so after taking in my 06 h3 to get my rear main seal replaced (I was told by my dealer it was the rear main) I got a call from the shop asking me to come in and check out a big problem. The bell housing is cracked about 4 inches in length. Replacement cost assuming there is no damage behind the housing is $1600. I talked to a bunch of different mechanics from different shops and they all said that only 2 things can cause this, poor heat issues, or something breaking off inside the engine and causing it to crack the housing from the inside out.
So I love the h3 and rather than paying for the housing and any additional parts assuming it was cracked from the inside out I started thinking of getting a new motor. 1 shop says motor+ all labor $7400. Still waiting for estimates from other shops.
The reason I cant trade it in is because on Jan 1st I was hit by a drunk driver head on and caused 10 grand in damage so I wont get squat from dealer.
Anybody have experience with any of this

 

bell housing is front of tranny,right?. chunk of metal $1600?

it bolts to the engine, not part of it huh

looks like aluminum, about 10 lb. 160/lb!

then again,if it was running till they found it,just how much of a problem is it?,maybe none.
lets see the pictures u took.

 

How many miles on the truck? With an engine swap, you pay a lot of labor for swapping engines externals. That $5800 difference vs replacing the bell housing would pay for a lot of rebuild and mods. Warrantied remanufactured 3.5s seem to go for around $2500.

 

Maybe the head on collision caused the crack and so claimable against the drunk driver.

 

I'm with this guy!

Make a phone call to HIS insurance co. ASAP

 

I'm not sure about Auto Insurance in Alberta Canada, but in Michigan (a No-Fault Insurance state) your own insurance pays for damage to your own vehicle. The only thing you can get from the other driver's insurance company is your deductible up to a maximum of $500.00, and only if the other driver was at fault.

Rick: When you asked all these shops how a bell housing can crack, did you fail to mention the head on 10K damage collision? I'd bet your collision repair facility missed that one.

If the motor moves from a collision because of damage to the frame or motor mounts, you can get a busted bell housing.

 

Ya I'm not sure about Canada either. Here in Washington the driver at fault's insurance company pays for all settlements.

 

In my deductible was covered (1500). I will give my insurance company a phone call tomorrow to see what can be done. The motor itself is $4000 with $300 returned if my engine gets returned to gm.
Also, my h3 runs perfect. Except for a couple mornings when it made loud screeching metallic noise on start up, then disipated after a very short time. Sorry I never took any pictures but I noticed that it was held on by the bolts(obviously) and some white silicone.
I never mentioned the head on collision to the repair center it never crossed my mind.
it has 104,xxx kms so just a little over 60k miles. The new motor comes from GM, with a 3 year 100k warranty for parts and labor. I will most likely continue to drive it normally as the only inconvenience is that i leave a puddle of oil on the driveway every night.
My plan is to continue to drive it until it gets bad enough that I am constantly topping up my oil level but will most likely have it done before college starts in september. Money is tight as I just turned 21 and live on my own, also tuition is hell expensive.