Ran into another H3 with my problem yesterday ...

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

got me; I forgot, still thinking old days. I'll do some checking tomorrow on brakes.

F5,

Any word about defects etc on the brakes???

RYD

[fourfourto]

The service guy did mention something about a notice about the brakes.He didnt show me anything .

They wrote this on work order.
C/S when braking hard there is a grinding noise.Verifed concern. Norn=mal condition for vehicle when braking hard.

I told them it does it on normal braking going down hill with stopping at the bottom without feathering of brake.It doesnt have to be a hard brake.

Ill wait till it gets worse and will go with them for a ride and say YEH ! thats Normal! Yeh Right !. and if I have trouble with them doing a repair I will insist on a hummer rep. I will give it a few weeks and see what happens.

Anyone with any info from gm for the H3 for brakes please list them. thanks in advance.

[jp's-h3]

I know that abs brakes make a grinding noise when coming to an abrupt halt. If that is the prob. nothing can be done about the grinding noise, It's an inherent prob w/ abs brakes.

[fourfourto]

Originally Posted by jp's-h3

I know that abs brakes make a grinding noise when coming to an abrupt halt. If that is the prob. nothing can be done about the grinding noise, It's an inherent prob w/ abs brakes.

Yeh my brother (ace mechanic) said does it feel like the abs.
I realy dont think thats it ,I already locked the brakes up testing abs on dry pavement,dirt,sand,rain ,snow ice ect.
At this point there not as bad as they were at 12,000 miles when they cut rotors and replaced pads.
I will put some miles on the H3 .
Im going upstate in a few week so thats good for 1000 miles only 300 up there but we cruze around quite a bit looking at cabins/houses and looking for snowmobile trails.

[Ed Coryell]

I had a similar problem with my H3 about 4 months ago. At about 8,500 - 9,000 miles, I started hearing a grinding noise when coming to a stop that I thought at first must be a problem with the brakes. I took it to the dealer (Hall Hummer in Virginia Beach) and after two days of looking at every possibility, and several phone calls to the factory reps, it was determined that the problem wasn't with the brakes, but rather with the transfer case. The rep suggested they cycle through 4H - 4H-locked - 4L to see if that fixed the problem, and it did. They said that they were going to start recommending as part of the 3K oil change maintenance that the transfer case also be cycled at least that often. It's been almost 4,000 miles since then and (knock on wood), the grinding noise has not returned.

BTW - I bought one of the first H3's off the lot here in June 05, and am very happy with the vehicle. Haven't done any serious off-roading yet, but did drive it through a snowstorm in NY last winter, and it handled great.

[Hmmm2]

Originally Posted by Ed Coryell

The rep suggested they cycle through 4H - 4H-locked - 4L to see if that fixed the problem, and it did.

Ed, do you normally drive in 4H all of the time .. never using the 4H-Locked or 4L? My particular grind was definitely in the rear right and I could feel it in the brake when I'd come to a stop. After all was said and done, they discovered a warped rotor. I don't off-road mine (though I have in a different H3 ), so I always drive in 4H.

[fourfourto]

This summer I was at the beach every other week used 4H lock and used
4 low a couple times fooling around the back dunes and some rocks.
so my tranfer case gets cycled every few weeks.
The sound is definatly from the brakes.


I don't off-road mine

Hmmm3 say its not so

get out there and tear it up

[Hmmm2]

Originally Posted by fourfourto

I don't off-road mine

Hmmm3 say its not so

get out there and tear it up

LOL, fourfourto. Chrome, mudflaps, steps prevent me in THIS vehicle. I have off-roaded in H3's and an H2, tho ..just not mine.

[fourfourto]

I wheel with mudflaps and steps,I just limit myself and know when to back up only got a small scuff on bottom of steps on this hill no big deal.

[Hmmm2]

Originally Posted by fourfourto

I wheel with mudflaps and steps,I just limit myself and know when to back up only got a small scuff on bottom of steps on this hill no big deal.

Ooooookay, fourfourto .. I'll baptize her. I'll let you know when I try MY H3 on some hills. Just know I'll have my teeth clenched and eyes closed when I think I might scrape any chrome/bling.

[f5fstop]

Ok, you guys got me, in the past two days, I have noticed this groaning from the left rear brake; not a grinding, but more of a groaning when coming to a stop under heavy pressure. Slow stopping does not bring on the noise, only heavy or very heavy.
At this point I am not sure what it is, but it is not due to a warped rotor, this was confirmed today.
Personally, I'm leaning toward the inside the rotor's hat park brake assembly, and the brake shoes rotating on a dry backing plate. (L-Series Saturns had the same rear park brake system, and the same type of groaning noise; not as loud, but similar.) In other words, the park brake shoes are hanging up. This could explain why the rotor is removed and turned and reinstalled, the noise goes away due to the freeing up of the park brake assembly when the rotor is removed.
If it is the park brake, it would not cause a braking problem, only an aggravating noise problem.
I am trying to schedule the H3 brake service engineer to come over to my facility and let's tear into this and figure out exactly what it is.
This will take a few days, but I'll keep you informed.

[Hmmm2]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Ok, you guys got me, in the past two days, I have noticed this groaning from the left rear brake; not a grinding, but more of a groaning when coming to a stop under heavy pressure. Slow stopping does not bring on the noise, only heavy or very heavy.

Yessss, you're right, f5fstop ... it is more of a groan than a grind. I can't wait to hear what you find out about yours! My H3 is fine so far .. I hope they found mine and finally took care of it. I can't even imagine living with that 'groan' sound for the life of the vehicle. Do you feel it in your brake, too .. same as fourfourto and myself? Keep us in the loop.

[fourfourto]

CHP said to check e brake, I have no play in the cable .

I do use the e brake everyday at home because of incline.
Maybe e brake dust gets caught up in the lever or in the drum over time?

I guess i could go along with more of a groan than a grind


Mine seams fine now and the dealer cleaned brakes ,I dont know if they removed the rotors .Maybe they cleaned e brake also thats why it ok for now.

F5 go down a long hill 60 MPH and stop on the hard side at the bottom.It is (was) most noticable then.

[f5fstop]

Long hill in southeast MI? No chance on that happening.

[fourfourto]

Update my wife just said its more of a grown. I told you grown YYY
that is all

[Hmmm2]

Originally Posted by fourfourto

F5 go down a long hill 60 MPH and stop on the hard side at the bottom.It is (was) most noticable then. Update my wife just said its more of a grown. I told you grown YYY
that is all

That's when mine would make the groan, too ... just at the base of a hill when coming to a stop ... after the rotors heated up.

LOL.. well, I'm glad your wife set you straight, fourfourto.

[Michael1]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Only thing I know is 90 percent of what people call warped rotors is really pad residue on the rotor. Turning does fix the problem. Pretty darn hard to warp a large rotor like the ones on the front, and the back brakes do so little on normal stopping that can't understand how they get overheated enough to warp.

I don't know why you say that. Corvettes have had warped rotor problems for years, and that car has huge rotors, and 3/5 the mass of the H3 to stop. Mine warped in one good hard stop on the freeway at 100F. It's probably a GM design or material problem, rather than just the size.

Michael

[Ed Coryell]

Originally Posted by Hmmm3

Ed, do you normally drive in 4H all of the time .. never using the 4H-Locked or 4L? My particular grind was definitely in the rear right and I could feel it in the brake when I'd come to a stop. After all was said and done, they discovered a warped rotor. I don't off-road mine (though I have in a different H3 ), so I always drive in 4H.

Yes - I drive in 4H all the time - mostly local traffic, with alot of stop-&-go. The noise I experienced came from the front, so it does seem to be different than the problem you're having. I hope they're able to figure it out and get it fixed for you. Was the warped rotor a factory defect, or did something happen to cause it to warp? I know that the Hummer dealership here in Virginia Beach is very in-tune with all us Hummer owners, and will do what it takes to fix any problems we have. Good luck!

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by Michael1

I don't know why you say that. Corvettes have had warped rotor problems for years, and that car has huge rotors, and 3/5 the mass of the H3 to stop. Mine warped in one good hard stop on the freeway at 100F. It's probably a GM design or material problem, rather than just the size.

Michael

I'm sorry to say, but an actual warped rotor was not that common. As I said, the biggest problem with what people call warped rotors is actually pad material causing a high spot.
During our studies, the only rotors that had warping problems were the smaller thin, rotors used on small cars, and then the numbers were not that high.
Can you warp a rotor? Yes, take a factory rotor and autocross all day long, run it on a road course and turn them red, but normal driving makes it almost impossible to warp a large finned rotor.
Ride the H3 down a 13K foot incline and yes, it might warp. Drive it around town and no, unless there was a manufacturing defect. However, when a technician pulls rotor, puts it on a lathe, and checks it, if there are high spots, to him or her, it is warped.
The other big problem with what people say is a warped rotor is lateral runout. That is why GM has published quite a few bulletins in the past on checking lateral runout versus turning a rotor.

I might add, if a rotor is found to be warped, it is usually warped due to installation, not heat. Forget the cross pattern and cock the rotor upon install, and it will eventually wear into a warped condition.

Now, go back to the Toyota forum and bash GM there.

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by Michael1

I don't know why you say that. Corvettes have had warped rotor problems for years, and that car has huge rotors, and 3/5 the mass of the H3 to stop. Mine warped in one good hard stop on the freeway at 100F. It's probably a GM design or material problem, rather than just the size.

Michael

so that 100 degree outside temp is what made all the difference, huh? You so dumb.

You absolutely cannot warp a brake rotor in one braking instance, even if you dragged the brake for 17 years continuously. Heat warping is caused by continuous and repetitive high heat ups and cool downs. Of course, this applies to the typical modern day rotor on most vehicles.

GM has had a problem with warped rotors in the past on trucks mostly on the fronts. With the wierd tire wear and cupping problem with the tires that occurred, over time, the front rotors warped causing a need for them to be turned.