My friends,

My thermostat has been acting up on my 06 2LT.

Like I've read happens once and a while..

no temp gauge, no DIC readout, and no AC....
It isn;t constant but comes and goes???

I probably wont get it in till next week, but how far can I drive this 3 day weekend, planned in going 2 hrs each way to see family tonite....

Any input would be helpfull!

Thanks,

Colin

 

You better make sure you have coolant in your radiator. Maybe the HHR is different, but I've never seen a thermostat affect anything except the flow of the coolant. Either it won't open and your engine will overheat, or it sticks open and your engine won't warm up and runs cool.

 

Sounds like the thermostat is stuck open - which is safe enough to drive with, at least for a week or so. See thread at https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/show...ght=thermostat for more info. It details the symptoms, the fix on how to replace it yourself (with pictures of the process, as well as the rubber gasket failure).

A couple of things to note: if the check engine light is on, you can reset it by disconnecting the battery in the trunk for a couple of minutes - with the gasket failure causing the problem, the reason you get the "---" on the display is that the engine is not coming up to proper operating temp fast enough (as the thermostat is stuck open), so it triggers the display to show the "---", and sometimes, depending on some magic computer-related issue, the A/C will become inoperative until the condition is reset.

It would have been nice to have the temp still displayed (even tho' lower than specs) and trigger the check light.

ps: I drove mine for about 2 months before finally replacing the thermostat when I encountered problems. but sure, check your coolant level (can't hurt)

 

Mark sure the coolant level is up and have a good weekend..... Worry about it next week................No problem

 

I agree will all of the above, except that I'd change it before I went on a trip. I wouldn't want it to stick closed!

 

And if you do go on your trip without fixing it, take along a gallon of antifreeze or water, just in case you have any overheating problems.

 

Are these Ecotech engines aluminum block? If your car is overheating I would not risk a trip of any length, lots of things that can come back to haunt you.

I was looking at ChevyMgr's defect/recall/service bulletin thread and I think I saw a defect with the same symptoms you are having. Check it out.

Fred

 

I drove around with mine stuck open for a few weeks. It would be on and off. Reading at 165 degrees. You all can call me crazy but I have zero issues since its been fixed. I hate going to dealerships with a passion

 

Just make sure its stuck open before you go. Running it cool will just make it use more fuel. But overheating an aluminum engine can be very ugly for your pocket$$$$$$$.

 

Fred-

Yes the blocks are aluminum but have steel liners for the pistons to travel in. & Head is aluminum also.

2.4 is only about 13 or 14 lbs heavier that the 2.2