Can anyone tell me what this is?
 

http://i54.tinypic.com/11i09z6.jpg

It constantly ticks

A time bomb , Sorry could'nt resist.
I've asked the same question to myself.
Maybe something to do with the direct injection ?

:batman:

Does yours tick also? If it's a common thing, I will leave it alone. I just don't want anything to be wrong

high pressure fuel injection .. i heard normal engines run at like 150psi .. that thing pumps at like 1500 psi .. its normal to make the ticking noise .. mine does it to .. loud as can be haha .. get a cold air intake and you wont hear it anymore

I mainly hear it after the car is turned off. It will continue to tick for around 5+ minutes

I wouldnt be to worried , seems right now you are a little upset with the car you have .. just sit back and relax , EVERY car has issues, and the HHR SS isnt one you see in the shop often, I work at a Chevrolet dealer.

p.s. - clean your engine bay :)

If that's in referrence to post #4, do you actually think he was serious??

Why wouldnt I be serious .. ???

The 2.0 Ecotec Motor is a Direcet Injection set up ..
It needs a high pressure fuel system to co-operate.
The fuel pump can supply up to like 2200 psi ...
The car is getting abour 700psi at idle.

I was joking around when I told him to just go ahead and install a
cold air intake , and then he wouldnt hear the ticknig noise any more ...

Personally, I don't think the CAI is a huge improvement , but they sound
neat on turbo driven motors. I've seen CAI's actually hurt a motors performance over the factory set up .. so i've always been iffy about them.

BUT back to the original posters question .. Its nothing unusual to hear the ticking noise
Its just a VERY high pressure fuel injection system .. and a word of advice to those with
the 2.0L .. when you come back from a drive, if you have a minute or so, let the engine
run at idle before killing it .. your turbo will thank you later! :)

The item you pictured is the pulse dampener. The noise you hear while the engine is running is a combination of the high pressure fuel pump and the injectors. The noise you hear right after the engine is shut off is the throttle body. It goes through a cycle (calibration maybe) when the key is turned off and makes a ticking sound whenever it moves rapidly (or possibly voltage is being applied and removed). In hptuners, you can see it going back and forth between 10% and 30%. It doesn't take 5+ minutes though. More like 30 seconds at most.

I forgot to say in my previous post but actually, I think that's the charge air bypass valve solenoid. I'm looking for a picture as we speak........