wheel bearings, Struts/shocks, serpentine belt , ) and whatever else pops up that needs done.

 

A dead battery can freeze(and even burst!), but a charged battery shouldn't freeze.

 

So, Let to the store the other night, turned off the TC and she pulled right up and out with no issues... crazy the stuff they put on cars.