I pulled the pan today, waiting for the mechanic to come by and take a look. The pan, fluid, filter and magnet were unbelievably clean. There wasn't any sign of any damage at all. I pulled the 4 transfer lines and checked them for any debris in the tubes. Clean as a whistle. I can't help but believe it is the TCM. Now, can someone tell me where it is on the vehicle? I will pay the 70 bucks and then some if it can get here soon. Let me know.

 

The TCM is right in front of your under hood fuse box. Pull that cover, and you will see a thing less than half an inch thick that looks like it is metal and has a big plugin going into it. It is about 3 inches wide and maybe 4 long. PM me and I'll give you my paypal, and I can priority ship it tomorrow with tracking info.

 

I have a shop looking at it in the morning. I will let you know if I need that TCM or not. Thanks for the help.

 

I probably should start a thread on this subject alone. Today was an amazing day working on the HHR. My mechanic found the problem with the transmission and it was beyond simple.

As I mentioned before, one mechanic said that one of the tubes might be cracked in the transmission. He was right.

There are 4 high pressure tubes above the filter in the transmission. I cleaned them well, but never inspected them. Sure enough, my mechanic immediately pulled on one and it was broken at the weld to the flange. I picked one up at the dealership for $50, installed it and it's working better than ever. In fact, there probably was a hairline crack keeping the pressure down until it finally broke.

I am ecstatic and elated that I only had to spend $50 plus filter and fluids and now she's driving better than ever.

 

Good news is always nice! Glad to hear things turned out well.

 

Now that is awesome man!!! Great to hear a good resolution on that.

 

Glad to hear it wasn't too costly. And a to your mechanic.
Did you happen to get any pictures?

 

Wow... I think I would be EXTRA nice to your mechanic this Christmas, if I were you.

 

Yes I am taking good care of that mechanic. I have already referred him to my friends who frequently ask me for mechanics. I also had him change the rear tranny mount so he could make some extra money while he was out.

I can take pics of the tube and where it broke. I think I should post this on another thread to alert other owners about this problem and how they can avoid being raked over the coals by unethical tranny shops, which I know there are a lot of.

I was honestly looking at paying between $1,500-$2,000 for this repair, which I don't have. Paying $50 plus fluid and filter is so much better.

Thanks everyone.

 

I'm trying to post pics and can't figure out how. Anyone know how this can be done easily?