Also, I have read about engine manifold bolts breaking off on their own and causing exhaust leaks. All kinds of threads about it. Not sure if my H2 has this issue yet. Considering the purchase of ceramic headers. The engine bay gets really really hot just with normal driving...more so than my silverado. Don't plan to do this until I actually have exhaust leaks on the manifold. A sound inspection hasn't revealed anything, but I have not located all of the bolts to confirm they are present and tight.

 

Checked out the intake manifold bolts. Passenger side looks good, but driver's side is missing two of them. The heads just broke off. Now, shopping for ceramic headers. Leaning toward shorty headers. While I would like 1 7/8" tube width, 1 5/8" tube seems to be more common. Based upon my research, a larger tube produces a bit more hp and torque. Once I narrow it down to a few options, I will post that.

 

I'm glad you're updating this thread with every thing you replaced or noticed going bad. As a future H2 owner (trying to narrow it down between an 05 SUT and 03) i bookmark threads like yours so i know what to inspect.

 

You're welcome! Glad someone found it useful. When I was considering my purchase, I couldn't find many thorough threads. Figured I would put something together to help others and keep track of everything I have done.


If you have any specific questions, just post'em and I will be glad to respond.


Despite the numerous things I have fixed thus far, I really enjoy the ride! Overall, worth the effort. I have always wanted an H2 and now I have one. I could have chosen to spend twice as much on a newer one/one with a lot less miles...but, didn't really want to do that. Besides, after all this wrenching I have discovered that working on the H2 is relatively easy. Pretty simple and straight forward. I'm also gaining confidence in the vehicle's reliability and likelihood NOT to break down when I actually go on a trip. I probably read between 400 to 500 reviews on 2005 SUTs....overall, they rating was 8.5 up to 9.2 the majority of the time. Yes, stuff happens/breaks. But overall, the resounding sentiment is these things work and work for a long time. That's what pushed me over to buy the one I have with 200k miles. It's a shame H2s are no longer produced not that I would buy a new one, but for a vehicle that gets critiqued as much as this one does, it holds up pretty well. Edmonds, NADA, KBB, CARS.com, all these sites have reviews. That's where I spent countless hours reading review after review after review.


FWIW, my H2 was a 1 owner....probably the biggest reason I decided to buy it with over 200k miles as I was able to speak to the previous owner on multiple occasions.


Good luck with your purchase!

 

Well, after a week or searching high and low and after purchasing 3 different sets of plugs, I finally found/bought the correct ones.

The lines that connect at the top and bottom of the radiator on the passenger side go into quick disconnect fittings. I removed these fittings. The bottom one did not have any locktite left on it while the top one did have locktite on probably 25% of its threads. They were not hard to remove. Bottom was easy. Top required a medium effort nudge. Others have indicated that removing these fittings could crack your radiator bc of the locktite. Not trying to contradict, just sharing my experience.

The most common way to plug these openings: run a hose from the top line to the bottom after cutting said lines. The cutting generally occurs during the bypass procedure/aftermarket tranny cooler install.

I didn't cut the lines. I removed them, then unscrewed the fittings they went into.

That brings me to the plugs. Correct size: 3/8" NPFT. One might thing a normal pipe plug might work. I tried 3 different ones and none worked. Finally, I learned that the OEM fitting I removed has an inverted flare end. This small piece of information makes all the difference in the world.

Bought mine at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Part #120-600.

Below you will find pics.

 

OEM fitting and replacement plugs

 

More pics

 

Had I struck out today, I would have used this.

 

Also, I used a water to force water into the top fitting hole to flush the tranny cooler inside the radiator. Made a mess but it's all clean now.

 

Despite the ridiculous number of hours I spent trying to find/figure out which plug fit, it was well worth the effort. I'm picky about the finished product.

On a side note, drove around for 1.5 days without plugging the fitting holes. Tranny fluid seeped out and made a mess but that was it.