Interesting this thread came up again.... I had posted way back that I didn't have any issues, but since then I have had major problems with "spirited" shifting! Many times with the 1 - 2 shift, there is no second!?!?! I have to put it back into 1st then it will go into 2nd. Also have had it happen going into reverse a few times.
I took it to the dealer and of coarse "problem not found" as it was working fine at that time.
I can't figure out what circumstances brings this on. But if it does it once, it will usually do it several times... then it goes away.

Any body else seeing this? Anyone get a fix?

 

I don't do much "spirited" shifting.....partly because I want to avoid unecessary wear and tear on this car. But partlt bercause the shifter feels like crap! It's vague, rubbery, and balky, all at the same time.
My wife's supercharged Cobalt SS is light years ahead of the shifter in my HHR SS.
Any advice as to how to improve the situation would be appreciated.

 

^^^ exactly why i bought the auto - to me the shifter is sloppy in this vehicle

 

Just FYI, I had a 2LT with a manual and the SS shifter is light years ahead of those...

 

I am very pleased with the gear box now that I have the TTR upper motor mount and transmission stop mounts. It is like night and day very crisp and tight shifting now.

 

Not to pirate the thread, but since it came up, how hard is it to do mount replacement? I've never done anything like that before, but if as many people are doing it as it seems, it can't be as bad as I was afraid...

I went from an 08 Lancer to my 08 SS and beyond just needing more ooph to get the SS in gear, it feels like it's easy to push too and end up going past the gear. The SS shifted very easy and you just pushed the shifter to the end of a gear's slot and it was in gear. The SS seems to need more finesse. Pushing all the way and letting off the clutch, I can feel the shifter need to come back out a bit to hit the gear right. I know I'm not using the correct terms here, but hopefully it's descriptive enough.

 

I had the dealer install mine, but I think several here have done the mounts with no problem. IIRC it did not take long with minimal tools and a floor jack.

 

@ esmarkey - betting that the locking clip that's suppose to be there broke/came off or was never there. After a little wear, the white nylon cable blocks are popping up out of the cradle/slot and you get the "no second gear" condition. When you move the stick back to 1st, the white nylon block drops back into the cradle. Same applies the the reverse side white block/cable. Look at XXL's picture of the two cables side by side and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I could make mine do exactly what you describe with the cover off. My zip tie trick worked well and I haven't had a problem since.

 

RRHHRSS, funny that this old thread came back to life as I still haven't found a fix and mine still acts up once in a while. If you get a chance to take some pics of what you did, I would appriciate it!

 

esmarkey - for some reason, admin won't let me post pictures... I have no "manage attachments" button to upload with.

So, have a look at XXL's picture. I drilled a hole in each of the black uprights holding the white nylon blocks in place and used a ziptie or two to go over the top of the white blocks, through the holes, and locked them down. Works great.