So I think I may have made a big mistake. I bought an 06 h3 in April. I've been noticing a vibration getting worse ever since I got it, its so bad now that it finally got me on here looking for an answer. Now i really don't know a thing about 4 wheel drive vehicles. With that being said, when I bought it it was in 4 wheel lock so I assumed that's where it was supposed to be. But after reading some other threads on here I believe I've been tearing things apart ever since I bought it by having it in 4 lock. Am I right? Is this why the whole thing is vibrating so bad? How much is this gonna cost me? How long should I expect to have it in the shop? Sounds like I'm not the only one who's done it. Thanks

 

It should be in 4wd high in normal driving conditions. Is that causing the vib ?? not for sure but I would guess the front drive line joint is shot and causing the vib. Is there any noises or when turning in a tight turn will the truck bind up and slow down/most of the time the damage is done to the front drive line and tcase . cost all depends on the damage done. could be 500 to 3000

 

Hindsight is always 20/20 but you may want to spend some time reading the owner's manual and get a better understanding of how to operate the 4WD system. As far as the vibration goes, my guess is something is obviously worn out. Vibrations usually happen in the drivetrain axles, u joints; grinding and whining noises come from trans and transfer case and hubs.

 

If you drove around with the difflock engaged on the road you will do damage to both diffs and the t case. The vibration is mostly coming most likely coming from your diff or a twisted drive shaft. I would change the diff oil and if the oil comes out glittery (Metal sparkles) then you know you have diff damage. I would check the drive shaft and carrier bearing. If it it loose that will cause a vibration it gets worse the faster you drive. I would also change the tcase oil and look for glitter.
Good thing its not a h1 or you could have damaged the wheel hubs.

 

Well thanks for the replies. I found the problem the other day. The u joint on the back of the drive shaft was completely out. Don't know how I missed it before because I looked at it not to long ago as the same thing happened to my jeep commander a year ago. It sounds great now since I changed it but hopefully the other things you guys talked about are ok

 

Did anything else happen with the car after you've got it fixed? Sometimes the simplest things give rise to the biggest troubles hey? Best to get things checked out by a proper mechanic if you're still worried!