I'd suggest having a look a how far the dealership tore down the engine. Let us know if the head is off, if you see marks on the piston tops , if you can see gaps around the valve in the head. Take pictures and let us guide you through this

 

Sorry to hear that the engine is a goner, at least from the head up.

It could be rebuilt, but a good quality used engine, or a Reman unit from an outfit like Jasper Engines would probably prove to be the most cost effective route.

Despite the years of good service you had from the engine, it's toast.

Ecotecs are fairly highly strung, and it doesn't take much more than a minor issue that wasn't found before the point of no return, to damage one past the point of economical repair.

Please keep us in the loop and we'll do our best with advice.

P.S. thanks whopper for merging things into a cohesive thread, it's very much appreciated!

 

hi guys. ive been busy at work ( and even busier getting rides to places since the hhr is being undead in the driveway haha ) - i have looked at some stuff on ebay, some stuff online, trying to see where to go. i very much liked my hhr and would not get rid of it if it was still running but i might go with a replacement car instead or repairing. i dont have a garage so all work would be in the driveway, and i imagine i would at minimum need to buy an engine hoist to do a replacement. blah. its pretty depressing. even weirder is i have no car lots near me that have an HHR for sale ( i want to finance if i purchase another car ) . philly / south jersey. might sell the car to a junkyard, a couple people mentioned places that give $1,000 for a newer car like this, however most places i am finding offer $500 and i dunno, that kinda blows.

 

You can rent a hoist.

They are pretty cheap at Harbor Freight, like around $150 if I remember right.