2013 Yukon Denali 6.2L Lifter issue

[Ecrews06]

I have recently experienced a lifter issue in my 2013 GMC Yukon Denali 6.2L. I was driving down the road and it sounded like a spring broke and immediate rattling in the engine. I got the truck towed home and started removing the valve cover where i discovered cylinder 6 rocker arm not moving after the vehicle was running. I proceeded to remove the passenger side head and pulled the lifters and lifter guides. The old stuff i removed, the lifter did not come apart and was not springy. The only issue i saw was that the lifter was spinning freely in the lifter guide where as the new lifters slide up in the new lifter guide was very tight and did not spin freely. I replaced all 4 AFM lifters, lifter guides, head gasket, intake gasket, exhaust manifold gaskets, new head bolts and new exhaust manifold bolts (just because they were a pain.) I did not soak the lifters prior to installation but i did grease up the rollers. I checked the camshaft by rolling it and it didnt look bad so i didnt do anything with the camshaft. I put everything back together and the truck ran great for about 50 miles or so. I got the cylinder 6 misfire code and have started the process over again. I currently have the valve cover off and the rocker arm is stuck again. I have not pulled the head or went anymore in depth but im assuming it is the same issue.

My questions are:
1. What would cause the lifter to get stuck and spin in the lifter guide?
2. Is there a way to correct this without doing the full AFM DOD delete?
3. Should i just go ahead and do the AFM DOD delete?

I attached a picture of the empty lifter holes that show down in the camshaft. The left hole, there is no issue. The right hole is the one that failed.

 

[wsteele]

If the cam was damaged the first time around, it won't take long for it to do a job on your new lifter.

Looking at that cam lobe says you are in for a new cam and some amount of new lifters (and some new OE lifter trays), so an AFM Delete at that point makes a lot of sense.

On the other hand, putting things back to stock with all new OE parts where needed should result in and engine that will last a very long time. The newer AFM stuff is pretty reliable (VLOM, lifters, etc.).

 

[Foggy]

Your afm lifters are failing.. There are tricks to "resetting" with the head still on, but it doesn't always work.
You need new lifters at the very minimum... Freeing it up is a very temporary fix

 

[Geotrash]

I have recently experienced a lifter issue in my 2013 GMC Yukon Denali 6.2L. I was driving down the road and it sounded like a spring broke and immediate rattling in the engine. I got the truck towed home and started removing the valve cover where i discovered cylinder 6 rocker arm not moving after the vehicle was running. I proceeded to remove the passenger side head and pulled the lifters and lifter guides. The old stuff i removed, the lifter did not come apart and was not springy. The only issue i saw was that the lifter was spinning freely in the lifter guide where as the new lifters slide up in the new lifter guide was very tight and did not spin freely. I replaced all 4 AFM lifters, lifter guides, head gasket, intake gasket, exhaust manifold gaskets, new head bolts and new exhaust manifold bolts (just because they were a pain.) I did not soak the lifters prior to installation but i did grease up the rollers. I checked the camshaft by rolling it and it didnt look bad so i didnt do anything with the camshaft. I put everything back together and the truck ran great for about 50 miles or so. I got the cylinder 6 misfire code and have started the process over again. I currently have the valve cover off and the rocker arm is stuck again. I have not pulled the head or went anymore in depth but im assuming it is the same issue.

My questions are:
1. What would cause the lifter to get stuck and spin in the lifter guide?
2. Is there a way to correct this without doing the full AFM DOD delete?
3. Should i just go ahead and do the AFM DOD delete?

I attached a picture of the empty lifter holes that show down in the camshaft. The left hole, there is no issue. The right hole is the one that failed.

In addition to the other great guidance you're getting from the others here, I'll try to answer your questions in order:

1/ The root cause of the first lifter failure could have been in the VLOM and not in the lifter itself. That said, when you put in new lifters, you should always put in new (OEM only) lifter trays. Cheap or worn trays will allow the lifters to twist or turn in their bores, and wipe the cam. Ask me how I know. LoL.
2/ Replace the cam, lifters and VLOM (valley pan).
3/ Yes.

You're going to have to do 90% of an AFM/DoD delete when you put in a new cam anyway, so you might as well go all-in. I have a thread on it in this section, and the last post has a full list of parts and tips/tricks you can use. You'll need a tune when you're done to get it up and running. I used Black Bear and have been super happy with it.

 

[avalonandl]

How many miles and have you been changing the oil frequently?

 

[Ecrews06]

Yea, I made the decision to go ahead and do the afm dod delete. I took the intake out and all the plugs and wires today. I'm gonna work on the removing the heads, radiator, radiator fan and water pump over the next few days so I can get to the camshaft. I'm gonna order the kit from AMS.

The vehicle has 102k miles on it and I've had it for about 10k of those miles. I've completed 2 oil changes during that time.

Geo, I actually read alot of your experience today. Seems like you've been on a wild ride but super insightful and detailed.

I really appreciate all the advice and if you have anymore I definitely welcome it. I was trying to explore all options to make sure I wasn't missing an easier option other than a full on delete. Seems like that is the only option at this point. I'd like to do this and keep it til the wheels fall off the thing because my wife loves the truck. I just want to have confidence it'll make it more than a few miles down the road.

 

[Geotrash]

Yea, I made the decision to go ahead and do the afm dod delete. I took the intake out and all the plugs and wires today. I'm gonna work on the removing the heads, radiator, radiator fan and water pump over the next few days so I can get to the camshaft. I'm gonna order the kit from AMS.

The vehicle has 102k miles on it and I've had it for about 10k of those miles. I've completed 2 oil changes during that time.

Geo, I actually read alot of your experience today. Seems like you've been on a wild ride but super insightful and detailed.

I really appreciate all the advice and if you have anymore I definitely welcome it. I was trying to explore all options to make sure I wasn't missing an easier option other than a full on delete. Seems like that is the only option at this point. I'd like to do this and keep it til the wheels fall off the thing because my wife loves the truck. I just want to have confidence it'll make it more than a few miles down the road.

I'm so glad that the time that everyone took to follow and respond to that thread is helping others. So many great, supportive people here - it really is a community. And I'm in a similar situation - my wife and our kids love the Yukons and don't want to move to a pickup truck for our camping trips.

My guess is that your truck did not receive oil changes with enough frequency to avoid the AFM problems. Clean oil seems to be the key to these things lasting without failures. But if you do the delete now, and choose good parts the first time, your truck will last for many more trouble-free miles. And with the cost of new ones running over 80k, you can spend a lot of money on this one before it's worth buying new. No other vehicle I've ever owned is as versatile with so much comfort and convenience. I'll probably always own a Suburban/Yukon/Escalade - even after the kids are out of the house.

In terms of advice, that final write-up is pretty complete, but one thing is worth mentioning: you have the option of either a new VVT cam, or a 3-bolt. I chose the 3-bolt, which meant I had to replace the timing cover and have VVT tuned out. For me, that was easier than dealing with the cam phaser, and removing the starter to put a flywheel lock tool in place to hold it while torquing a VVT cam down. The drivability difference down low with the cam I have now vs the OEM VVT cam seems to make no difference that I can feel. I have a 2007 as well that still has its VVT, and the 2012 with the new cam is still faster off the line (my wife and I raced). And, the cam phaser can be problematic in these as they age. Still, others who did the swap and went with a new aftermarket VVT cam swear by their choices too, and a VVT cam will produce somewhat more low end power, though it won't do anything for you on the high end.

Other considerations are whether or not it's worth pulling the oil pan to replace the oil pump. You can probably get away without it at 102K, but given that your rig's past maintenance is already in question, the extra .5-1 day it will add to the job seems worth it. I'm glad I did and watching that solid oil pressure every day, knowing that I have a new pump in there with a fresh pickup tube o-ring is great peace of mind. If I had it to do over again, I would put a plug in the oil pressure relief valve in the oil pan to eliminate one more potential cause of problems later.

 

[Ecrews06]

I finished up the afm/dod delete and the truck is running alot smoother thanks before however it seems I have developed an oil leak. Looks like one is from the front crank seal and I'm not sure what we the other one is yet. The 2nd undetermined leak looks like it's running down the oil pan and leaving like stream under the middle of the truck.

My question is, can the oil pressure sending unit leak down the back of the block, near the filter and onto the pan to cause a stream? I included a pic of my garage floor. The front couple spots are from the harmonic balancer/front seal and the stream behind if is what I'm curious about.

 

[swathdiver]

My question is, can the oil pressure sending unit leak down the back of the block, near the filter and onto the pan to cause a stream? I included a pic of my garage floor. The front couple spots are from the harmonic balancer/front seal and the stream behind if is what I'm curious about.

Yes, could also be rear cover, and most likely the oil cooler lines or block off plate near the oil filter.

 

[Geotrash]

I finished up the afm/dod delete and the truck is running alot smoother thanks before however it seems I have developed an oil leak. Looks like one is from the front crank seal and I'm not sure what we the other one is yet. The 2nd undetermined leak looks like it's running down the oil pan and leaving like stream under the middle of the truck.

My question is, can the oil pressure sending unit leak down the back of the block, near the filter and onto the pan to cause a stream? I included a pic of my garage floor. The front couple spots are from the harmonic balancer/front seal and the stream behind if is what I'm curious about.

When you installed the front cover, did you use the special tool that centers the seal on the crankshaft?

I agree with @swathdiver that the stream is most likely coming from the oil cooler plate. I found that the Fel-Pro gasket is not as good as the Dorman (a rare circumstance), which is modeled after the OEM part. Be super careful with the bolts that hold it on, or you will be putting a helicoil in there. Ask me how I know.