Another Boost Problem......
 

I have 2,600 miles on my car and on the way home from work tonight I noticed my car does not make any boost in 1st gear. It seems to make boost just fine in 2nd - 5th. So I am off to the dealer tomorrow as my list of issues is more than I can bear. I was hoping I could contact the GM transmission engineer about my clutch clunk before I took my car to the dealer, but I cant stand to wait anymore. Here is my list of concerns with my SS that I am going to have the dealer look at:

1) No boost in 1st gear
2) Clunk when the clutch is let out when shifting into all gears
3) Car now seems to pull to the left
4) Upshift into 3rd is kind of tuff at times
5) The shifter all of a sudden seems really floppy

I am bummed to say the least. :( G.B.

G.B... I also have noticed that I have no boost in 1st, but have been taking it easy for the initial 500 miles. I hit 500 today, and got on the gas a bit--that's when I noticed the lack of any significant boost in 1st (I did muster about 2-3 psi). I am also getting the clunk... it seems almost to be coming from the gear box, but only happens when engaging or disengaging the clutch. And, like you, 3rd gear seems especially funky. I can actually feel the shifter notch into 3rd and then go a tiny bit further, and then pop back (same thing happens in reverse). Additionally, with only 500 miles on my SS, I too feel the shifter has loosened-up a bit since I drove it home last week.

I am wondering if the ETC has something to do with limiting boost in 1st gear. I'll see if I get the same result if I switch it off.

To add to these issues... my sunroof grinds, squeaks, and pops when sliding past 2/3 open. When it is open, it sounds like a box of spare parts in my headliner. I also noticed oil and scratches on the underside of the glass. The driver's door seal leaks too...

Not exactly how I planned to enjoy my first days with this otherwise impressive car. :(

Make sure you try in competition mode before you do anything else, as traction control could be reducing the engine output.

Maybe my problem is I have taken it too easy on this car. LOL, I tried to break it in by the book and still have yet to try launch mode and comp mode with 2,600 miles on the car. I have dipped into the turbo a number of times over the past 1,000 miles in 2nd and 3rd gear. Today is the first time I have not had any boost. In 1st gear the boost gage doesnt even make it to zero. It is still reading a vacum. I read a number of posts about the shifter loosening up, but mine didnt seem to change for 2,600 miles until last Friday. Then all of a sudden it feels kind of sloppy. Now that I think back about today, I was showing my car to a friend who pushed the traction control button and cycled it through launch mode and comp mode while the car idled. I guess Nebulous1's suggestion to run through the modes one more time on my way to the dealer tomorrow might be worth while. I still have plenty for them to look at. Otherwise, I dont know. G.B.

Keeping our fingers crossed for ya.

No boost in 1st is done on purpose to keep the car pulling. If it was to boost you would lose traction in a heartbeat. Mine is the same way and as soon as it goes into 2nd and so on it boosts fine

Strange... today, I switched the on competitive mode for my entire 40-mile drive into work. I drove slow and easy, despite the mode setting--traffic wouldn't allow any fun. The car sat for 10 hours while I worked... here is where it gets strange...

For the first half (20 miles) of my commute home, ALL of the noises were gone, and the shifter was very smooth and easy. Then suddenly, without turning the car off, all the clunks returned and the shifter stiffened up--becoming rather "notchy" again. I did not have the competitive mode on for the trip home.

I did stop at my local dealer yesterday. Their 10-minute diagnosis was that the noisy trans is the nature of the beast. Hmmm... maybe I'll nickname mine The Beast?

Are there any qualified service personnel members/visitors of the Chevy HHR Network who can give us a definitive answer and/or explanation for our noisy tranny???

Thanks!

ORGELBAU, What you described is kind what my car is doing. It was at the dealer today and they told me that the clunk with the clutch is normal, and that there is no adjustment for the shifter. This is after the tech guy drove me car and could not shift it into 3rd and 5th. He later tells me that after driving is some more he was getting the hang of it. As far as the boost, they could not pull any error codes and told me that it was all controlled by the ECU. They drove the car and got between 8 - 15 PSI in 1st gear. I know that I wrung the thing out to at least 5,500 rpms with no boost what so ever yesterday. And after reading on this site about how the shifter losens up with miles, mine felt like the day I picked the car up until last Friday. All of a sudden Friday the shifter has really losened up and is kind of floppy. I don't get it.......... G.B.

are you getting zero boost in 1st??? if you are,somethings wrong. my car (when i had it) would show between 5-8psi in first.