anyone else ever have a lifter turn sideways and freeze??
07-07-2004, 10:03 PM
#1
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anyone else ever have a lifter turn sideways and freeze?? the verdict is in. my motor is completely toasted.
i thought i had a bad lifter from where the knock was coming from in my motor. when LG got the heads off the car they found a lifter that was stuck frozen in it's hole. apparently a lifter turned sideways inside it's hole where the flat parts wern't lined up properly and froze up.
as you can imagine, this caused all sorts of problems. my cam and cam bearings are all messed up. metal throughout the motor.
so, it's time for a new forged shortblock. i'll be using my absolute heads and a g5x3 camshaft.
it's been 9 months since i've raced my car, however. i've worked on my motor so much during this time it's not even funny and now it's gone.
i never did get it to run right. i'll be glad when this is all done and i can enjoy my car again.
i still just can't figure out how a lifter turned sideways though, the tech from lg didn't know either. anyone else ever heard of something like this?
i thought i had a bad lifter from where the knock was coming from in my motor. when LG got the heads off the car they found a lifter that was stuck frozen in it's hole. apparently a lifter turned sideways inside it's hole where the flat parts wern't lined up properly and froze up.
as you can imagine, this caused all sorts of problems. my cam and cam bearings are all messed up. metal throughout the motor.
so, it's time for a new forged shortblock. i'll be using my absolute heads and a g5x3 camshaft.
it's been 9 months since i've raced my car, however. i've worked on my motor so much during this time it's not even funny and now it's gone.
i never did get it to run right. i'll be glad when this is all done and i can enjoy my car again. i still just can't figure out how a lifter turned sideways though, the tech from lg didn't know either. anyone else ever heard of something like this?
Last edited by KGSloan; 07-07-2004 at 10:15 PM.
07-08-2004, 04:47 AM
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That is such a bummer. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.... The good news is that you've put it behind you, and already have the forged short block w/ g5x3 cam in the plans. 
You're a better man for it. 
The lifter must have been a "perfect storm" sinario. (sp?) Something mis-matched, or loose?? Dunno. 
The good news is that you've put it behind you, and already have the forged short block w/ g5x3 cam in the plans. You're a better man for it. The lifter must have been a "perfect storm" sinario. (sp?) Something mis-matched, or loose?? Dunno. 
01-04-2005, 08:13 AM
#5
Wow. The earlier roller cam SBCs used steel lifter retainers instead of the plastic cage LS1s get, very tough to get one of those to let go. They were held in place by a flimsy looking spider, otherwise a tough design.
01-04-2005, 12:31 PM
#6
Yeah my wife's '93 TA with LT1 has the steel lifter retainers and the spider; no problems and about 160,000 miles on that engine now.
Apparently very few have had a lifter get turned. I'm still wondering how to prevent it from happening again. I'm going down to the dealer parts bench today to see if they have improved the design any or have any campaigns going on this.
Apparently very few have had a lifter get turned. I'm still wondering how to prevent it from happening again. I'm going down to the dealer parts bench today to see if they have improved the design any or have any campaigns going on this.
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01-04-2005, 01:04 PM
#8
Hello...
Cal just called and we are ordering the LS2 lifter guides for him. Apparently GM has re-designed this and we hope it is a better design and will work in the LS1 (crossed fingers).
Will post up with results, good or bad.
Cal just called and we are ordering the LS2 lifter guides for him. Apparently GM has re-designed this and we hope it is a better design and will work in the LS1 (crossed fingers).
Will post up with results, good or bad.
01-04-2005, 01:36 PM
#10
Originally Posted by NO-OPTION-2002
Hello...
Cal just called and we are ordering the LS2 lifter guides for him. Apparently GM has re-designed this and we hope it is a better design and will work in the LS1 (crossed fingers).
Will post up with results, good or bad.
Cal just called and we are ordering the LS2 lifter guides for him. Apparently GM has re-designed this and we hope it is a better design and will work in the LS1 (crossed fingers).
Will post up with results, good or bad.
01-04-2005, 01:43 PM
#11
On closer examination, it looks like the plastic lifter guide was actually molded this way at the factory. Looks like the inner half of the mold was twisted, thus holding the lifters the same way. Only one guide is this way, and it has a different date code than the others. (10 of 2001)
For anyone that is going to have their heads off anyway, I urge them to inspect these lifter guides, could save quite a chunck of change.
For anyone that is going to have their heads off anyway, I urge them to inspect these lifter guides, could save quite a chunck of change.
01-04-2005, 02:29 PM
#12
Originally Posted by Cal
On closer examination, it looks like the plastic lifter guide was actually molded this way at the factory. Looks like the inner half of the mold was twisted, thus holding the lifters the same way. Only one guide is this way, and it has a different date code than the others. (10 of 2001)
For anyone that is going to have their heads off anyway, I urge them to inspect these lifter guides, could save quite a chunck of change.
For anyone that is going to have their heads off anyway, I urge them to inspect these lifter guides, could save quite a chunck of change.
01-04-2005, 03:29 PM
#13
No, I'm one of the lucky ones; my lifter is chewed up and has a flat place on the roller, but it didn't come appart, so my repair will be cheap. Even the cam looks OK. But I'm sure if I had let it go very long, I would have been in for a major rebuild like the others.
So the moral to the story is, if something is not right with your engine, find out what it is, don't just keep driving the car until it quits.
So the moral to the story is, if something is not right with your engine, find out what it is, don't just keep driving the car until it quits.
01-05-2005, 07:54 AM
#14
Originally Posted by Cal
No, I'm one of the lucky ones; my lifter is chewed up and has a flat place on the roller, but it didn't come appart, so my repair will be cheap. Even the cam looks OK. But I'm sure if I had let it go very long, I would have been in for a major rebuild like the others.
So the moral to the story is, if something is not right with your engine, find out what it is, don't just keep driving the car until it quits.
So the moral to the story is, if something is not right with your engine, find out what it is, don't just keep driving the car until it quits.
Man your lucky ! My cam was hosed . I also had another lobe that was going bad on the stock cam , but that lifter was ok . It was just time for a rebuild for me . 150K miles on it before it went , so not too bad ! Good luck on the fix !
01-05-2005, 11:29 AM
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i shut my car down pretty quick
didn't matter, toasted the cam and cam bearings. i guess it matters where the lifter gets frozen at. then it put metal through the motor. had a flattened cam lobe. it was really ugly.
btw, my lifter guides looked perfect as well. hopefully gm did update this part.
didn't matter, toasted the cam and cam bearings. i guess it matters where the lifter gets frozen at. then it put metal through the motor. had a flattened cam lobe. it was really ugly.
btw, my lifter guides looked perfect as well. hopefully gm did update this part.
01-06-2005, 02:17 PM
#16
Update Well the LS2 guides are in...
...and while they will work in an LS1, unfortunately the lifter end of the guide is unchanged. The only difference is two clearance slots between the pushrod guide tunnels. Problably different to clear the new displacement on demand pieces in use on the 5.3L Gen IV motors.
Sorry guys.
...and while they will work in an LS1, unfortunately the lifter end of the guide is unchanged. The only difference is two clearance slots between the pushrod guide tunnels. Problably different to clear the new displacement on demand pieces in use on the 5.3L Gen IV motors.
Sorry guys.
01-06-2005, 04:22 PM
#17
I have had a lifter turn 90* on me and chew the cam to ****. I was lucky enough that it didnt freeze there though. Somehow it managed to work its way back to a normal position. It cracked the plastic carrier, tore up the cam, wasted the lifter. I still havent pulled the oil pan to check damage in there yet.
01-06-2005, 04:31 PM
#19
Originally Posted by NataSS Inc
I have had a lifter turn 90* on me and chew the cam to ****. I was lucky enough that it didnt freeze there though. Somehow it managed to work its way back to a normal position. It cracked the plastic carrier, tore up the cam, wasted the lifter. I still havent pulled the oil pan to check damage in there yet.