JWA

Howdy,

My 08 SS Overheated on the way home from work the other day. Used my classic car roadside+ assistance to get it home ( Thanks Hagerty ). Did a bunch of reading here and abroad (online ).

Decided to go for the Thermostat change first. No milky oil or abnormal noise. Who the heck designed this contraption? !! I am used to Chev V8s and T-stats being right up front which equates to a 15 minute job. Not this car. Buried in the driver side under so many harnesses. Just 2 bolts hold it in place but those spring clamps are put on in just the right way to be a total PIA. Grrrr. Okay got it changed, filled again and got it "burped". Off on the test drive. Hmmm no heat and it over temped in about 5 miles. Checked it over and no leaks. Oil still looks good. Guess it is water pump time? HOLY MOTHER @#$%%^&^&&.
I guess if you wanted to pull the transmission it would make this job easier....
Here is a pic of the side of the engine that faces the firewall.



All the stuff you have to disconnect using Autozone's repair guide prints out on 6 pages when edited to a readable size....
Of course you have to get a tool to hold sh..stuff together so timing isn't messed up. The J 45361 tool doesn't exist at the local stores but O'reilly's had a tool PN 13800 ($42) that does the job. Of course they didn't have a pump in stock.
Yup the thermostat has to come back out to get the t-stat housing out (also need to remove the temp sensor to get to the one bolt on the housing you can't see) Then you can get the water transfer pipe to come off the water pump. Then the water pump has to be snaked out through the wheel well. Good thing I have 2 post hoist in my shop. It sure went up and down a bunch...
Now for the bad news. Nothing looks wrong with the pump. We will see what happens when it gets put back together....

Any thoughts on other possibilities??

My ride:
2008 HHR SS with 164K on the clock. Runs 190 miles a day at mostly freeway speeds.
Repairs since new:
1 auto trans at 9600 (warranty)
1 Electric fan @125k
1 EVAP harness for canister in the rear (90.00 in parts didn't fix it. the $10 junkyard harness did though)
Just changed the plugs since I had the Air cleaner removed for the W-pump deal. Original plugs did not look bad...

whopper

Wow, that is some messy job.

Other possibilities:
- temp sensor/sending unit itself is wrong and it's not actually overheating (I've had that happen before)
- head gasket has gone bad

donbrew

The tool has recently become available in my local Advance and AutoZone. It's called a "timing chain" something or other, name does not have water pump in it. About $30 (you could return it).

The job only takes a couple of hours, it is not as bad as it sounds. When I did it everything came out the bottom, don't know what you mean about the wheel well. Maybe you didn't remove the pipe at both ends?

badassbowtie

When I did mine t-stat (about a year ago) it was a pain too...bad design...

A couple of things. I had a hell of a time getting all of the air out of the system...I jacked the front of the car in the air, started it, let it get up to temp and almost over heat, and shut it off....

I did this like 4 or 5 times. and it still ran a little hot for a few days...Just my two cents...you likely still have air in the system. Thats also why it wont heat

jczboy

I had problems getting all the air out of these, until I got a Radiator/ Cooling System Vacuum Refill Kit. They work great! pick it up on eBay for about $80 and will need shop air.
One key, you said there was no heat in the heater. That will indacate a air pocket many times.
Good luck

JWA

Thanks for the avenues to pursue. At least it doesn't leak now that is back together Coolant refiller on order :)

JWA

UPDATE: Pulling out my hair. I took a break from this rig since I have a yard full of others. (not as good on fuel though) Got the vacuum tool and still could not get it to stop with the overheat/ with no interior heat. It can't trap that much air can it?. Wasted some $$ at the dealer having them flush/refill and that did not work either. Drained the oil too and it looked fine. In fiddling around today I blew a radiator hose. Since the level was down I got a HC tester and the fluid did not change color not a hint of change at all. I guess I will have to take it somewhere and see if they can find something... Pretty frustrating, I work on military aircraft and have restored a Chevelle SS and a 69 Z28 from the ground up and done drivetrain swaps and installed lifts on pickups. I should be able fix a stupid little FWD POS...... GRRRRR

firemangeorge

Dumb question. Is the radiator fan working correctly ? Coming on at the right temp ?

donbrew

If the heater is not working; there lies the problem! It is clogged up, a tube got bent etc.

And the fan, it should turn on at around 220F and stay on down to around 180F. If the A/C is on it should be on.

firemangeorge

donbrew. Just to clarify. The SS fan works a little different than the regular HHR fan works.
Not sure on all the specs, but one difference is the SS fan has that built on module. Apparently from what I've read, the module makes the fan have variable speeds. Fan speed based on how hot I'm guessing?

I know mine has never been over 204 according to the dash and RPD, but the fan has been on even with the AC off.