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Hummer H3 needs new engine

K

KevOzzy

Member
Messages
14
Location
San Diego, CA
Hey I'm new here to the forum, although I've searched it many times in the past year for help. I love reading thru the forums a lot of you are very knowledgable about these Humm machines!! I've got a sad story with my 2007 Hummer H3 Tactical Edition, and I'm at a bit of a loss at what to do going forward. A very brief story about my rig.. Bought it last year in AZ, 132k miles, drove it back home to Nor Cal.. ran well for awhile. Had to put a brand new ABS pump in, and was grossly overcharged by stealer.. i mean dealer. Had a buddy go thru the whole thing and he did a bunch of work for me, fixed some issues causing noises, etc. Was feeling good about it, then transmission went out. Put a new one in, slightly overcharged but I trusted the shop, so whatever. Slapped some new 33 BFG's on. Drove it for a bit and was feeling good about it again. Check engine comes on, p0014 & p0017 (I think.. I can pull up the full inspection from the shop i brought it to.. same place I got the new tranny put in at, they did a really thorough inspection on the check engine because it was right after their install). I can request all the info on findings and post on here later if anyone is interested, but yeah they basically came back to me with I need a new engine put in because there's metal shavings on the oil drain plug. Gr.... Said I could drive it til it died if I want. So I changed oil, cleaned the screen next to oil (forgot what it's called), and just drove it as is for a couple months. It started making a pretty god awful noise last week, so I said okay I'm done with this for awhile. Bought a different car to get around with. But now I am in the position where I just don't know what to do about it. Do I get a new engine? I'm not opposed. Where from? Used? Where would I even look for that? Reman mine somewhere? Would it be worth it? Anyone know of a lowish mileage i5 3.7 laying around somewhere? I'm really bummed about it because I love the H3, and it's in amazing condition otherwise. I want to get it going strong again, and have it be a story of victory and triumph for years to come. It's caused me a great deal of stress during the past year..... But again I just don't have it in me to abandon it. Anyways, any thoughts guys? My local shop, the guy is honest and said he owned an 06 h3 for 5 years, so he "knows" them a bit.. But I don't know I don't want to be chasing an imaginary rainbow here. 140k miles now. About 1k on brand new tranny. Thanks for reading! Any advice would be helpful.
 

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Jeepwalker

Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
976
Location
WI
Nice looking rig.

At the age of H3s nowadays, an owner needs to be mechanically-equipped or financially-prepared to spend some real $$ to keep these H3's on the road. And try to avoid becoming disenfranchised when nickle-and-dime things come up ...which they will on vehicle of H3's age. I'm surprised how much repair shops charge these days to do various repairs. It adds up. Guys who have the tools/time/money/skills and desire to keep them on the road are kind of the ideal owners. Or, someone who is passionate about their vehicle and doesn't mind spending the $$. Maybe you fall into that category (?).

It might be that the engine isn't ruined ..something inside is failing and needs replacing. In which case perhaps a 'light' rebuilt would restore it and not cost you as much as you are thinking. No way to tell w/o taking apart (that's what I would do). Regardless, that's going to cost some money to pay a competent shop or guy to do. It would be really nice if you knew a mechanically inclined fellow H3 owner ...or a mechanic buddy who you could work together with, do some things yourself, and help keep costs down (and you learn a few things along the way). There are used and rebuilt engines out there.

There's always a certain amt of unexpected expenses during an engine change/rebuild. Just keep that in mind (i.e. Motor mounts are suddenly deemed near failure, etc). So just be prepared for that if you decide to replace the engine. At the end of it you could have a nice running rig that'll last many more yrs. Esp with the other improvements you've already done. The engines are basically sound. I've seen a number of H3's advertised with fairly high miles on them ..well past 200k. Mine has over 180k.

Newer 4x4's are great except manufacturer's have infused them with so many nonsense electronic nanny 'features' they're becoming annoying and a pain to own. That's one great thing about the H3. It's still a pretty pure and basic no-nonsense tk and off-roader. But the Jeep Rubicon or the new Bronco look pretty good, if you were thinking new.

Best of luck. Let us know what you decide.
 
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K

KevOzzy

Member
Messages
14
Location
San Diego, CA
Hey thanks for the reply mr walker ! I totally get what you’re saying and I wish I was more mechanically inclined. I’ve just never had the opportunity to do so. I get all the “basics”, and work on my motorcycle a lot more than my cars.. but ya I get what you’re saying! I believe I’m at least halfway there with my h3, and feel so close to having a reliable rig I can call on. I’m not jaded on prices of repairs, I just messed up and went to a dealership for the abs repair.. and then my transmission swap I didn’t want to risk it so I went to the best, most legit shop in town. I’m currently looking for a used low mileage engine & hoping I can find one as I really do love the H3. It’s sturdy and smooth & nimble. We’ll see what happens, I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for the response! It would be awesome to find a local mechanic somewhere in So Cal that knows Hummers. I should probably post about that instead of posting all about my woes!!!!!
 
alrock

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,669
Location
Scottsdale
Consider focusing on local shops that have done engine swaps vs. necessarily Hummer specialists. Ask around, use Yelp, etc. to find a good source. Your best bet is probably a reman engine. The I5 engine isn't super common so they are often not as cheap as a reman V8 to buy, but it's a lot cheaper overall to do the I5 swap as no modifications are needed. If you do a V8 swap you'll spend a LOT more money. As you've seen, they are pretty reasonable vehicles to work on and after an engine, you've hit most of the big ticket items. Get the engine, enjoy your H3 for many more years.
 
Jeepwalker

Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
976
Location
WI
There is a H3 club in LA (area). They go on off-road trips, post videos on youtube, etc. There was one they posted here a couple months ago. They would be a really good resource. You ought to get in touch with them. Lot of expertise there. You might even find one of them willing to help. Let me see if I can find the video...
 
4speedfunk

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,250
Location
Tardville
You might try hitting some Colorado-Canyon forums. Same drivetrain but, larger audience. Low mileage GM five bangers are very hard to find. They are very expensive and difficult to do internal work on (might explain the rather short production run). The head in particular is quite complicated and the numerous valve angles take some specialized equipment to machine new seats/guides. That’s why reman/exchange is so popular on these…hard to find a mom & pop place to do the work.

The worst part is that there is no option that simply bolts-up. I really miss the 1955-1995 era of GM when motors & transmissions were universal, and you could easily swap from small block to big block…or stick to automatic. Nowadays you’re pretty much stuck with using the power train that originally came in the vehicle. Even swapping to an Alpha is a complicated and expensive proposition. Much cheaper (and certainly easier) to go buy a factory Alpha.

I’ve heard your story before, and I think it will be more common as Hummers pass the 15-year threshold. Expect to pay $3500 for a used 100k 3.5/3.7. That’s downright nuts given the short life, poor performance, and shaky reliability. But this was a four-year motor, and nothing else bolts up…so that’s why they cost what they do.
 
Jeepwalker

Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
976
Location
WI
Speedfunk, you're really down on the Atlas engines.

I agree with a lot of what you day. OTOH, I've seen lots of I5 H3's that have been near the 250k+ mark advertised ..and corresponded with a few of those guys. Mine's at 190k right now. A lot of them advertised now are in that range. If a guy can get 225k or 250k out of an engine as high-tech as the Atlas, I don't see that as a weak engine. Sure, some guys' engines fail a lot sooner and I've seen a few H3's advertised with about 300k on their engines. Hard to say with certainty what driving/maintenance conditions make this engine last longer than that engine. It's kind of like Hemi 5.7 engines in Dodge Rams now. You have some guys' engines that are eating cams at 36k miles and some guys (like my tk) going up on 170k miles still running smooth.

You are certainly right I5's are hard to find. I would encourage KevOzzy to yank the engine and give it a look over before buying another one. If it's rebuildable, then put that $$ towards the rebuild (if it needs it).

Another thing too. Before going too far down the road of yanking the engine, I'd honestly advise the OP to take his H3 to another mechanic. These engines have been known to make 'funny' (terrible) noises for a number of reasons, often due to resolvable things. And they're a different 'animal' than a lot of mechanics know. Plus, I hate to bring this up, for a while there many yrs ago, seemed like when I took my tranny in to a garage for a fluid change, some dude would show me a cup of shavings and a broken aluminum part that 'supposedly' were in the pan of my 'ready-to-fail' tranny (which never failed afterwards). I guess what I'm saying is, a 2nd opinion by another qualified shop/mechanic who knows these engines a little ...with a detailed explanation of what he 'thinks' is going on would be really helpful before throwing in the towel. Pull off the oil pan. Or maybe they did that already. But if not, check it out.

Yeah! I'm like you. I definitely liked the days where a guy could yank one engine and swap in a better/bigger one without too much effort. Sounds like you've done a few. The problem is just getting worse. I've rented a few new SUV's lately and the new electronic crap on them is such an annoyance. That's another beef for a different post, lol.
 
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K

KevOzzy

Member
Messages
14
Location
San Diego, CA
Thanks cbetts. It says long block on the title / description, but I noticed in the what’s included part that it sounded more like short block. Might just hold out for a used around 70-80k complete engine. Ugh. Btw your crosstrek is looking crazy !
 
cbetts

cbetts

NERD!!!
Messages
3,188
Location
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
KevOzzy said:
Thanks cbetts. It says long block on the title / description, but I noticed in the what’s included part that it sounded more like short block. Might just hold out for a used around 70-80k complete engine. Ugh. Btw your crosstrek is looking crazy !
Click to expand...

Thanks! Still got a way to go. I have the "mod bug", about as bad as when I had my H3. More good stuff coming up in the future.
 
3

3Hummers

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,529
Location
Central Texas
I paid $3500 for a new crate motor for our Alpha. All in installed price was less than 5K. Unfortunately this was 5 years ago but a dealership out of Austin gave me a great deal.
 
K

KevOzzy

Member
Messages
14
Location
San Diego, CA
hey guys, praise report....... found an engine with 90k miles on it and got it purchased + installed for less than $3k. WOO!!! I've now got my H3 that has a tranny with about 2-3k miles on it, and engine with 90k miles on it. Feeling goooooooood about it! Now I've got other mods to do, but will be worth it!! Happy dude over here. Look for more posts by me now, as I have lots of questions about potential mods. :) cheers y'all.
 
0

08H3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,368
Location
United States
KevOzzy said:
hey guys, praise report....... found an engine with 90k miles on it and got it purchased + installed for less than $3k. WOO!!! I've now got my H3 that has a tranny with about 2-3k miles on it, and engine with 90k miles on it. Feeling goooooooood about it! Now I've got other mods to do, but will be worth it!! Happy dude over here. Look for more posts by me now, as I have lots of questions about potential mods. :) cheers y'all.
Click to expand...

Man I want some of your luck! I’m in the exact same boat, and can’t find any deals even remotely close to what you got!
 
Grey poupon

Grey poupon

Well-Known Member
Messages
67
Location
Coastal B.C.
This turned into an inspiring thread to read. It started kind of rough with those horrendous prices. OP deserves credit for being smart and doing the right things. I'm nt in the same boat, but have been trying to think ahead. I have this weird rattle when it first starts cold, I thiiiink it's a rattley exhaust manifold. I'm hoping to get it looked at during the next service visit. My loose plan has been to keep an eye out for a low milage Colorado. Is there certain years that we should be looking for?
 
H32NV

H32NV

Well-Known Member
Messages
319
Location
Golden, CO
Grey poupon said:
This turned into an inspiring thread to read. It started kind of rough with those horrendous prices. OP deserves credit for being smart and doing the right things. I'm nt in the same boat, but have been trying to think ahead. I have this weird rattle when it first starts cold, I thiiiink it's a rattley exhaust manifold. I'm hoping to get it looked at during the next service visit. My loose plan has been to keep an eye out for a low milage Colorado. Is there certain years that we should be looking for?
Click to expand...
I have the rattle too, I have had by center muffler replaced and it didn't go away, it ended up being the exhaust heat shield at the transmission, it had a stress crack from vibration and was bending inwards, contacting the external servo cap, bent it out a little bit, came back after 500 miles... Also a note on these 3.5/3.7 I-5's, once shavings start to circulate the motor like a disco party, they can clog the screens of the cam timing solenoid, causing it to malfunction and when it does badly enough you get a set of bent valves and a new motor problem. Mine blew up in this fashion at 120k even though I bought the truck new and was meticulous about maintenance, especially oil changes. I have since put 40k miles on an ATK rebuilt motor and so far so good.
 
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