Good thing you came here. Virtually all parts peddlers will get this stuff wrong. There are several other notorious examples.

One pervasive source of confusion is that many, including the parts places, assume that an RPO code means the exact same thing across years and models. It doesn’t. In this case, SOME other Delta platform cars like base Cobalts carry RPO FE1 and use those stamped steel control arms.

The replacement parts world will also happily sell you terrible parts cheap. Feel free to seek advice here on any prospective parts purchase. Not everyone will necessarily agree, but you’re sure to gain some useful insights.

 

The FE1 for Cobalts and G5 cars are also the wrong geometry

 

Yeah, those even had 4 lug nuts, not 5. Designed for lighter duty. Who knows what else was different?

 

Thanks so much for the tutorial and all the helpful comments. I'm about to do this for the second time on a 2010 HHR. One question I had is regarding whether or not the suspension should be loaded (around ride height) or not when torquing things down. I'm assuming it doesn't need to be loaded since it wasn't mentioned in this tutorial, but I wanted to double check since that might be common sense about experienced mechanics. Happy New Year! I'm starting this bright and early tomorrow.

 

I torque the rear bolt and 2 ball joint pinch bolts and 2 front bolts with loaded suspension .
I place a piece of 2x4 on my jack and lift the HHR until just before it lifts off the jack stand , torque those bolts and lower the jack.

 

Thanks for your help. Where do you place the 2x4 to jack it up? Under the lower part of the control arm, but not on the back of the ball joint? The last time I replaced the LCAs, I torqued while suspension was hanging so I wonder if that's why it didn't last long.

 

I don't think it makes any difference; none of those bolts hold that vector of load. The rear bolt is the only debatable, but it is in a bushing.

 

I place the jack and 2x4 just inwards from the ball joint bolts, or with tires on and car on ramps.

 

Yeah, several videos I've seen also make no mention of torquing with a loaded suspension, but both ChatGPT and Gemini insisted I need to, and I just wanted to double check with y'all.

Thanks. I think I'll either jack it up a little at the control arm to apply pressure to the suspension or drop it down on ramps before I fully torque the bolts.

I'll post an update once I'm done with all the work I'm about to do. Sway bar links, sway bar bushings, outer tie rod, front struts, lower control arms and rear shocks, followed by some new tires and an alignment. Thanks again to you both and Happy New Year!

 

ChatGPT uses the same cut and paste BS that those "expert" sites use, the ones that apply to 1964 Buicks. I bet the AIs would say that ball joints are the same part on ALL HHR.
The only reason to worry about is when the parts the bolts go into move depending on the where the bolt is.