H3 problems

[BW_Hummer H3]

So today I was offroad doing nothing more that a dirt road with a few dips in it in 4 low. I started to here some clicking noises from the from end. When I heard that I left the trail, put it back in drive and drove home.

A few hours later I got in the H3 to go to baseball lessions. As I was backing out I got to the end of the drive way(down hill) and it just stopped. It wouldn't roll, so I had to give it some gas. It got up to 2000 rpm's and started rolling. Then I put it into drive and it was fine, so I put it into reverse. Once again it was fine.

So what would cause it to do this?

 

[jakesz28]

Broken tooth on the pinion? And the chunk of it got wedge in between the gears? I hope not but if you were doing a little more then normal driving in low maybe?

 

[Steve #1]

Did you hear the clicking when coming off the throttle? If so, the low range gear set probably lost a tooth or two which got jammed up in the works later.

You can hear it at the end of this video.

[video=youtube_share;IR4RO2X6D-0]http://youtu.be/IR4RO2X6D-0[/video]

 

[reaper]

Loud clicking noises in the front end... this could very well be transfer case issues. I'd get in some more 4low test drives locally. Are you in warranty? IF you want to talk about tcases, feel free to PM me. I've had my fill and am rebuilding my own now.

 

[alrock]

I think you could be looking at front diff or transfer case issues. As was stated earlier, a tooth may have broken off, got jammed but later released.

Often the breakage we get on one trail is the result of damage from another trail. Sometimes it just takes some time for a minor fracture to turn into a full break.

 

[4speedfunk]

My truck has made that sound since new....with several AAM-7's...with several front driveshafts. I've heard MANY H3's make this sound on the trail, and I'm convinced its of no concern. Whatever the clicking is...its not cause for alarm. Neither is the "Rock-em Sock-em Robot" sound that happens when you put the truck in PARK while in 4LO-Lock. Every H3 I've wheeled with, will eventually make this same sound. Maybe not every time...but, wheel it enough and you'll hear it. Don't sweat it.

I have had this same issue but, it was minutes after leaving the trail (not hours). I describe it as "the T-case getting confused", and sometimes it takes awhile for it to fully return to 4HI-street mode. When it happens, you can really feel the 4x4 binding in the steering. So to help out the confused t-case, I switched over to this method of shifting t-case modes:

1. Slowly roll on level ground at around 5 mph.
2. Put the tranny in Neutral (feet off the brake & throttle)...to allow a "slow coast".
3. Then shift out of 4LO into 4HI or 4HI-street.

You'll hear it "clunk" and then you can put it in drive and continue down the road. This seems to work better (at least on my truck) than shifting on the fly, or shifting while sitting still. Its like the system needs some slight rotation of parts to fully engage, or something. Whatever the case...I've been doing this for a couple years, and I find I have far less engagement issues if I use this method. I always put the tranny in neutral to switch t-case modes....just to take the load off the turning parts.

 

[BW_Hummer H3]

Did you hear the clicking when coming off the throttle? If so, the low range gear set probably lost a tooth or two which got jammed up in the works later.

You can hear it at the end of this video.

Yeah that was the sound. I am assuming when you say lost a tooth in low range, you mean the transfer case? Also I have a cast iron front diff. Not sure if that affects the gears in it.

I think you could be looking at front diff or transfer case issues. As was stated earlier, a tooth may have broken off, got jammed but later released.

Often the breakage we get on one trail is the result of damage from another trail. Sometimes it just takes some time for a minor fracture to turn into a full break.

Yeah this trail I didn't even need 4 low except for a little ditch. The hardest trail I've been on(a really easy trail) was nothing more than some mud and some hill climbs. Maybe the owner before me wheeled it real hard? I doubt it though the underside was clean when we got it.

Loud clicking noises in the front end... this could very well be transfer case issues. I'd get in some more 4low test drives locally. Are you in warranty? IF you want to talk about tcases, feel free to PM me. I've had my fill and am rebuilding my own now.

What do you mean by get some more 4 low test locally? Offroad? Yes I am still have warranty so I'll most likely let them check it out.

 

[reaper]

What do you mean by get some more 4 low test locally? Offroad? Yes I am still have warranty so I'll most likely let them check it out.

I mean: locally, in a location you can drive back home in 4 high should 4 low fail. Mine failed where I was left high and dry and needed a jeep to tow me, and would have been SCREWED if I was the last truck out that day.

If you get a loud click when driving in 4 low (loud, like a hammer hitting steel... that's the gears slipping), that could mean that the 4 low gears are slipping, and the tcase gears are having a hard time staying engaged. In which case failure will come sooner or later, and you want to find that out close to home or with friends who will help you home. Loud clicks from the tcase when you're driving in 4 low is a failure in the tcase, in which you should get warranty repairs if you're in warranty. I ignored the loud clicks until she finally slipped OUT of 4 low never to go back into it. Which sucks when you're stuck behind some steep terrain to get back home. This might not be what you're seeing, but keep an ear out for repeated loud clicks in 4 low. If you have those, your tcase needs some love.