Sorry to report a test of your grassy knoll theory is full of more holes than an Italian Carcano might make, with other Hummers too not just a lone gunman here. No binding in 4 Hi (lock) while in neutral gliding down a hill and making a sharp turn on snow or pavement either way. Another single joke shot my way or are we to suspect a case of inebriation allowing for the conjering of such pranks? I tried not to join Tainter's conspiracy I've thought a bit of genious might lie inside such a mind but maybe "I'm just a patsy", yes a patsy he said.

 

well you guys can believe anything you want. if i knew how to send a video id just go ahead and make one on my own personal "grassy knoll"!! but its covered with snow and if i go down,i sometimes cant get back up with my big fat snowboard tires.

when the snoo goes ill work on that.

meantime ,for you and your friends,if you have fresh snow,go out and drive in a circle. then measure the distance between the 4 individual tracks. get a 4th grader to calculate the circumference of each. that is,"pi" times the diameter.(pi=3.14159)
you will find 4 distinctly different numbers.
that is an indication that each wheel has traveled a different distance..shazaaam!!
if they are locked front/rear they must bind up on a dry surface,even in neutral,even if you took the tranny out!!

so u shud git advice frum somewon hoo nose!!

heres a SIMPLE example. 2 wheels spaced 6 feet. inside circle = 40 feet,outside would be 52 feet. just use 3 for pi. 3x 40 = 120 feet.
3 x 52 feet =156.
so the inside goes 120 feet,the outside goes 156. thats why you need an open differential.

by the way,thats why the instruction book warns u not to use hi lock on dry rhodes.

why do you think they say that.?
ALMOST everyone the forum knows not to drive in lock mode in summer!

 

lock wont save you from getting into trouble, it just helps you get out.

 

last week in snow i slid down this hill doing the same test.
this is lock mode,neutral,key off just "stuck" there in bind up mode.
when i shifted to 4 hi it still stuck till i hit rev,then neut so it did not release the lock mode
till unloaded. probably not a good idea to shift when stuck,cant move to open mode

just the facts,,no theory!!

 

humdog - Did you ever find out what the problem is? Mine is back and doing it occasionally. I went for weeks with it being fine and then one day backing out of the driveway, the steering binded up. As soon as I drive up the street I can do a U turn and it's fine. I think this symptom happens mainly after backing up and only after the H3 has sat parked for a little while (1 hr. or more). After sitting for a while, if I'm parked on a side street and pull forward while turning it's good. It's driving me crazy.

 

Kopir~On another thread titled "turning issue" Icurle posted a picture of the partly melted plastic fork he had changed out for the aluminum one GMC replaced it with in mid 07 production. Fortunately he had the work done under pre-owned vehicle warranty. I'm not convinced the plastic fork is the issue alone, my H3 shifts in and out of 4High lock and back without incident and appears to be operating normally. Crazy as it sounds haven't ruled out the occasional binding as normal to the H3's operation. I've had similar "symptoms" in conditions as you describe but also it can happen in a slow forward turn right or left say into a parking space so bottom line is it can happen "anytime". Stay tuned, I may post some additional information from an expert soon.~humdog

 

Same here. It happened to me last night. Seems to happen in the same place, near my girlfriends house. I've been trying to narrow it down when it occurs so when I have time to take it to a shop they can better diagnose it. I can re-create my problem by going to a parking lot and backing up while turning the steering wheel, after doing it once or twice it feels like the brakes are on, and then when I pull forward and turn the wheel the other way it acts as though the brakes are on too. If I back up going straight it's fine, it's only when I turn the wheel that it starts to feel like the brakes are on. If I straighten it out and drive forward a bit then I can make a normal turn without any problem. I've switched from hi to hi lock and back to hi and it doesn't seem to matter. Switching doesn't alleviate the problem. Driving forward a bit does though. This is what it was doing the other day anyhow. I'm hesitant, but I'm wondering if it's my rear brakes coming on. I busted my e-brake cable a while back and still haven't fixed it. The release looks good back at the rear wheel, but something inside may be causing a problem. It was stuck until I got back there and released it with the tire tool. I'm going to look into it further. Thanks for letting me know and I'll post what I find.

 

you guys refuse to accept the answer!! you are getting into lock mode,,,,

oh note this is a rerun

last week in snow i slid down this hill doing the same test.
this is lock mode,neutral,key off just "stuck" there in bind up mode.
when i shifted to 4 hi it still stuck till i hit rev,then neut so it did not release the lock mode
till unloaded. probably not a good idea to shift when stuck,cant move to open mode

just the facts,,no theory!!
Attached Thumbnails

 

drtom - I have a new transfer case, so unless I've damaged something in it in the last two months or it was bad to begin with I doubt it's the fork. I would normally agree that it's getting into lock mode, but when it's in lock mode it acts differently. I accidentally had it in lock mode on asphalt one time and the tires try to hop in lock mode and the problem I'm having doesn't act like that. It powers through the turn, no hopping or chirping. I'm starting to get "Service Stab Trac System Traction Failed" messages now. I cycled the TC motor 50 times like I read in another post and it went away for a few days, but came back last night. It doesn't stay on though. I'm wondering if I have a bad TC motor or TCCM. I've also noticed the CV near the front diff on the right side that's wet with oil so it may be a problem. I sometimes hear noise (vibration) from the front passengers side too. Maybe that axle has a problem or the hub. Thank you and I'm looking for anything that might solve this.

 

binding and dead stopping when steering turned, definitely the shift fork...no question about it... mine started doing same, not always, and you will still be able to shift between 4lock and 4high, but the front part of the fork will be worn and sometimes slipping... took the TC out today and changed the fork to the new one.. a 4 hours job if you have all the tools..took the occasion to clean the TC and all gears and do a full check on everything else in there...shift fork is 99% the culprit..and all GM dealers stock it,,,$ 32 here....I know if you take it to a dealer or an indy, labour will be high..