What makes you believe the relay is good with that data? A Normally Open relay does not pass current unless the coil is energized.

 

Maybe my ohmmeter is leading me astray. I think I should see an open line between a hot pin and one that is not hot. But that may not be correct. I have tried several of these identical relays. Is the coil you mentioned inside the relay? Still have to find out why pins that you say should be hot all the time are not. thanks for your help.

 

GoOgle "relay" for a description, you obviously don't understand them.

Evidently there is a problem with the signal from the BCM. Lately, I have been forced to blame the computer.

Pin 85 goes to ground, test it by setting your VOM to DCV black lead to pin 85 red lead to battery +, a good ground reads 12 V.
pin 30 should be always 12 V
pin 86 should be 12 V when key is turned to start

Jumping pin 30 to pin 87 bypasses the relay function.
test the relay coil by connecting pin 85 to ground and pin 86 to 12 V, it should "click" and connect pin 30 to pin 87.

Do all of the above on the run relay also.

You still have not definitively said how you hooked the jumper cables up. I can't think of a scenario where leaving the key "on" over night would kill anything other than the battery.

 

OK, I will have to educate myself about relays. On the matter of the jump start, I used the same technique that have used since 1960 but I did read the manual first. I hooked positive to positive first and then negative to negative. The only mistake I can think of is the order in which I connected and disconnected the leads. I may have done that in the wrong order. It was a month ago and I can't remember.

If the jump start ( which did not work) fried the BCM, does it make sense to get one with the same numbers for a junkyard on eBay ? I see one for $70 with a 1 year guarantee for an additional $15. I think you were the one who said not to be afraid of ebay, just thought I'd ask. NAPA wants $270.

I'm not sure we at a point where we can condemn the BCM quite yet. I will do the relay tests tomorrow. One odd thing is that the numbers on your drawing do not match exactly the numbers print on the relay. Pins 86 an 85 are reversed. That may not make a difference. I did measure 3.5volts between pos post and pin 86 (your sketch, pin 85 on the case ). More info tomorrow after a better test with someone to turn the key.

Like you I cannot see how leaving the key in the run position overnight should do anything other than run the battery down, The old battery came back to life fine but has since been replaced.

Thanks for your patience.

 

I did say the posts may be in different places but the function is the same. It is the label that counts.

The jump start directions for the HHR are different, normally don't go directly to battery. On a 2008 the directions should be on the lid of the under hood fuse box.
When you tried to jump did the starter turn over?
A new BCM needs to be programmed. The odometer reading is in the BCM memory.
Make triple sure that fuses #4 & #6 under hood are good.
Does the car have OnStar installed?

Try this:

 

I did the jump start per instructions in the owners manual. Negative lead went to the ground position under the hood, not the battery. Positive went to positive post under the hood. I do not think that the starter spun during the jump start attempt.

I watched the video and tried the CAN bus test 60 ohms between pin 6 and 14 so I think the connector is ok. Car does have Onstar installed. I saw in the video that he solved the problem with a new VISC in the rear of the car. His had been underwater and mine has not. Please tell me I don't have to open that can of worms.

 

VCIM is the OnStar could have been any other module. I got nothing else.

 

No worries, Don. Some people are beyond help. I appreciate your patience

 

Well I am still fighting my 2008 HHR 2.2 Panel. I got an ecm from an aftermarket source. When I installed it the car started and ran pretty well. However it had a misfire in #4 cylinder. I took it to a very reputable shop and they determined that he ecm was defective. I drove the car home ands removed the ecm. I reinstalled the original eco just to verify that it was indeed bad. (Probably a mistake.) The engine coughed once and then would not start. No crank no start.

The supplier replaced the ecm. I installed the replacement part and no am back to the original no crank no start situation. I could return the ecm but my feeling is that the problem lies elsewhere. The fact that I drove the car home and installed the original ecm and tried to start it makes me think that I somehow caused the new ecm not to work. Your thoughts?

By The way I have started testing fuses with a multimeter and get between 10.4 and 10.6 volts. Is this too low?

 

Way to low, voltage should be 12.6 volts or higher, have you had the battery load tested? You might just simply have a dead battery