Bad Lifters

[Frank2020]

So I posted about my issues and watched bunch of videos about the noise under the hood, and I think I have bad lifters as I get the noise.

My 2007 Chevy Tahoe rides smooth, not leaking oil or losing oil pressure, however I do have this ticking noise at idle and when speed up, it disappears at high speeds. I did change the oil and there was metal shavings on the oil drain plug.

If it is bad lifters, how long can i drive the car, if I am typically just doing basic driving, no racing, no driving crazy.

I would appreciate the feedback.

 

[drakon543]

thats hard to give a geuss on that. metal shavings in the oil just add to the concern. it sounds like your already heading towards a shutdown. ticking and no metal id keep going ticking and metal id stop driving it. metal shavings means something internally is getting chewed apart. that also mean excessive friction on something which results to excessive heat in that one spot. you could end up seizing and snapping something causing catastrophic failure rather than just some parts and labor your replacing the whole engine.

 

[wjburken]

Well, things like this very rarely get better as time goes on. If you are hoping to run it for a while and then fix it, I would say get it fixed now as if you run it much longer a minor tick/noise can turn into a major issue and a ruined motor as @drakon543 pointed out. The fact that you had metal shavings on the oil plug means you are already chewing something up. If you are going to keep driving it, I would start looking for a good used motor and start saving your money because that is likely where you will end up.

 

[iamdub]

If the ticking is the lifter(s) and the shavings are from that, then I'd be inclined to guess that a lifter has turned and is chewing up the cam lobe. Sure, you could just ignore it and drive it until it leaves you stranded. Or, you could stop driving it immediately because it may still be salvageable. I can assure that it will only get worse up until it completely fails. It may go a few thousand feet or a few thousand miles. If it were mine and if the vehicle is worth it otherwise, I'd open it up to see if it was repairable but have a lead on a replacement engine on standby in case.

 

[OR VietVet]

Plus, the metal floating around in there is likely doing other damage to other oil lubed components that may be good now but going bad or being bad later. It would help to know how much metal was on that plug. Was it just gooey grey mush or actual flakes or a mixture? First time you ever saw that? What kind of oil do you use and the filter? Time/miles between oil changes? Can you post a video of the noise and have the recording device as close to where the noise is coming from.

 

[iamdub]

Plus, the metal floating around in there is likely doing other damage to other oil lubed components that may be good now but going bad or being bad later. It would help to know how much metal was on that plug. Was it just gooey grey mush or actual flakes or a mixture? First time you ever saw that? What kind of oil do you use and the filter? Time/miles between oil changes? Can you post a video of the noise and have the recording device as close to where the noise is coming from.

He posted a video in his other thread (that was actually in the correct forum, this one is in the 2015-2020 forum). I'm curious as well about the details of the shavings. I'm also curious as to why my '08 doesn't have a magnetic plug. My brother's '05 does and I believe it's original.

Check this out:

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...-compressor-clutch-issue.120771/#post-1478035

 

[Rocket Man]

All good advice here. One other thing you might consider is to send an oil sample off to Blackstone Labs and they can pinpoint the type of metal that’s in the oil so you can make a better informed decision. They will let you know if it’s brass from bearings, aluminum from the block, etc as well as the concentrations and how far from normal it is. It will take a couple weeks or so to get this done but like others have said, it’s probably not a good idea to keep driving it until you figure out what’s going on. https://www.blackstone-labs.com/?se...abs.net/Bstone/(S(dp4o1b55z1xgqdulvlk2h1vf))/

 

[OR VietVet]

So, I went to the other thread, like @iamdub recommended, and I have to agree with all of you about some serious internal problems. Have you removed the inspection cover at the bottom front of trans and gotten a mechanics stethoscope in there for a listen and also listen all over the engine? I would not be driving that because it is going to leave you stranded soon, IMO.

 

[Just Fishing]

I just got my 09 Tahoe a few weeks ago, first thing i did was to change all of the fluids...
Had noticed a slight lifter tick, but it was pretty quiet, and disappeared pretty quick.

Shortly after i changed my engine oil i started hearing the lifter tick get a little more noticeable
One morning it got much louder...
So i turn off the truck and googled the issue.

So apparently the AFM/DOD/Cylinder deactivation feature is related.
Eventually the lifter will seize up etc.

I already had a HP Tuners programmer, and had been playing around with some transmission settings.
So I turned DOD (Displacement on Demand) from True to False and applied the new program.

Result: an Instant difference!

My truck now starts up, no ticking.
Been like that for a few weeks now, engine sounds fantastic.


Doing some researching, it seems to be an accepted method to bypass the issue before full on lifter failure.
Maybe one day if i end up rebuilding later down the road, replace the cam and fully gut the system...

Thoughts?

 

[Foggy]

Just to add: I'd also check the rocker arms... One may be coming apart and that
spews tiny little roller bearings into the engine.. Rockers are a very easy fix
if found early enough. You really just have to pull the valve covers.
You can buy new oem style or upgrade as you see fit. But it's an easy fix as
long as you catch it early