Oldblue

HeavyHook

I have actually had some issues with them in the past where they have gotten into the interior of vehicles. Seems they love the carpeting and seating materials to make their nest out of in the interiors. It wouldn't be a far reach for them to go after the insulation on the wiring. I have a two post car lift in my shop and some really bright LED lights so I can get the HHR up on it to get a close look at the wiring from both top and underneath. I'll try and get that done ASAP!!! Thanks for the input guys.

HeavyHook

Hey Guys, Its been about 2-1/2 weeks since my last post. I've been thru all the wire looms I can access without tearing things apart. Nowhere can I find anything out of the ordnary. I also have checked all the grounds I have been able to locate and everyone was tight. I have driven about 250 miles in that time 10-12 trips and not one CEL has come on! That's the first time in over a year of driving this thing with no CEL coming on.
Something I should mention is when I purchased my HHR in September of 2017 from a used car dealer "Toyota" dealer told me some type of recall on the ignition switch had been performed on the car. I don't know if they did the service work or took it to a GM dealer to have the work done. Ever since I have owned the vehicle the housing that surrounds the ignition switch has been what I call loose. It will move up and down about 1" and will rotate about 1" total clockwise and counter-clockwise. To me, that doesn't seem right. I'm thinking when the recall service was performed on the ignition switch it wasn't put back together correctly? One other thing happened about 2 weeks ago I haven't mentioned. On two different days close together when I turned the ignition off the key wouldn't come out of the switch. Each time I'm thinking the shift lever wasn't all the way in park , I checked that and it was all the way in park. After rotating the key for 30 seconds on each of those occurrences the key finally was able to come out. That issue hasn't happened since! Just the 2 days about a couple of days apart.
Is there any way possible that something is array inside the ignition switch shroud that could be causing these issues?

donbrew

Only a GM dealer can perform the recall work. Check your recall status here: https://my.chevrolet.com/recalls
It sounds like they did not do it right. You should take it to a GM dealer and explain. If they can't fix it they can tell you where it was done.
Depending on your particulars there may be an extended warranty on the shift mechanism.

You might check the connector from the transmission to the TCM. We had a report that oil managed to get into the connector and migrate up the cable to the other end enough to short things out.

HeavyHook

Well, I decided to address the loose shroud around the Ignition switch and multi-function turn signal switch. It would move up and down about 1//2" in each direction and rotate CW/CCW about the same amount. What I found is the frame the switches mount to has a collar that goes around the tube the steering shaft is enclosed in. It has about a collar w/ about a 7 mm bolt that has to be tightened down to secure everything to that tube. It was completely loose, the bolt was barely had a couple of threads started on it.
Just a thought, are in of the switches mounted on the steering tube grounded thru it. I think what happened just before I purchased my HHR 3-1/2 years ago was the ignition switch recall was performed on the vehicle and the Tech that did the work failed to tighten the bolt on the collar while replacing the ignition switch! Maybe that being loose could be causing some of the issues I've been experiencing for the past 3 years?
I checked the link that was posted for any pending recalls for my VIN and none showed up! One interesting thing, I found concerning the key stuck in the ignition switch. GM has a Service Service Bulletin # 14632 on the HHR"s shifters that cover parts and labor, plus Unlimited mileage up to 15 years. It doesn't say anything about the service is only available to the original purchaser of the vehicle. Maybe this should be in the STICKY post area if not already included in them! If I experience the key stuck in the ignition switch situation again I'll schedule a service appointment to have that taken care of!
I still have to check out the TCM connector for oil migrating up thru the cable, I plan on doing that today. I also found a couple of videos on Youtube where HHR owners we're experiencing random codes with no real reason. Those mentioned there was a grounding issue from the aluminum block the TCM mounts to as it contacts to the ground of the vehicle. They offered a solution as running a ground wire from that aluminum block over to the driver's side shock tower mount bolts?? I'm thinking it would be a better solution to run the ground wire down to the engine block ground that's just below the TCM rather than a shock tower bolt???

donbrew

You mean like here: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/gm-recall-campaigns-70/
Depends on the exact situation.

The TCM does not mount on metal. It is grounded via a wire in the connector that ends up on the radiator support. Aluminum is a poor conductor.

The ground connection below it on the transmission has a wire that goes directly to the same point.

HeavyHook

I didn't recall that being in the sticky post! I did get around to checking out the TCM plug for oil migrating up the cable and the terminals. Everything was dry and clean. No corrosion or anything out of the ordinary I could see. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope I don't see the stuck key issue again. It's really nice that GM has offered such a long warranty on the shifter/stuck key problem. Thanks as always for your input!!!