Clutch Chatter in Reverse (Manual Trans)
09-29-2007 | 06:31 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 08-06-2007
Posts: 359
From: Edison, NJ
Clutch Chatter in Reverse (Manual Trans)
I must, out of necessity, park my HHR in a parallel parking reverse maneuver, constantly checking both sides as I back into my parking space. Allowing the clutch to fully engage in reverse means I am going too fast to safely park. Therefore, it becomes necessary to allow the clutch to slip a bit to achieve a slow enough reverse speed for parking.
I do get a slight amount of clutch chatter in reverse gear, depending upon how much I let up on the clutch pedal, and letting off completely on the gas (idle RPM's). If I keep the RPM's up and just barely engage the clutch, there is no chatter - but I am worried about glazing the clutch disc.
In forward gears, there is no chatter and the clutch action is smooth as silk, as is the Getrag transmission itself. Love it! I might add that I only have 800 miles on my HHR as of this date.
Any other stick shift owner's experiencing this?
Willie R.
I do get a slight amount of clutch chatter in reverse gear, depending upon how much I let up on the clutch pedal, and letting off completely on the gas (idle RPM's). If I keep the RPM's up and just barely engage the clutch, there is no chatter - but I am worried about glazing the clutch disc.
In forward gears, there is no chatter and the clutch action is smooth as silk, as is the Getrag transmission itself. Love it! I might add that I only have 800 miles on my HHR as of this date.
Any other stick shift owner's experiencing this?
Willie R.
09-29-2007 | 07:20 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: 08-29-2007
Posts: 256
From: CenCoast California
I've got the 2.4 manual powertrain in my HHR. I don't experience any chatter but, under the conditions you cite, slipping the clutch a bit while going slow in reverse with the engine under light load would not be unusual.
As long as the clutch does not chatter during normal engagements in the forward gears, I'd say you're ok.
As long as the clutch does not chatter during normal engagements in the forward gears, I'd say you're ok.
09-29-2007 | 10:11 PM
#3
Joined: 04-23-2007
Posts: 8
From: Syracuse, NY
Hey Willie,
I've put about 9,000 miles on my 06 LT1... and I've experienced the same thing.
I always back into my driveway which has a very slight incline. Reverse seems way more like second gear than first.
I've followed all the different complaints on the site and this is really the only issue I have with my car. The "reverse issue" is a pain right in the rear. I'm not sure what Chevy was thinking but the gear is simply two high for reverse.
I don't think you have a unique experience... maybe it's something that hasn't been mentioned before because people are self conscious about their shifting ability. I'm not. I've been driving “big truck” for 26 years... and currently peddle local freight in a little single axle freightliner with a city 6 speed transmission.
With only 800 miles on your vehicle... am I safe in assuming that you're driving an 07? Is it also a 2.2 like mine? I'd also like to hear some feedback from anyone with mechanical experience in order to prepare for future problems due to this issue.
I'll tell you this though... I bought the car with 5k on it and plan on putting another 18k per year on it myself. If all goes right I'll keep the car for five years before I start thinking about moving on to the next one. If it ends up needing drivetrain work down the road... I'd rather pay for a clutch repair than a new or rebuilt transmission.
On a related note... I wonder if this thought has crossed your mind while cruising down the highway. Have you ever wondered why you're turning 3,000 RPM's at 70 mph? What would our gas mileage be if we had a sixth gear to shift into? A long... long time ago I was taught to drive at a much lower RPM level and to only drop a gear when I needed the power.
Talk about an easy way that Chevy could have boosted the Highway MPG rating!
All in all I love my HHR... it's only the second manual transmission I've owned. The last one was a 83 Chevy Z-28 that I bought brand new. (When I was "brand new" myself) My HHR is way more fun than that Camero ever was! :twothumbs
It would be fun having T-Tops again... I wonder how those would look on an HHR?
Walker
I've put about 9,000 miles on my 06 LT1... and I've experienced the same thing.
I always back into my driveway which has a very slight incline. Reverse seems way more like second gear than first.
I've followed all the different complaints on the site and this is really the only issue I have with my car. The "reverse issue" is a pain right in the rear. I'm not sure what Chevy was thinking but the gear is simply two high for reverse.
I don't think you have a unique experience... maybe it's something that hasn't been mentioned before because people are self conscious about their shifting ability. I'm not. I've been driving “big truck” for 26 years... and currently peddle local freight in a little single axle freightliner with a city 6 speed transmission.
With only 800 miles on your vehicle... am I safe in assuming that you're driving an 07? Is it also a 2.2 like mine? I'd also like to hear some feedback from anyone with mechanical experience in order to prepare for future problems due to this issue.
I'll tell you this though... I bought the car with 5k on it and plan on putting another 18k per year on it myself. If all goes right I'll keep the car for five years before I start thinking about moving on to the next one. If it ends up needing drivetrain work down the road... I'd rather pay for a clutch repair than a new or rebuilt transmission.
On a related note... I wonder if this thought has crossed your mind while cruising down the highway. Have you ever wondered why you're turning 3,000 RPM's at 70 mph? What would our gas mileage be if we had a sixth gear to shift into? A long... long time ago I was taught to drive at a much lower RPM level and to only drop a gear when I needed the power.
Talk about an easy way that Chevy could have boosted the Highway MPG rating!
All in all I love my HHR... it's only the second manual transmission I've owned. The last one was a 83 Chevy Z-28 that I bought brand new. (When I was "brand new" myself) My HHR is way more fun than that Camero ever was! :twothumbs
It would be fun having T-Tops again... I wonder how those would look on an HHR?
Walker
09-29-2007 | 10:36 PM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: 03-06-2007
Posts: 624
From: Ocala, Florida
It would be fun having T-Tops again... I wonder how those would look on an HHR? 
(Sorry just IMO) I wonder if those Panorama Moonroof w/ power slide/tilt would work/look good? What does, everyone think? See Pictures below.
(Sorry just IMO) I wonder if those Panorama Moonroof w/ power slide/tilt would work/look good? What does, everyone think? See Pictures below.
09-30-2007 | 06:39 AM
#5
Member
Joined: 09-23-2007
Posts: 33
From: Florida
I bought my 07 Panel LS about 2 weeks ago and have 600 miles on it. Because it is a panel and backing out of a parking space is much harder than backing in I use reverse quite often. I too experience the clutch chatter in reverse, especially on an incline. so after reading this I went to find the gear ratio specs for our transmissions and here is what I found ...
first gear 3.58
second gear 2.02
3rd 1.35
4th .98
5th .69
reverse 3.32
final drive 3.58:1
first gear 3.58
second gear 2.02
3rd 1.35
4th .98
5th .69
reverse 3.32
final drive 3.58:1
09-30-2007 | 09:50 AM
#7
Senior Member
Joined: 04-19-2006
Posts: 5,065
From: Arvada CO
Well someone better tell chevrolet.com that JoeR...because their site says it's 3.58:1 for a 2007 HHR which is what he owns. Someone obviously has a typo. 
http://www.chevrolet.com/hhr/specifications/
However, I did find this info on the 2006.
2006 Chevrolet HHR Handling, Ride & Braking Standard Features - 4.17:1 axle ratio
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2006/...pecifications/
It depends on what year you are talking about.
http://www.chevrolet.com/hhr/specifications/
However, I did find this info on the 2006.
2006 Chevrolet HHR Handling, Ride & Braking Standard Features - 4.17:1 axle ratio
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2006/...pecifications/
It depends on what year you are talking about.
09-30-2007 | 06:12 PM
#9
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 08-06-2007
Posts: 359
From: Edison, NJ
Hey Walker (and anybody else reading this) -
Funny you should mention cruising RPM's of 3000 at 70 MPH. I traded a 2004 Mercedes C240 sedan for my HHR. It was an automatic and the tachometer indicated 3000 RPM's at 70 MPH also. I also own a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire with the 2.0 (not Ecotec) engine with auto trans and it tach's out at about 2300 RPM at 70 MPH. Go figure. Or leave it to the automotive engineers.
Apparently, the minor clutch chatter in reverse is a feature of the 2.2 LS drivetrain, albeit an unwanted one. One of the respondents with an LT model says that he does not experience this phenomenon.
What will really be telling is if an HHR owner with high mileage on the vehicle reports that minor clutch chatter was experienced when new and it has gotten progressively worse.
I have always enjoyed manual transmissions - it tends to keep me more fully engaged in the driving process. But I have to admit - going uphill in stop-and-go traffic can sometimes be frustrating....
Willie R.
Funny you should mention cruising RPM's of 3000 at 70 MPH. I traded a 2004 Mercedes C240 sedan for my HHR. It was an automatic and the tachometer indicated 3000 RPM's at 70 MPH also. I also own a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire with the 2.0 (not Ecotec) engine with auto trans and it tach's out at about 2300 RPM at 70 MPH. Go figure. Or leave it to the automotive engineers.
Apparently, the minor clutch chatter in reverse is a feature of the 2.2 LS drivetrain, albeit an unwanted one. One of the respondents with an LT model says that he does not experience this phenomenon.
What will really be telling is if an HHR owner with high mileage on the vehicle reports that minor clutch chatter was experienced when new and it has gotten progressively worse.
I have always enjoyed manual transmissions - it tends to keep me more fully engaged in the driving process. But I have to admit - going uphill in stop-and-go traffic can sometimes be frustrating....
Willie R.
