Bad lifter in my 2007 GMC Yukon XL2500.

[Nap73]

Guys I have a bad lifter in my 2007 GMC Yukon XL 2500 with 255k miles. I'd appreciate any advice from guys who have actually had this same issue.

 

[Geotrash]

Guys I have a bad lifter in my 2007 GMC Yukon XL 2500 with 255k miles. I'd appreciate any advice from guys who have actually had this same issue.


View attachment 409867

I've done a full cam and lifter replacement in my 2012 Yukon XL Denali, so hopefully that meets your qualifications.

First question: are you absolutely certain it's a bad lifter? There are three other problems that can masquerade as a bad lifter noise. They are 1/ a loose spark plug, 2/ a leaking exhaust manifold gasket, and 3/ a bad throttle body that rattles in such a way that it sounds just like a bad lifter. Your engine doesn't have AFM, so the lifters are quite durable.

Feel free to post a video. The best way is to record it with your phone, upload it to YouTube with public permissions, and link it back here. We'll give it a listen and let you know what we think.

That said, if it turns out to be a lifter, it's a full weekend job if you want to do it yourself, or probably $2500 to have a shop do it. The heads have to come off, and if you've run it for a while that way then there may be cam damage as well, so that would need to come out and be replaced. It's probably a good idea to replace the cam at that point anyway given the mileage. The 6.0 is a bulletproof motor, so it's probably got a lot of life left in it with a new cam and lifters. You'd be looking at around $250 for a factory replacement cam, another $400+ for lifters, plus another $350 in miscellaneous parts like head, exhaust manifold and intake gaskets, ARP exhaust manifold bolts, etc.

 

[Nap73]

I've done a full cam and lifter replacement in my 2012 Yukon XL Denali, so hopefully that meets your qualifications.

First question: are you absolutely certain it's a bad lifter? There are three other problems that can masquerade as a bad lifter noise. They are 1/ a loose spark plug, 2/ a leaking exhaust manifold gasket, and 3/ a bad throttle body that rattles in such a way that it sounds just like a bad lifter. Your engine doesn't have AFM, so the lifters are quite durable.

Feel free to post a video. The best way is to record it with your phone, upload it to YouTube with public permissions, and link it back here. We'll give it a listen and let you know what we think.

That said, if it turns out to be a lifter, it's a full weekend job if you want to do it yourself, or probably $2500 to have a shop do it. The heads have to come off, and if you've run it for a while that way then there may be cam damage as well, so that would need to come out and be replaced. It's probably a good idea to replace the cam at that point anyway given the mileage. The 6.0 is a bulletproof motor, so it's probably got a lot of life left in it with a new cam and lifters. You'd be looking at around $250 for a factory replacement cam, another $400+ for lifters, plus another $350 in miscellaneous parts like head, exhaust manifold and intake gaskets, ARP exhaust manifold bolts, etc.

Here’s the video

https://imgur.com/a/r39WeEy

 

[Geotrash]

Here’s the video

https://imgur.com/a/r39WeEy

Thanks. I hear an exhaust leak or two in there. I would wiggle all of the spark plugs on both sides of the engine and see if I can get them to turn at all. Then get a good look at those exhaust manifolds. The studs break off over time and that's when we start seeing leaks that mimic lifter noise. If you can rule out those two things, then it's time to start looking at lifter/cam replacement.

Here's what mine sounded like with a failed non-AFM lifter. The damage was caused by the lifter twisting in a poor quality aftermarket lifter tray.

 

[petethepug]

Nice info, great pics, solid advice.

 

[Larryjb]

I've done a full cam and lifter replacement in my 2012 Yukon XL Denali, so hopefully that meets your qualifications.

First question: are you absolutely certain it's a bad lifter? There are three other problems that can masquerade as a bad lifter noise. They are 1/ a loose spark plug, 2/ a leaking exhaust manifold gasket, and 3/ a bad throttle body that rattles in such a way that it sounds just like a bad lifter. Your engine doesn't have AFM, so the lifters are quite durable.

Feel free to post a video. The best way is to record it with your phone, upload it to YouTube with public permissions, and link it back here. We'll give it a listen and let you know what we think.

That said, if it turns out to be a lifter, it's a full weekend job if you want to do it yourself, or probably $2500 to have a shop do it. The heads have to come off, and if you've run it for a while that way then there may be cam damage as well, so that would need to come out and be replaced. It's probably a good idea to replace the cam at that point anyway given the mileage. The 6.0 is a bulletproof motor, so it's probably got a lot of life left in it with a new cam and lifters. You'd be looking at around $250 for a factory replacement cam, another $400+ for lifters, plus another $350 in miscellaneous parts like head, exhaust manifold and intake gaskets, ARP exhaust manifold bolts, etc.

In diagnosing these other possibilities, a mechanic's stethoscope really helps here. You can touch it to all the suspect areas to get an idea of what is making noise.

 

[Geotrash]

In diagnosing these other possibilities, a mechanic's stethoscope really helps here. You can touch it to all the suspect areas to get an idea of what is making noise.

Yup. Great advice. Just gotta watch out for the end of the probe around the spark plug wires