The
Hummer Pages
The
Hummer Pages
Yup, I pilot a Hummer as my daily
driver. Some people think I'm nuts to have one and I suppose it helps if
you want to drive one of these beasts. It is by far the best vehicle I've
ever owned and I get the same thrill driving it now as the first day I
drove it home. Maybe it satifies some egomania of the driver, or seeing
young and old alike gawking and grinning ear-to-ear when they the spot
a potential invasion force barrelling down the road, or maybe the symphony
of 8 coffee cans clattering in the GM 6.5L superchargered diesel engine.......whatever
the reason, this is the ultimate vehicle IMO.
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| Engine | 6.5 L Diesel 170 hp @ 3400 RPM |
| Governor | Electronic |
| Engine Displacement | 396 cu. in. |
| Torque | 290 lb-ft. @ 1700 rpm |
| Max. Speed (Mfg. ratings) | 83 mph |
| Max. Speed (experienced) | 95 mph. you may swallow you seat cusion if you know what I mean |
| Acceleration 0-60 | 19.6 seconds stock. 14 sec with whipple supercharger. |
| Transmission | 4L80-E 4 speed
Max. torque input 440 lb-ft. Gear ratios: 2.48:1, 1.48:1, 1.0:1, 075:1 - Rev 2.08:1 |
| A/C Unit | R134a |
| Ground clearance | 16" at full 4,000 lb load |
| Length | 184.5 inches |
| Maximum Height | 75 inches |
| Width (with out mirrors) | 86.5 inches |
| Turning Radius | 26.5 feet |
| Cruising Range | 300 miles on hard surface |
| Fuel Tank (Stock) | 25 gallons |
| Fuel Economy | 13.5 mpg, but I get about 11-12 mpg around town |
Servicing - Service requirements are just like any other 4x4 truck, with a few extra items.
Engine - at about every 3,000 miles I religiously change the oil with shell rotella T, 10W40.
Here's what I've added to my Hummer
Admittedly, I am gonzo for doodads
and gadgets. This list will give you an idea of just how far I will go.
I've learned quite a bit about Hummers since becoming a owner and have
become quite skilled in repair/maintenance.
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supercharger |
This is an aftermarket kit
from Whipple industries. It took 3 days to install and is quite involved.
Not for the average DIYer. Whipple claims dyno tests show 50% more HP and
50% more torque over the stock numbers. I believe their claims too. This
is a great add-on and a blown 6.5L really adds some needed pep over stock.
Power is flat across all engine speeds, not just the high end which is
a big advantage off-road. I sound proofed the engine cover since I had
it removed anyway with Rockford Fozgate's knock-off of Dynamat. The vehicle
is much quieter than before. At higher RPMs (>2500)there is a slight supercharger
whine, just to remind you of what's under the hood.
The kit is very high quality materials. It is also a very reliable design. There are no fancy computer controls or wastegates as in the turbo option from the factory. Boost, and hence power output is instantaneous. I run a little over 1 lb of boost at idle and it goes up to 9 lbs at 3400 RPM. A combo gauge indicates boost and exaust gas temperatures. I have it mounted next to the tachometer. Check with Blair Outlan it you want this kit. A very friendly and knowledgable Hummer dealer. |
| Military lights | I couldn't stand the lights that the factory
put on the civi models. They are basically the same used on Jeeps.
While I was at it I put the mil blackout light on. This comes in handy
for stealth movement of Humvee convoys in combat situations or rush hour
traffic.
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| Slantback | Cabriolet makes a fiberglass model, but I felt
that it just wasn't Hummer standards. I found a guy that makes a heavy
gauge steel slantback for the 4 DR hardtop. It is very nice! Exactly what
I was looking for. Very sturdy and watertight with locking storage.
The install was a nightmare.though. It turns out the slantback was slightly squished in transit, making all the dimensions a bit off. It took awhile to convince the guy I knew what I was doing. In general I wouldn't recommend dealing with them unless you just have to have one of these. I basically had to strech the metal back into shape with a jack. Once painted and installed they just can't be
beat.
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| Spare Tire Carrier | Another stinger product. Very heavy dutly tubular
steel construction. Securely holds the 160 lb spare tire. The tire and
can carrier can swing away independantly to permit access to the truck
bed.
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| Jerry Can Carrier with ammo box | This is available from stinger.
Heavy gauge steel construction and holds 2 5 1/4 gallon cans.
I welded an ammo can to the side of my jerry can
carrier for storing fuel adatives and gloves.....thanks the Rick
Crider for the idea.
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| 1/2 ton Bed Hoist | This is a Harbor
Freight special. $100 for a 1/2 ton hoist was a deal I couldn't pass
up on. Getting the 160 lb spare on and off the carrier requires 2 people.
I can do it myself now. It has come in handy on other occations too. The
hoist itself required some heavy mods so it would fit in the slantback
with the lid closed. Chopped the pedastal base down and moved the winch
on the bottom of the boom.
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| 1kW power inverter and 3rd battery | The power inverter will supply up to 1kW continuous 120v AC. It is supplied by a 3rd battery that is isolated when the ignition is turned off. This very useful to keep the system from draining the main batteries when the engine isn't running. Sure Power Industries makes the isolator module. The 3rd battery and inverter are mounted in the rear. It made my own custom battery tie down since nothing else seemed to work. |
| Air Restriction Gauge | This filter is a good upgrade over stock. Lasts forever too. This little gizmo tells me when its time service the K&N filter. |
| engine preluber | An engine preluber is a great add-on for increasing engine life. A must IMO if you have a turbo. The electric motor builds oil pressure before starting the engine, and also when shutting off. Turbos benefit greatly from this since they can bake the oil when shut off. I recently adjusted the timer so it only prelubes and the post-lube is disabled. Being a non-turbo engine, I didn't think it was necessary. |
| hood snubbers | The stock rubber hood mounts tend to squeak. fix it with these guys. Made by Stinger. |
| braided CTIS lines | makes the CTIS lines bulletproof |
| CB radio and PA system | A uniden model 538 is mounted in the overhead console. 2 external speakers mounted in the console give plenty of volume. |
| overhead console | needed a place to put my CB radio. I like the look of it too. I also have a remote switch for the power inverter and a second 12v outlet hooked up to the auxillary battery. The backup warning display is mounted up there too |
| GPS with remote antenna | installed a Garmin color Streetpilot with a remote
antenna mounted on the roof.
With the PC serial cable I made myself, I can link my Street atlas SW and the GPS. Waypoint+ will let you download tracks, waypoints and routes.  |
| remote transmission filter | The 12k service requires the transmission fluid to be changed out. No big deal I thought. Well, 4 hours later I said never again. The problem is removing the driveline protection to get at the transmission pan, which must be removed to change out the filter. PITA! The internal filter is not even that effective IMO. Instead of repeating this ordeal again I installed a remote filter kit from Summit Racing. |
| combined temperature sensor for oil/transmission/Tcase | The remote filter kit has a temperature sensor option. (a good idea if you tow) I bought 2 more sensors from permacool and hooked them into the same gauge using a multiposition switch. I can now monitor oil/tranny/tcase temps while piloting. |
| backup sensor | As with any project with the Hummer, one leads
to another. After mounting the slantback, what little visibility there
is gone. This little gem
was the ticket. The display reads off distance to the nearest object behind
the vehicle. You can see where I have the display
mounted in my overhead console.
 |
| reverse lights | The mil lights I installed don't have integrated backup lamps. To remain within DOT regs I had to mount a couple of utility lights I picked up from wal-mart. They really light things up. I pitty the guy behind me if he's not wearing sunglasses. |
| Hella H4 headlamps | I installed these halogen lamps. The stock lamps were a bit week. 100w/55w rating. These are available from most parts stores. The brights make the biggest difference. |
| Dick Cepec fender flares | Easily mounted on the hummer, except some interference
in the rocker panel protection. I used a cutoff tool to remove enough material
to get the fit.
 |
| bike carrier | mounted the spare tire carier system from Saris. It suspends the bike from the spare tire. A great setup. |
| '98 HVAC upgrade | This was actually a warrantee repair. The day of a road trip to Georgia, the heater box decided to grenade. Better 1/4 mile from my house than on the road. Anyway, AMG's solution is to replace the entire system with the newly redesigned one. I wasn't going to complain, except I didn't have my truck for 2 weeks. AC is very powerful. Overall HVAC is much stronger. |
| electric AC evaporator fan | Added this to help the evaporator rid heat when starting up after being parked and baking in the sun. Part of a kit available AMG. AMG part number 05744656. see HML HID. |
| "diesel blast" air horn | A horn fit for Hummer. Low frequency notes blast out 120db. $49 from JC whitney. I mounted the trumpets inside the left front wheel well. |
| hood scoop | Humhers has a clear lexan (very tough) hood scoop. I don't like these things generally, but with the supercharger its a pretty good idea to have one at highway speeds. Wind tunnel tests show the air to actually get SUCKED out of the hood above 40mph. The Warn winch actually exacerbates this condition. Whay do you expect when pushing a brick down the road<g>. |
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Filters a portion of the oil fed by the pump
and temoves very fine particles with high efficiency down to the 1 micron
range. Standard oil filters are typically effective to the 40 micron range.
Oilguard
has a lot of technical info on their site. Pictures of the install: 1)kit,
2)closeup, 3) installed, 4)installed. Note: The braided teflon hose is not supplied
with the kit, but I had it made locally because it looks great and lasts
forever. A high temperature hose is a much cheaper alternative and uses
the barbed hose fittings supplied with the kit. If you go the braided hose
route, have one end made with swivel fittings so you don't have to spin
you motor while tightening the end. ;)
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The HVAC blower motors have proven to a point
of failure on late model trucks and those with the HVAC upgrade. My truck
falls into the latter category. The blower motor began making a god awful
noise that was a cross between a squirrel on speed and the squeal of noisy
brakes. Something had to be done and I traced the problem to a rubber hose
apparently used to ventilate the lower motor bearing. When the AC was in
use, water condensation would trickle down and corrode the bearing.
My first attemp to fix it was complete motor disassembly and bearing lube. The bearing appeared to be sintered bronze type. Eventually the oil ran dry and the noise started again. The permant fix was the addition of a zirk grease fitting. A shot of synthetic grease has kept the motor quiet since last summer. One detail not obvious, is that the grease fitting must be ground down in the threaded portion that screws into the motor housing. This provides clearance for the armature shaft. Also for this reason, an angled fitting must be used. A straight fitting cannot be ground, or the captive internal pieces come out. |
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