crkckr

Hi All,
We are having some strange problems with my wife’s 2007 HHR LT (100k miles). Of course it’s weird, I never get anything ‘normal’ when it comes to car or tech problems! It’s always something out from far out in left field that no one has ever seen or heard of before. I’ve checked the archives but nothing quite matches, although some come close.

3 weeks ago, the first ‘situation’ popped up, in that the CEL came on with no symptoms. Off to the Zone to get the computer read: Line #1 says “Multiple (Cylinder?) Misfires” and, on line 2, “#1 Cylinder Misfire (it may have been ‘ignition’ misfire, but you get the point). I did not, unfortunately, take note of the actual codes for any of these events. I should know better but you folks will have to accept that things are a bit crazy around my house right now as we deal with the wife’s health problems, which are much more important than the car.

While there might be a bad coil, it certainly didn’t act like my F-250 when a coil really and truly died. At 70 mph on the freeway the truck tried to shake itself apart… or at the least, audition for the rodeo! The cost of that coil was the same as the one I bought for the HHR, $48. After replacing the coil on the HHR, it was off to O’Reilly’s, which will at least let me reset the computer.

4 days later, the CEL came on again, this time reading “ #4 Cylinder Misfire” with no other events. The wife tells me that the light was not on when she shut down at work but came on when she tried to remote start it. I just assumed that the coils were all going out around the same time and so replaced the #4 Coil and, once again, reset the computer.

When it happened again, I thought, “No remote start, CEL on… coincidence? Methinks not! Yes, I realize the remote won’t work when the CEL is on but there’s definitely a tie here. The car is running normally, is turned off with no CEL but when a remote start is attempted, the CEL comes on.
Ok, had this happened just once I would have blown it off as coincidence. But that’s not what happened and I’m getting ahead of myself. Since the coil has a warranty, I took it back to the Big O and got a third coil, installed it and had the computer reset. 5 days later as she attempted to remote start the car (after the second or third time, as it turns out), the CEL light comes on again. Hmmm. One time is coincidence, twice happenstance… well, sorry, I don’t go for that baloney! Somehow or another, the remote start is having something to do with the CEL and misfire messages on the computer.

This is not some cosmic event that just fell out of the ether. It did it again yesterday as I tried to remote start the car for her to go to work. It was just the second time after the latest reset.

So, all told the CEL has come on four times, three of which were definitely during remote start attempts (and possibly the first time as well). The last time when I pulled things apart, I swapped the new and OEM coils around but it made no difference. I also pulled the plugs on cylinders 1 and 4 and they looked, much to my amazement, to be in excellent condition, considering they’ve got at the very least 75k miles on them (we bought the car used with 26k miles on it and while unlikely, it’s possible the dealer may have changed the plugs). My original thought was to replace them but they look so good I see no need!

So the whole point of all of this is, does anyone know of any reason (other than cosmic, thank you anyway) why the remote start function would have anything to do with the CEL coming on and misfire events? I’ve read about burned pistons/valves and valve guides but the car really is running good, all things considered, and I’m fairly certain that this is electronic in nature. We’re getting good mileage, it runs as well as it ever did and doesn’t seem to have any other issues.

I can state with certainty that there are no completely dead coils. I checked each of the 6 coils with a VOM and all of them read the same resistance between the pins, varying less than 1% between them. I know that doesn’t mean much, as I have no idea what they should be reading. I just know that all 6 of the coils I checked (4 OEM and 2 aftermarket, one AZ and one from the Big O) all read the same.

So, any ideas out there to solve this weirdness?
TIA,
crkckr/Mike

whopper

It is extremely unlikely it is coil-related. The tip-off being "Multiple (Cylinder?) Misfires” which indicates a problem other than plugs or the coils.

Tip for you: if you suspect a coil problem on a specific cyl, rather than purchase a new one, swap it with a coil on a different cyl, and monitor it to see if the problem moves over a few instances of further problems.

Here is a link to a possible solution to the misfires: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/2-2l...e-p0303-52047/

LawDog88

I got nothing, other than I think Aliens messed with your poor car, and turned the wiring around.. Best of luck hunting it down.

donbrew

My idea is to get the code numbers, there are different types of misfires. The numbers are different so you can figure out where to look.

There can be pending and historical codes that do not light the CEL.

And try to limit the long stories, I can't keep up with you on my desktop, much less on my phone.

Oldblue

Seems to me this is becoming a common issue during the beginning of the cold season called winter.
Try a fuel conditioning additive to remove any condensation (water) in your fuel tank.

firemangeorge

As stated, get the current code numbers and post them up.

My guess. Since it seems to be related to using the remote start, then what condition does the remote start create. Answer: prolonged idling. Under these conditions the fuel system may be running a little rich.
If this only occurs under a cold start scenario, then this may be the more likely cause.

crkckr

Thanks for all the quick replies and hints but unfortunately, it’s all become moot. This morning, after taking the wife to see her Doc, the car sat out in the cold (somewhere in the low 20’s) for around 3 hours and as we went to leave, the car simply refused to start. I ground the battery down much lower than I normally would, trying things I’m sure are not in the manual, but my wife had just had a chemo treatment for breast cancer and we never know how she’s going to react, so I really wanted to get her home.

After messing with it for 4 -5 minutes, I gave up and started to walk away. But that naggy little voice in my head (which sounds a lot like my ex-witch, whatzhername) said, ‘You’ve got nothing to lose, go ahead and try it.’ So I turned back and ‘messed around’ with the key fob, locking and unlocking the car several times. I stuck my head back inside and low and behold, it started. Barely!

Ok, it could have been leaving it alone for 30 seconds or it could be something with the fob/remote start, I don't know. And, since it managed to get us home (well, to the dealer, anyway), I don't care, either! I'm just glad I didn't have to walk XX miles in the cold. (Ok, yeah, we could call a friend or even a cab, but the walking thing sounds much more dramatic!).

I can say without reservation that there’s a bad coil this time and I don’t need any computer codes to confirm it. The ‘reduced eng power’ logo was on the dash and while we made it to the dealer – a 15+ mile trip – it was touch and go all the way. It bucked, snorted, choked and wheezed the entire way and wouldn’t go over 40mph and we had to drive on the service road the entire way. I’ll backstep one or two steps and admit that it’s at least somewhat possible it’s something to do with fuel, but when the fuel pump went out a year or so ago, it wouldn’t even try to start. It idled rough for 15 or 20 seconds and I wasn’t sure if it stopped when I turned the key off or just a tiny bit before that. But once it was shut down, it refused to even buck a little during a start attempt. And there was no CEL on that event. Even when the brand new, OEM fuel pump went out the very next day! Fortunately, we have good maintenance guys and GM bought the new pump and paid the extra man hours.

Anyway, I advised the dealer of the troubles we’ve had, as I did above and they could only shake their heads. Once they've got it running (and it stays running for more than a week!) I’ll post the codes they get and whatever fix they have for this problem. From a maintenance standpoint, it’s an interesting bit of weirdness that’s going on but from the viewpoint of the guy who’s going to be writing the dealer a check, it’s looking downright scary!
Cheers,
crkckr

crkckr

Whopper: I actually did swap the coils around but it always came back with that #4 thing, which leads me to believe it's a wiring problem. Plus there was only one 'multiple' message, all the others were specifically #4.

Firemangeorge: The only time the car idles for any length of time is when it snows or we have freezing rain, of which we've had essentially none this year. It's usually not more than 4 - 5 min. before it's on the road, even after a remote start. Usually. There are times when it idles for a while. But after today, it's definitely a coil problem. And, I'm sure, something else in the wiring.

Donbrew: we'll know what the real codes are when we get it back from the dealer. I'm dying to know but hate paying for the lesson!

Lawdog: Aliens... man, that is a definite possibility and one I'll run with until something is done to fix it!
cheers,
cc

whopper

That's definitely a strange one. A wiring issue is a possibility - and hopefully the dealer can hook up their test gear and pinpoint it quickly for you. I hope it's nothing internal and that you get it "back on the road" quickly, as you obviously need it handy. Best of luck.