I think I will be taking the SS into the dealer soon due to several issues. Just trying to go in with as much knowledge about others that may have the same issues.

I have an 08 SS with 1900 miles.

1. Boost is absolutely inconsistant. I have tried the disconnect the battery thing and the problem goes away for a few days and then is intermittant after that.
One minute I will have 15-16 pounds of boost under full throttle, then the next time I get on it I will get 5 throught all the gears. Sometimes the boost shoots right up to 15-16 and the next time it will jump to 2-3 and then slowely climb to around 10. I understand that atmospheric conditions can effect boost levels, but Im talking minutes apart.

2. When I bought the car the normal running temp was around 192 degrees give or take 5 degrees. Now no matter how hard or long I drive now the coolant temperature will not get above 152 degrees. Also as the coolant temp has dropped the heater output has dropped so low that the car never gets warm even with the heater on high and driving many miles. I assume this is a thermostat problem, but cant be sure. Also the coolant overflow bottle was bone dry when I checked it today both cold and after driving home from work. I have not noticed any leakage of coolant and there have been no drips on the driveway, but it is going somewhere. I also checked the oil just to make sure that there was no coolant in there and the oil was ok.

3. Also have some type of oil leakage from the small hose above the coolant hose between the coolant fill cap and the top of the motor.

Too many problems for a car with only 1900 miles, but I still love it. I will give the dealer a chance to fix it, and hopefully I dont get the dreaded no problem found from the service department.

Any similar experiences from other SS owners would be helpful.

Thanks,

SPPD

 

I was thinking your thermostat was stuck open, but that should throw a CEL.

There are a few things to check on the boost and some TSBs and PIs that I have posted in TSB thread so hopefully they will be able to fix it right the first time.

 

You might want to check into that low coolant thing, its possible to overheat an engine with the guage reading low, cause there is not enough coolant to make the guage read right.

 

Thank you, I will check the TSB's and am going to make an appointment with the dealer for next week.


SPPD

 

coolant is low , that`s why you don`t have any heat, that`s also why your temp gauge is not going up, the boost is probably a sensor problem ECM etc.

 

I checked the coolant level through the fill cap and it was right to the top, so the cooling system seems to have plenty of coolant, but for some resason the overflow tank is dry both hot and cold. I topped off the overflow bottle yesterday while the engine was cool and this morning again it was dry. I thought that the overflow was leaking, but again no drips on the driveway, and no obvious signs of leakage anywhere. Maybe there was an air bubble somewhere in the system(if this is possible). But even after topping off the coolant I am still having the low temperature on the DIC, and the lack of heat in the cabin. I guess I will have to let the service department figure it out. I have printed a few of the TSB's and plan to bring those in next week when I bring the SS in to the service department.

Just a little frustrating since it is such a new car, and compared to others my problems seem a little minimal in my opinion, but hopefully the dealer can figure it out.

SPPD

 

I suspect the HHR has air pocket problems as I have had and seen others say they have had noise in the dash like sloshing water. This is a sign of a low system or air pocket.

My made the noise right after I picked it up at the dealer after the radiator was replace. All is fine now and the air worked out of the system.

 

funny thing is that i hear that too out of my car too and its 06 and i didnt know what it is till now! ahhaha.... its sounds like sloshing water noise from my dash board. lol..i should check it out..haha..

 

hmm. sometimes i hear a slushing sound in my dash as well..
never thought much of it. just ignored it , but ive heard it several times
is this something to worry about ?! or not?!

 

yeah i too ignored...ahhaha...but since someone mention here im going to find out what it is...=)