I believe I got this fixed. I jacked up the Panel and checked for any rubbing or grinding and could not detect any. So as was pointed out here I was looking over the struts and figured I didn't have much to looze so I put just a bit of penetrating oil at the Top of the Strut Mount from under the hood in hopes that it would wick into the Strut Bearing area.

Low and behold I drove the Panel to a large parking lot and made numerous sharp left and right turns and sure enough the Noise is gone. I drove the Panel around for another 10 miles or so and could not get the noise any more. I think I have it licked but, will keep an eye on it.

Many thanks to all for your time and clarifications.

 

Well as these thing seem to come and go. My sound returned and re oiling didn't help.

So I decided to quit screwing around with this and took the Panel to my Chevy dealer for analysis. Low and behold I was told that my Front Breaks were gone and need Rotors and Pads ect. Of course Breaks were considered but with only 22K miles didn't seem likely~wrong.

Well I had them replace the faulty Break Parts. I was shocked to say the least that the Breaks would crap out at 22K.

 

Not shocked here, a little surprised at the mileage, but there is a reason HHR's are hard on their front brakes.

The self adjusters on the rear brakes seldom work properly, leading to a gradual loss of rear braking, and a corresponding increase in the load on the front brakes.

You can extend your brake life by simply adjusting the rear brakes every 5,000 miles or when you change the oil.

This thread will tell you everything you need to know.....

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/brakes-%7C-suspension-%7C-shocks-%7C-struts-24/proper-rear-drum-brake-adjustment-procedure-36754/

 

Hey 843de,

Yeah I will certainly get familiar with the Rear Break Adjustment! It's just very hard to swallow Breaks at 22K. My last ride which I purchased new a 99' Isuzu Amigo has 92K and the original Breaks are still fine at least to show the vehicle for sale.

There must be additional issues with the HHR Break system as I have looked over countless Threads here regarding different Pad/Rotor systems. I would have to question the Proportioning System ie the hydraulics. If the Proportioning Valve could be changed to give the Rears more initial bite.

Can you recommend a correct bedding procedure?

Thanks

 

As they came from the factory, HHR's were fitted with brake pads and rotors that are "adequate", bought by GM in huge quantities, and maybe not as good as they should have been.

A fair number of the brake judder complaints might be due to material transfer between the pads and rotors. There are certain conditions where the friction material gets embedded in the rotor surface causing variations in friction...hence juddering. In your case I think it was a classic deal of self adjusters that were not functioning, basically leaving the fronts with 100% of the work instead of the normal 70%.

Having more "bite" on the rear end would bring its own issues like really touchy handling under braking, think doing an unplanned 360...on a wet road.

As for bedding in the new pads and rotors, I'm of the "several moderate near stops from 45-60mph, with time in between to allow the brakes to cool, then 500 miles of normal driving without any avoidable hard stops".

But as you'll see in this thread, as outlined in post #6, there are more methods.

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/problems-service-repairs-42/brake-pads-needed-27594/

 

First of all replace your tough breaks with real BRAKES. Just a note from the spelling police, "words mean things".

Although I won't argue about bedding, I have never actually worried about doing it. Modern stock brakes do not really need it. If you are a rally/sport driver then maybe.

 

843de I'm sure your quite right about the proportioning system but it can't hurt to look for improvements.

Hi donbrew, those Brakes being Broke are Breaks until they are satisfactory. But, I will monitor myself for spelling improvements as well~Cheerz

 

Just bought my HHR a month ago. At 12000 kms I`m getting a rubbing sound at slow speeds in the front end. Thought the tire might have a shifted belt but it seems fine. I`ll be extremely disappointed if it`s a wheel bearing at 12000 kms....

 

nathwals, if you just got the car , have the dealership look at it, they should have caught it at time of sale, if you purchased from private source, then check the brakes first as the inboard pad will wear out faster than the outboard one will. if that doesn't resolve the issue then move on to the hub bearings. easy to replace just search and follow one of the many threads on the subject!

 

so weird to hear about brake problems...I have 64k on my original pads and rotors!