How to save $350.00 + (Thermostat Replacement 2.4L - P0128)
 

...well, minus your actual cost on parts.

THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENT 2.4*
*2.2 may be the same

I have read quotes from people who called the dealer that they charge upwards of around $350 to replace a thermostat in a HHR.

I had the typical flat-lined temp gauge, and a code 128 with a CEL.

I decided to approach the situation, and repair the vehicle myself.
I ordered a Thermostat from NAPA-cost $33.80 in stock

Here's how I replaced mine:
(thanks to rezonatefreak for pictures)



-let engine cool

-use a code scanner to CLEAR the code 128 from the PCM. If you do not have a code scanner, go to Autozone AFTER you have done the following repairs. They pull/clear codes for free.

-open hood, and remove the cooling system fill cap that is located on the passenger side of the radiator's upper hose(near the air filter cover)

-open petc0ck at bottom of radiator on passenger side, and drain coolant in to drain pan.

-locate THERMOSTAT housing on driver's side of engine, just above transmission case. It is almost directly below the oil fill cap

https://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/fil...ousing.2.4.jpg

-remove the two 10mm bolts that hold the housing on. You can use a 1/4" drive ratchet, short socket or wobbly 10mm socket, and a 12" extension if available(makes the job easier)

-lift up, and pull the housing towards the radiator, while leaving the hose attached. if you wish to replace the hose clamp, do this now. Inspect underside of housing to be sure there are no remnants of the old o-ring/seal.

-remove the old thermostat. Make note of how it sits in the hole.

-inspect underside of thermostat opening to make sure there are no remaining o-ring particles.

-install new thermostat exactly like the old one was sitting.

-align thermostat housing in to position, and re-install the two 10mm bolts.

-close petc0ck at bottom of radiator.

-fill cooling system through upper hose fill cap opening with coolant of your choice. Most elect to flush out all traces of Dex Cool.

-turn on climate control to FULL HOT, select VENT, and open the vents, and turn the fan on high.

-start the engine. let the engine run until you feel heat coming from the vents. Use your DIC to select COOLANT temperature, and watch it until it reaches 190 degrees. Keep an eye on the coolant level at the fill hole. Once you have HEAT and temperature has reached 190 degrees, top off and close cap. Fill overflow to capacity.

DONE.

This entire job takes less than 30 minutes if you have the proper tools.

I drove my car on to the rack at 4:45pm yesterday, cleared the code, did the repair, and drove off the rack at 5:05pm.

total cost was $12.00 in anti-freeze, and $34 for the Thermostat. How the dealers can get away with charging over $350 for this job is beyond me. They sell the T-stat for over $50, and I am sure they charge to clear the code as well. But still...if you stood outside and watched them do this repair, they would be finished in 15 minutes total, unless they milk it knowing you're watching. But $350 is just robbing the customers blind.

I've done some major work on many cars before, as well as some easy work. This is as easy as doing a T-stat in a small block Chevy.

Thanks for the (easy read) write up Smoke!
I'm sure I'll be doing this at some point.

Just curious, how many miles are on your odometer?

81k and change.
Mild climate(a few nights below freezing by a couple degrees in winter), and rarely over 95 degrees in summer.

always warmed up, never had a cooling issue, and I rarely use the A/C.
I just commute in it...60 miles each way-no traffic at all in one direction, maybe 30% traffic in the other, so it actually has a pretty easy "freeway" lifestyle.

The part just failed.

Glad to see it's an easy repair. The 2.2 and the 2.0 "should" be the same.

There is no lifetime on a stat, it works until it don't work no more.....:lol:

Thank you!!!
 

Hello Smoke Wagon :smile:

Thank you very much for posting this information. I bought a 2006 Chev HHR 2LT about two weeks ago, and I was a little disappointed to run into the "CEL and --- Coolent" issue within 48 hours of owning the car. Needless to say, I got a $377 (CA) repair estimate from our local GM dealership as I bought the car as-is from them.

Living in Canada, I didn't couldn't find a parts store that sold AC Delco parts, but I found the MotoRAD thermostat sold at Canadian Tire seems to do the trick. Instructions mentioned that it take about 30 minutes to repair, and for a person that has no mechanical inclianation, I had changed my thermostat myself in 1 hour. Lots of wires in the way, and tight working area, but once I got the house off, I was done in 10 minutes..

Parts Used:
1 Gallon - Prestone PreMix Dex Cool (I know, I know) - $16.99 (Canadian Tire)
1 MotoRAD 180 degree Thermostat. = $30.99 (Canadian Tire)

The repair cost me just about $60 with tax's, and an hour of time to install. It's been two days now, and no CEL, and coolant steadies at 95 degrees celius while highway driving.. I now get to enjoy my car..

Thank you again for everyone help..
I love chevyhhr.net forums!

Frenchy - '06 HHR 2LT - 2.4 Auto - Chrome and leather, mmmmm...

Just one quick note....
Before you start, open the rear, pull the floor and the inner floor.
Pull the fuse near the battery.
Now change the stat as described....
Put the fuse back in, then start the car.
Pulling the fuse for the couple of minutes it takes to change the stat will clear out your codes, and your good to go.

No need for a trip to the auto parts store......

Good detailed info & pic. Thanks all...:thumb:

HHorange...the CEL goes out on its own. I am sure the code is stored in memory for retrieval...but once the PCM detects normal heat cycle, the light does not come back on.

my didnt. I did the change and as soon as i was done, I turned the key on, started the engine to check for leaks, and no CEL.

On other threads some said the thermostat they installed did not work. When I replaced mine this week it was not opening at first. I thought that I might have an air bubble in the thermostat. So with the fill cap off I squeezed the hose going to the thermostat and worked the air out of the line. Every time the coolant level dropped I topped it off until I worked all of the air out . I started up the car let it warm up and the thermostat opened.

OK, I just had the same issue with mine. It's an 07 with 50500 miles. This is where I found out what was wrong with it, and I used these instruction on how to fix it. Here's my question. When I refilled the coolant and let it sit idling with my girlfriend watching the temp, it wouldn't get above 173. Anyway, I filled it several times and squeezed the lower radiator hose, and refilled. It didn't take the whole gallon, I would say there is about 1/4 of a quart left in it. I replaced the cap, and drove it for about 5 miles. The temp responded as it always had, somewhere around 190's, with a top of 203 after hard acceleration. I'm letting it cool down now to recheck, but does all that sound right, how much went back in. I want to make sure I don't have any air pockets. and by the way, when I drained the coolant, all I did was roll it up on some ramps, and unscrew the plug in the radiator. so what ever amount that will come out from the, and the little spillage from undoing the thermostat house is all that was removed.

OK, just checked it, open the cap, and can't see any coolant, so I add what's left in the bottle, and it's just a hair low of full now. I'll check it again later, hopefully it right on now.

Keep the nose of the car high. Just put a jack under the front and lift it up a little.

If the fill is the highest point on the car the air usally goes to it.

It is an old trick to dill Mid engine cars and bleed the air out.

flushing my coolant
 

About to flush my coolant and replace it with some AMSOil 7 year/250,000 antifreeze. The directions in the original post are very useful and easy to read...

Just did this in my Aveo, it was pretty easy since there was only one spot to fill (the overflow tank) and one spot to drain (peak0ck). Here I also have the overflow tank and filler port... They're sitting next to each other though, and the overflow tank says Dex-Cool on it... funny they specify that on the cap.

That is because GM requires Dex-Cool. If you change to another product you may A) really mess things up (it does not mix at all with the green stuff) or B)void warrantee. The Dex-Cool "bad rep" comes from people mixing types.

I need some help guys.

I'm trying to replace my thermostat, but the metal hose clamp is blocking access to the lower 10mm bolt. I can't get the hose loose because the clamp is positioned to where I can't reach the spots where you push on it.

I also can't find the petc0ck valve.

If anyone who reads this happens to be near Kissimmee Fl and could help me out, that'd be even cooler.

the petc0ck (drain valve) for the rad is at the rear of the rad, at the bottom - on the passengers side - you can feel for it, but you likely can't see it from the top (had me stumped as well). Be careful with it, as it can be rather fragile as it is made out of plastic (ie: don't use waterpump pliers on it).

Re: clamp - I'll check and see if there are some better pics of it

I can't find any pics of the clamp - but if I remember right, I had to remove the hose as well - and used a pair of slip-joint pliers to GENTLY rotate the bottom of the hose so that I could then loosen the clamp and slide it up the hose so that I could then remove the hose, and get at the bolt.

they are a pain to get at for sure

Let us know how it goes.

cheers

Thanks for the help guys. I ended up going to tires plus to have them change it. It was only $181 there instead of $350 at least.

CAUTION folks.

This is COMPLETELY false information.


http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...m_dexcool.html

Dexcool does not have a "bad rap". Dexcool contained a formulation error which caused numerous corrosive problems in GM engines.

The "green stuff" was not the cause of the problems at all.
Most over-the-counter anti-freeze/coolant products are compatible with the faulty Dexcool formulation, not the opposite.
Also, I have never run in to a thermostat error in any other vehicle I have owned, in such short time/mileage/years/use/climate, until I purchased a vehicle that rolled out of the factory with Dexcool. Take that in to consideration.


If you doubt my statement, do a little research rather than post inaccurate(false) information.

Also, search the 'Dexcool class-action lawsuit' if you don't want to believe me.
it's your car and your money.

Just too keep this old argument going:smile: ....GM DID use Dexcool in some engines that they should not have, that was a problem in those specific instances. And Prestone or one of those companies went out of business because of the "green stuff" (that was in the 70's I think), because they were indicating in their advertising that you should use it undiluted, thus you could not buy "green stuff" concentrate for many years, and now you HAVE to pay for the water in the jug. I think that you can now buy Dexcool concentrate at the same price per gallon as 50/50 pre-mixed. Thank God for the US Courts that we can now pay twice as much for a product! :patriot:(mainly because people cannot read directions, maybe public schools can share blame).

And please read the class action on Dexcool very carefully, it does not say what most people think it says. And be sure that you read the real one, since there a few bogus articles out there, since the internet IS anonymous.

I do not have any ox in this battle, I'm just old enough to remember what has happened, young enough that I don't forget everything.:p::mad::propeller::dancingcarrot::danc ingchili::pickle:
Get it red/orange/green love the dancing food!

Thanks for the write up. I did it in 30 minutes. Piece of cake.

Another thanks! I just got my 2006 2LT last week and 2 days ago, the temp gauge stopped working. "Sh**!", said I. Checked on the forum, and sure enough it's a common problem with a complete write up on how to fix it. I love car forums! I won't own a car now that doesn't have an active forum.

Mine went out last month @ 56,000 miles, It cost me $0.00 becuse of the 100,000 mile powertrain coverage that we all have. I sure hope everybody posting were out of warranty at the time of change. Love those warranties!!
VT

...I think my supercharger voided the powertrain warranty:nuts:

Nahhhh....... Ya think? :skull:

mebbe they wouldn't notice it....:roflol:

I guess one of the ‘good’ things about buying a previously owned vehicle is some of the ‘dumb stuff’ has already been taken care of.

I just went out and looked, the cooling system in my HHR already has the ‘green stuff’ in it.

I was planning on getting a jug of Dex Cool to top it off before winter but now I’ll just use the Prestone antifreeze I already have, if it needs it. Currently the coolant is right at the Cold level as it should be since the car has not been driven today,… yet.

Thermostat
 

:twothumbs: 2006 purchased new in sept 2006. 40,000 miles. It started when the outside temp dropped into the 40's.
I just did mine, took about an hour. 2.4 with oil cooler and auto. The stat was ok, the internal rubber / plastic seal was deformed. I got mine from Auto Zone for about $22. They read the code it was as everyone stated. They would not clear the code so I pulled the battery.
The car does run colder than stock - about 5 deg.
I will not go to Auto Zone due to their lack of help. I went to Pep Boysto get oil for my other vehicles. I was wondering if they had the stat. They had the stat. , it looked better made and and was only $4.00 more. I would suggest their stat.
:happyfacerainbow:

The check engine light went out but the remote start and a/c did not work. After I pulled the bat, all worked fine.

I wouldn't be to hard on AutoZone not clearing the code - I think someone posted something about them not clearing codes due to liability reasons. And I can kinda agree with that - too many people leave with an incorrect code in their mind and then do the wrong thing to fix the wrong problem as they get the codes mixed up. I don't how many times I have had friends/relatives say "I think the the code was ......"! Or, if the code refers to something safety-related and you had a problem, that would put them in a potentially liable situation. I have sometimes pulled codes for friends and neighbors - and cleared the non-safety related ones - if I encountered a safety-related one, I would not clear it either, and would advise them to book an appointment with a garage/dealer asap.

Clearing it by disconnecting the battery, or pulling a fuse that some have referred to, is not that big a deal.

But, glad you got it fixed and saved a pile of $'s at the same time. Good job man.

I used to fix radiators and other things like that for a living. I was always partial to Daniel brand thermostats and radiator things, but in the many years since I closed shop I’ve been buying other brands when I need one.

The last one I replaced was in the ’04 Neon. The replacement was made in Mexico and the dead one { which was stuck open so the engine did not get up to operating temp which caused the heater not to work} was made in China.

Neither had a brand name stamped in the metal so I don’t know which brand to avoid in the future. I did buy the replacement at the dodge dealer but only because I got it for $3.99 and was guaranteed that it would fit. The replacement came in a box that was just marked genuine Mopar parts. It came with a gasket tooboot.

The liability comes from you running next door to the emissions testing station after they clear the code with no repair receipt in hand!

What does this mean?

I think he is saying if you failed the emissions test already and go back for a retest, you need a receipt for the work (generally) - and that puts the business that cleared your code on the hook, and they may not accept your rerun thru the test without a receipt.

I wouldn't worry about it.

That's pretty much what I meant, including don't worry about it.

And going back to the original thread... Be incredibly careful while re-installing the t-stat housing bolts! I managed to strip the threads on one of them; I swear I was using only my hand on an extension, not even a ratchet handle! And that lead to a new (junkyard) engine since I was trying to fix the head gasket leak with the chemical that does not work anyway........$1000 for head gasket $2000 for entire engine (9K) 215,000 miles, then the dog needed surgery $3000 Merry Christmas! I feel like a country song is hitting me in the face.:corny::roflol:

I did the same repair. Cleared the codes and then tried to have it inspected for emissions. Nothing showed up and it failed.

This was fixed easy for those of you in the same boat.

Simply turn it on, then turn it off 3 times. Then Start it and run it. Go get some smokes or take a trip to wal-mart. Once you turn it off. The next time you start it. You should have the information the Emissions people need. This worked for my 2006 HHR 2.4L.

Passed with flying colors and I saved $320 over the gm thermostat install. :D

Would this cause both the gauge and DIC temp to not work? Or just the gauge?

And would this be covered by the power-train warranty?

Changing my Thermostat(Tstat) on a 2006 LS.
Going to edit the thread as I work on it....

So far, jacked up and found the pet****, SOB! Are these engineers on drugs? Only way I could get to it was from the bottom, my arms are not small enough from the top. Then reaching up and around the cross member makes for very little room and strength to trun the pet****. So I fabbed a tool that fits over the pet**** and lets me turn it back behind the cross member. Picture to follow. Radiator is draining right now, didn't pull the pet**** out completely, figure it will be easier than trying to fit it back in. Why the heck didn't they use a hex head on the pet**** and let us get at it with a socket and extension? Like I said, Engineers!:skull1:(LMAO, the forum thinks the word petc0ck is a bad word?)
OK I'm off to disconnect the battery, BBL
OK so now that the collant has drained I used a 12" extension with a 10MM Universal drive socket and was able to easily remove the two retaining bolts. The top housing popped loose easily and then with a slight pry of a screw driver the Tstat lifted out without any gasket damage or residue left over. Used a sponge to soak up some of the coolant in the lower housing so that I could wipe that area clean, dropped in the new Tstat, lined up the houseing and hand threaded the bolts in, tighten them down, DONE!
I did not have to remove the radiator hose.
Next I drained the Over flow tank and flushed it.

After that I filled it up with water, left the pet**** slightly open and put a slow running hose in the top fill opening, I had a flow of about 1 OZ per few seconds going then fired it up and let it warm up. Just enough to open the Tstat and flush the orange out. Maybe 5 minutes, shut it down, let the radiator drian, closed the pet**** and filled with new AF. I'm very pleased, a run on the highway showed a 185 degree temp with no more than a +/-2 deg variation.

Mike R

The tool
Attachment 26906

Attachment 26907
Made from a Balsa block about 5 Inches long, I should have made it about 7" long

The damaged Tstat.
Attachment 26908

There is a "block drain" on the water pump, so that you can get a full drain. It is also difficult to get to, but it is there.

Question: Why drain anything? Why not just unto the housing, pop out the tstat, replace, and bolt housing back down?