New motor

[Mr_Rich]

Well...just to throw another iron in the fire...or monkey wrench as the case may be...I was thinking it would've been fun to transplant a 3.6L V6 in the engine bay. After all; there was talk that the H3's were getting that engine before the Hummer brand was slammed down.

 

[06 H3]

That motor is my in my moms Acadia. All that work for a v6? It's gutless to boot

 

[H3HummerLineX]

I think I would stick with the 3.7 from what i can gather the engines are between 18 to $2000 with about 50 to 60,000 miles on them. The 3.7 is roughly 20 pounds more torque and 20 more horsepower stock so if you put an intake exhaust and PCM in you can probably get up to 25 to 30 more horsepower from what you had before. I'm running really wide 35 s. On my 3.7 with the intake and opened up exhaust and it seems to have good power. I will do the PCM next and that's about where I will stop. I considered putting all electric fans in and removing the clutch fan as that will give you some more horsepower but I hear it will hurt me on cooling here in California

 

[3rdH3]

I have had a 3.5 a 3.7 and now the 5.3. I had a PCMofNC tune on the 3.7 with an AirDoc Intake, Magnaflow Exhaust and an Alpha Intake tube into the Airbox. As far as drivability goes, there is not much difference in between the "modified" 3.7 and the 5.3. I'm sure under certain conditions the difference is a more pronounced. I did go to Mooresville to get my tune and actually did road tests until we go it to my liking so that tune may have been a little better than the PCM swap. Just my 2 cents worth. I am sure you will make the correct decision. The more opinions you get the better, but can be confusing. Good Luck

 

[06 H3]

Well I sat here and said how the hell do I pull a motor? I wasnt sure, never did it before so I figured I would document what I have down so far.

First, get a reason to need to pull the motor, such as blow a big ass hole through the oil pan.



I then removed the intake, yes my cracked. I will need to get a new one or plastic weld it or use the method that casey did with the aluminum plate.



then I removed the intake box.



then the grille (4 10mm bolts, 2 10mm nuts and then plastic clips)



then I removed the bottom PS line to remove all the fluid



then I dumped all the coolant from the lower hose. removed the top nut on top of the radiator, removed the shroud and the radiator. I had to undo 2 bolts that connect the radiator to the ac consdenser. For now I left that in.



I also disconnected the mount for the transmission dipstick which is a 10mm nut. then pulled up and it disconnected the dipstick from the tranmission.

I started disconnecting a few electrical things along the way taking pictures and documenting it all.

Now I have class but need to decide if I will pull the trans and motor together or unbolt the trans from the motor then pull the motor first and trans 2nd.

 

[Kyle]

honestly i think you should leave the trans in, get a new motor in it get it running and driving again, then drive it over to the transmission shop and let them work there magic and pick it up from them and boom, your back on the road for another 10 years.

 

[06 H3]

I wanna pull the trans, it will save money. Then drive the trans to them.

Any thoughts guys?

Im stoked to say the trans is perfectly fine after a very long and abusive 142k miles.

 

[SedonaBound]

If it'll come out the top with the trans on, do it that way. Easier to unbolt them when they're out of the truck. Easier reassembly. Also allows you to deal with any surprises if the replacement engine doesn't have exactly the same fit with the bell housing.

 

[cbetts]

That is gonna be tough pulling engine and trans with a cherry picker and a raised truck. I never looked at the clearance to get the transmission mounting bolts. I have a four-foot long 3/8" extension I made for reaching the top bolts on my old Tempest. If you leave the trans in, gut a couple long bolts that can screw into the engine for the mounts. Cut the heads off and grind the end down to a smooth point. Makes it easier to reinstall and get lined-up. Also remember to wire up the torque converter so it will no drop out.

Might want to find a set of smaller tires to put on the front to drop it down a bit. You won't have to lift the engine so high to get it out. Not sure how easy the front clip can be removed.

 

[whylee]

Pulling the trans with the motor is normally the way to go, but may be tougher on the H3's ( never did one ). its not much more work to just pull the motor alone. I would remove the tranny and take it to a shop for a rebuild if thats your plan, it will save you money.

 

[4speedfunk]

Most 4x4 guys I know use the "front load" method. They remove the radiator support, grille, etc. so the motor doesn't have to go so high to clear it. But u can use a cherry picker.

If u want to pull it from the top...u will need a rolling gantry or a beam inside a garage. If u do the beam thing, it will be stationary and u will need to roll the truck under the motor as u install it. It sucks.

You might look around to see if there is a big rig shop that would rent u some shop space and a big diesel picker. Totally do the trans & motor together. Much easier.

 

[CaseyS]

Here is the way I remember it.

Set parking brake, disconnect battery.

Driveshafts, xfer case encoder, xfer case, torque converter bolts, trans cooler lines, electrical to trans, shifter cable, transmission, exhaust header at downpipe.

Back up top. Drain coolant at lower radiator hose, power steering line at rack, trans cooler lines from radiator (Do not unscrew the fitting!), upper rad hose, ac lines, fan, remove radiator ( gives you a lot more room) electrical, fuel line, starter cable, ground cables, motor mount bolts. Snatch it close and you will need to extend your boom all the way out. Clearance will be tough on a standard 2 ton picker with your cowl height. Piece of cake.

 

[4speedfunk]

I think the only way to use a 2-ton picker would be to remove the wheels to get it low enough. That can create problems underneath because u need room for the tail shaft of the tranny to drop on the way out.

 

[4speedfunk]

Be careful extending the boom all the way out. I was doing a motor swap on a 70s Vette years ago...I had the boom all the way out to clear the long plastic nose. The whole thing tipped and the motor fell into the engine bay from about two feet up.

Note to self: PULL VETTE MOTORS FROM THE SIDE!

 

[Woodtick]

My vote is for the 3.7. Pics of a gantry set up Mr speed speaks of. You can rent them in all sizes. This would be the easiest set up for your lifted rig.

 

[4speedfunk]

Yup. Dats the thing I'm talking about.

 

[Mr_Rich]

This is my '89 K1500 EC two years ago. My front wheels are on Rhino ramps. My 350 dropped right in and I had plenty of height to clear the radiator support. I left the hood in place as well. I didn't overextend the boom on my hoist since I did want to pay attention to the load limit. I shouldered the hoist and manhandled the block to get it in place myself and I'm twice as old as a lot of you.

A 3.7L in an H3 should be a piece of cake for young guys like most of you. Biggest hassle is the trans and transfer case since it has a tendency to
roll to the heavy side once it's unbolted from the engine.

 

[06 H3]

Ok so I have a choice to make. I can go with a zero mile 3.7 take out that is bare. I would either have to transfer a ton of 3.5 parts that may or may not work
The pros are
Low miles
It runs

Other motor is 3.7 with 71k miles
It has a warranty and is complete minus the alt. and ac compressor
Pros
Has everything
Cons higher mileage.

What does h4o say?

 

[CaseyS]

I dropped the 4bt with the hood on, but the oil pan was off for clearance. Once you clear the front clip, you have to lower the boom to slide it in. Note my 2 ton harbor freight lift on the 1/2 ton extension. 3.5 is no where close to that. Stripped 4bt is a little closer.

 

[Kyle]

Here is the way I remember it.

Set parking brake, disconnect battery.

Driveshafts, xfer case encoder, xfer case, torque converter bolts, trans cooler lines, electrical to trans, shifter cable, transmission, exhaust header at downpipe.

Back up top. Drain coolant at lower radiator hose, power steering line at rack, trans cooler lines from radiator (Do not unscrew the fitting!), upper rad hose, ac lines, fan, remove radiator ( gives you a lot more room) electrical, fuel line, starter cable, ground cables, motor mount bolts. Snatch it close and you will need to extend your boom all the way out. Clearance will be tough on a standard 2 ton picker with your cowl height. Piece of cake.

Now Casey, did you unbolt the trans first then pull the engine or did you pull trans and engine out all at once?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CaseyS]

How bare? Long block or short block? Heads, block, pan included? Why was it taken out at zero miles?

Electronics and driven accessories are OK not included. You need a complete rotating assembly though complete including flywheel. Need to also check intake and exhaust port shape and make sure those all match if those are not included

Kyle: I pulled the xfer case and trans loose from the bottom and pulled the engine by itself from the top. The hood stayed on with this method too. Taking the radiator stack out really helps with clearance in pulling.

 

[3Hummers]

Price difference between the two Chris?

 

[06 H3]

100 buck difference

 

[06 H3]

Not sure why it was a take out but I know I would have to swap valve Cover for sure they don't have it. 71k one is complete just hope I get good life out of it if I go with it

After I'm done with this I will be researching for the future so I am ready...this **** caught me off guard

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

That motor is my in my moms Acadia. All that work for a v6? It's gutless to boot

your mom's acadia is heavier than your H3. Drive a new Camaro, then you're in the same ballpark of weight... with that said, good luck on the wiring harness - it required calling in a favor with a friend to get mine built for the 3.6 that's in my Spider.