Our '08 H3 began to have a little clunk sound when the wheel was turned. I took a look and found that the rubber grommet that I think came off the sway bar had slipped out and was pinned in up under the bottom armor plate. I looked it over and I see that the rack and pinion is a little loose, but hasn't really affected the steering yet. My question is should I get this fixed right away, we don't do any off road driving etc. How hard is this to fix? Most the mechanics around here don't want to touch a Hummer and I hear nothing but horror stories about taking these to the dealership. Is it safe to drive, I do have a good mechanic back home, but would have to take it on the road for a 6 hour trip. From what I can see, this is just a matter of taking apart the rack and pinion and putting new bushings in. Should I worry that the rack and pinion is damage, how do I tell if it is? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated, we have only owned this H3 for 7 months and I was really not expecting any problems with it so soon. Thanks!

 

Really not qualified to answer your safety concerns on driving it back home
I do know that it wound negate any warranties on it if you did drive it home.
Hopefully people in this forum smarter than me on this concern will help you out .Good luck & God speed

 

I would not.drive it. You can split the steering gear in half because there is nothing hold the it in place on the passenger side of the rack.

Getting the mount off is a bitch but.it can be done with simple hand tools. Get a new bushing from GM and replace it if you don't go off road.

It's not the best fix fo your issue though. I would contact OD and get their stronger bushings and mount kit. It's a permanent fix. Best $200 you can spend on an H3.

http://www.outfitterdesign.com/steer...ement-kit.html

 

Don't drive it. You will damage it and then it's big $$$$ to replace the rack.

There is a metal strap that holds that bushing in place. The bushing goes around the rack and the rack gets held in place by the bushing and strap.
There are 2 bolts to remove the strap. The bushing may be reusable if it's not torn up. If not then a new bushing would be needed.

It shouldn't matter to a good mechanic that it's a Hummer that he's working on. 2 bolts off/on and the problems's fixed. It's a simple mechanical repair, not a "special" Hummer problem.

 

I have never had any mechanic tell me they don't want to work on my Hummer ever. Somebody doesn't want to make any money