For People Who Have Experienced Head/Valve Problems

Of those of you that have experienced head/valve problems, How many of you were consistently using synthetic oil?  What was the mileage on your H3 at the time these issues manifested?

And at what intervals did you change oil?...Good Question Dogg..I was wondering the same thing.

Me too Dennis.  I use Mobil 1 synthetic every 3k miles. My H3 is not my primary transportation it's more of a rec/trip vehicle for me, so it doesn't have a lot of miles on it.  I'm concerned that the warranty will run out and then the head/valve issue will start.  You know that Murphy and his laws are a SOB!

That's exactly what I'm thinking..I have 10,000 miles and changed oil at 1000 miles, then at 5000 miles and at 10,000 miles (Castrol Syntec)..I guess you and I are thinking the same thing..will synthetic oil save us from the valve issue? I've always said..I hope if I have the problem, that it rears it's ugly head sooner and not later.

Synthetic oil here which it of course came with. Head/valve replacement at 6,000 miles, (which dashes your theory perhaps) - oil had not yet been changed since the dealer had told me it wasn't necessary until at least 12,000.  I requested that it be changed while it was there for the repairs and it was supposedly (yet they did not reset the oil life button like I requested they do.) After reading the posts on synthetic oil and changes, I will change much more often than what the manual recs.

The head went bad at less than 5000 miles. The oil was the same that came with the car from factory, so I assume it was synthetic. However, I use synthetic oil on my Benz and I used to use it on the H2, and never had a problem. IMHO, the head went back because it was a bad head. If it had to do with the oil, you'd see cars all over America needing head jobs. Of course, that's just opinion...
 
FDT

Hey Lefty..
 
No, the car comes from the factory with petrol based oil....But I'm sure you're right though, that oil ain't gonna matter what kind it is, when it comes to the head crapping out..

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dennis

Hey Lefty..

No, the car comes from the factory with petrol based oil....But I'm sure you're right though, that oil ain't gonna matter what kind it is, when it comes to the head crapping out..

Denny, I was told when I purchased mine that it had/came with synthetic oil...(It had 5 miles on it and was brand spankin new off the production line according to the date)...so what's the deal there?  Also I was of the impression that once syn oil was used, one had (should) to continue to use it unless it was cleaned out/prepared/or whatever ya do - to start using regular oil? Do enlighten my "female non-mechanic mind" here please

I'm Sorry Sarah...whoever told you that it was factory oiled with Synthetic was blowing smoke up your skirt....It is a petrol-based.
 
But true on the one part, that once you start using Synthetic you should stay with it.

Ohhhh Denny, not to be a PITA, but I'm still perplexed here. If it comes with petrol based oil, why do they tell a person that they can go 12K miles before oil change and what about the "oil life remaining" report from OnStar?  If this is not accurate info, it really chaps my hide that I could have potentially gone wayyy too long without doing an oil change on what I thought was syn oil but was really petrol.  Fortunately, I have always been one who was faithful about regular oil changes and I felt very uneasy about waiting the 12K which is WHY I instructed them to change it at the 6K mile mark while it was in for the repair.  Then I find you guys here and see that many of you DO change much sooner even with the syn oil. Of course I will continue with the syn oil and more frequent changes as I understand the debris & yuck in the oil concept.

2006 H3 needs head replacement.  9,400 miles.  I was told I was on long list for the head replacement.  It's on national backorder.   I drive it real slow never step on gas hard.  Was told to get my oil changed at 12,000 miles.  Had 12 miles on it when I bought it.  Can I get 100,000 miles warranty instead of the 50k or whtevr I have?  What else can GM give me on top of more warranty?  Does the car come with synthetic oil from factory or what?  I was told it did. 

OK, I am laughing here...you drive a Hummer and have a Ford Escort avatar?  (sorry lol)  Sorry about your luck! It sucks to be told about this I know. Read the thread at the top of the page for warranty contact info and contact them and request (insist) on an extended warranty (I found the key to be FIRM, but not nasty about it - you know the old adage of you can catch more flies with honey)..don't forget to also vote in the head replacement poll at the top also please.

Whats wrong with my escort.  Lots of people tell me they love it.  Its still a great car.  I use mobile 1 in it for long time now amd never had the head replaced.  I read the thread at top of page.  Just curious what is the most anyone has got out of GM other than more warranty?  Ill read it again.  Thanks.  peace

i thought the problem was in the casting of the head , so would it matter one way or the other

Awwwww I was jus teasin ya Ford, it just struck me funny... no disrespect intended....it's probably soon a collectors item

The information is misleading as far as how long one can go on an oil change...the range varies depending on your driving style and conditions..anywhere from 7,500 to 12,000 miles (per the H3 oil change reminder system)...I had a GM engineer living next door and he said only the Vetts come from the factory will synthetic oil (Mobil 1) and the rest all come with Petrol based oil...So that's all I can go by..who knows for sure?? Beats me.

The reason I change my synthetic oil every 3K miles is because I don't drive my H3 very often and because oil breaks down over time. I have had my H3 for about a year and I only have 8500 miles on it.  I know people say that heat and friction cause oil to breakdown, but so does time.  If I were to change my oil every 12K miles then I would'nt need an oil change for the first year and a half of ownership and you shoud NEVER keep oil that old circulating through the engine.
 
Secondly, It's a personal preference.  When I was young my dad always preached changing your oil every 3 months or 3K miles.  I have always to stuck that type of oil changing regimen.  The reason I use synthetic oil is because it's more advanced than regular oil, it holds it's viscosity longer than regular oil (in other words it doesn't breakdown as quickly), and lastly because the cost to use synthetic oil over regular is marginal and I think my H3 is worth the extra $10 per oil change.  Oh...and I do all of my own oil changes which is why the cost isn't too much of a factor.

quote:

ORIGINAL: LawWyfe

Ohhhh Denny, not to be a PITA, but I'm still perplexed here. If it comes with petrol based oil, why do they tell a person that they can go 12K miles before oil change and what about the "oil life remaining" report from OnStar?  If this is not accurate info, it really chaps my hide that I could have potentially gone wayyy too long without doing an oil change on what I thought was syn oil but was really petrol.  Fortunately, I have always been one who was faithful about regular oil changes and I felt very uneasy about waiting the 12K which is WHY I instructed them to change it at the 6K mile mark while it was in for the repair.  Then I find you guys here and see that many of you DO change much sooner even with the syn oil. Of course I will continue with the syn oil and more frequent changes as I understand the debris & yuck in the oil concept.

 
I'm pretty sure it comes with dino oil, and not synthetic. The reason that you're able to run longer is the idea that the computer will adjust the remaining oil life based on your driving habits. For instance, not all engine time is turning the odometer. I may get less oil life than you do because perhaps I leave mine idling more often .. etc, things like that. The 3000 mile oil change is based on a rule of thumb. Since no one will know exactly how you drive your car, or how long it will run while not turning miles, they used to throw out the 3000 mile safety net. Stop and go traffic, dusty areas etc are all harder on the oil life than just cruising down the road at a set speed.
 
Even with the puter telling me when I should change the oil, I still have chosen to change it on or near 3000 miles. That's just my prefference. I'd reather error on the side of caution.

I get my oil chaged every 7 to 8 thousand miles (depending on when I'm closer to the dealership). I have almost 40,000 miles and just started having problems with the head/valve 2 weeks ago.

THANKS Guys for the info!   I guess whether or not it came with synthetic oil is a mute point now since I had it changed (supposedly) while the repair was done.  OK so what did they replace it with? That is still an important issue I guess..bottom line is I will do regular oil changes!

quote:

ORIGINAL: LawWyfe

THANKS Guys for the info!   I guess whether or not it came with synthetic oil is a mute point now since I had it changed (supposedly) while the repair was done.  OK so what did they replace it with? That is still an important issue I guess..bottom line is I will do regular oil changes!

 
Hey Sarah ....Usually you have to specify that you want synthetic oil when they do the oil change.  Most of the time they will charge you a little extra because synthetic oil costs more.  If you don't tell them they will just use the regular oil.

my 06 had the head replaced at 19988 miles
changed the oil every 3k
 
i will change (well dealer will change) the oil every 3k on the 07 also
always have always will
the dealer charges 30 bucks here in memphis and they wash it too
and every 4th change is free
and they feed ya hotdogs and coke while ya wait  
cant beat that with a stick

  I have had my H3 for close to a year now. Purchased end of Feb. 2006 and have just over 19,000 miles on it and have yet to throw an error code. I check with a buddy in the parts dept. of my Hummer dealership and he told me that my VIN# was within the block that was having head problems. Just awaiting my turn I guess.
  My buddy also told me that he and his wife both have H3's and both have had to have the heads replaced. BTW, I also run Mobil 1 and change every 5k miles.
  The bigest concern about the head/valve issue is that I have made at least 3 trips from Texas to Colorado (approx.1.8k miles round trip) and plan more, and that last thing I would want to happen is for the truck to crapp out in the middle of the New Mexico badlands.
   Could I possible request the 10yr / 100k mile extended warranty without haveing experienced these issues since my VIN# falls in the group?
 

I don't blame you for your uneasiness there with all that traveling.  Apparently the issue effects some differently. Mine occurred while I was on a 2000 mile trip, and I was able to drive 1000+ miles back home and to the dealer with no problems (other than very rough idle.) 
 
You could try to request the warranty but I doubt you would have much luck with it UNTIL you have a problem.  I had a heck of a time getting them to extend mine, but then I've been fighting them since November. Last word, they agreed much more readily, HOWEVER, I have yet to get that letter from GM.  And as of yesterday, my service writer says the system does NOT indicate any warranty changes for me. (SO back to the phone I go!)
 
So for those of you who got satisfaction quickly and easily....until you have that letter in your hands, it isn't written in stone - so keep your eyes out for it!

had head changed at 12,600 miles.  changed to synthetic @ 3k miles.