When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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 don't know what could make it specific. It is a tube with a 90 degree plastic fitting. There are more and more cars that need it these days.
The only thing really "specific" about it is the way it's bent, but yea still widely available. I was just going to swap it for the one in my LT, it's only a few years old, but it also has a crack in the tube. So I grabbed the Dorman one from Amazon for $10 - the same one they have at Advance, Autozone, & O'Reilly for $30.
I'm thinking about replacing it in both cars with 316 stainless steel, & never have to worry about it cracking / breaking again! 316 is the most resistant to gasses from lead acid batteries. 8mm OD 316 stainless tubing coil would be nearly perfect, & I should be able to find a stainless fitting to fit the battery as well, or I could epoxy the plastic elbow to the stainless... The tubing is $17 for four 30cm pieces, & just need to bend to shape. It's slightly smaller diameter than the exhaust hole, so a little silicone around it will keep any gasses from being blown back inside!
The tube is not bent, there is a 90 degree adapter that seals into the hole in the battery. Bending a piece of tube and stuffing it into the battery is no the same.
I wonder how I am still alive after driving air cooled VWs for 15 years, with unvented batteries under the back seat. I choose to not spend my angst on things like that.
You could probably wander around a battery display and surreptitiously acquire one from a battery. There are several sizes that utilize vent tubes.
The tube is not bent, there is a 90 degree adapter that seals into the hole in the battery. Bending a piece of tube and stuffing it into the battery is no the same.
I wonder how I am still alive after driving air cooled VWs for 15 years, with unvented batteries under the back seat. I choose to not spend my angst on things like that.
You could probably wander around a battery display and surreptitiously acquire one from a battery. There are several sizes that utilize vent tubes.
What??? NO, I'm not pilfering something I can buy of Amazon for less than $10.
BTW.... all 4 battery tubes I've run across in my HHR's were this tube below:
It's a rigid plastic tube with two bends in it. BTW, 2010 LT had an AC Delco battery and this tube in it when I bought it. That battery was then replaced with an AC Delco battery, which also came with this tube... so that has been the extent of my knowledge for the HHR battery tube, If there's a different one, I don't know about it.
Last edited by chaosdsm; Mar 25, 2026 at 11:40 AM.
Got the replacement battery cable in: Went with the one I mentioned previously from battery cable usa for $20 after shipping & tax. Could have saved $2 going with #2 AWG cable instead, but I do plan on adding a 4-channel power amp, a sub amp, EQ, and subwoofers at some point in the near future, which might to start stressing a stock size wire. 1/0 wire will handle that & more, including reduced voltage drop, decreasing heat gain, and improving component efficiency. It also allows for better current flow, leading to more consistent, faster engine cranking and safer operation of high-load appliances like power amplifiers.
For the sensor, I cut the tape that held it to the old cable, then used heat shrink tubing to secure it in place on the new cable:
I used heat shrink because it was fast & easy, and I wasn't sure exactly where I would be able to place the sensor, & this made is super easy to remove for readjustments.
I ended up placing it near the battery to accommodate the cable bend:
Yes, it does sit above the spare tire, but it's easy to remove the spare without disturbing the negative cable.
I've bought a few DC cables from battery cable usa, like battery connections for solar, and the 1/0 gauge wires between the batteries & 5000 watt power inverter. They seem to be great cables, the ends are fully sealed using heavy duty adhesive lined marine grade heat shrink, so there's no exposed copper to tarnish / corrode. It's hard to tell from these photos, but in the photo below, you can see some of the adhesive that pushed out from the heat shrink, it's the shiny line between the heat shrink and the cable insulation:
Supposedly fully made in USA from USA sourced copper wire, even the cable insulation says made in USA, though it's underneath so you cannot see it from these photos.
Unfortunately, the heat shrink I had on hand is thin packaging heat shrink, it works, but will have to be replaced sometime in the near future. I apparently used up all the good heat shrink I had for my solar stuff. Ended up using 2 layers of the thin stuff. It works for now, but may crack in the future.
Bought me a new straw for my large thermos to replace the original yucky plastic straw that came with it, 316 stainless steel, came as a set of two..... perfect diameter to make a battery vent tube, so:
Of course I would still need a 90 degree elbow for it.... might have to 3d print that, as it won't just come out of the old tube.
Bought me a new straw for my large thermos to replace the original yucky plastic straw that came with it, 316 stainless steel, came as a set of two..... perfect diameter to make a battery vent tube, so:
Of course I would still need a 90 degree elbow for it.... might have to 3d print that, as it won't just come out of the old tube.
I pulled a tube from a junkyard but the l was broken. Seems to be typical. My Duracell from Sam's Club came with a l tape to it, but not the same diameter. I just heated the end and made it work. It occurs to me that plain old polyethylene tubing might be fine too. It also responds to heating.
