Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Chevy HHR front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front shock installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Chevy HHR Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Chevy HHR you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement. On this vehicle the tie
rod attachs to an inner tie rod that screws directly into the steering rack. If replacing the entire tie rod assembly you can tighten the inner
tie rod up toi 74 ft-lbs using a special holding tool. The outer tie rod endlink can be torqued down to the steering knuckle using 35 ft-lbs of force.
Be sure to install a cotter pin if necessary as this will prevent the nut from loosening up under extreme circumstances.
Chevy HHR Outer Tie Rod End Torque Spec : 35 ft-lbs
Chevy HHR Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 74 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
The front wheel hub on the Chevy HHR tightens down to the steering knuckle through the use of 3 bolts. In order to remove the
old part from the vehicle you will need to jack your car up and remove the wheel on the side you are working on. From here we can then begin to
remove the braking system by taking off the caliper and brake rotor and removing the center axle nut which holds the cv axle to the steering
knuckle. With those removed we can now gain access to the wheel hub bolts which will be
on the back side of the steering knuckle and can be accessed by turning the steering wheel one way and then the other. As you move the wheel take the bolts
out as the access becomes easier. Once the 3 bolts have been removed you can remove the old part using a hammer and pry
bar and then clean the surface and put the new part onto the vehicle. With the new wheel hub installed we can begin to hand tighten down the 3 bolts
and then torque them to specs. The 3 bolts which hold it onto the steering knuckle should be torqued down to 70 ft-lbs.
Once all are tight you can then put the center axle nut onto the cv axle and torque it down to 155 ft-lbs. Once both have been torqued you can proceed to
reinstall the braking system and then the wheel.
Chevy HHR Front Axle Nut Torque Spec : 155 ft-lbs
Chevy HHR Wheel Hub Bolts Torque Spec : 70 ft-lbs
Front Ball Joint Installation
The Chevy HHR has only one set of front control arms being the lower control arms. The upper portion of the suspension is maintained
by the strut assembly. The lower ball joint on this vehicle is a commonly replaced part as takes most of the road wear when traveling over bumps
and surfaces. For this reason its always a good idea to check its condition whenever working on your vehicle. In order to replace the lower ball joint
you must first remove the wheel from the appropriate vehicle side. With the wheel removed you can then begin to loosen the nut which holds
the ball joint to the steering knuckle. Since the cv axle is typically in the way here you will want to use a wrench to do so. Once removed you can then
remove the 3 bolts which hold the ball joint onto the vehicle and then remove the old part. Occasionally these 3 bolts will be rivets instead of easily
removable bolts. If this is your case you can drill or cut out the rivets and replace them with bolts or instead replace the entire lower control arm as
a single assembly. If you have the bolts they will need to be torqued down to 25 ft-lbs during reinstallation. The ball joint nut can be torqued down to
about 60 ft-lbs or relatively close as it may be hard to get a torque wrench on it. Make sure to install a cotter pin once tight. From here
we can grease up the new ball joint if necessary and tehn reinstall the wheel.
Chevy HHR Lower Ball Joint to Arm Torque Spec : 25 ft-lbs
Front Control Arm Installation
Lower Control Arm
On the Chevy HHR there is only one set of front control arms being the lower control arm. This control arm also contains the
lower ball joint which is covered in its own section on this webpage. To install a new lower control arm you will first need to remove the old
part from the vehicle. In order to do this you will want to jack up your vehicle and remove the tire from the side you are working on. From here we can
then remove the 2 bolts which hold the arm to the vehicle frame. With those removed we can remove the 3 bolts which hold the ball joint to the
arm or the single nut which holds the ball joint to the steering knuckle. This should allow us to lower the control arm and remove it away from the
vehicle. The new part can be placed back up into the original location as the last one and the frame bolts can be torqued down to 85 ft-lbs.
The 3 bolts that hold the ball joint to the control arm can be torqued down to 25 ft-lbs and the single ball joint nut can be torqued to somewhere around
60 ft-lbs. You may need to use a wrench for this part as it may be difficult to access otherwise. Once tightened make sure that you install cotter
pins wherever there is a castle nut used and then you can reinstall the wheel and go to get your vehicle aligned.
To replace the front struts on the Chevy HHR you will have to first remove the tire on the side of the vehicle in which you intend to replace.
Once the tire is off you can then remove the 2 lower strut bolts which hold the strut assembly to the steering knuckle. Once these bolts have been removed
you can remove the stabilizer bar nut and then move to the upper portion of the strut. From under the hood of the vehicle you can access
the 3 bolts/nuts that hold the strut up to the vehicles frame. Once these are removed the entire strut assembly can be removed from the vehicle.
To install a new strut simply place the new part up into the location as the old one and begin to hand tighten the upper fasteners.
Once tightened you can then hand tighten the lower strut bolts. You may need to tap the bolts into place but be careful not to damage the
bolts threads. Once all fasteners have been hand tightened you can begin to torque down the bolts. The upper bolts and nuts need to
be torqued down to 20 ft-lbs. The 2 lower strut bolts can be torqued down to 100 ft-lbs.
The front swaybar on the Chevy HHR consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the
vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove
the swaybar you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the
brackets. To install the new swaybar you will need to move it back into the place as the old one
and torque the endlink nuts to 20 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 37 ft-lbs as well.
Chevy HHR Front Swaybar Bracket Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs
Chevy HHR Front Swaybar Endlinks Torque Spec : 20 ft-lbs
