Stuck lifter

[Ammaroah]

Hi everyone,

 I’m working on my 2008 gmc 5.3 engine but I’m having a real big issue with the lifter, I cannot remove it in order to replace it with a new one.

 I have been trying to pull it out since 3 days! 

What should I do to get this work done?

Thank you. 

[Jsdirt]

Knowing this engine, it could very well be mushroomed at the bottom - in that case, going to have to yank the cam and pull the lifter out from the bottom.

 

Luckily, one good thing GM did was design this thing so the lifters won't all fall into the crank when you pull it ... but seems they dropped the ball on everything else. 

[Doug_Scott]

15 minutes ago, Jsdirt said:

Knowing this engine, it could very well be mushroomed at the bottom - in that case, going to have to yank the cam and pull the lifter out from the bottom.

 

Luckily, one good thing GM did was design this thing so the lifters won't all fall into the crank when you pull it ... but seems they dropped the ball on everything else. 

Mushroom a roller lifter? Are these lifters not in a tray, and they get removed in that tray?  I may be confusing this engine with a different generation, but pretty sure they have been roller lifter for over 20 years. 

 

What about trying one of the various throttle body sprays to dissolve and oil crap on the lifter body? 

[Jsdirt]

https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=426875

[Bwoodkid]

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tahoe+dod+repair&&view=detail&mid=EC00E95FD7D917445FD4EC00E95FD7D917445FD4&&FORM=VRDGAR

[Jsdirt]

That's a great way to unlock those POS lifters. Great video.

 

The OP has a lifter that's physically stuck in the block, however.

 

 

BTW to the OP, any luck?

 

[Bwoodkid]

1 hour ago, Jsdirt said:

That's a great way to unlock those POS lifters. Great video.

 

The OP has a lifter that's physically stuck in the block, however.

 

 

BTW to the OP, any luck?

 

Oh,  guess I should learn to read,lol.  My 15 Silverado 5.3 is in the shop as we speak because of a failing lifter.  they are going to replace all 8 on the left side.  Damn AFM technology,  the only reason gm came up with this BS system was to meet the epa regs, not to help the buyer out in any way.  Anywayz,  my truck only has 40k miles on it and this should happen.  take care!

[Jsdirt]

Sorry to hear that. Looks like they've done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to fix this problem going all the way back to model year 2007. This system has cost alot of people ALOT of money over the past 11 years. Some sooner than others, but all eventually end up this way. Problem is, nobody will know if/when they fix it until their new trucks have 90k or better on them.

 

AFM sounds like a great idea on paper, but like most things GM does, they create a system by pinching every single penny they can. What really burns my ass about this whole thing is, THEY are the ones who cheaped out on the entire valve train from top to bottom, yet, it's the CONSUMER who got stuck footing the bill. In the days of old, THEY would have had to pay for THEIR screwup! It's only right! As much as I'm against lawsuits, this is one that I'd agree with 100%.

 

They did cover a few under warranty, but a large number got stuck holding the bag (like I will, eventually).

[Doug_Scott]

If ALL the engines were going to have lifter issues with DOD you can be sure GM would have heard of it and would have been forced to address it.  Don't confuse only hearing about those that have failed with all have failed. The Internet has its positives and negatives. This is one of its negatives. My buddy and his son both bought new trucks in 2012.  Both trucks have DOD, and both trucks are driven completely opposite to each other.  My buddys truck just turned 50,000km, most miles summer driven, his sons truck will turn 160,000km by year end. Both trucks are over maintained,, both trucks have had zero issues with DOD lifters. 

I think the issue with DOD is how sensitive it is to oil changes. In the video above the engine has evidence of lengthy time between oil changes.. The "fix" that was applied simply un stuck something.  If you pay attention at the removal of the tool you can see it came out a lot dirtier than it was going in. 

I think the majority of fault lies in the maintenance, not the design. 

[Grumpy Bear]

Lubrication! It's more than what oil you use or how often you change it. The oil is subject to the motors state of tune as well as heat and load. Stuck lifters, stuck rings, these are lubrication issues not metallurgy or design issues. For the most part. Yes, mechanicals fail to load stresses or poor designs as well but even a crappy design operating within it's limits is a life time event. It isn't always obvious. 

[Jsdirt]

6 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Lubrication! It's more than what oil you use or how often you change it. The oil is subject to the motors state of tune as well as heat and load. Stuck lifters, stuck rings, these are lubrication issues not metallurgy or design issues. For the most part. Yes, mechanicals fail to load stresses or poor designs as well but even a crappy design operating within it's limits is a life time event. It isn't always obvious. 

They put a screen under the oil pressure sensor that plugs up and starves that area, and the rest of the engine of oil. That's a design flaw.

 

If the system was designed correctly, it would run 300K+ WITHOUT an issue ... like anything built prior to '07 did. Not 90k-130k - if you think that's acceptable on a $40,000+ truck, then they'll keep building them this way.

[Snoringbear]

1 minute ago, Jsdirt said:

They put a screen under the oil pressure sensor that plugs up and starves that area, and the rest of the engine of oil. That's a design flaw.

 

If the system was designed correctly, it would run 300K+ WITHOUT an issue ... like anything built prior to '07 did. Not 90k-130k - if you think that's acceptable on a $40,000+ truck, then they'll keep building them this way.

Agree.  Just a semi-serious side note;  I grew up with small block Chevy V-8’s, 283, 327, and later the 350. All during this period I thought the sound of a sticky lifter clattering in a cold morning was a GM design feature,  kinda missed it when the sound went away on the newer engines ?...

[diyer2]

1 hour ago, Jsdirt said:

They put a screen under the oil pressure sensor that plugs up and starves that area, and the rest of the engine of oil. That's a design flaw.

 

If the system was designed correctly, it would run 300K+ WITHOUT an issue ... like anything built prior to '07 did. Not 90k-130k - if you think that's acceptable on a $40,000+ truck, then they'll keep building them this way.

IMO this plugged screen is a result of extended oil change intervals, poor quality oil or filters.

This screen would not plug if the oil wasn't loaded with carbon and other material.

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

3 hours ago, diyer2 said:

IMO this plugged screen is a result of extended oil change intervals, poor quality oil or filters.

This screen would not plug if the oil wasn't loaded with carbon and other material.

 

 

Bingo!! 

[Jsdirt]

I'll let ya know how it looks when mine fails.

 

If the system was so great, my 94k mile engine wouldn't be ticking like a stuck lifter in a 350, and I'd still have the same oil pressure I had when the truck was new, up until about 80k miles. Royal Purple and Amsoil is all this engine has ever had in it. Amsoil is capable of 25k mile runs - I've never hit 10k. Definitely won't try now. Gets changed an average of 6k miles. Is that excessive on a premium name-brand synthetic? Since I've seen regular dino oil run 15k in 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's engines, with valve covers blacker than coal inside, I highly doubt it. Lack of maintenance isn't a new thing in the 21st Century - it just becomes evident, since no modern engines can handle this anymore!

 

The AFM system is a poorly engineered POS, and I'm sticking with that.