2013 Tahoe LS top end noise

[Dustin Jackson]

@Just00Jake Get ARP head bolts they are great quality and come with their own instructions.

Get new lifters trays, they are the only thing holding the lifters straight. The AFM lifters have a big spring on them, the non-afm lifters just look like silver shotgun shells with a hole on one end and a roller on the other.

The reason with suggesting an AFM delete after having lifter issues is because the AFM system causes the motor to have more weak points and deleting the system entirely basically makes the motor as bulletproof as a 5.3 can get.

Also if you just throw in a set of lifters you are keeping the old cam which may have damage or the VLOM which might have a problem causing the lifters to get stuck again.

AFM delete involves lifters, cam, new valley cover.. basically tearing into the front and the top of the motor, and the bottom if you want to the do the oil pump and pickup tube o-ring and all that. And then turning off the AFM system in the computer with a tune.

Let me know if you haver any questions

 

[swathdiver]

I have gotten my gasket set and replacement lifters, torque wrench etc. what I have yet to pick up is new head bolts (which one of you good gents suggested. I do have a question though, why do i keep hearing about the afm delete when swapping lifters? What do i need to do the delete? Is it necessary? And this surely sounds like a newb question, but when i asked for lifters, they are all the same, aren't the afm lifters different? Do I need new lifter trays?

You bet your boots son you need new trays, lifters, VLOM, head bolts, head gaskets, etc. and a new oil pressure sensor (P0521).

Using counterfeit parts (Ebay and Amazon) will ensure you do this job again in 2 miles. Aftermarket parts who are not OE suppliers will also not last long.

It is SOP to replace all the AFM lifters on each bank, the lifter trays and the VLOM when doing an AFM repair.

Those other two codes are going to take more diagnosis to resolve. Fix the motor and the bad oil pressure sensor and if they come back, get onto AllDataDIY or similar for the shop manual and trouble shooting guide as these are the possibilities:

Inspect the air induction system for modified, damaged, leaking, or restricted components.
Inspect the crankcase ventilation system for improper operation. Refer to Crankcase Ventilation System Inspection/Diagnosis.
Inspect the vacuum hoses for splits, kinks, and improper connections.
Test for a restricted, damaged, leaking, or modified exhaust system from the catalytic converter forward. Refer to Symptoms - Engine Exhaust.
Inspect for vacuum leaks at the intake manifold, the throttle body, and the injector O-rings.
Test the fuel injectors for improper operation. Refer to Fuel Injector Diagnosis.
Test for fuel contamination. Refer to Alcohol/Contaminants-in-Fuel Diagnosis.
Test for excessive fuel in the crankcase due to leaking injectors.
Test the ignition system for improper operation. Refer to Electronic Ignition System Diagnosis.

 

[Just00Jake]

You bet your boots son you need new trays, lifters, VLOM, head bolts, head gaskets, etc. and a new oil pressure sensor (P0521).

Using counterfeit parts (Ebay and Amazon) will ensure you do this job again in 2 miles. Aftermarket parts who are not OE suppliers will also not last long.

It is SOP to replace all the AFM lifters on each bank, the lifter trays and the VLOM when doing an AFM repair.

Those other two codes are going to take more diagnosis to resolve. Fix the motor and the bad oil pressure sensor and if they come back, get onto AllDataDIY or similar for the shop manual and trouble shooting guide as these are the possibilities:

Inspect the air induction system for modified, damaged, leaking, or restricted components.
Inspect the crankcase ventilation system for improper operation. Refer to Crankcase Ventilation System Inspection/Diagnosis.
Inspect the vacuum hoses for splits, kinks, and improper connections.
Test for a restricted, damaged, leaking, or modified exhaust system from the catalytic converter forward. Refer to Symptoms - Engine Exhaust.
Inspect for vacuum leaks at the intake manifold, the throttle body, and the injector O-rings.
Test the fuel injectors for improper operation. Refer to Fuel Injector Diagnosis.
Test for fuel contamination. Refer to Alcohol/Contaminants-in-Fuel Diagnosis.
Test for excessive fuel in the crankcase due to leaking injectors.
Test the ignition system for improper operation. Refer to Electronic Ignition System Diagnosis.

Silly question I'm not sure... If half the lifters are "AFM lifters" and you replace them with regular lifters will that not allow it to kick in to "AFM" 2 mode? I think I know the answer, it probably messes the whole engine up. So if you weren't going to do the same "AFM" delete then you'd have to install the "AFM" lifters in their proper spots? Only reason I ask is that I was just about to sell this thing and am actually almost done getting my 2005 Tahoe LT back on the road. Believe it or not it's way better than this 2013 in a lot of ways. I really can't afford to be putting money into 2 vehicles at once. Plus I still have to solve the other codes. I usually go all out but I just got a fixer upper on the road for my youngest son for his 16th BDay, and I'm tired of working on stuff for the time being. I appreciate the help a lot, from everyone who's commented.

 

[iamdub]

Silly question I'm not sure... If half the lifters are "AFM lifters" and you replace them with regular lifters will that not allow it to kick in to "AFM" 2 mode? I think I know the answer, it probably messes the whole engine up. So if you weren't going to do the same "AFM" delete then you'd have to install the "AFM" lifters in their proper spots? Only reason I ask is that I was just about to sell this thing and am actually almost done getting my 2005 Tahoe LT back on the road. Believe it or not it's way better than this 2013 in a lot of ways. I really can't afford to be putting money into 2 vehicles at once. Plus I still have to solve the other codes. I usually go all out but I just got a fixer upper on the road for my youngest son for his 16th BDay, and I'm tired of working on stuff for the time being. I appreciate the help a lot, from everyone who's commented.

The lobes on the cam for the AFM cylinders (1, 4, 6 and 7) are slightly smaller than those for the non-AFM cylinders. Just replacing the AFM lifters with standard ones would result in four cylinders being considerably and noticeably weaker. If you're gonna sell it, just repair the AFM system (new lifter(s), VLOM... whatever has failed).

 

[swathdiver]

Silly question I'm not sure... If half the lifters are "AFM lifters" and you replace them with regular lifters will that not allow it to kick in to "AFM" 2 mode? I think I know the answer, it probably messes the whole engine up. So if you weren't going to do the same "AFM" delete then you'd have to install the "AFM" lifters in their proper spots? Only reason I ask is that I was just about to sell this thing and am actually almost done getting my 2005 Tahoe LT back on the road. Believe it or not it's way better than this 2013 in a lot of ways. I really can't afford to be putting money into 2 vehicles at once. Plus I still have to solve the other codes. I usually go all out but I just got a fixer upper on the road for my youngest son for his 16th BDay, and I'm tired of working on stuff for the time being. I appreciate the help a lot, from everyone who's commented.

If you were to replace the AFM lifters with standard ones and use the original camshaft, you would get misfire codes.

What do you like about the 2005 over the 2013?

 

[Just00Jake]

I wanted to give you an update this far too show what I'd found once I got to the lifters. Here are some photos. I did take photos of the cam shaft also. Believe it or not there was no damage to the cam. I don't have any idea where the missing pieces of metal from the lifter went... I have nothing in my oil and haven't that I've noticed. It must have chipped away in tiny pieces

 

[Just00Jake]

I wanted to give you an update this far too show what I'd found once I got to the lifters. Here are some photos. I did take photos of the cam shaft also. Believe it or not there was no damage to the cam. I don't have any idea where the missing pieces of metal from the lifter went... I have nothing in my oil and haven't that I've noticed. It must have chipped away in tiny pieces

 

[Geotrash]

I wanted to give you an update this far too show what I'd found once I got to the lifters. Here are some photos. I did take photos of the cam shaft also. Believe it or not there was no damage to the cam. I don't have any idea where the missing pieces of metal from the lifter went... I have nothing in my oil and haven't that I've noticed. It must have chipped away in tiny pieces

Wow. I'd say you found the culprit! I'd replace that cam no matter what. Even if it looks okay to the naked eye, I guarantee there's damage to the finish that will take it out. Thanks for posting the pics!

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I’ve never seen that, good work

 

[Just00Jake]

Sure sounds like a lifter to my ear

I'm sorry for leaving so much time between updates, I had to leave town for work for a month. This is where I stand currently. I've changed all of the lifters out and I know I'm going to get hell for it but I replaced everything as it was. Meaning I left the AFM intact and replaced the lifters with what came out. I got it all back together and it didn't want to stay running. I was getting backfire out of the exhaust and had to feather the that pedal to have a chance to keep it going. I couldn't keep the pedal in one spot, it would go for a few seconds and go up or down.After I'd keep it running for 5 minutes it would try to run consistently but I'd have to hold the throttle where it needed to be or if I let go it would die. And I swear I hear a ticking still. I'll attach a video. And by the way the number 1 AFM intake lifter was a little soft and I found loose pins in it, I'll put up a picture. Anyways if you remember right it idled fine before I did any work, it just had the lifter noise. I checked everything, I had 2 other people check everything to see if I'd missed anything. I'm pretty sure all of the injector plugs are correct because the wire is only so long for each. I sprayed break cleaner and my intake and no leaks were evident. I pulled the valve covers and checked the torque on all of the rocker arms they were good the lifters are nice and tight. So I pulled my intake assembly and sealed the intake gasket with rtv just to make sure it was sealed because I had oil marks on the bottom side of the intake gasket and then I figured after doing that top end clean, and then any loose stuff from cleaning the heads and pistons, I figured I must have clogged the fuel injectors and since that's the only thing that's not new on my top end I installed new injectors but want holding my breathe. Nothing has changed. I'm currently getting p0300(was p0307 at first but now just 300 so far) p0219a, p0219b, p0521. I'm at the point that I want to take it for real diagnostics and be done with it by I feel like it's something stupid. Don't forget I got the p0219a & p0219b after doing the top end clean. Any words of wisdom or should I try to find a decent shop that's not a 4 week wait? Thanks