stab system light came on today (failure) check 4wd

[f5fstop]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by UNOMYFLO:
so let me get ths straight there arer 3 pieces to this system?

the TCCM transfercase control module located under the pass side kick panel.


the encoder motor or actuator located on the back of the t-case under the shield

and lastly the encoder module? where is that located?

I want to get a handle on this so I can check the system thouraghly as far as the connections go.

thnx </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My mistake, I mentioned encoder module, but meant to say encouder motor. We are talking about two parts, the TCCM in the I/P, and the encoder motor (also called an actuator) mounted to the rear of the case.

[Hummie3]

I had the same problem last month with my H3. The dealer said it was an optic sensor inside the encoder motor. They ordered the part but it took about 2 1/2 weeks to receive the unit because it was on a "national back order". I had it installed last week and all if fine. I had the work done at the dealer Ken Batchelor HUMMER in San Antonio, TX

[UNOMYFLO]

Interesting the optic sensor must be inside the motor. I do not believe the optic sensor can be ordered separately. There is only one part number for it postd above.

Thanks for the info. I had no problems this am on the way to work at all.

I am going to cancell my appt this am and save the trip and go down when the wife has the kids at her parents house in the future so I can roll down solo and have the rattle looked at the encoder motor and have the rear wash pump replaced at the same time.

M

[Hummie3]

I guess I should have added that the dealer said, if the error code apears, park the H3 turn off the engine for about a 10 seconds and restart the engine. This will reset the sensor for the mean time. You may also get a 4WD error and notice that the indication lights on the 4WD buttons on the dash may not be on.

On my way to work yesterday (in the middle of a 16 mile commute), the Failure Stab system message came on. By the time I got to work the message was gone and hasn't come back since. I do remember shifting to 3rd gear about a minute before the message came up. Otherwise I haven't noticed anything strange before or after. Should I be concerned?

S.

H3 white/ebony, lux pkg, auto, XM, sunroof, hitch, chrome pkg, chrome wheels, chrome side steps, Hitchcam, RW chrome locking gas cap cover, etc.

[UNOMYFLO]

I just got off the phone with the tech I have uesd before and spoke with at the dealer. First off he said this is becoming more prevelant and GM knows about it. The initial fix sent from GM was to swap out the TCCM Module right off...well they realized that wasnt the fix as all the returned TCCM's to the manufacturer checked out ok. So now GM has done a backorder on the TCCM and is saying to replace the encoder motor assy which is mounted on the back of the xfer case. He said rather than admit they pointed the techs in the wrong direction with the initial fix they just put the TCCM's on backorder which isnt the problem anyway, it just eliminates techs from continuing to order them. Now as I understand it the encoder motors are hard to get. I actually had the service/parts dept. order one for my scheduled warantee service on the stab failure check 4wd deal going on now. He had no problem doing this as he said he likes to keep on in stock anyhow even if it wasnt the problem (which now I know it is) he said he would shelf it. Glad I had them order it..but get this I called this am to check the status and they said it came in last wed and another tech pulled it and used it on another clients car with the exact smae symptoms as mine.......(((((think this is a common problem??))))) I say yes.

The reason I ordered one is thanks to this forum I had a feeling this was the problem and didnt want to take a 4hr round trip just so they could tell me it was the problem and the part had to be ordered andhave to come back again..normal procedure....I pushed the envelope and it worked...if I were closer to the dealer I would not have done this.

Anyhow they are overnighting another one and or doing another spat case on the part which is an overnight order anyhow...so I should be good to go for sat service. I also told them I want the TCCM cleared and re-programmed which is there discretion but I requested it. Plus I told them I want the rear washer pump recall fixed and I also want the pullys cleaned and the serpentine belt tensioner bolt checked for the proper torque and the serpentine belt replaced to stop the cold start rattle I have had for the past 2 months. I have to drive 2hrs each way to the dealer so I am getting my ducks in a row to get it all fixed once and for all.
I will keep you all posted on the work done on sat I have an appt at 9am in Hacksonville Fla.

Thanks Mike.

and on the last post my feeling is if it did it once it will probably rear its head again it shouldnt have come on no matter what gear you were in period...it is probbaly the encoder motor.....get it to the dealer.

Mike

[UNOMYFLO]

also this isnt a saftey issue at all it basically makes you stability system useless and your 4wd non functional.

Mine is intermittent it will fail 1 day and work the entire next day. I have actuall cancelled 1 appt at the dealer due to the fact that it started to work again only to get in the truck to find it failed again...get it to the dealer and get it fixed.

I am in a warm climate but if you were to be wheeling in the snow in the middle of nowhere or commuting in the snow where the 4wd was a necessity and it failed you would be screwed.

I bet there will be a recall on this but I cant be sure I guess it depend on what percentage of encoder motors fail in the field. From this post I see several but all in all there arent like 100 people chiming in saying they have the same problem...It was actually nice to hear y tech say he has done 3 others though...finally I am not the first one which I seem to be in a lot of issues in life....ya know...man your the first person to hae this problem? I get that a lot. I like the tech he is straight forward and honest and doesnt bs me. I could care less if there is a problem with the encoders I just want it fixed. I think by them telling you you ae the first they think they are keeping your faith in the vehicle. I personally want the truth. The techs are up front the service managers IMO try to BS you. they should know like the tecks do how many of what they have fixed...

I still love my H3 and realize on a first year vehicle there will be some problems.

this is my list to date:

1) onstar never worked from day 1 new module fixed it
2) washer pump motor
3) needs a new serp belt
4) needs a new encoder motor and re cal of the TCCM


Hopefully this will be it.

M

[UNOMYFLO]

I almost forgot to tell all of you aparently this has been a problem part on the H2's as well..and no it isnt the same part number.
It functions the same but is a totally different part number.

When I first talked to the service parts guy he told me about the encoder because he has ordered them for the H2's. I wonder if they are made by the same manu for the H3 and H2's I read somewhere earlier on this thread that there is an optical sight in them that goes bad.

This encoder tells the xfer which range to be in. 4wd hi low or neutral or 2wd. But when it fails make all functions useless except 2wd.

If you crawl under the drive side of the H3 and look at the back of the tcase you will see it hanging of the back/side.

M

[SDH3]

I have to agree with UNO... I'm the guy that gave you the encoder motor part #. My truck was 4 weeks old when those 4x and stab... service messages came on, and always on morning startup, but they would go off after a re-start. The 4th time the messages would not go away at all, so I took in to the dealer. Told the service rep I heard there are problems with the TCCM (tranfer case control module) he said they would check it out, but the first thing the tech looked at was the encoder motor and it was bad and TCCM was OK. I guess they are having a problem with these, and I would'nt hesitate taking it to the dealer and have them check the encoder motor if you're having these messages. I live in a warm climate but snow in the mtns. is a couple hours away. I sure would have hated to be stuck up there with a new H3.

Interesting, now that I have 11000 miles and I've seen the message briefly once. I better start "driving like I rented it, with insurance of course" to see if the problem occurs more often.

S.

[sltbluh3]

I had the same prob in Dec dealer reset computer no error this morning boom error drove 2 miles stop h3 restarted no errors. drove another 33 to work restarted tonight came most of the home stopped for dinner, restart errors, calling dealer in the morning to get parts on order thanks guys for all of the information

[UNOMYFLO]

UPDATE:

I went to the dealer on sat left my house ate 5am gtot there at 7am sharp.

On the way down I got myself worked up thinking of what has transpired with this H3 to date. To prefix that I want to say I love this H3. I do realize it is a first year production run and there could be glitches and problems. And yes it is man made....

With that said here is a breakdown of what I have been through.

1) Onstar never worked from day 1 I know there is dealer prep where they have 1 person who is in charge of sitting in the vehicle who goes through all the functions and yes they are suppose to push the onstar button to make the initial connection. My feeling is they either failed to do this or they did and passed the truck on to me knowing it never worked.

The onstar deal took 3 trips down 2 hrs each way round trip for a re program of the module which never worked. The reason I didnt go for a 3rd useless trip was because I called onstar and raised hell...the whole time the tech said he knows the module is bad but onstar needed him and I to jump through more hoops. I called onstar myself and told them either they sent a new module to the dealer so the next time I go down it is fixed or I was having them remove all the onstar equipment period end of story.
They had the module that wed after a monday call and I got the module swaped that sat.
Problem fixed and working fine to date. My feeling is the dealer should have made that call.

2) The second trip down I told the service manager that I had a metal to metal tapping noise and that I hared that checking the torque of the belt tensioner and cleaning the pullys and replacing the serp belt was the fix. He told me in no uncertain terms that I am the first he has heard of it and that the truck would need to be left overnight due to the nnoise only happening when first started up in the am and only at that time. I let it go, leaving the vehicle was not an option for me due to the location and the 2 hr distance.

The resolution to this is below.

3) Recall of rear washer pump, willing to replace I just needed to get down there.

Resolution below

4) Stab light faliure check 4wd

Resolution below.

Ok back to the sat appt when I arrived I have to say I was pissed 6th trip down I wanted all of it fixed. I called the parts dept and orderd the encoder motor myself (which I later learned they pulled from the shelf and used on another customers truck..good thing I called or it wouldnt have been there sat when I arrived.
I made sure they had a belt and the washer pump and another encoder motor on the way...they told me someone dropped the ball...

What I have the real problem with is not that things happen but basicallly how the service manager handled me and my H3 on all problems.

On saturday I told him this what I wanted:
The pullys cleaned and the tensioner checked and the new serp belt installed. The washer pump changed out under warantee recall, the encoder motor changed out and the TCCM cleared and re-programmed...after a good chewin I had been up sice 5am and the 6th trip I was done..

I learned at that time they new it was the encoder motor all along and had replaced many..so tell me why did the serv manager tell me to bring it down to have it checked knowing what it was but telling me he had no idea so they could tell me it was the encoder motor and send me home only to come back again to have it replaced?

I also learned that they have replaced numerous belts due to coolant contaminents during the build process getting on the pullys and serp belt..same scenerio never head of it leave the truck overnight?

He said well look at the bright side all of your parts for everything are he Mr Morgan....I said do you know why????

I ORDERED THEM AND MADE SURE THEY WOULD BE HERE FOR TODAYS APPT....HE NEARLY ****.

I told him I wantd to speak to the owner he turned pale. He handed me a piece of paper with the owners name and said he would be in around 9am but I will probably be doen by then I said I will wait for him.

In the mean time they hunted me down after I had about 10 cigeretts in 30min. He told me the HUMMER manager was on his way in and coming straight to the service center to talk to me.
I guess they wanted me bypassed from the owner or both of there heads were going to roll...crafty arent they?

He pulled up in a tricked out H2 got out and we had a powwow next to his ride. I gave him the entire run down and said for a customer to be told they were the first to have a problem and the service manager well knowing they have done multiple fixes is MAJOR problem he agreed. I told him for me to have to order and baby sit the parts is total BS and that I was acting as my own service manager and the only reason they were here today is because I researched the problems and fixes (much thanks to this board and to F5Fstop)(mush praise my brother much praise) and basically I was totally pissed and done and that ths was my 6th trip down here in 3,000 miles for numerouse problems.

He said Immediatelly that yeah they are a new dealer and had things to work on yada yada whatever this is basic IMO.

He handed me the keys to his H2 and said take it home and he would personally drive my H3 to me at home. I said nah I will wait for my truck I just want it all fixed...he offered me a complimentary oil change,,,I said isnt the first one free anyway? BUSTED!

He said yes...I told him I am probably moe educated on the functionality and the innerworkings of this truck than the service manager...he agreed, and said we need people like you working here! I almost fell down.

He said what can we do to make you happy.

I said I want a brushguard installed for free, and that mabye it would cover all my gas expense for the 150+round trips made 6 times.

I though he was going to laugh at me but he sadi DONE.

Yup thats right I got the guard on that day and its nice with the grille I had painted black like the body color.

So in summary here is the code that was stored in the TCCM..C0276 and C0327 set determined internal fault in transfer case encoder motor, asper data provided by technical assistance in 2 like cases. Replaced transfer case encoder motor.

1 89059551


HUMMER REcal 05115 rear washer pump
Pump kit 10389565, inspected and replaced.

Cleaned pullys and found contaniments on belt and pullys replaced drive belt and cleaned pullys as per PIP3338D
belt pn is 12580826.

Guess what? no more metal to metal on cold start, and from sat at noon to today here on the east coast at 10:30am no Stab failure.

and yes the washer pump works although I will never use it.


Oil filter pn# is 89017342

At the bottom of the ticket on pg 2 it reads as follows:

Installed complimentary brush guard on front per _______ ________. I will leave the name out.

Here is some personal advice for all of you.
Do your homework and educate yourself on the truck and its inner working as best you can.
If you have trouble talk to a tec.......ie: F5Fstop they do the work, they know how many have come in, they usually know the fix.

I will keep you all posted of the progress on the encoder, they did tell me that GM initially told them to just pull the TCCM and swap it period, then it didnt fix the problem so GM put an indefinate backorder on the TCCM's to keep the service managers from ordering them. The new fix is to replace the encoder motor and to clear and re-program the TCCM.

Just so you all know I did call the onstar tec GM Goodwrence diagnostics and it was useless they cannot give you codes from the computer through that service at all, and what they told me was it was a problem with my antilock breaks??

Well in talking with th tec he told me what the stab light goes on due to the encoder motor failure it sets a code for the stab/4wd and the antilock breaks hence the 2 codes listed above.

All is well now and I am diggin my renewed H3 and brushguard, got the erl chanled and the truck washed and vacuuumed as well.

Thansk to all who provided information, and especially to F5 whome wouthout we would all be at a loss he is our bank of knowledge and an incredible resource because he works on our vehicles from the inside out....eberyone else I have dealt with with the exception of the tec works on them from the outside in....HUGE difference.....I told him his serv manager needs a schoolin as do the salesmen send them back with the tec 1 day a week and they would probably sell more H3's..

UNO

[cmeinck]

Count me among those with this problem. I just got the message tonight - 2500 miles. I'm going to try OnStar tomorrow morning and schedule a service appt. I will give them the heads up it might be the Encoder Motor or TCCM.

-Chris

[Boogyman]

Uno I'm glad to hear they finally owned up to the problems. You need to post pics of your new brush guard. I hope this is the last of your 4 hour trips to the dealer for a long time. Thanks for posting all the numbers.

Enjoy your H3 again!

[Mark805]

Great story man!! I'm glad it got resolved.

[Crisco]

I had this exact same problem a few weeks ago, took it to the dealer and they replaced the actuator assembly. No problem since.

[Yarjammer]

Looks like I am waaaay late to the party...

I have had pretty much the same experience as recorded above with the intermittant failures. I just bought my '06 w/ ~12k miles less than two weeks ago and I am fairly certain the factory warranty is gone; how much is this going to set me back to get fixed? Can I order the part and do it myself?

Thanks for your help guys. I want to have my ducks in a row before I talk to the Hummer service dept.

[bsfh3]

2006 H3. I have been having a problem with lights coming on. I had it towed to the dealer and @11k miles. They replaced the brake switch. The light came on, at 17k, the ebcm needed to be replaced. At 25k miles, another ebcm needed, once again at 29k master was ordered. The dealership closed and I couldn't get the part installed until it happened again at the new dealer. It finally came back on and the dealer said to resurface rotors? I didn't really understand why because I had the brakes done only @10k miles back. I was told we have to follow procedure, and the service advisor told me that they found the brake problem (kinda by accident). Turns out contamination of brake fluid from factory they believe. The brakes lines were bulging, broken inside near connector. Parts have to be located now, I am just mad that I bring it in all the time, on time, for service and concerns. Now they notice this after all this time? I need this posted just to make people aware. Thank goodness nothing happened, I always have my young child in this car. I have been nervous driving it because of the concerns, now I am afraid. I was told all the parts which have plastic on it are getting replaced. Shouldn't everything? Will this totally correct the problem? Please help. Regional manager told me that they have to search for parts because my car is not the only one with this concern!!! Check the brake lines for contaminated fluid..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!