My car started making a noise that friends and I figured was a bad lifter. So I got in there and got all but one of the lifters out......the last one is very stuck. The lifter will move up and down but it gets to a certain point and just stops. My guess is that the lifter is in bad shape and has pieces blocking the removal. Are there any suggestions I am afraid to get real rough with it because of the fact that I am trying to pull a steal lifter through aluminum, and we all know which one wins that battle....They are ls7 lifters and if I can just get them out I will go with the much better lifters. Thanks and this is a 2001 Z28 with a decent size cam and ported and polished 243 heads.

 

Becareful. If you really scratch the lifter bore taking it out, that can be bad news for oil pressure.

 

The only way to safely to get that lifter out is to yank the cam out and use a pen magnet to get it out thru the cam hole.

 

Yup. I totally agree.

 

awesome I didnt know if that was possible or not. I am going to replace the cam anyway so that will be the best route to take. thanks..

 

Hope you got a magic hand and a good wobbly magnet? LOL

 

Yes get a strong magnet because we did that to a buddy of mines car and when he got to the last cam hole the lifter fell off the magnet into the oil pan. I was able to dig it out of the oil pan with the magnet afterwards.

 

this sounds like it could end up tearing the motor down to get that lifter out of the pan....... Be VERY careful, if you dont grab that lifter when it falls out of the bore, its going to drop..

 

I was thinking of maybe putting a thin piece of plastic specially cut to slide in there and catch the lifter and then slide the piece of plastic back out but not sure if that would work or not. Tommorow i will get that cam out and see what I am dealing with....thanks guys.

 

sounds like u knocked the roller off the lifter and it smacked the cam and balloned the bottom of it. happened to 3 of mine....

 

It could be that the shaft backed out and is sticking out and thats why its not coming out

 

Be sure to inspect that lifter bore real good (keep your fingers crossed).

 

Im in th same boat as you, I gotta take out my busted lifter in a few weeks and Im sure hope it goes smooth