Went and test drove a 2008 H3 Alpha. First time in a Hummer and was surprised. Engine sounded great. Suspension was solid. It was a fun, comfortable ride.
Got back to the lot and went through the 4wd buttons and unfortunately none of "lock" buttions worked, nor did the traction control button. Only lit up one is the 4wd which to my understanding is full time 4wd mode. Of course dealerahilp says no problem getting through snow etc.. in fulltime 4wd. Also read many forum posts saying folks go off roading in fulltime 4wd.

What I do not get is that the Hummer ia not in the 4wheel drive I am used to in my other 4 wheel drive vehicles. Proof being, going slow on pavement and turning sharp, there is no hopping, skipping etc..

So is this fulltime 4wd actually just full time awd, because if that is the case its not going to work for me since Ive been down this path already with an AWD struggling in Michigan snow. (Live on a dirt road, dirt drive) Yeah an AWD will get tbrough it, but if Im driving a Hummer I want to blaze through it like my Ram doea in 4 High Unlocked.

I dont need a technical explanation telling what wheel ia doing what with what transfer case engaging the differential. Etcc...

Is the Hummers full time 4wd, better than an AWD vehicle and above and beyond capable to handle what ever snowy Michigan country living will throw at me.

Any suggestions on what it takes to get the 4high and 4low lock and traction control to work would be appreciatred. According to Carfax,

• Differential fluid flushed/changed
• Differential serviced

in Septembet 2020. Thanks Everyone. Oh amd this car has 124,000 on it and they are asking 16750.00.

 

 

First, H3s were made idiot proof so you can drive on snow covered roads without touching any of the T Case buttons.

Next..... Did you read the owners manual on how to change to lock, then low lock, or how to use the Traction Control button???? It is not just a ***** nilly push a button and see what happens.

 

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DealerShip has ordered an electronic part that should fix the problem so we will see what happrns.

As for the Idiot Proof part which is perfect for me, what exactly is this magical 4wd that the Hummer H3 alpha has that will get me through snow and slush that does not exist in any other 4wd vehicle I have ever owned, because from what everyone is saying, the Hummers High 4wd unlocked is the default mode. Thats great, but my Ram High 4wd unlocked mode reacts completely different than the Hummers. I appreciate everyone trying to help, but this makes no sense to me.

 

A RAM is hardly a Hummer, they are not FT 4X4 and have no StabiliTrack that spreads power and brake traction 4 ways.

The time you need to change the T Case to lock is in DEEP snow covered roads, like 6-8"+. You won't need lo lock unless off road.

Good luck.

 

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Becauae what you have described sounds very similar to full time AWD. When ever I ask this question everyone immediately goes into the difference between 4wd and AWD. I want to know the difference between FullTimd AWD and Full time 4wd because its sounding like its the same thing.

 

Finally found a few articles that explain the differenve between full time AWD and Full Time 4wd. They are in fact the same thing, so when Hummer is in 4wd unlocked that really is AWD. DIFFERENCE IS. Full time 4wd usually has the option to go into 4High LOck or low, whereas AWD do not have that option.

 

Maybe it's the same thing. But your original concern was if the hummer can handle the Michigan snow. It can. I have not yet found a reason to use the 4wd hi lock yet, and I've been in 24" of wet snow with mine. The traction control takes over and never skipped a beat. I use 4wd low when off road on obstacles, mud, etc.

If you ever have a concern, switch to 4 hi lock, and you've got your "familiar" 4x4 (in your words). You won't be unhappy.

Hard to tell from your post why the other modes didn't work - do some reading on this (hummer manual can be found online), as there are a number of conditions that need to be met before the transfer case will shift.

 

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