I just got a call from my dealer about my "clanking, thunking" noise upon shifting and/or hitting the gas. Again, it is a Differential problem. Here is the response:

"We have ordered some front differential linkage parts. There were some bushings that had split on your vehicle that was causing that noise. For whatever reason we discovered they were split. We have ordered them. Some "updated" bushings are on their way and it should be ready sometime tomorrow morning"

Obviously this is what I would think is causing people's differentials to "explode" as the term we have adopted would say

Since there are "updated" parts, obviously they know there is a problem.

Anyway, I say read this because since we all know people have had issues with this, I would tell everybody to pay attention to their H3 when they accelerate and see if you hear a clanking noise or a thunking noise. It would be apparent with the windows open, especially since it makes the entire hood vibrate. It's more apparent when you have a manual trans and you shift and re-engage the clutch, or let up on the gas and then hit it again. If you hear something pound, clank, thunk, bump, etc, I would get it checked out before it "explodes" on you

I'm sure if I would have went off-roading for my first time like I had planned this weekend, I would be in trouble

NOTE: I still love my H3 will not be trading it in, calling GM, yelling at the dealer, screaming at my wife, screaming at YOUR wife, taking candy from babies, drinking out of the milk carton, driving through the toll both without paying, scanning 1 bag of chips at the self-checkout line even though I have 3 or buy any magnet of any kind and complaining that it doesn't work. I love this car and for every 2 or 3 months of enjoyment, I can suffer taking it to the dealer to get some new "updated" parts to make it even better.

Once again, Thank You.

NOTE 2: My dealer is great. These guys never doubted me and told me I was imaging things.

 

Good info, Mike!

So, i think you should take it off roading this weekend to try out the new parts!

 

at least you got it in time, woulda sucked having it fully explode on the trail.

 

Definitely. I'm going to break the new parts in a little before I decide to take it trailing. I know I probably don't have to, but I don't want to take the chance.

Now you have to take YOURS in ;-)

 

I don't mind the bad gas mileage too bad, the gas station I go to just hired a hot girl to work the little store thing. hmm...I think I need to fill teh tank tonight as a matter of fact

 

Thanks for the update

 

So, the bushings are broken, and now apparently, the brackets that hold the transfer case to the chasis (or hold these parts inside the transfer case) are cracked as well. The parts department sent them two right side brackets with one labelled left. Basically somebody in the parts department messed up and sent two of the same parts and says its correct, while the dealer is trying to tell them no it's not, they are two different parts. So, while they look in the parts catalog and try to convince the parts department they screwed up, I get to drive my handy dandy Envoy. It probably won't be done until tomorrow afternoon sometime, that is IF they have the parts. The problem is the factory I guess has these brackets mislabelled so they aren't sure how to get the bracket they need since it's possible GM themselves labelled the parts wrong and it's a big mystery!

DOH!.

I told them as long as I have a car to drive it's no big deal. Do whatever you have to do to fix it and let me know when it will be done. The Envoy is actually a very nice ride. I'm kinda liking it [&:]

 

I got my H3 back Friday afternoon. The problem was the bushings inside the right and left differential brackets were cracked completely and broke off, causing the differential to clank back and forth and move whenever there was torque applied to the wheels. They fixed it after some part number confusions. It feels like a completely different truck. I don't even remember it shifting as smoothly as it does now. Now I know why they say there are corrected replacement parts. Apparently the differential brackets are weak and they have stronger replacements for them now.

 

Glad you got your truck back and everything went ok. Good info for future problems.

 

Thanks.

The dealer waxed the car, polished the wheels (which had thick brake dust on them which I couldn't even get off), shined them up and vacuumed it. It looked brand new. That is a good dealer for you.

They even waxed the wheel wells, literally.