Hummer maintenance...

[06 H3]

I am in a little dilemma...Back in january of 2011 I left parkway hummer because of a whole mess that I wont even go into(some of you may remember.) This dealership was AWESOME until a new service manager came along and my favorite service writer left. Anyways I now go to the local chevy dealership which does a good job and has better prices. Here is where the dilemma comes into play. I feel the chevy place is not as thorough as parkway. They picked up on a cracked roof rail right before warranty went out (before rack) a bad front diff bushing and some other things I feel a normal place wouldnt pick up on, they were thorough and caught things. I feel the chevy place is more of a oil change and thats it kinda place. As I am reaching higher miles I want to stay on top of all this stuff. I dont really want to go back to parkway but I want some advice from some of you DIY maintenance guys around here. I was thinking of getting my stuff still checked out at the chevy place but starting a binder of all records for the hummer and even putting together my own DIY inspection to make sure everything is in good condition...am I being too neurotic or am I being rational here? I just want some advice on what you guys do in terms of maintenance and what you may inspect on your own...

 

[06 H3]

Obviously I follow the hummer maintenance schedule but what do you guys look out for in terms of things that aren't serviceable

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[Hunner]

Just about everything. By not serviceable do you mean you just have to replace it? Like upper a-arms instead of just ball joints, and front hubs instead of just wheel bearings.
Stock up on spares that are specific to the H3 and carry the lighter ones! There are going to be seals you cannot predict exactly but will at some point fail.
Belts, all of them especially the serpentine and just added to my list, the tensioner/idler pulley.
You know about the tie rods and CV shafts.
Most things are normal vehicle items but because we offroad it seems to speed up repair or replacement.
Some less common items would be electrical switches which over time may not be available without modifying something.
I don't have a lot of faith in GM maintaning parts for 10 years with their past performance specific to the H3.
I often think of mods to replace things in the future or some cross over parts I may have to search for and mod.
Time will tell.

 

[06 H3]

Im talking about things like ball joints, bushings and seals. Will these likely cause someone to be stranded? I just was wondering how predictable they are to failure...I don't want to be stranded

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[H3slate]

Seals just happen. Usually it is a slow leak that you can notice when inspecting the undercarriage, it stands out because you will see the oil and dirt collecting by a seal or seam. I have had a few front diff seals go, also the output shaft seal on the manual trans and the rear seal on the front diff. All were slow leakers, something you can spot before it becomes a big problem. You can also nurse these leaks by adding fluids if you are not in a position to change them right away.

Pay attention to your vehicle and how it feels on the road and listen for changes in the sounds of your vehicle. Both will give you clues of any issues you might have. Also get the Hummer repair manual, it is spendy, but has troubleshooting tips so when you hear or feel a change in the vehicle, you can use the symptoms to figure out what specific part would need to be replaced. It doesn't have the best diagrams and references a bunch of GM tools that don't make sense in the real world, but it is the best manual we have available.

I keep a spreadsheet with all of my maintenance and mileages, this includes oil changes, tire rotations, and any other part I service or repair.

 

[cgalpha08]

Where can you get said hummer service manual?

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[Hunner]

I would say of the stuff you listed a complete failure of a ball joint could ruin your day. Hopefully checking them for slop will give an indication of impending problems. Deciding when to change them as a preventative measure is hard to call.
In our case indication of a leaking seal also means intrusion of dirt and water. I'm not a fan of the flow thru method of continuing to add fluids. It will be a lot cheaper to change them as soon as possible.

 

[Flash]

I am not a Hummer expert. I do have experience with driving a GM vehicle long after it was no longer produced.

Buick made a 2 seat car called the Reatta, beginning in 1988-1991. Pretty much a specialty vehicle. I bought mine in 1988 and drove it till 2006 when I sold it for my H3. 15 years after Gm stop producing them.
1. Buy a service manual for your year vehicle. Typically dealerships discard their old ones and book buyers corral them to resell. My 1988 manual was like $40 used. Check Ebay
2. Some one will start collecting all the junker Hummers. They will be the parts resource for the future.
3. Reatta's had specialty electronics like CRT screens and specialty repair businesses cropped up to service these aging items.
4. Forums became invaluable. Typically there are a couple posters who become experts and their advice/insight/suggestions become counted upon.
5. What specifically made the Reatta forum unique, was the civility between those who clearly knew what they were talking about and those who didn't.

I hope that civility manifests itself here. It is a key component in my view to including newcomers to our beloved vehicle, and educating the less informed.

Here are a few pics of my 18 year old Reatta when I sold it. It had over 120,000 miles on it and had been driven in every Michigan winter for 18 years. It was my daily driver - as is my H3 now.

 

[cgalpha08]

Looks like you kept that in pretty good condition!

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[LagunaH1]

What specifically made the Reatta forum unique, was the civility between those who clearly knew what they were talking about and those who didn't.

I think we are off to a good start here on this forum :cheers:

 

[Flash]

Where can you get said hummer service manual?

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Currently ebay has them listed from $6 to $180 http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Hummer+H3+repair+manual

 

[06 H3]

thanks for the input guys! I really think I am gonna start up a maintenance log. Flash that buick was in pristine condition...I really should follow what you do

Other then the basic stuff I may start doing logging bizarre underbody issues and log any weird noises and try to detect them as they come along.

 

[delta88]

thanks for the input guys! I really think I am gonna start up a maintenance log. Flash that buick was in pristine condition...I really should follow what you do

Other then the basic stuff I may start doing logging bizarre underbody issues and log any weird noises and try to detect them as they come along.

My first H3 was a base '06 used with 75k/mi when I bought it. When I traded it in for my '09 Adventure, it had just over 100k. I had to replace the belt, tensioner and idler pully at 85k/mi (too much squeak'n during cold starts). At 95k I replaced the emissions vent solenoid (throwing a code) and the power steering pump (when steering became tough). On the day I traded it in it needed a new heater blower solenoid. But other than these few items the truck had very little or no rust and could have gone another 100k, easily. That's why I traded-up for a newer H3 with fewer miles .. just because I know it's going to last a long long long time with basic maintenance.

 

[06 H3]

well that makes me happy to here delta. The longevity and reliability are very important to me, and if the I5 does take a crap after 200-300K miles its time to go get a 6.2 and beef up the front end :horns:

 

[alrock]

If I were to hoard maintenance parts for the H3, especially for an offroader, here's what I would keep in my garage:

Steering rack
Extra tie rods
Front halfshafts
Rear axles
Power steering pump
Upper and lower control arms, both sides
Lower control arm bushings
Lower control arm ball joints
Front diff axle and rear output seals
HVAC control module
4x4 selector switch array
Driver's door window switch array
Idler pulley
Belt tensioner
Door handles and mirrors

 

[Portager]

I like bigunit's approach. He just hoards H3's.

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[Hunner]

In reference to Alrock's post.
I pretty much have that covered.

I don't have a rear axle, yet!
So your the one bidding against me on the switches, huh?:shifty: I left them to someone who paid waaay too much.
I swapped auctions and got some cheap right off the get go with no competition for some reason.
I will do a photo shoot on the two together from the backside showing the microcomputer and micro dot miniaturized controllers.:huh:
Then I will write my VIN number on the back.:giggle:

 

[06 H3]

I have about half of what alrock has posted...Give me till 2013