LS3 lifter change
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 201
Likes: 10
LS3 lifter change First time posting here, hope I didn't miss the thread where this might be posted...
Little background: have a 2010 Camaro with an LS3, broke intake valve spring on cylinder 8 and thankfully avoided smashing the valve (spring held it up). Now sadly I'm hearing a slight lifter tick when the engine is cold/cool so now I'm thinking about replacing the offending lifter and the rest of them.
This will be my first time changing lifters on an engine and I want to be sure I know what all I will have to remove. Steps that I've seen/read about:
1. Drain coolant and oil (might need to vacuum coolant out with shop vac) and remove negative battery wire
2. Remove intake, fuel line, intake manifold/fuel rails and throttle body
3. Remove exhaust manifold/cats if I can't get the manifolds off by themselves
4. Remove cool packs, wires, plugs, valve cover, rockers, ground wires, coolant steam pipe and push rods
5. Unbolt heads/remove heads and gaskets
6. Clean bolt holes of coolant and any other gunk in them
7. Remove lifter trays and lifters and replace w/ new pieces
8. Align new gasket, replace head and follow torque sequence
9. Reverse steps 1-4 (replace all components)
Do I need to remove the water pump? Am I missing any steps there? Figured I'd ask here instead of the Camaro forum and get a possibly better answer. Will be replacing with LS7 lifters.
Don't want to do a cam at the moment, I know this would be a perfect opportunity to do one but I don't have headers yet, and I don't want to spend the money on a new cam.
Thanks! Hopefully can do it after tax season so I can take two days to do this and take my sweet time.
Little background: have a 2010 Camaro with an LS3, broke intake valve spring on cylinder 8 and thankfully avoided smashing the valve (spring held it up). Now sadly I'm hearing a slight lifter tick when the engine is cold/cool so now I'm thinking about replacing the offending lifter and the rest of them.
This will be my first time changing lifters on an engine and I want to be sure I know what all I will have to remove. Steps that I've seen/read about:
1. Drain coolant and oil (might need to vacuum coolant out with shop vac) and remove negative battery wire
2. Remove intake, fuel line, intake manifold/fuel rails and throttle body
3. Remove exhaust manifold/cats if I can't get the manifolds off by themselves
4. Remove cool packs, wires, plugs, valve cover, rockers, ground wires, coolant steam pipe and push rods
5. Unbolt heads/remove heads and gaskets
6. Clean bolt holes of coolant and any other gunk in them
7. Remove lifter trays and lifters and replace w/ new pieces
8. Align new gasket, replace head and follow torque sequence
9. Reverse steps 1-4 (replace all components)
Do I need to remove the water pump? Am I missing any steps there? Figured I'd ask here instead of the Camaro forum and get a possibly better answer. Will be replacing with LS7 lifters.
Don't want to do a cam at the moment, I know this would be a perfect opportunity to do one but I don't have headers yet, and I don't want to spend the money on a new cam.
Thanks! Hopefully can do it after tax season so I can take two days to do this and take my sweet time.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 201
Likes: 10
Sweet yeah I was looking at it tonight and it seems there's a bolt or two that will need to come off of the power steering pump to get the drivers side head off. Doesn't seem like it'll be all that bad, just wish there were windows in the valley to use lol
Make sure you check the valve to see if it is bent. You most likely kissed the piston. I bent some pushrods on a over rev from a missed 3-4 shift. I replaced the pushrods but the tick was still there. I am in the process right now of doing a cam and lifter swap and all the lifters were fine but I found witness markes on cylinders 2,6 and 8 where the intake valves hit the piston. The intake valve on #6 was bent and causing the ticking.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 201
Likes: 10
Make sure you check the valve to see if it is bent. You most likely kissed the piston. I bent some pushrods on a over rev from a missed 3-4 shift. I replaced the pushrods but the tick was still there. I am in the process right now of doing a cam and lifter swap and all the lifters were fine but I found witness markes on cylinders 2,6 and 8 where the intake valves hit the piston. The intake valve on #6 was bent and causing the ticking.
Another thing to note is I was afraid of the OEM springs breaking again and was advised for an aftermarket spring I could go with the PAC 1218 springs. Valve train is very loud and it is slightly worrying with how loud it is with these on. Ordered Blue GM springs for the LS3/LS9 and I'll be putting those on this weekend. Hope things quiet down and allow the lifter to hang on a bit longer if it's close to going out. Also hope these blue springs don't break, but from what I've read the issue was mainly with the yellow springs I think...
Last edited by xc_SS/RS; Mar 17, 2016 at 02:49 PM.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 201
Likes: 10
Yeah I was doing 25 mph through an intersection with the engine at maybe 1,500-2,000 rpm and I just heard a small pop and then the wheel started shaking. Hit a side road with a shoulder, car could barely hold an idle so I shut it off. Tried a few things, no dice, called a tow truck. So there will be a set of PAC 1218 springs with barely 500 miles on them for sale soon...
