Hi Guys! Been a while since I've been here~

I started reading the posts tonight and ran accross this ... this crap just worries me ... SSssoooo, I decided to go check my H3 and see when it was manufactured, the date is 11/05. It was manufactured in Shreveport, LA. I was curious because of all the before this date / after this date talk and also, the midwest problems?? I did some research and from what I find all the H3's are manufactured in Shreveport, they began production in Russia middle of 2006 and plan on manufacturing in South Africa. I found all kinda info most say the same things. So, am I to assume all of our H3's were made in Shreveport?? Is there info out there I don't know about?

I'm not gonna worry about this problem until something happens - I just turned over 11,000 miles this past weekend and haven't had any problems yet! [knocking on wood and crossing fingers and toes]
Except my steering wheel is kinda making a rubbing/grinding kinda sound when I turn. Gotta have that checked out ...

Some of the info I found is linked below. What do ya'll think?

xoxo ~Paige

http://auto.moldova.org/auto/rom/58/91/
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...6/ai_n13674892
http://news.windingroad.com/auto-new...-to-australia/

 

That's the spirit Paige (love that name[sm=Awwww.gif])

And Linus, well put!

 

Linus you are right (as usual). At least they are fixing it without giving anybody problems, so I guess its not THAT big of a deal. I'm still getting a second car HA

 

I see there seems to be a couple of different threads on this issue so I am posting again. Don't want anyone to miss another "head case!" Bought my H3 about 6 months ago and had nearly 6,000 miles on it (when the problem arose). I love it and it has driven like a dream..that is until a few days ago when I decided to take it on a 2,000+ mile trip to the mountains. My story is much like TonyM's - stopped to refuel with a tank fill up and within miles it began to act up (rough and jerky when idling, so thought maybe I had bad gas - the Hummer that is LOL). No engine lights ever came on tho. I also received my OnStar diagnostic email stating I had an "Emissions issue." Tests showed an "engine misfire" and to proceed to my nearest Hummer dealer....NOT a lot of Hummer dealers in the mountains! I held my breath and went about my trip. The old girl did get me around and back home safely a few days later. Took her right in to the dealer and am told it has a cylinder/head problem and needs replacements. Dealer says it will take at least a week. We will see....this will be my 1st service experience with them....so far so good as in very nice and accommodating.

I love my H3, but the more I read all these posts, the more dismayed (pissed off!) I become. Is this a problem I will encounter again? Will it be repaired properly with good parts? Do I have to worry that every time I take a trip (which is often) that I will have problems? Do I have to sweat it that once my warranty goes out - it will happen again at MY expense? WHY hasn't GM done something more about about this? Ironically, hubby wanted me to look at a Toyota (very reliable make) FJ Cruiser, but NOOOOO! I had to have my Hummer! (And I do love it). He has his toy and I wanted mine!

 

I would like to add on this cylinder head issue. I am a shop forman at a Cadillac Hummer dealer and we have ony replaced the head on 2 trucks so far. We have sold a lot of 06 H3's with only 2 being effected so far. The PI lists trucks with a vin number before 68287591 (last eight of vin) might be effected. I hope this helps a little on this subject. Steve

 

Thanks Steve.... I will check it... My service manager told me he put in the "newly designed" heads... so I am assuming this should fix the problem moving forward... On a good note, the H3 is running tighter and more responsive than it has to date. I was averaging about 14.7 MPG prior to it crapping the bed... I am keeping the running tab for now..maybe even my MPGs will go up...

The MPG are always skewed though, as I do take it off road quite a bit.

Beachman

 

Thanks Steve, but as my luck would have it, in checking those numbers...of course I am before LOL. As I have said in a previous post...only time will tell as I have no answers or guarantees.

And in reading a prior post above about those only posting the negatives..(I'd say many many reoccurring cases of a major prob such as this is cause to post the negatives). I'd like to respond to that. AGAIN, as also previously stated in several posts, I LOVE MY LITTLE HUMMER! I have loved her from day 1. I posted this after I first got her on a couple other sites as well as to how I felt that the pros far outweighed the cons (low engine power and poor visibility) on this vehicle. I just never saw this site until I started researching this problem in H3's on the internet and VIOLA! Up y'all popped! I also had such a wonderful buying experience that I commended my dealership/salesperson by letter to the heads of the dealership and in local posts. I felt that in this day and age we are all too quick to find the negatives and complain, and so I felt that a positive experience needed to have some recognition. OK KUDOS TO WILLIAMSON CADILLAC HUMMER in Miami!

Even in spite of this unfortunate event happening now, I cannot get too upset (other than my uneasiness over the future of my H3 after reading all these posts) because it is under warranty, the dealer has also offered me a car for which I did not take since I fortunately have others to drive, and they have been very nice to me thus far. And just in general...S*** HAPPENS! On a last note tho, you can be sure I will be gunning for that extended warranty! [8D]

 

On the subject of defective cylinder head designs I had a 1973 Toyota FJ40. At about 7000 miles I burned a valve and had to have a valve job. After another 5000 miles another valve was burned. I complained about needing to have a valve job every 5 or 7k miles and Toyata paid for the labor only. When the FJ had about 25000 miles it needed another valve job. At this point I had started to write letters to Toyota and BBB etc. Toyota admitted that the cylinder head in the '73 was a different design than other years and it was a defective design. They paid for the new head and all labor this 3rd time.Still it cost me for 3 rental cars and at the last fix they must have got gasket material in the radiator as it was clogged up and over heated and warped on the trip back into the mountains where I lived. I remember seeing flames coming out of the exhaust pipe and it was running real bad, real hot but I had to continue to drive as I was in the middle of no where. I sold the FJ shortly thereafter and never would buy another Toyota product. They knew about the problem and should have paid for all the work that was needed and the rentals. They should have fixed it right the first time.I remember talking to one of the old owners of FAnn Toyota in Phoenix and I could not beleave my ears when he said to me that these FJ's were not made to drive on the highway and I should be driving it on the dirt service road that went along side of I17.I still cannot believe anyone could say anything that stupid- it was the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my whole life!!!!
If they could get away with not taking responsibility they would.If there is a problem with the H3 and with all the H3 websites the truth will come out. A class action suit will follow.
I was part of a class action suit that I read about in Popular Mechanics for Ford cars from 1984 to about 199something. It was a defective electronic module that caused the car to just die. It was happening to my 85 Tempo and the dealer could not find what it was because sometimes it would work when the car cooled off. The car was towed the Ford 3 times after dying on the highway and almost being hit by a truck. When they got the car it started right up and ran fine. One day it did not start up and they were able to find the module. I paid about $350 to fix it. About a year or 2 latter I saw the class action suit involved my Tempo along with other Ford type cars. So I sent in my name and proof of payment to fix car. About a year latter I got a check for $350. Never expected it and it was a nice surprise.

 

Just a little input here with regard to a discussion that I had with a mechanic friend yesterday. He said he had heard about this problem after reading about it in a consumer report/magazine/whatever. His thoughts were that this is a design flaw and that the 5 cylinder engine on this vehicle of this size and weight is what is causing/contributing to the issue (particularly repeatedly on some H3's.) Places too much strain and overheating on the valves, which is perhaps why some individuals are on their 2 or 3rd head job. (OK, so I may not be repeating this verbatim to what he said <for you mechanics out there> as I am no mechanic nor do I know all the mechanic jargon.) Think about it, most midsize SUV's such as my previous Jeep Grand Cherokee are at least a V6.

As to the argument that the Colorado has the same engine and can handle it so why not the H3?...In doing some homework and checking specs on both vehicles, the H3 is heavier by nearly 700 pounds in curb weight. Also I know for myself when I was researching this vehicle to purchase, tow capacity was a factor for me and the H3 tow capacity (4500 lbs) is 500 pounds more than the Colorado (4000 lbs) according to specs. So one can tow more with the H3 which is apparently the same engine as a Colorado? Thus adding more strain on the engine as well. (Which ticks me off a bit too as I had aspirations of pulling a boat in the near future.) Yeah, yeah, I should have gotten a larger vehicle for boat towing! Not that everyone here is towing equipment around which is contributing to these problems - just more food for thought. Any thoughts or input on this? [sm=feedback.gif]

One last note...I called Hummer Customer Assistance and after being rather insistent, was still refused any kind of warranty extension because they supposedly called my dealership Service Manager (while they placed me on hold) and HE said, "this problem will be repaired properly and with newly designed parts, and I will not encounter this issue again!" I asked if he had a crystal ball!!???? (AND maybe I will never encounter this problem again- but, I just aint ready to shrug this off yet) Crossing my fingers because..... I still love my little Hummer! [sm=smiley27.gif]

 

My take is that, it's not a STRAIN on the engine that is causing this problem at all...It's poorly or incorrectly manufactured components that are installed.

An engine that is overloaded will wear out on the crankshaft and at all the piston rods and bearings..the valve train will be no more stressed at idle than at full load as they only move to open and close the combustion chambers on top of the pistons..Granted, if the engine is working harder it will get hotter as more fuel is required under load and may create the heat that is damaging the valve seats..again I emphasize the fact that the valve seats are of the wrong alloy and that is what is failing....i.e., material defect for engine type and design.