sking1973

I've read several threads on here dealing with the clunking of the front suspension. I have an '07 2LT with 76,XXX miles on it. Last spring, May to be exact, I had the sway bar links replaced with Moogs. That fixed the problem until two works or so ago. I noticed the familiar clunk, mostly from the right front. I got it into the shop and they warrantied the Moogs and replaced them with new. NOW, it seems that it's a bit better, but I still hear a clunking over rougher terrain. Where should I look next? I thought sway bar bushings or possibly struts. I hate to just throw money at it. Here's what I've done, or had done, on the front end in the time we've owned the car.

2009/11/09 Replaced steering column shaft Replaced Front strut shields and bumpers per bulletin #04-03-08-006

2011/11/21 Front end alignment

2012/06/15 Original Front rotors turned, new pads

2012/04 Left front bearing replaced

2013/05/13 Replaced front sway bar links w/ Moog

2013/06/23 New front rotors, new pads

2014/02/07 Sway bar links replaced w/Moog

whopper

Sway bar bushings, would be my guess - can diagnose by:
- driving over a bump with one wheel = thumping sound
- driving over a bump (speedbump works well) with both wheels = no thumping (as the sway bar moves up and down with the wheels in unison)

Also check the rear bushing on the lower control arms - you are at about the mileage where those rear bushings go. There are quite a few links here on how to replace just the bushings (requires a press or a big vise to re and re the bushing), or the complete lower control arm (easy job - sort of).

sking1973

I will try that little test for the sway bar. I'll keep those lower control bushings in mind as well. The shop that replaced my end links told me to come back if I still heard it. I work with the owners Wife so they help us out as far as $$ goes. Love my HHR, just get tired of all the little things.

I had a 2001 Plymouth Neon for about 5 years, ran it past 100,000 miles, and never had any problems with it.

donbrew

Sway bar links TWICE in less than a year with "MOOG". Nobody ever thought of sway bar bushings? Nobody thought of Struts? Nobody thought of Lower Control Arms. Has anyone thought to look at the REAR swing arm bushings? You said you read a lot of threads on the subject.

Are the twice replaced end links 12 inch (wrong size) or 10 inch (correct size). The parts books usually point you to the wrong ones.

My opinion is that "Moog" comes from the same factories as "cheap Chinese" no arguments needed my opinion will not change.

If it's just annoying, not performance or safety related, why keep agonizing? You seem to be bent on making your friends hubby rich.

Oh, and get WV to do something about the roads. Last week I had to deal with them and KY, I thought VA was bad until then.

sking1973

Yes, I threw sway bar bushings and struts out there to the mechanic as possibilities. I gave him ALL the info on the work that had been done previous in a nifty little spread sheet. I had not seen anything about the LCAs or swing arm bushings until this evening.

My HHR is the '07 Fall Limited 2LT so I got the end link length that Chevy specified I needed for this particular suspension setup. I guess it's a different, stiffer setup than an LS or regular LT model. Compared side-by-side, they were the same length (I bought the parts and had the shop install them).

It is annoying, but also a noise that I'm not sure is or isn't affecting the performance of the car. This is my daily driver and I have my kids in it daily. I don't want something failing and causing an accident that could injure myself, my family or someone else. Make sense?

I've done work on cars before. I've done brakes, some engine work, and some suspension stuff (shocks etc) in the past, but I've learned that I would rather pay someone to do the work. It's usually done faster than I could do it and I don't have to spend my weekend under the car in the garage. This is the first time I've used this shop. My regular guy retired and sold his business. As far as making anyone rich, I don't think $30 in labor is going to be making anyone rich.

donbrew

"My HHR is the '07 Fall Limited 2LT so I got the end link length that Chevy specified I needed for this particular suspension setup. I guess it's a different, stiffer setup than an LS or regular LT model. Compared side-by-side, they were the same length (I bought the parts and had the shop install them). "

No, they are not different. Most parts books will specify 12" because of a misprint that they all plagiarized years ago. The reason is that the correct part number ends in 12 but is 10 inch, whereas the incorrect part number ends in 52 and is 12 inch, or something. Anyway, someone said "do you mean the 12s?" and got an answer of "huh?" so they went with it.

The longer 12" links will bang on the lower control arms, you can see a rub mark.

Other places to look is the stops on the sway bar inboard of the bushings, the universal joint at the rack&pinion, strut bearing/mounts, spring seats on the struts, the entire strut assembly. I'm betting on sway bar bushings.

My 2011 has 135,000 miles on it and the OE links are still tight.

Noises are not always dangerous and do not always portend disaster. That is why you take it to a professional, if they just nod and take your money they are not helping you. Give me $30 five times a day for R&Ring 4 nuts and I'll be rich soon.

sking1973

OK, I looked up my receipt from Rock Auto and I purchased MOOG K750012 which appear to be 9.86" center to center from the product specifics. I didn't get out a tape measure and measure them. They were the exact same length as the factory ones I replaced when I put them side-by-side though. I was going to do the job myself, but didn't have an impact driver to get the nuts off and a hand wrench wasn't cutting it!

From the posts on here, it seems that the factory sway bar links are kind of fickle. Some folks have had to replace them at 30K while others, like yourself, have gone 100K miles or more.

I'm hoping that it's just the sway bar bushings. I'm going to try the test that Whopper suggested if I'm out and about today. I know not all noises end up in failure, but this isn't a headliner clicking (which I live with everyday as well) or a door rattle. Heck, I drove for almost a year on a bad front bearing! I had just gotten new tires when the noise began (you can look back through my old threads and see my disdain for my new "noisy" tires). I blamed those until I bought a used set of tires on here for some new Cragars I bought. I put the new wheels and tires on, and the noise was still there. Oops.

PS- Sorry about the WV roads. Where I live, we just got a rare 8" of snow. The plows/salt/freezing tearing the heck out of the roads. We had some holes that were just unbelievable. On the sunny side, the WVDOT has had trucks out patching here locally.

donbrew

The part of WV I was on were not snow covered, just needing lots of patching, and maybe a way through the state that does not include a tour of Charleston. I really hate going 100 miles North to get 50 miles South. Actually the worst part of the trip was in KY, avoiding all the banjo players and pot holes.

sking1973

I was able to go out and do the speed bump test this afternoon. When I went over the bump with both wheels it was quiet as could be. When I went over it with one wheel on the flat pavement at the end of the speedbump, the other going over the bump the thump was there. Most predominantly under the passenger side floorboard. My wife said she could actually feel it. I suppose I will have those sway bar bushings checked out when the weather breaks a bit. We got a couple more inches of snow here this afternoon.

whopper

If you jack up one side or the other, and turn the wheel to the inside, you can get a long screwdriver in near the sway bar bushing and by prying against the bar and the frame, you will be able to spot any slop in the bushing.

If one side is worn, the other side is most likely worn as well - so replace them in pairs.

see https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/brakes-%7C-suspension-%7C-shocks-%7C-struts-24/replacing-sway-bar-bushings-35868/ for a description of the process to replace them - post #5, and post #6 has the part number for aftermarket ones. Be aware that F1/F3/F5 suspensions have different diameter sway bars - so check out this quote from the list of part numbers: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/commonly-used-part-numbers-68/part-numbers-elusive-common-parts-broken-into-separate-posts-thread-48833/

"- FE1:
>>> 2006 & 2007 production until VIN#3GNDA23P26S546471. Use GM PN 15822993 (which equates to a 23mm bar - energy suspension pn: 9.5159 (greaseable) - 9.5115 (non-greaseable))
>>> for FE-1 suspension after VIN#3GNDA23P26S546472. Use GM PN 20902784
(Note: my early early 2006 FE1 sway bar crudely measures out at 23MM so double check yours as the 1" bushings do not fit mine)
- FE3: Energy suspension poly for 1inch/25mm bar - greaseable - 9.5161 (9.5110 non-greaseable)
- FE5: Energy suspension poly for 23mm bar - greaseable - 9.5159 (9.5115 non greaseable)
------- GM - 20902785"