Dreaded Effing lifter tap...... - SOLVED

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Trey Hardy

8” fabtech icon coilovers uniballs 24x14on35/15.50
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Posts
3,313
Reaction score
8,813
Location
Eastern North Carolina
So, after 120k miles of no AFM, 160,370 on the clock I got a lifter noise. The truck was in the body shop for 1.5 weeks and probably got started and moved 10 ft a dozen times......go and pick it up and it's ticking. The guy says " we see that sometimes, probably just need to drive it." Man was I PISSED!

So, I put some Seafoam in it and drove it home.....no change. Going to drop the oil and see if fresh oil, filter, and an oil additive an old master mechanic mentioned to me to see if it will help pump it back up. Will update later today when finished.

This whole thing really grinds my gears - I take excellent care of my vehicles and because of ******** EPA beurocrats and shit-eating bean counters we the people get stuck eating the poo sandwich.

So, I have 4 options:
1. Change oil and pray for good outcome
2. If #1 fails, then put in $2400 of parts and do it myself....
3. Have GM dealership do it for $5500 (having friends there helped on the price by dropping it $1200). Still A LOT of $$
4. Pick up a 65k mile 6.6L from a bone yard 1 hour from here for $3500 and do as another guy here did with his suburban - forgot his handle


Yay for emissions!!!!
I’ve had two lifters drop on me and I got them unstuck both times by putting a quart of marvel mystery oil in her and redlining it
By redline I mean pull out in 1st gear and peg the rpm then do the same in second for atleast a couple miles both times cleared it right up and she’s got over 400,000 on her now!
 

Trey Hardy

8” fabtech icon coilovers uniballs 24x14on35/15.50
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Posts
3,313
Reaction score
8,813
Location
Eastern North Carolina
Give it a hail mary rev up to 5-6K might clear it up worked for me once.
My buddy took a lifter tapping 4.8 and literally put a 5 gallon can of gas in it and put a brick on the gas pedal and walked away from it when she ran out of gas we put some more in her and she was purring like a kitten! He still pulled it out to swap in his built lq9 but my buddy threw that old 200k mile 4.8 in his Camaro and drove it another 4 years before he ever swapped it for a 6.2
I’d recommend the marvel oil in her before you do this though lmao
I actually started putting a quart of it in during each oil change and just stepped the oil up to 10w40 and it’s seemed to work for me thus far
 

89Suburban

Bull in the china shop
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Posts
15,010
Reaction score
41,460
Location
SE PA
My buddy took a lifter tapping 4.8 and literally put a 5 gallon can of gas in it and put a brick on the gas pedal and walked away from it when she ran out of gas we put some more in her and she was purring like a kitten! He still pulled it out to swap in his built lq9 but my buddy threw that old 200k mile 4.8 in his Camaro and drove it another 4 years before he ever swapped it for a 6.2
I’d recommend the marvel oil in her before you do this though lmao
I actually started putting a quart of it in during each oil change and just stepped the oil up to 10w40 and it’s seemed to work for me thus far
I been running Marine Stabil in my jawn the green sh*t
 

j91z28d1

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Posts
3,058
Reaction score
3,779
you know the gas in the oil trick, while sounding dangerous. gas is what we used to wash parts with. it breaks down any varansh quickly. makes me wonder if that's not the trick to clean the inside of lifters that get stuck.
 

j91z28d1

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Posts
3,058
Reaction score
3,779
as much as this happens, I'm surprised someone hasn't marketed a additives just for lubing the top end of these things.

on a totally different side note, I know the epa sucks, but they get zero blame for this nonsense. this is all on gm. epa only cares about emissions, which is a reason why we have dexos oil ratings, all these new vehicles without actual pvc valves drink some much oil, the engine oil has to not foul out the cats in 100k miles. 80s oil specs would kill today's cats in short time.

gm is solely responsible for taking one of the most solid engines ever built and turning it into a ticking time bomb. epa bearly even has fuel mileage standards for heavy trucks and they allow you to off set it by advertising the whole fleet. so build a basic car that can compete with a Toyota and no one cares if your truck gets 15mph or 12.

notice how a gmt800 gets better real. world fuel mileage than a new direct injection lt? epa would not allow this is they cared at all.
 
OP
OP
B

B-train

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2022
Posts
2,241
Reaction score
3,862
as much as this happens, I'm surprised someone hasn't marketed a additives just for lubing the top end of these things.

on a totally different side note, I know the epa sucks, but they get zero blame for this nonsense. this is all on gm. epa only cares about emissions, which is a reason why we have dexos oil ratings, all these new vehicles without actual pvc valves drink some much oil, the engine oil has to not foul out the cats in 100k miles. 80s oil specs would kill today's cats in short time.

gm is solely responsible for taking one of the most solid engines ever built and turning it into a ticking time bomb. epa bearly even has fuel mileage standards for heavy trucks and they allow you to off set it by advertising the whole fleet. so build a basic car that can compete with a Toyota and no one cares if your truck gets 15mph or 12.

notice how a gmt800 gets better real. world fuel mileage than a new direct injection lt? epa would not allow this is they cared at all.
The EPA is what drives this nonsense. Auto makers have to keep getting creative to increase power output because the engines have to run less efficiently to make "clean" air. It's a completely screwed up system. If engines were designed and tuned for "efficiency" you'd see many more diesel options as well as good gas motors like the original LS, 3800 V6, etc. It's all a game driven by mechanically unintelligent people, guised as 'clean,' that causes engines to use more fuel to do the same work. I saw it in all the engine development work I did over the years with diesel, DI 2 stroke engines, etc. I'm sure there is a balance somewhere in all of it, but it probably costs too much which eats into the bean counters conscience and shareholders pocketbooks.
 

Dave in Gig Harbor

TYF Newbie
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Posts
11
Reaction score
10
I had the same issue with lifter noise. Well serviced 2018 Silverado 1500/6.2 with 80k miles. Turned out that it was a bent pushrod. I had just finished chemotherapy and could not do the repair myself. No oil change or chemical was going to fix this.
DSC00526.JPG so I paid $5,000 to have half the lifters/pushrod fixed.
 
Last edited:

Reddenali

TYF Newbie
Joined
Sep 18, 2024
Posts
2
Reaction score
3
So, after 120k miles of no AFM, 160,370 on the clock I got a lifter noise. The truck was in the body shop for 1.5 weeks and probably got started and moved 10 ft a dozen times......go and pick it up and it's ticking. The guy says " we see that sometimes, probably just need to drive it." Man was I PISSED!

So, I put some Seafoam in it and drove it home.....no change. Going to drop the oil and see if fresh oil, filter, and an oil additive an old master mechanic mentioned to me to see if it will help pump it back up. Will update later today when finished.

This whole thing really grinds my gears - I take excellent care of my vehicles and because of ******** EPA beurocrats and shit-eating bean counters we the people get stuck eating the poo sandwich.

So, I have 4 options:
1. Change oil and pray for good outcome
2. If #1 fails, then put in $2400 of parts and do it myself....
3. Have GM dealership do it for $5500 (having friends there helped on the price by dropping it $1200). Still A LOT of $$
4. Pick up a 65k mile 6.6L from a bone yard 1 hour from here for $3500 and do as another guy here did with his suburban - forgot his handle


Yay for emissions!!!!
If it is still ticking put a BTR or Texas Speed Vvt/ dod delete kit in , that’s what I’m doing at time with a used motor after mine blew up 2011 6.2
 
OP
OP
B

B-train

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2022
Posts
2,241
Reaction score
3,862
I had the same issue with lifter noise. Well serviced 2018 Silverado 1500/6.2 with 80k miles. Turned out that it was a bent pushrod. I had just finished chemotherapy and could not do the repair myself. No oil change or chemical was going to fix this.
View attachment 439898 so I paid $5,000 to have half the lifters/pushrod fixed.
I am in that boat now.......had it towed to a dealership due to an ongoing claim. It happened after the accident, while at the bodyshop, so it's an insurance thing now. I was at the dealership this morning for a loaner and #4 had a bent pushrod. Not sure HOW that even happens......never had a motor do that in my life.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
132,236
Posts
1,864,466
Members
96,784
Latest member
Paul C
Top