I just bought an H3 with the luxury and chrome package. So far I have not experience anything bad. WHat should I be looking for on a 2007 H3 in terms of known issues? Please help.

One thing that I noticed now that I think about it. WhenI change to 4-wheel high lock during a bad weather day, the engine was makign a weird sound. I was just getting ready to leave the office, and still in the covered parking. I change it while I was under 45 Miles per hour of course, I was in the parking area. While I was coming down from level to level in the parking area, going like 5 miles per hour, the engine sounded weird while turning. Any ideas?

It will be nice to gatter all the issues and put them together. ANy one up to the task? Thanks, I hope you help me.

 

You should only used 4-wheel LOCKED when:

A) You are driving on ICE

B) You are driving off-road, such as mud or rocks/gravel

The automatic traction control knows where to transfer the power and using 4-wheel locked on the street can cause damage to your drivetrain (I learned this the hard way). You should never need to use that.

It can actually cause your H3 to handle WORSE in the snow and rain because your wheels wil lbe forced to slip when not necessary, causing you to loose grip in certain situations, and this is why the system disables itself above 45MPH.

Other then that, I don't think anybody has had any problems with their '07 as of yet.

 

Well, my dealer told me that I can use the 4-wheel high lock at any time if driving under 45 miles per hour. He also tolde me that for 4-wheellow lock I can not even go faster than 25 miles per hour and this is like scenarios when you are pulling a tree or in a off road condition that needs intensive grip.

Is this correct? Was I mislead?

 

You can on slippery roads, but rain isn't slippery enough to cause you to need it. MAYBE snow might do it, but if you ask most people here that have a bit of mechanical background, they will most likely tell you the same thing.

 

Well, and that was my scenario. I was driving on ice. But I engaged 4-wheel high lock while still in the covered parking area. While I was turning to go from the top level to the bottom where the exit was, that is when I heard the noise. I got out to the streets with ice but I disengaged 4-wheel high lock because of that noise and made me uncomfortable. I did not want to brake anything.

It was a terrible storm and it was very icy. That is why I thought using 4-wheel high lock(middle button) was going to help.

As you can see, I am also a newbie on 4-Wheel information. Please tell me if I did something wrong. Maybe 4-wheel high lock will never be used by me.

I knew that I should not use the 4-wheel low lock and actually you can not engage that unless you are in park.

 

You are correct about 4-wheel low locked. Don't ever use that on the street even unless you are pulling somebody out of a ditch.

If you were Locked and turning, and it was not 100% ice, one of your wheels may have hit the pavement and got stuck I guess you can say. I messed up a part in my system because I did EXACTLY what you did and learned the hard way.

The good thing is you probably did not ruin anything, and if you are driving on snow and ice, and you turn, make sure that the turn is also snow and ice, and not pavement.

You don't really need to lock the wheels because the computer knows what wheels are slipping and which ones aren't. The computer and the mechanical parts of your wheels and suspension know that if one wheel is slipping, not to use that wheel, but instead, transfer the power to the wheels that still have grip on the road.

When you Lock your wheels, that means ALL 4 Wheels are turning together at the same time, which is why it's called Locked. This is bad on dry land or streets because when you turn your car, the outside wheels are always going faster then the inside wheels.

So, if you make a left turn, your right wheels will be going faster then your left wheels, because they are travelling a farther distance when you turn and rotating more then the left wheels. If all of the wheels are LOCKED, this means that the outside wheels cannot turn faster when they want, and because of that, it causes ALOT of stress on the system.

Do you get what I'm saying?

Did you smell a burning smell after it happened? I did this and it cause some damage but that's in my 5-speed manual stick, you probably do'nt have to worry about it.

 

"Did you smell a burning smell after it happened?"

Yes I did, and that is why I turn it off in the Garage. I locked it again while on the street, I was going streight in the highway full of ice and snow, no turning there what so ever.

How do I know if I damage something? That happened like 2 weeks ago.

 

If you damaged something, you would have had a Check Engine light come on, and see error messages come on your screen. The main one you would see by the odometer is "Reduced Power Mode"

I had the same thing happen, TWICE , and it was my fault, but it's covered under warranty.

IF you damaged what I damaged, you will know because when you are driving, and you take your foot off the gas, you will feel like your H3 is jerking back and forth, or you wil lhear a clanking noise coming from just under your feet. If you take your foot off the gas and it's smooth as it was before, you are ok.

Unfortunately, I have a little too much experience with this. I'm actually taking my H3 in Monday because I did it worse (on dry street) and something has been loose for months. They are finally going to take things apart and check it out (hopefully). My problem is hardly any of the service people know the Manual transmissions, so I keep getting the answer "We can't reproduce the problem" or "this is normal" when I know it's not.

If you didnt get an error, check engine light, or have any kind of bobbling or jerking of the car when taking your foot off the gas, I would not worry about it at all. You are probably fine. Just DONT lock the wheels anymore on the pavement. I honestly wouldn't even do it in the rain, or the snow, unless its Icey. Talk to anybody here with an H3 and they will tell you that locking the wheels in the snow acutlaly makes the H3 handle worse then if you leave it alone. That's what the computer and the traction control system are for. It does it for you!

 

"If you didnt get an error, check engine light, or have any kind of bobbling or jerking of the car when taking your foot off the gas".

Well, I did not get an error. The check engine light did not when off. I do not feel jerking of the car when I take my foot off the gas.

Today I drove home with no music, trying to find things. I do not know if its me just being to freak out but I felt like the engine vibrates a little now. Of course I did not think about it yesterday but today I was trying to persive anything to check if there is a problem. Also, I hear more of the wind inside. I believe that was almost nothing or nothing when I just got it 4 weeks ago. And the passanger bucket sit vibrates now.

Will this be a sign of a problem from that? If so, how or what do I tell the dealership/service department?

Will my onstart monthly report tell me if there is something wrong?

I am more worry now I shoyuld be enjoying my H3. Maybe I am just trying to find an issue due to all the problems people had before.

I appreciate all your help. Please let me know. Thanks

 

Enjoy your new H3..... I purchased mine in December 06 and am loving everyday with it. I drove in on icey/snow packedroads up in North Texas last month and never once did I need to touch the 4x4 controls. The vehicle is smarter than the driver! It knows where it needs traction and when to shift it to that wheel. I have been extreme 4-wheelin for 20 years and locked 4 is only needed when you are actually off-roading; 4 low lock is for climbing, crawlin' and extreme conditions. As far as "things to find wrong with your H3"..... All cars/trucks have problems..... you will find them, drink beer and then fix them[sm=alcoholic.gif]. That my friend is the joy of Grown Up Toys! You will meet plenty of people that will tell you everything that THEY know is wrong with your H3. if you cant find it,and it didnt fall off, you most likely wont worry about it, or you didnt need it anyway. So like the rest of us HUMMER nuts...... LOVE YOUR H3.