Mine was sway bar bushings only, from 5000 miles and 5 years ago to today. My dealer insisted it couldn't be them and replaced the links twice with no change. I live in a cold climate, and with me under the car and a friend rocking it back and forth, I could feel and hear the clunking in the passenger side sway bar bushing. The trick I learned on a Lexus forum worked more or less for two years now. (I packed the bushing with non hardening High pressure pipe thread compound used for gas pipe fittings) Have had two winters with almost no squeaking and very little clunking. Before it felt like someone hit the passenger floorboard with a rubber hammer if you hit a dip at low speed. This pipe dope works better than grease because it takes a long time for it to be worked out of the bushing. Oh and don't get me started on the intermediate steering shaft noise/ rattle, I gave up on that one, a new one only lasts about 5K before rattle is back.

 

Good tip on the thread compound usage.

 

Can anyone please tell me how to adjust the headlirhts (left/right) and (up/down)?

Thank you Kit

 

I replaced the swaybar end links with the moog part (9.8 inches) and am happy to report it fixed the clunk.

But the clunk came back. After getting it on a lift, it looks like suspension and swaybar bushings are the culprit now. The clunk seems to be worn out suspension and the bushing between the strut tower and front suspension. I am researching parts (on this forum and in person) and will report back which one I choose.

 

Also take a close look at the rear bushing on the lower control arms. They don't last for ever and when they are worn out, they will result in some good thumping sounds from the floor board area. You can check them visually, as well as prying against the frame and the lower control arm, looking for slop. There is a "How-to" on replacing them.

 

With almost 200k of highway miles, my 06 HHR 2LT (FE3 Sport Suspension) had the front end 'clunk' for a couple of years; getting worse the colder the weather. After reading several posts I was certain the primary cause was the sway bar bushings. My car also needed new front struts (blown). After a bit more research on this forum, decided on the following:

1) Replace sway bar bushings with new OEM as supplied by a dealership parts counter ($10); Thought about the aftermarket greasable types but read inconsistent results in some previous posts. The robustness of the OEM design seems weak. The OEM bushings can be extracted without dropping the cross member with a little elbow grease and careful movement of the bushing to the end of the sway bar. Naturally the car need to be safely supported by jack stands or lift. There are other posts on how this is done.

2) Replace sway bar end links with 'Moog' greasable type as supplied by Advance Auto; SKU# K750012; ($50 pair + tax w/ promo code discounts). The Moogs are much more substantial (beefy & heavier) than the OEM links.

3) Replace front struts with kit ordered from Complete Struts SKU# 2-11601-11602-2 ($180 incl shipping). I would have preferred KYB but they do not currently offer a 'complete strut' with coil spring installed. The complete strut product is a big time saver and much easier (and safer) for the DIY mechanic. Also called both Monroe and Complete Struts in advance of ordering. CS's technical support was impressive (Monroe's not so much). CS stated that while my HHR was FE3 sport suspension, the CS product was tuned / valved 'in-between' the base LS and the FE3 suspension. After installation, I can say it seems about as stiff as the FE3 (maybe a little softer, but with my originals being blown for some time it's hard to tell). I have driven several LS HHRs and can definitely say the CS struts are more firm than the base.

After performing all three above, the front end clunk is definitely gone (thanks to new bushings). The ride is improved over the old struts (thanks to Complete Struts). The road noise seems to be slightly higher on 'pitted' pavement; likely the results of tightening everything up with new parts; perhaps the Complete Strut products or the Moog links transfer more road vibrations to the vehicle body. All in all very satisfied with the results of $240 in parts and four hours working very patiently. Cheers!

 

That many miles you are overdue for bearing failure, that may be the "pitted pavement" noise.

With the new struts, I'll bet your braking has really improved.

 

Thanks, good point donbrew; I'm familiar with replacing the wheel hubs on my Yukons (went out at 100k of city driving; sounded just like bad tires).

Looks like a somewhat simple job to replace the front wheel hubs on the HHRs; but it appears some owners have encountered difficulties removing the original hubs.

So far the increased road noise is not noticeable on smooth pavement; but I know I'll need to replace the hubs soon.

Yes, the braking is more controlled ... especially during aggressive braking.

 

Just ABS, non-ABS is really uneventful.

 

I have a 2009 hhr and hear the knocking and thumping in the front end, if its the sway bar link,is it just the bushings to be replaced or the whole thing,?