Blue Meanie

iTrader: (3)

My car generated a ticking sound in stop and go traffic the other day. Just got back from next level performance and it sounds like I have a bad lifter. They are BRAND NEW comp replacements. I switched back from 0W-40 to 10W-30 hoping that was the cause of the ticking but it actually got louder when I went back to 10-30. So now I am kinda screwed. I'll have to spend more money to pull the heads and replace the ONE lifter. Comp Cams is sending me 1 replacement lifter, I have to cover all labor, gaskets and bolts (comp cams guy laughed when I asked if they would cover at least the bolts and gaskets, new cam coming from another company for that rude move). I am just going to buy Morel lifters and feel good about it. My question is, since driveability doesn't seem affected right now can I drive the car for a few months if it doesn't get any worse. I am putting in a textralia Clutch and 9 inch shortly, and planned for a new cam and electric pump when that was finished. Figured I might as well do the lifters, cam and pump all together. Is this possible should I not stress it right now. I reeeally don't want to spend money to pull the head off to replace one lifter.

jub jub

Ticking is normal for these engines. There must be at least one thread a day regarding engine tick.

Personaly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Put some Castrol 10w40 in your engine and forget about it.

Blue Meanie

iTrader: (3)

Believe me I have read every ticking thread twice, I know all about their ticking. But this is a sound that came out of nowhere, went from sewing machine beautiful to sewing machine smacking a nickel. I know its a lifter, its getting slightly worse. I just want to know how long you can drive on a dying lifter. I am not sweating it, just wondering if its safe to wait a while.

Asmodeus

I've never changed a lifter on an LSx engine, but on my GN, all I had to was pull the intake and rocker assembly then the pushrods then lifters.. do you really have to pull the heads on an LSx?

orangeapeel

iTrader: (18)

Think about where the pushrods are going.... You really have to pull the heads. It is a lot of work just to change a lifter...trust me.


You adjusted the preload on the lifters right?

Slvr98z28

iTrader: (1)

im in the process right now of changing my lifters since i think that is what went bad in mine, noice comes and goes kinda like a lifter collapsing sucks tho my car has no internal mods

black_knight

iTrader: (1)

No. A bad lifter can chew up your cam, and possibly your lifter bore. You could also have the valve kiss the piston. And the chewing means little bits of metal loose in your engine: not good for the bearings. Lots of catastrophic engine failure potential there.

Also, find out why the lifter failed. I had a shop rebuild my whole motor after a lifter failure and put the bad lifter tray that caused the failure right back in. The result: car runs for two weeks, then BOOM. 6 more months of down time.

Oh, and never go to Basko Engine Services in Mesa, AZ. Ever.

jub jub

What happened? Did the lifter rotate in it's bore? That would suck!

black_knight

iTrader: (1)

Yes and it DID suck. Car was down for 10 months and shops only partially covered the costs of the second rebuild.

Also they initially failed to diagnose my bent rods and so I had already bought parts... would have been several thousand less if I had known and just bought a shortblock.

jub jub

Well, that's unfortunate. I would have been pretty pissed if it were me.

I believe that most of the valve train related sounds we hear are due to the poor oiling characteristic of the LSX engine design. When the aluminum expands the lifter bores expand and oil pressure is lost around the lifter, thus it collapses causing the valve to slap. The problem is exasperated with high lift cams and heavy duty valve springs.

Just my humble opinion and as we all know...

Byter

iTrader: (1)

That's an interesting thought. I see why you recommended the 10W-40 dino oil. It will increase oil pressure. It's what I use (Valvoline). I've been chasing this "noise" for a long time (new shortblock, Morel lifters, Crane roller rockers, a gizillion different pushrod lengths and preload settings). It sure would be nice to find the "holy grail" solution...

jub jub

So you replaced the shortblock and it didn't make any difference? That's comforting because I just received my new forged rotating assy from Rapid. I was hoping that would put and end to it once and for all! One thing I will do on this engine is add a melling oil pump for increased pressure and flow!

Then again, maybe the tick comes part as standard equipment with the car and is totally unrelated to the engine!

Byter

iTrader: (1)

I went from a 90,000 mile LS1 shortblock to an 8,000 mile LS6. I did it because I thought the "noise" was a rod bearing (my original cam got chewed up in the LS1). I was hoping IT WAS a rod bearing, but when I got the car back from the tuner, the same sound. The constants through all of it is the AFR heads with the upgraded dual springs and a high(er) lift cam.

I was thinking that maybe a combination of multiple valves shutting at the same time with dual springs, high lift cam causes a noticable, "harmonic" sound. Add aluminum heads and block, plus long tube stainless headers, this sound becomes amplified. After all, stock LSx's have the same oiling issues but lower lifts, less-pressure springs and stock manifolds.

jub jub, please post your results once you get your forged stuff installed. I'd be very interested. Thanks.

vetred

I wouldnt run with a bad lifter as, it can create on its own other problums like bending this, and hitting that, and makeing things go,......."BOOM"

Black Z28 M6

15 degree heads make noise (LSx). The old engine was at 23 degrees and it had almost no lifter noise. LS1/LS6, LS2,LS7 will make noise with a high perfomance cam. But you know iwhen you lifter is bad. That just sucks that the lifter gave out. As for the guy asking if you really have pull the heads off for a lifter change; almost all OHV V8s you don't have pull the heads off, just the intake, valve covers, rockers, and push rods. But on a LSx you have to.