H3 question

I'm not a Hummer owner, but my dad just bought a yellow H3. There are two bulges on the hood just in front of the a-pillars. It seems they are vented on the bottom near the fenders. Anyone know if they are serving a function or are they just aesthetic? Thanks in advance.

Per the Hummer service manual, they are called "Air Inlet Grille Panel-Non Functional." From that description I would say they are just for looks.

I believe in the H2 they are functional and the H3 just for looks!! Anyone Please correct me if I am wrong!

i dont actually know,...

I think you are absolutely right, in the H@ they can be closed off, and the intake could be diverted to a smoke stack.. on the H3, they just add vented air to the engine and can be sealed at any time, on a different note, they do look good with a chrome overlay!

those humps on my H2 don't do anything, the cold air inlet is along the side of the front pass side fender, under the hood. haven't seen anything that would allow for a "snorkel" type intake, since if you're in water deep enough to get in your intake, your electronics are pretty toasted by then.

The air inlet goes into the right fender and disappears.  Logic would have it that if the H3 can for 2 foot of H2O then they are functional, at least the passenger side.  I would like to find out for sure if they are functional or not.  Maybe someday I'll shoot some carb cleaner in there and see if anything happens.

They do not do anything...YET.  I've taken one off to explore a over the hood air intake.  They are just a vent to the underhood engine compartment.  They are like a loose fitting lid with vent holes on the body sides.  May help air pass thru the front radiator and and vent out???  the top rear sides under the hood.  I think possibly the H1 had functioning vents similar to the H3 look.  I know they are just cosmetics really on the threes.
 
The air intake tube from above the right fender well draws air into the factory air filter box.  Does not connect in any way to the H3 vents.  Take the cover off the air box and take a peek at the filter.

guys...listen to f5stop.....trust me...he knows more than ANYONE here about the hummer line

what makes f5stop so knowledgable about Hummers?  ( not trying to be smart ass, just curious )

He is Mr. Hummer. I have 100% faith in his posts. (except the occasional few )
 
 
 
 

According the the book that came with my H3, one is for air intake the other does nothing.

The one on the passenger's side is the air intake for the air filter box, and the driver's side does nothing.  You can see/feel the air holes under the cover, and if you put your ear up to it, hear the air flow noise coming from inside the air box.

f5stop, it seems to me that the air filter box in the engine compartment draws it's air from the wheel well, as you point out. Where is the source of the air into the wheel well? I believe, as pool_shark said, that it is from the air intake at the base of the passenger air pillar. I haven't been able to verify my seeing this somewhere but as I understand it: H1s the intakes are functional; H2s they are cosmetic only; H3 the passenger one is functional, driver side is cosmetic.

Keep in mind that this post was revived from 2 years ago..and there has been changes in those airboxes in the last 3 model years...

Well, the Hummer dealer sent down a lady to my house all the way from Phoenix to show various features of the H3 that I bought from them.  Very nice gesture. Anyway, she told me that the H3 has a water fording capability of 24 inches standing water.  She said that is because of the vents on each side.  She further told me the vents on the H2 were for looks only and that is why the H2 is rated at under 24 inches.  If she lied, let me know and I will call her and tell her she is a big fat liarhead and I want my money back.
 
She also told me the H3 has the ability to turn power off of any wheel that is in the air so that the remaining wheels on the ground have better power, or something to that effect, that the H2 also cannot do.  True?
 
Rob

the h3 does have that sort of traction control....much much better than a regular open type diff. Don't know about the h2. The vents in the h3 has nothing to do with the water fording depths.....she be full o chit. At least in my 06...which has the same water fording as an 07, the side vents do nothing. I've had my wheel well liner out I've looked in there and they are non functional, there is NO plumbing going to them.....just an empty fender. There is a picture of an h3 with the fenders off on here somewhere if you look, you can clearly see taht it has no function at all. I don't know if there have been changes in teh new 07's but I don't think there have been.

No changes to the 07.  They do nothin.

There's a side air intake on the passenger side, but I think their non functional.