Good evening,

My HHR (~102k miles) was just fine on the drive to work today. Upon leaving work, check engine light came on. Took it to the Autozone, had a P0700 and a P0974 come up.

I know the P0700 is a generic TCM issue and I've been doing some research on the P0974 - it doesn't sound as scary as I first thought, but I am still a bit nervous since these relate to the transmission and I'm having visions of thousands of dollars flying out of my bank account as a result. Does anyone have any good info on the P0974 and what some of the possible outcomes might be? I plan to take it in to the shop first thing tomorrow (if the shop has room), but I'd also just feel a bit better if someone were to tell me this isn't going to make me have to mortgage the house or sell myself into slavery. :)

Thanks!

 

Not on an HHR but I had the P0700/0974 combo on a Acura TL we once owned. My fix was to replace a shift solenoid and a filter and fluid change.

 

Are they the same transmission? I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much... I'd imagine that a solenoid replacement and filter/fluid change would be far cheaper than, say, having to replace the whole transmission...

 

No, they aren't the same transmission.

You might want to read this thread courtesy of the SEARCH tool at the top of the page: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...iod-off-52595/

 

I appreciate the clarification. That was one of the first threads that I read. Believe it or not, I spent an hour on Google searching for this issue, and that thread was one I came across... and one of the reasons that I took the time to register and make a post. Unfortunately the thread does not contain the outcome - did the OP fix it with the solenoid? Did he have to replace the whole transmission?

My father once told me that being forewarned is being fore-armed. I don't want to come off as seeming rude or snarky, not on my third post to this forum, but right now I am looking for some solid information from people who have had experiences with this issue - either mechanics who have encountered it or those with firsthand experiences - so I am better prepared to deal with the Chevy dealership's mechanics tomorrow and not get shilled for lots of money in the process.

Now, I apologize if I seem a bit snarky or rude. I'm trying not to be. But this whole thing worries me because I commute 50 miles one-way to work each day and without my car I won't have a job. Plus the whole making payments on it and possibly having to spend several thousand dollars makes me a little queasy inside.

 

I would suggest a transmission shop because that's what they specialize in. Never could understand folks taking a car to a dealership for this type of work.

 

Gotcha. There are a couple in town. I'll give them a call first thing in the morning.

 

And in the meantime, you can check the connections referred to in posts #12 and #13 in the link above. At least it gets you started on checking the possible causes you might be able to address on your own.

 

2 of the 3 suggested fixes are wires and connectors, although the top of the list is a bad solenoid.

 

The P0974 code could be a result of the P0700 code

P0974 Shift Solenoid 'A' Control Circuit High | AutoCodes

States a possible result of the loose wire or harness issues.
I'd double check the TCM and ECM connections
And the ground wires, this might be the cause and is easy and inexpensive (do it yourself)