Any after stories with failed lifters?

SilverMak · January 19, 2022

On 1/14/2022 at 10:40 AM, RSVolcom said:

I'm basically waiting for my new engine to be approved per this Thread:

Wow, thanks for sharing. I hope everything works out.

Prayers for your dad.

SilverMak · January 19, 2022

On 1/14/2022 at 12:01 PM, voided3 said:

That makes sense, but certainly worth asking. You still have the powertrain warranty for 5 years/60,000 miles to buy you some time, at least.

Keep an ear out for your serpentine belt if they didn't replace it, too; they have to remove the belt to perform the repair. Ours started to squeak and slip a few thousand miles after the repair as stretch-fit serpentine belts are supposed to be one-time use and they had re-stretched it twice. They ended up replacing the serpentine belt, A/C belt (probably wasn't needed, but might as well), and idler pulley on ours.

Thanks for the information. Truck's driving well but I'm a little traumatized.

voided3 · January 19, 2022

12 hours ago, SilverMak said:

Thanks for the information. Truck's driving well but I'm a little traumatized.

No prob, and same here; I glance at the check engine light as often as I look at the speedometer still.

Harv3589 · January 23, 2022

Had a lifter go and bent rod at 35,000 km’s so they only replaced the one side. Since they have fixed it I have a couple instances where the engine light will flash for a short period and go off. Apparently it means a misfire?

So it’s going back into the dealer to address that if they can figure it.

I have no faith in this truck and definitely not one you would drive past warranty. Already shopping for another brand. Was really hoping to drive this for several years….

voided3 · January 24, 2022

20 hours ago, Rob Maerz said:

Had a lifter go and bent rod at 35,000 km’s so they only replaced the one side. Since they have fixed it I have a couple instances where the engine light will flash for a short period and go off. Apparently it means a misfire?

So it’s going back into the dealer to address that if they can figure it.

I have no faith in this truck and definitely not one you would drive past warranty. Already shopping for another brand. Was really hoping to drive this for several years….

Yeah, when our lifters went bad on our '21 the check engine light would flash intermittently, typically on light throttle input, and it was a P0300 misfire code. We didn't have bent pushrods, but they replaced the lifters only on cylinders #6 and #8 (this was prior to current TSB guidance of replacing them all or at least one whole side).

Your sentiments echo mine precisely. I refuse to own the truck out of warranty knowing that when (not if) they fail again, it'll be $5,000+ if it's past the warranty period (I've seen people say ~$7,000 if it also takes out the camshaft and ~$11,000 if they let the magic glitter loose and a whole new engine is needed). The problem is, I don't know if the grass will be any greener on the other side with a different brand. All of the current 1/2 ton trucks seem to be built like disposable cameras held together with clips, tape, and zip ties that start to self-destruct after only a few years. I really don't want to have to step up to a 3/4 ton truck, but that seems to be the choice if you want something that can last longer than five years on its original drivetrain components.

I have a feeling once the T1 generation trucks start hitting 5+ years old, the market for DFM delete kits is going to grow a lot. It might even be cheaper or cost the same to have an independent shop do the non-DFM lifter/cam swap and tune, compared to having the dealer replace the lifters with the same parts.

SilverMak · January 26, 2022

On 1/23/2022 at 11:27 AM, Rob Maerz said:

Had a lifter go and bent rod at 35,000 km’s so they only replaced the one side. Since they have fixed it I have a couple instances where the engine light will flash for a short period and go off. Apparently it means a misfire?

So it’s going back into the dealer to address that if they can figure it.

I have no faith in this truck and definitely not one you would drive past warranty. Already shopping for another brand. Was really hoping to drive this for several years….

Yeah I’d pursue that as well. I hope they get you straightened out.

I wonder if the problem isn’t different for the trucks with really low miles vs 30-40k or more. I read somewhere on here that the issue was especially prevalent for build dates from June 2020 until around March 2021 on the low mileage trucks.

My diagnostic was engine misfire with code P0300 and the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. Biggest performance issue was a drastic decrease in power and a LOT of noise. I’ll be gathering information and wondering about keeping this truck past it’s warranty. Up until this I love this truck and was thinking I’d keep it for a long time because I’m really low mileage.

SilverMak · January 26, 2022

On 1/24/2022 at 8:31 AM, voided3 said:

Yeah, when our lifters went bad on our '21 the check engine light would flash intermittently, typically on light throttle input, and it was a P0300 misfire code. We didn't have bent pushrods, but they replaced the lifters only on cylinders #6 and #8 (this was prior to current TSB guidance of replacing them all or at least one whole side).

Your sentiments echo mine precisely. I refuse to own the truck out of warranty knowing that when (not if) they fail again, it'll be $5,000+ if it's past the warranty period (I've seen people say ~$7,000 if it also takes out the camshaft and ~$11,000 if they let the magic glitter loose and a whole new engine is needed). The problem is, I don't know if the grass will be any greener on the other side with a different brand. All of the current 1/2 ton trucks seem to be built like disposable cameras held together with clips, tape, and zip ties that start to self-destruct after only a few years. I really don't want to have to step up to a 3/4 ton truck, but that seems to be the choice if you want something that can last longer than five years on its original drivetrain components.

I have a feeling once the T1 generation trucks start hitting 5+ years old, the market for DFM delete kits is going to grow a lot. It might even be cheaper or cost the same to have an independent shop do the non-DFM lifter/cam swap and tune, compared to having the dealer replace the lifters with the same parts.

Can you point me to something that talks about the DFM delete reducing the occurrence of this issue? I’ve seen conflicting opinions although almost everyone agrees this issue started 15 years ago when the grandfather to DFM was introduced. I’ve been driving in L7 as you advised. Does this turn off DFM or just keep that 8th speed from coming on?

WeGone · January 26, 2022

SilverMak, Its my understanding from all the posts that I have seen on the subject, yes driving one gear under your top gear keeps the DFM from engaging, I went ahead and installed a Pulsar LT to shut off both DFM and Auto/Stop. I guess only time will tell.

Edited January 26, 2022 by WeGone

voided3 · January 26, 2022

11 hours ago, SilverMak said:

Can you point me to something that talks about the DFM delete reducing the occurrence of this issue? I’ve seen conflicting opinions although almost everyone agrees this issue started 15 years ago when the grandfather to DFM was introduced. I’ve been driving in L7 as you advised. Does this turn off DFM or just keep that 8th speed from coming on?

Yes, driving in L7 on the 8-speed turns off DFM and prevents the transmission from shifting into 8th gear. Both this method and the the Pulsar or Range DFM disabler are software means of disabling it. It is believed that disabling the system reduces the likelihood of lifter failure as the lock pins in the lifters are not being cycled on and off constantly. They instead just stay in the fully extended position like a normal lifter.

The best way to delete DFM is with essentially a new valvetrain as I described (non-DFM lifters, different pushrods, different cam, ECU tune, etc.). I'm not sure if these aftermarket parts even exist yet for the current L84 5.3 or L87 6.2 V8s, though, as the majority are still under warranty and the newer GM ECUs sound like they are harder to re-tune.

Edited January 26, 2022 by voided3

Harv3589 · January 31, 2022

All fixed for now, was an oil solenoid on the #4 cylinder.

Also made a deal on ‘21 Tundra so this truck is going down the road.

GM lost a very faithful customer.

1997SierraSLT · January 31, 2022

1 hour ago, Rob Maerz said:

All fixed for now, was an oil solenoid on the #4 cylinder.

Also made a deal on ‘21 Tundra so this truck is going down the road.

GM lost a very faithful customer.

Now you can get back to enjoying life. The only light you’ll be seeing pop up on the dash is to remind you of your next oil change.

20Denali22 · January 31, 2022

11 hours ago, 1997SierraSLT said:

Now you can get back to enjoying life. The only light you’ll be seeing pop up on the dash is to remind you of your next oil change.

Or his Turbo waste gate shitting the bed.

thekcwolf · January 31, 2022

Yeesh, I love these forums, but I hate these forums. All this discussion about failed lifters and such, really make it difficult to want to go through with the purchase of this '21 I've been waiting on. Dealer says it will be here next Monday. I know, I know... Not every '21 will have these problems but ... I'm not the gambling type. I want to get in, start it up and go. period.

KARNUT · January 31, 2022

13 minutes ago, thekcwolf said:

Yeesh, I love these forums, but I hate these forums. All this discussion about failed lifters and such, really make it difficult to want to go through with the purchase of this '21 I've been waiting on. Dealer says it will be here next Monday. I know, I know... Not every '21 will have these problems but ... I'm not the gambling type. I want to get in, start it up and go. period.

Just imagine all the dancing those lifters have to do to make cylinders deactivation happen. That’s just a part of the the system. All for 1 mile per gallon. If they play with it long enough they may perfect it. If I bought one I’d buy extended warranty.

voided3 · January 31, 2022

1 hour ago, thekcwolf said:

Yeesh, I love these forums, but I hate these forums. All this discussion about failed lifters and such, really make it difficult to want to go through with the purchase of this '21 I've been waiting on. Dealer says it will be here next Monday. I know, I know... Not every '21 will have these problems but ... I'm not the gambling type. I want to get in, start it up and go. period.

Honestly, if I had to do it over again, I would have gone for a 2500 HD with the 6.6 gas V8 in a Custom trim for the same money as our 1500 LT with the 5.3. It's a bit overkill for our somewhat light travel trailer, but the simpler fleet-oriented powertrain with more power (and most importantly no DFM) would have definitely made for a better first year of ownership.

I'm already looking at trading in our '21 for an F250 with the 6.2 gas V8 within the next year or two. I'm definitely not going to keep it past the end of the warranty period. I'd entertain the idea of a Chevy or GMC 2500HD with the 6.6 gas V8, but I'm not sure I completely trust GM as a whole right now after this experience. My dad just ordered a GMC Sierra 2500 HD AT4 with the 6.6 gas and should be getting it by May, so I guess I can wait and see how that goes for him.