2011 5.3 AFM lifter tick? Looking for help dealing with the dealer

Badass69 · February 28, 2016

The problem with that AFM stuff is once the tick has started it's already basically to the point of being too late in a lot of cases. It could be one of the AFM lifters constantly leaving slack in the pushrod..... but it just as easily could be eating a lobe off the camshaft. You won't know unless you take an oil sample and see where the wear metals come in at. I get lots of those 5.3's for free or $100 because they "ticked" and then of course the cam looses a lobe, wastes all the bearings/crank journals in the bottom end and a new or replacement engine goes in.

GM has some pretty ridiculous requirements for the noise for the dealers to do anything about it so that's the reluctance you are getting. That being said having a dealer do a new cam and lifter set is pretty common once the cam shows damage but that is unacceptable as your journals and bearings are all trashed by that point..... but if it's on GM's dime that's what you get.

Take an oil sample and send it in to a lab and see what your wear metals come in at. That is a big first step to getting the dealer to do anything.

Michael_92 · February 28, 2016

Honestly guys that's a lot more work than I wanna do. I am more or less defeated at this point. I am going to run the truck and then sell it. Never thought I'd say it but I think I am done with GM trucks...well new ones. I still like my 2000 Silverado and 01 sierra. One of which has 280k and the other 204k miles and make less noise.

It would scare me to drop 50k on a new Sierra/Silverado then be treated this way.

HMXDave · January 25, 2017

My 2010 1500 Crew just got to 160,000km (100,000 miles) and I was in getting my every 10,000 km synthetic oil change last week. On startup with hood open I could hear "ticking". None at idle....but rev up to 1700-2000 and you can hear it. Sounds like a loose rocker (old school speaking). So I take it to GM this week....needs a camshaft and lifters according to them....$6000 bucks!!?!! (Canuck funds) WOW. So I ask what a motor costs....no way I'll put 6k into a motor with 160,000 km, no matter how well I took care of it. Dealer wants $10,500 installed for a GM motor. Wow. Local NAPA Autopro quotes me 8500 for same GM motor (12632260) installed. Autopro guy does say that the tick is pretty quiet, and no engine codes are present...."it might go totally bad tomorrow, or it might run another 100,000km this way". He said if it was his, he'd run it until the computer sensed a misfire and set a code, or it started rattling noticeably loud. With the hood down you can't hear the noise in the truck cab at all.

What y'all think? Run 'er, flog it on a trade-in, or put an engine in 'er?

Gotta say I'm not impressed. My 06 was traded in with 300,000km and it never missed a beat....in fact the new car manager bought it for his own personal vehicle.

Another question: if this era of 5.3 has these inherent issues (Google turns up a LOT of cam, lifter 5.3 problems) does the 12632260 replacement engine have updated components? Or same crap....cross fingers and hope it's a good one?

muddkatt · January 25, 2017

http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/oe-gm/12632260

Sale Price: $3,929.56 USD

Same engine that you have right now, so possible lifter issues from this one too.

If it was me, I would get an AFM delete kit from:

https://www.texas-speed.com/p-717-dod-afm-delete-kit-for-536062-engines.aspx

and install it in your current engine before it ends up filling the pan full of metal shavings.

BTW, Canada money has less value than Monopoly money according to the prices you quote.....

HMXDave · January 25, 2017

3,929.56 USD is 5161.67 CAD....the Autopro guy quoted me 5300 for the motor, so he's right there. $3200 more for the install.

Not going to put money into old motor. Yes, that kit is only 225 bucks (say 400 by the time I get it here), but the labor to pull heads and do all that work will be huge.

GhostWriter · January 27, 2017

There are a lot of things that contribute to lifter tick, on a 5.3. It could be something, or virtually nothing.

Take a deep breath & submit the oil sample for analysis. Then, check to see if you have broken exhaust manifold bolts on the side with the most noise. Good luck.