Fellow forum members:

Tell me if you've experienced this situation:

The short story is that my '07 (LT, 2.2L) left me stranded last weekend. All electrical systems worked fine but upon turning the key to "ignite": all systems down. No clicking, whirring, nothing. After having it towed in, my mechanic solved the problem by adding another ground wire from the engine block to a shock tower. He didn't sound 100% that was the solution; he was scratching his head a bit. The repair shop checked all the circuits, battery, cables, attachment points, fuses, etc. and they were OK.

Does the factory ground have a weakness? Just seems like the factory wiring ought not to require another ground strap...unless the original ground has ceased to work correctly. I'm no good with electrical stuff...if anyone's heard of this just curious to hear (and so is my mechanic!)

 

The faulty stock/factory ground theory sounds like a strong possibility. Especially since it lasted till now without the need for an aftermarket ground strap. I am hoping that he has done resistance checks on the ground cable from the battery and has checked for tighness and corrosion at all ground points in the engine bay and at the battery in the back.

 

I know that problem existed back in the day on GM cars... probably where your mechanic got the idea...... First I've heard of it with the HHR though.

 

Yes, the repair shop did check all those things you mentioned. Somewhere he was finding a voltage drop but once the additional ground strap was added the drop went away.