Has anyone had any overheating issues or engine issues?

I bought a 2008 Hummer for my daughter in 2010 40k. Ran like a champ but had issues with the temp getting close to overheating on long drives and when using AC in the summer.

Vehicle went to the dealer several times and they said it was common for the vehicle. Last weekend when mydaughter was coming back from college when it started running rough. Temp was not over and she made it home. Took car to dealer and they said cat was bad and it caused engine damage to the valves in cyl #8? Engine should be replaced at 79K 2 months out of factory warranty,,,,

 

[QUOTE][ they said it was common for the vehicle/QUOTE]

Uncommon!! you got that in writing?? they were making up bs.
you might go after them.

I have driven 2 h3 for 80000 miles, NEVER had the gage up to 1/2 in july heat/air in stop/go traffic, not once.

 

Ok, I have had feedback from both Cadillac and GM on this.

Since the model is a discontinued model support services "outside ofthe warranty period" are slim...Even though it is two months out ofwarranty and 20 thousand miles under warranty.

GM extended a "Good will program" where they will replace thecylinder head, cat and send it down the road with no future warranty available.

My dealer advised us against this since when the valve head fell off thevalve stem it marred up the piston face (top) and cylinder wall.

GM wants nothing to do with an engine swap so, I am as they stated in theiremail back to me responsible for any out of pocket expenses...

 

I would get a second opinion about the motor problem. As far as the overheating, did you actually test the temperature with a gauge or are you just looking at the gauge on the dash? That gauge does not tell you what the temp is. We have had our h3 for 4 years and it always runs between 1/2 and 3/4 and higher in the summer, but we are within the acceptable temperature range when I test it. You will find here on the site that many people's h3 temp gauges are different. Some run at below half and some are higher, but we are all within the good range when actually tested.

Yes, you could have damaged the engine, but it still may be just a bad cat. I would definitely get a second opinion just to be safe. We have a G.M. dealer near us that tried to scam us a couple of years ago, so we use a different one that is very trustworthy.

 

they were lying when they said it was common, so if they had fixed the cat back then,when?, you would not have had this happen.
id go after them.

good lesson,,,get it in writing guys!!

what amazes my in these dealer/gm/warrantee fights is that gm is screwing some of the most fervently loyal , AND potential repeat buyers had they continued the brand,or restarted it.

 

Our Cadillac dealer is one we have used for almost 20 years purchasing 4 Cadillac’swith great service and support. They were the dealer that found the Hummer inquestion in Louisiana and had it brought to Cincy for us to look at andeventually purchase so I do trust their judgment.

I stopped out to look at the damage and the cylinder has some dents in theside walls as does the top of the piston. What was left of the valve face was aboutthe size of a nickel.

I never put a heat gun on the engine but the gauge would read 1/2 to 3/4 onthe temp gauge during long trips or hot days with AC on. Otherwise the gauge wouldread just under 1/2.

Like another poster stated, the GM HQ not wanting to support divisions thatthey have mothballed in situations like this makes me real reluctant withgetting another. Heck I would even take the good will $$$ and add to it to replace the engine but they do not want to play that way...

 

Sorry about your troubles. G.M. has given a lot of people with H3's trouble. If you now are going to have the engine replaced the temp gauge may be different than yours was. Just do a reading and you will know what the exact temp is. because like I said and you will read it on this site many times, the gauge does not mean a thing unless it goes up to the red. Some of ours are normal between 1/2 and 3/4 and some run below 1/2.

 

I think there is a 8/80k Federal Emissions Control System Warranty. Check your manual. If the cat was bad and caused your engine to be damaged shouldn't GM cover it?

 

I wonder if this is a teaching lesson. if the cat did in fact cause the heating condition and valve failure then maybe others are going to fail in a similar way? I really wonder about h3 that read midway,then go up on a long run as you described.
except for super high ambient temps I cant see why the gage would go up after sitting at mid for a while in normal outside temps. the thermostat should take care of it.

 

Then it never overheated. You can read the multitudinous threads on people freeking out about a 3/4 temp gauge reading........ suffice it to say, the dash temp gauge is just an idiot light with a needle. The H3 has 3 layers of overheat protection, you did not even approach the first.

There was also an old TSB about how if a customer brings in an H3 for what they think is high heat telling the techs to scan the actual temp and if that is in the normal range, do nothing... if the customer brings it back again, swap out the temp gauge for another as it will probably read lower. No mention of any cooling system work at all.

BTW, are we talking an exhaust valve that puked, as that would explain the CAT (not the other way around).