Hello all,

I have a problem. My new H3 is having some engine noise that I need to figure out more before I bring it to the dealer for them to tell me after 10 hours of having my car that they cannot find the problem.

Bear in mind it's got all of 2k miles on it.

When I accelerate at low speeds, especially if i am going up an incline, I get this engine noise......it's like almost as if you had some marbles in a can and were shaking it a little bit. You know what I mean??

I also hear it when I accelerate at moderate speeds, although it's a sure thing at low speeds like when I am pulling out of a side street.

Anyone else heard of this in their H3's??

Thanks so much!

Ross

 

You didn't give any details...year?....engine? My '08 Alpha was doing the same thing. Turned out it was the heater hoses rattling. The dealer used a nylon tie wrap to cinch them together, up by the firewall.....problem solved.

 

"marbles in a can" kinda sounds like when my 3.7 exhaust manifold shield was loose.

 

Also check the air intake box, that usually occurs at lower rpms and idle and goes away under acceleration, but the whole assembly could be loose or even over tightened... Check the connection to the throttle body...

Is the fan hitting the shroud at all? You'd see scaring in the plastic if it was...

Lastly are you sure it's coming from the engine and not a tire? Something could be loose or bad in the front end... find a spot where there's a wall or barrier on the side of a road, and roll down the windows, does the sound get louder as you drive by the wall/barrier?

 

Sorry -- it's a 2010 year and the V6 engine (inline 5 or whatever -- not the V8)

 

I wonder if i have the same issue with my 2008 H3 (3.7L)...

I get a vibrating sound that I thought originated behind the glove box...it only happens when the engine hits about 900 rpms and it sounds like a resonant frequency thing....goes away when rpms are above 1100 and is quiet as can be while driving. It decides to make noise when I take off from a dead stop.

I dropped the glove box and thought it was the antenna cable against the HVAC unit -- i put my hands all over the area behind the glove box while holding the engine at 800 to 900 rpms and the rattle/vibration persisted. I wrapped every wiring harness and cable with foam tape and it still vibrates at low rpms. When I turn the blower motor to 1 or 2, I still hear it. If I turn blower motor to 3 or 4 I think it goes away -- or I just cannot hear it.

Maybe I am looking in the wrong area. I cannot tell if it is really coming from behind the glove box or the engine compartment. I read in this post that someone had their heater hoses zip tied and their "loose marbles" noise went away --- where are the heater hoses that were zip-tied????

I even insulated the module that is behind the washer fluid reservior -- it was flopping in its plastic bracket....that wasn't it.

If anyone can point me in the direction of the heater hoses, i would appreciate it.


I have silenced EVERY squeek and rattle on this vehicle except this one. My lease is up in 1 more year and I am considering just buying out my vehicle. The residual value on my contract is about $20,500 and the dealer is knocking off $1500 for people who buy their lease. This stupid noise is driving me so nuts right now that I am having second thoughts. Leaning about 70% buying out lease and about 30% buying new GMT900 ext cab 4x4 or new Colorado Crew Cab 4x4 instead.

HELP

 

Hey -- Yes, it gets louder when i approach a wall or barrier, but as soon as i take my foot off the gas the sounds isappears -- so it wouldn't be the tire (I already thought of the tire) right?

 

I don't know if the I5 routes the heater hoses the same as the Alpha, but mine were vibrating against the engine. The dealer told me this was a bulletin from HUMMER, and the fix was to take a nylon tie, and cinch the 2 hoses together to make them more rigid. They tied them approx. 8 inches away from the firewall. I had been looking behind the dash for something rattling, and couldn't find a thing. It really surprised me that this was the fix!

 

I zip-tied one heater hose to the reservior next to the washer fluid (one with the red fluid) -- it had a hole in a tab...so i used it. The vibration sound was still there, but lessened quite a bit. I'll try a zip-tie on both together and see what happens...thanks for the help.

 

Can you try and describe the sound you were getting - I'm thinking my 07 might have this.

Its not too bad, but under fairly heavy acceleration there is a noise that sounds like resonance behind the glovebox (even the firewall) that sounds similar to the kind of throaty noise you get with a cracked exhaust (but the exhaust is fine).

It only seems to happen under reasonably hard acceleration.