HELP!! Bad AFM lifters

[BLEAPHAR09]

Hello all, been a follower for a long time now and know great help and useful info always comes from the forum. Ill try to keep this as short as possible.

 

My 09 chevrolet silverado 1500 4x4 5.3L (70k miles) has been ticking for a month or so, and i took it in dec. 2013 because i ran almost completely out of oil with no explaination (20% oil life on DIC, and only had gone 4000 since last oil change). They tell me ticking due to low oil - need to do oil consumption test......now Feb 2014 had a bad feeling for a good reason, still ticking in the engine. Take it in to another dealership- said i need new AFM LIFTERS (8). Of course my 5 yr. warranty ran out in december so gm will only cover $1400 , with me covering the rest at $970.

 

1. Should i replace (8) afm lifters (rec. by service dept) or all 16?

2. Should i have reoccurring problems after this surgery with the engine?

3. Can i disable AFM and leave the lifters that are in there now?

4. Should i be VERY SCARED and trade the bastard in tomorrow? (Which will detour my plan of purchasing a 15 Yukon in a couple months for the wife).

 

Thanks for any help on this!! Truck will be going under the knife within next two days.

[Jsdirt]

YIKES ..... I wish you luck. '09 was a really bad year for GM trucks. Somebody engineered some lifters that saved the company a few bucks, I figure. That'll cost em. I recall seeing a multi-page thread with a few '09's smoking out the area with less than 2k miles on the clock.

 

I'd be trading it in for a resto-modded '69 El Camino SS .... but that's just me.

 

IF I were ambitious, I'd part the truck out ... or maybe fix it myself if I was feeling EXTRA ambitious. Already got one shell of a 21st century GM product in the back yard. There's room for more ...

[BLEAPHAR09]

Yep, i have read quite a few topics on here about oil consumption issues and through google i have seen problems arise with the lifters in question. Honestly, I'm not inclined on engine repairs but i do have the ability to do reg. maintenance (brakes, oil, suspension, etc.).

I definitely don't want to fork out a grand then a year down the road have more issues arise with the engine. Most importantly I want to fix it right the first time so i can enjoy this truck another 5 years.

 

If i get time at work i will try to figure out how to post a picture on my sig.

[EastCoast HD]

My question is, if you brought the truck to the dealer in Dec. and it was documented, why do you have to pay anything?

 

Was a consumption test performed?

 

I'd be complaining to someone at GM customer service about this. This is a well known problem!

 

If you don't get a satisfactory response from GM, the last thing I would do is reward them by purchasing a $60,000 SUV.

[Jsdirt]

^^^ Hear hear!

[BLEAPHAR09]

I agree East Coast HD, Im still talking with GM Warranty about the situation. The consumption test was started December when I brought it in for the oil issue. So im still on the same oil change interval and was due to take it back in at 73,000 miles. If they don't resolve this to my satisfaction, GM won't get another dime out of me with purchasing a 15 Yukon I promise you that.

[EastCoast HD]

Good to hear you're not settling. I'd be concerned with possible damage to the cylinders, bearings, etc. Maybe get them to fix it under warranty plus cover the engine as long as you own it. That would be fair IMO.

[BLEAPHAR09]

Update:

 

I was on the phone with GM all day yesterday with no avail to get through to the District Manager (Person who started my case). So I had them direct me to someone else who contacted the Dealerships Experience Manager (whom Ive been in contact with the whole time) and they were going to plug in on conference call with all 3 of us. He didn't answer so the GM guy left him a voicemail with the details to look into this again. No response since lunch today, so I call him back today around 1pm, since GM said they left him a voicemail message. He said he brushed the voicemail off, considering he already took care of my case 2 days prior and figured it was duplicated. So I told him I recontacted them and this was to look into the situation in hand again. Im waiting to hear back from him if GM will resolve this under warranty and pay full price for the lifter repair. I also emailed him the service forms with the dates and description of the service that was brought to the other dealerships service dept attention showing that I had brought the issue up during my warranty and an oil consumption test was the resolution and the other dealerships never found lifter issues - even though I stated I had ticking noise in the engine area.

 

So they are requesting GM warranty a second time and will get back with me on the outcome

I also brought up concerns with other possible damage/wearing to the engine & the reason for 8 AFM lifter replacement and not all 16 with the service advisor and tech - They said no other damage/wear was seen at the time of the inspection and when the lifter repair was done, if any other issues came up they would definetly let me know. All I can really do is TRUST in the technician and service advisor that the correct repair is being made and as long as the process is followed correctly then no more issues will arise. I feel that GM would have them replace all 16 if it was necessary since they are paying for a percentage of it at this time.

 

They said my truck should be done today to come pick it up and I actually saw them driving it down the road earlier around lunch, so they must be test driving it after repairs.

 

Last, if any GM techs or Engine Gurus are reading I would appreciate your input on the lifter repair and try to give me a since of relief.

[weton]

Is this not covered under the 100k mile warranty? My 09 at 72k miles has started to burn oil (about 1 quart ever 1,400 miles). I am going to take it into the shop soon but I was under the understanding that these repairs related to the oil consumption are covered under the warranty. What am I missing?

[weton]

Nevermind. 100K miles OR 5 years. Whichever comes first. Guess I've got some work cut out for me. awesome

[BLEAPHAR09]

Unfortunately that 5 yrs snuck up on me as well. My in service date was dec. 8th 2008 and my warranty expired this past dec. 8 2013. I brought my truck in for service on the 30th of december. With all that and nearly 2 months of doing this oil consumption test i prematurely brought it back because of the ticking sound (lifters). By the way GM only covered 60% of the cost for the lifter replacement. I got the truck back this past friday. All seemed good until i drove to work today and BAM! Check engine light is on. Im taking back tomorrow to see what its all about. I truly hope for everyone that something will come out of the oil consumption issues these trucks are having. Last, my service repair form does say they found bulletin #10-06-01-007D.

[EastCoast HD]

Unfortunately that 5 yrs snuck up on me as well. My in service date was dec. 8th 2008 and my warranty expired this past dec. 8 2013. I brought my truck in for service on the 30th of december. With all that and nearly 2 months of doing this oil consumption test i prematurely brought it back because of the ticking sound (lifters). By the way GM only covered 60% of the cost for the lifter replacement. I got the truck back this past friday. All seemed good until i drove to work today and BAM! Check engine light is on. Im taking back tomorrow to see what its all about. I truly hope for everyone that something will come out of the oil consumption issues these trucks are having. Last, my service repair form does say they found bulletin #10-06-01-007D.

 

Three weeks out of warranty on a well known, documented, design issue and they stick it to you! Nice.

 

As I said prior, I'd be shopping other brands for my next purchase.

 

Hope the CEL issue gets resolved without costing you.