LS7 lifter OBNOXIOUS ticking (yeah, I know...)
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area
LS7 lifter OBNOXIOUS ticking (yeah, I know...) 2009 G8 GT
Livernois Stage 2C cam, LS7 lifters, 7.400 pushrods
Standard lifter tick...OK But...
Cruise anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM and its starts getting louder
CLACK CLACK CLACK. Can hear note change in exhaust. Accelerate out of this range or slow down and the CLACK goes away slowly. Oil pressure it fine, according to HP Tuners.
Is this anything to worry about since it does go away or should I get ready to pull the heads...
Thanks in advance!
Livernois Stage 2C cam, LS7 lifters, 7.400 pushrods
Standard lifter tick...OK But...
Cruise anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM and its starts getting louder
CLACK CLACK CLACK. Can hear note change in exhaust. Accelerate out of this range or slow down and the CLACK goes away slowly. Oil pressure it fine, according to HP Tuners.
Is this anything to worry about since it does go away or should I get ready to pull the heads...
Thanks in advance!
2009 G8 GT
Livernois Stage 2C cam, LS7 lifters, 7.400 pushrods
Standard lifter tick...OK But...
Cruise anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM and its starts getting louder
CLACK CLACK CLACK. Can hear note change in exhaust. Accelerate out of this range or slow down and the CLACK goes away slowly. Oil pressure it fine, according to HP Tuners.
Is this anything to worry about since it does go away or should I get ready to pull the heads...
Thanks in advance!
Livernois Stage 2C cam, LS7 lifters, 7.400 pushrods
Standard lifter tick...OK But...
Cruise anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM and its starts getting louder
CLACK CLACK CLACK. Can hear note change in exhaust. Accelerate out of this range or slow down and the CLACK goes away slowly. Oil pressure it fine, according to HP Tuners.
Is this anything to worry about since it does go away or should I get ready to pull the heads...
Thanks in advance!
I would recommend pulling a valve cover at a minimum to make sure a rocker isn't loose or broken.
This should also give you an opportunity to look at the wear on the valve stems to ensure your pushrod length is correct.
Your dimension seems to be a hair shorter than what we normally run.
maybe you have milled heads or a thinner head gasket?
If it's not a rocker, look at the lifters, lifter bores, camshaft core and camshaft bearings.
This is the best place to start.
2009 G8 GT
Livernois Stage 2C cam, LS7 lifters, 7.400 pushrods
Standard lifter tick...OK But...
Cruise anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM and its starts getting louder
CLACK CLACK CLACK. Can hear note change in exhaust. Accelerate out of this range or slow down and the CLACK goes away slowly. Oil pressure it fine, according to HP Tuners.
Is this anything to worry about since it does go away or should I get ready to pull the heads...
Thanks in advance!
Livernois Stage 2C cam, LS7 lifters, 7.400 pushrods
Standard lifter tick...OK But...
Cruise anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM and its starts getting louder
CLACK CLACK CLACK. Can hear note change in exhaust. Accelerate out of this range or slow down and the CLACK goes away slowly. Oil pressure it fine, according to HP Tuners.
Is this anything to worry about since it does go away or should I get ready to pull the heads...
Thanks in advance!
All 3 of my LS based cars had the same clacking at that RPM range when cammed. The lifters probably bleed down a little at low RPM from the increased spring pressure.
The LS7 lifters are not really meant for aftermarket cams/springs ALTHOUGH, you can make them work with the right setup. In my experience, however, they are always a bit noisier than the better (more expensive) alternatives.
My G8 has LS3 intake valves, btr springs with titanium retainers, 3/8 pushrods, stock rockers with trunions and I still have the clacking at that exact rpm even though my idle ticking is pretty quiet with fresh ls7 lifters.
Next time the heads are off, I am putting in the Johnson drop ins.
The LS7 lifters are not really meant for aftermarket cams/springs ALTHOUGH, you can make them work with the right setup. In my experience, however, they are always a bit noisier than the better (more expensive) alternatives.
My G8 has LS3 intake valves, btr springs with titanium retainers, 3/8 pushrods, stock rockers with trunions and I still have the clacking at that exact rpm even though my idle ticking is pretty quiet with fresh ls7 lifters.
Next time the heads are off, I am putting in the Johnson drop ins.
Mine dose the same thing. Clacking around the same rpm range. And quiet at idle. Been like that for 30k miles now. It's prob. Just the Clacking of the valves from the ramp rate of the cam. Not sure of the cam lobe profile on the cam you have, but mIne is pretty harsh. I have a new cam motion cam going in here very shortly. Exact specs of the one in mine now. I'll see if mine gets quieter and I'll post results. But I'd say that's what your hearing.
Or what mchicia1 said.
Or what mchicia1 said.
Last edited by 06blackGTO; Dec 25, 2015 at 05:55 PM.
I changed my oil to rotella T6 5w-40 and it got significantly quieter at this RPM range.
My M1 5w-30 had about 3k miles on it, so it was probably sheared down to a 20 weight oil when very hot. I only noticed the noise when the engine oil was above 200 degrees. The car is real quiet when cold (thicker oil, higher pressure). My hot pressure with 230 degree oil temp was 25 psi at 650 RPM with the M1 5w-30. It's now 35 psi with the 5w-40. Definitely quieter.
My M1 5w-30 had about 3k miles on it, so it was probably sheared down to a 20 weight oil when very hot. I only noticed the noise when the engine oil was above 200 degrees. The car is real quiet when cold (thicker oil, higher pressure). My hot pressure with 230 degree oil temp was 25 psi at 650 RPM with the M1 5w-30. It's now 35 psi with the 5w-40. Definitely quieter.
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area
A tick can be quite a few things.
I would recommend pulling a valve cover at a minimum to make sure a rocker isn't loose or broken.
This should also give you an opportunity to look at the wear on the valve stems to ensure your pushrod length is correct.
Your dimension seems to be a hair shorter than what we normally run.
maybe you have milled heads or a thinner head gasket?
If it's not a rocker, look at the lifters, lifter bores, camshaft core and camshaft bearings.
This is the best place to start.
I would recommend pulling a valve cover at a minimum to make sure a rocker isn't loose or broken.
This should also give you an opportunity to look at the wear on the valve stems to ensure your pushrod length is correct.
Your dimension seems to be a hair shorter than what we normally run.
maybe you have milled heads or a thinner head gasket?
If it's not a rocker, look at the lifters, lifter bores, camshaft core and camshaft bearings.
This is the best place to start.
These are the pushrods you all sent me when I ordered the DoD delete kit. Should I call you all directly?
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area
If it's missing, you got a problem.
All my cammed ls1s had that clackity sound at light load at 1500 rpms or so, but never had any missing.
I hope your lifter isnt squared off and is taking out the cam as we speak. You might want to take the valley off and peak down at the lobes you can see. Definitely take off valve covers too.
All my cammed ls1s had that clackity sound at light load at 1500 rpms or so, but never had any missing.
I hope your lifter isnt squared off and is taking out the cam as we speak. You might want to take the valley off and peak down at the lobes you can see. Definitely take off valve covers too.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area
If it's missing, you got a problem.
All my cammed ls1s had that clackity sound at light load at 1500 rpms or so, but never had any missing.
I hope your lifter isnt squared off and is taking out the cam as we speak. You might want to take the valley off and peak down at the lobes you can see. Definitely take off valve covers too.
All my cammed ls1s had that clackity sound at light load at 1500 rpms or so, but never had any missing.
I hope your lifter isnt squared off and is taking out the cam as we speak. You might want to take the valley off and peak down at the lobes you can see. Definitely take off valve covers too.
Pulling a valve cover takes like 5-10 minutes.
Cam Motion camshaft ground on an 8620 core + Johnson 2110 Slow Leakdown Rate Lifters. I've run this combo with a BTR 5/16" diameter pushrod (in miscellaneous lengths) with exceptional results in more applications than I can count.
Spend the $22 on the Comp Cams pushrod length checker, order applicable pushrods, set preload, RUN THE RIGHT OIL FOR YOUR APPLICATION, break in oil change (I like Brad Penn), prime the system, load the tune and let idle, perform another oil change & start data logging!
One other thing I feel is worth mentioning, is valve guides. In my opinion, these are very often overlooked in a cam swap. I've seen quite a few "performance shops" ignore worn OEM valve guides valve guides, rather do the right thing and send them out for replacements - weather you decide to replace them with powdered metal (which I'd argue is preferable) or bronze guides. They simply slap a camshaft in, perform the applicable supporting mods, and move onto the next job.
Worn OEM valve guides can, and will cause valvetrain noise that you may mistake for a lifter tick..
Worn OEM valve guides can, and will cause valvetrain noise that you may mistake for a lifter tick..
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area
Bringing this back from the slightly dead...
I FINALLY checked the preload using the "count the number of turns" method. Less than one and a quarter turns. Installed 7.425 pushrods. THE NOISE IS GONE.
Im happy now...
I FINALLY checked the preload using the "count the number of turns" method. Less than one and a quarter turns. Installed 7.425 pushrods. THE NOISE IS GONE.
Im happy now...
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 29
From: DC Metro area