Hello all,

I'm a newb to hummers but i went and test drove one today and when i put it in to 4 low the engine would rev and it would hardly move and seemed like it had no torque at all, is this normal? My last truck was a chevy 4x4 and you could def tell when it was in 4 low especially by turning the wheels far left or right, it would pull and jump like crazy. Is there anything i should look for to ensure the 4x4 is working properly?

Also, is there anything i should look for before buying? Thank you in advance for any advice!

 

You did not provide us with the year or model you drove so it would be hard to do much in response but guess.

If you drove an I5 powered Adventure, in Low Lock the T Case will act like you describe, the truck is not going anywhere fast because it has significantly more gear than a FS Chevy 4X4.

 

Doc Olds,

Thanks for the info and sorry I forgot to mention the year and model. It was a 06 I5 Adventure.

If there is anything wrong with the 4 wheel drive will it throw a check engine light or anything and do you have any tips on how to inspect the operation of the trans and T Case before purchase?

Thanks

 

What does that mean, engine would rev and it would hardly move? You mean, it drove around real slow? 4-lo with the Adventure package (lockers and 4:1 TC) is really low geared but you can drive around, it will shift gears, and it should feel like it has gobs of torque. It will accelerate very slowly as it winds up through gears, but you should be able to get up to around 20mph if it's working right. Realistically, if you're doing 20mph you probably want to be in 4-hi anyway, but that's a different topic.

 

skeptic,

Its hard to explain but when in 4-lo the engine would rev up and it felt like it hesitated for a few seconds then when it started moving it just didn't seem like it kept up with the engines rpms and felt like it had hardly any torque. I know that 4-lo is supposed to accelerate and drive slow but it almost felt like it was just sitting there winding up rpms and not going anywhere. Sales person told me that was normal (of course lol) Then the "mechanic" looked at it and drove it and seemed puzzled too. I just told them I wanted to do a little research before I decide to purchase, like I said I'm new to hummers and I appreciate all the info

 

Well, it's hard to know what's going on through the internet, but the best thing I can suggest is to find another H3 and take it for a test drive. Just be aware that if it has the Adventure package (look for lockers) it will be slower in 4-lo than a non-Adventure.

The way you describe it doesn't sound healthy, but hard to say.

 

I was planning on driving another H3 to compare the two but the only one near me besides the one I drove doesn't have the Adventure package(no lockers). I will keep searching for one to compare the two. The funny thing is the "mechanic" that looked at it had the owners manual out trying to figure out how to use the 4-lo and then he said "it does feel like the engine is revving and its not going anywhere" like you said I don't think its very healthy. Thank you for the info and advice I appreciate it!

 

remember,lock mode locks the transfer case,not the diffs.the 06 probably had just rear diff locker.

 

Well i went and test drove the H3 without the Adventure package and the 4-lo was completely different, i could feel the torque the second i pressed the gas pedal. So Im not sure what was wrong with the first one i drove.

The second one i drove (without the Adventure package) had a little more miles on it than i wanted but was extremely clean inside, underneath, and outside. Long story short, i bought it! So i am now a proud owner of a H3!!!

I would like to say thank you to Doc Olds, skeptic, and happythree for the replies and advice!

 

Welcome to the club, now we get to start spending your money!!! If you are going to wheel, seriously consider sliders and UCP (under carriage protection).

Unless you are doing slow technical rock crawling or other stuff really pushing the limits you'll be fine without the lockers. The key is learning how to drive it to use the traction control. Basically, keep your foot off the brake pedal and let the tires spin (not like flooring it, but a gentle slow tire spin) and traction control will kick in and kinda pulse for lack of a better description. Once you do it a time or two you'll know what I mean despite my terrible description.