OK. In august both of the brackets that hold my front differential cracked and I had to get new ones. NOW, yesterday I put it in 4 locked while driving through the snow and sleet, and apparently it didn't like a turn I took. I could feel the stress. After that, now I have the same kinda symptoms I had before, where when I'm in first or second gear and I let up on the gas, the H3 violently jerks letting up and giving it gas. This is the same exact way it started last time when the brackets cracked. Apparently they aren't strong enough to handle certain turns when the front wheels are put under pressure in locked mode. I was slippery out so I figured it would be ok. I did smell that smell you all know when you lock your wheels and it doesnt like what you are doing. Now I think I have to take it in on Monday morning and hopefully they can get it fixed before I close on my house on Thursday or I'm in trouble lol.

Maybe this is just a manual transmission thing. I have had 2 other SUV's in the past, a 4 Runner SR5 and a Rodeo LS that had absolutely no problems with 4 locked. If there was any pressure the tires would usually skip or spin. I'm starting to wonder just how durable this H3 is if every time I put it under a pressure situation something breaks. It makes me really not ever want to take it off-roading. I don't have time to keep dumping it at the dealer all the time. HummerMike broke two front differentials already off-roading, but in my case it's just the brackets and bushings that hold it on. I'm never getting rid of this truck, but it's getting annoying already. The brackets were supposedly the NEW Stronger replacements. I guess they aren't strong enough!

 

Is the H2 having similar problems?

 

I don't think so. I never saw anybody post anything like it on here, but this is becoming a known issue with the H3, either the differential blowing out, or the brackets cracking for the differential.

 

Man that sucks for the H3 owners.

 

I would be curious to know if this is related to the torsion bar turning. I used to have an S-10 and when it was in 4x4 and I turned on dry pavement, it would get all bound up but then the front tire would start to skip which released the pressure on the diff. With the tightened t-bar, the suspension is much stiffer and it could be limiting the skip and just forcing that tire around. Just a thought but if I were a dealer, that sounds like a valid excuse to not honor your warranty on that one...[:@]

 

Well, this happened the first time and before I ever adjusted the torsion bar and I have the paperwork from the last time. I drove it this morning for a bit and it's not happening now. But the last time it happened, it only happened after driving it for a while. Though yesterday it was pretty slick out so maybe it happened because it was transferring power between the wheels when i let up on the gas. I'm going to drive it a little more today and see what happens. Maybe it's just me being paranoid.

 

Well, everything is fine. I just drove about 50 miles and the symptoms are gone. MAYBE it was because it was wet and slippery out, and whenever I would let up on the gas while in second gear, the front wheels would bear the momentum and the tires would slip causing the power to be transferred to the rear wheels. The front tires are about half way worn. This is the only thing I can think of that would cause what was happening. It was stop and go ALL the way home. What should have taken me 45 minutes took me two hours just because people are afraid to go over 15 mph when it rains.

 

was it 4 high locked

 

was there an accumalation of snow on the ground ? If the roads were just wet then it may have not needed 4 lock. 4 lock changes the ratio between the front and rear and on pavement it will cause lurches , especally when making turns.

 

Yup it was 4 high, and the ground was sleet rain and a little snow. It seems ok now. I guess reading so many problems with the differentials has made me a bit paranoid now.