I have a 2006 HHR that occasionally stalls when stopping. It recently had a tune up and we had all the codes that were related to the exhaust system fixed but it didn't fix it. Now they are telling me it is the cam phasers. Does that make sense? From what I have researched, it doesn't seem that would be the problem. It rides fine, idles fine, no weird noises. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

Usually it is the AC compressor/clutch or dirty throttle body. If it was the phasers there would be a CEL.

How long did you ignore the CheckEngineLight? Or, are you saying ONLY the exhaust related codes were fixed.

What is a "tune-up"? The only thing needed is new plugs at 100,000 miles.

 

 

The car has 215,000 miles. The tune up consisted of new plugs, filters etc. The only codes were exhaust codes and they were ALL fixed. Then, it stalled again a week later so I took it back and they said it is the cam phasers. My Navigator had cam phaser problems and it shook, made noise etc... this car isn't doing any of that.

 

No such thing as "exhaust Codes"; they have numbers. Why did "they" say cam phasers? I asked how long you ignored the CEL for a reason; the CEL is there to tell you that something is wrong, if it goes long enough there could be permanent damage, like a catalytic converter. Blaming "cam Phasers" is a Ford thing; GM does not call them phasers and if they were bad there would be error codes; and they rarely fail.

Exactly what plugs were installed, it makes a difference.
What engine do you have? A 2.2L does not have phasers.

Did anybody look at the AC compressor? If they are worn out they cause drag on the engine, so when coming to a stop the engine dies.
Did anyone inspect the throttle body? A crudded up TB will cause erratic idling.

 

My husband is OCD so he doesn't "ignore" anything. The day the "oil change" light comes on, he gets it changed. The mechanic he uses originally said it was the catalytic converter so he took it to a muffler shop who said it was a "false" code and to go back to the mechanic. The mechanic then installed 3 new parts (one being the gas pedal) and I don't know the other two. He said those were the only codes he got. After that, the car stalled again and he went back to the mechanic who said it was cam phasers and he doesn't do that work so he was supposed to take it somewhere else. As you can tell, I don't know anything about cars, I have always trusted my mechanic. I guess I will just see what the next one says. I was only asking because cam phasers didn't seem correct to me because of the nightmare with the navigator. Thank you for the information, I wish I knew more.

 

Without know code numbers we are wasting time.