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Problems/Service/RepairsIf you have a problem with your HHR, want a tip on repairing or performing a particular service to you HHR here is the place to post!
I see several topics on this but I seem to have run into a new cause. My HHR has been clunking since I got it years ago and I have replaced worn suspension items that needed fixed. But nothing fixed the clunking. I always have the radio on loud so I just got used to it since nothing was about to break up front. But I finally decided to find the problem once and for all. And I did. The clunking is the inner CV joint moving up and down at the tranny. I saw this movement long before, but i am familiar with this activity, and dismissed it. Even longer ago I had a Dodge Daytona with inner CV joint movement in a similar way. And as a kid, I investigated it intensely to try to stop the movement. Thinking that if it kept moving around that my tranny might blow up. But my tranny never clunked and I never could stop the movement. And I lost interest till I sold the car. So this car has the same movements and I ignored it. But now I looked at everything again and there is no suspension issues. So I have 3 sets of spare half shafts and started swapping and measuring. The little stub shafts with splines have slight play. And all the shafts have the same play. But the stub shaft goes into the tranny riding on a bearing, And that bearing has much more play. And when I bang the stub upwards with my finger, It makes a distinct noise. So now it's clear that when the weight of the cv joint bangs on that bearing, the whole car goes clunk. I am checking on tranny schematics, but it looks like new bearings in the differential won't be much fun to replace. But I have several trannys sitting around, So who knows what I might do to fix this. There is movement on the drivers side cv joint also, and already swapped out that half shaft, but I can't tell if it also clunks until I fix the loudest clunker. I still have no indication that the clunking will damage anything else going forwards. So have no plan yet decided about what I will do. It depends on how easy tranny disassembly might be. One tranny I have has a busted up case, so I will likely tear that apart in a quick fashion to get an idea what is involved. Then I will strip it of desirable spare parts and throw that tranny away. It only had 20,000 miles on it when the tranny was wrecked, So it's bearings should be in great shape.
Oh wow. That looks like exactly what it needs. From what I could see, it looks like a brass bushing has worn and it looks ugly to try to replace it. Just to wear out again. Nothing is leaking yet but the way it is, it's clear that leaking will eventually happen. I just love these cars so Ill drive it till it drops. And then add more spare parts to it. Hah. I'll order me this kit. If the drivers side is also clonking, I can see how they did this kit and make something similar for the drivers side. I work in a shop and can make any kind of part to fix anything up to a maximum of about 10 tons. Hah. Thanks for this link. :)
The driver side does not have the stub shaft, no bushing.
Oh, it's no wonder I couldn't get the stub out. My puller kept popping off. The passenger side popped out real easy. I'm placing a bearing order now. There is no telling how long they will sell those bearing kits with the cars so long out of production.
I see several topics on this but I seem to have run into a new cause. My HHR has been clunking since I got it years ago and I have replaced worn suspension items that needed fixed. But nothing fixed the clunking.
I always have the radio on loud so I just got used to it since nothing was about to break up front. But I finally decided to find the problem once and for all. And I did. The clunking is the inner CV joint moving up and down at the tranny. I saw this movement long before, but i am familiar with this activity, and dismissed it. Even longer ago I had a Dodge Daytona with inner CV joint movement in a similar way. And as a kid, I investigated it intensely to try to stop the movement. Thinking that if it kept moving around that my tranny might blow up.
But my tranny never clunked and I never could stop the movement. And I lost interest till I sold the car. So this car has the same movements and I ignored it. But now I looked at everything again and there is no suspension issues. So I have 3 sets of spare half shafts and started swapping and measuring. The little stub shafts with splines have slight play. And all the shafts have the same play. But the stub shaft goes into the tranny riding on a bearing, And that bearing has much more play. And when I bang the stub upwards with my finger, It makes a distinct noise. So now it's clear that when the weight of the cv joint bangs on that bearing, the whole car goes clunk.
I am checking on tranny schematics, but it looks like new bearings in the differential won't be much fun to replace. But I have several trannys sitting around, So who knows what I might do to fix this. There is movement on the drivers side cv joint also, and already swapped out that half shaft, but I can't tell if it also clunks until I fix the loudest clunker. I still have no indication that the clunking will damage anything else going forwards. So have no plan yet decided about what I will do. It depends on how easy tranny disassembly might be.
One tranny I have has a busted up case, so I will likely tear that apart in a quick fashion to get an idea what is involved. Then I will strip it of desirable spare parts and throw that tranny away. It only had 20,000 miles on it when the tranny was wrecked, So it's bearings should be in great shape.
Do you notice the clunking when encountering bumps on the road, or rather upon acceleration or deceleration, as thought there is excessive play in the driveline? Do you feel it too, or just hear it? Sorry if I didn’t do enough reading; this is an automatic, right?
Last edited by PulpFriction; Mar 19, 2025 at 08:36 AM.
Yup, it's automatic and it's entirely bump related. Turning or acceleration has nothing to do with it. Only when I hit fresh smooth pavement does the clunking stop. I banged the inner knuckle with a soft mallet and duplicated the sound. It's a short stub supported by a bearing. So the slop in the worn bearing is being transmitted into banging the differential gears together by the teeter tooter action, as the suspension action thrashes the inner knuckle around. New support by this bearing kit should restore stub support and stop the half shaft inner knuckle movement. Ill check fluid level too in case I was loosing fluid in motion. One solenoid is exposed if fluid runs low and burns up in overheating. I don't need that kind of headache. Too bad they stopped using dip sticks.
OK, kits installed. Unfortunately, not a damn thing was fixed. It still clonks like crazy. The install went perfectly. But I noticed slop in the bearing as I slid the included race cup into it. That was a very ominous sign to me. I expected size to size fit. And the needle bearing is pressed into aluminum case, so there is no hard press to shrink the outer bearing diameter. But I put it in anyway. And as I feared, we still got a teeter tooter going on transmitting inner CV knuckle motion into the differential gear. The only benefit I see is enough support to prevent the seal from being damaged. And that's all. I have no idea how long the banging can go on without some failure, but it has been going on since well before COVID. If the needles were wider and tolerance was ground size to size, then there would be lateral support to stop the shaft from teeter tootering. Or at least reduce the teeter tooter so as to reduce the banging. But there is simply too much slop to stop any of that banging. And that's the way it goes. I still have to make time to tear apart a little used cracked trany I have to see what exactly is worn in the differential, but ill get to that in a few weeks.
