HELP REPLACING VALVE LIFTERS, VLOM & CAMSHAFT PLEASE.

[Oldman1985]

2007 Chevy Tahoe LT 4WD Flexfuel
117xxx miles as of this post.

Purchased date
November 2016 113,*** miles

March 2017
@ 116,*** miles
Check engine light starts blinking
Stabilitrak Off / Service Stabilitrak
Traction Control Off / Service Traction Control lights would come on intermittently. When these lights come on the truck would drive really rough with a flapping noise and shift hard from 1st to 2nd gear and 2nd to 3rd. Then when the flashings disappear the truck would run fine and smooth again.

Code reads P0171= Fuel system lean bank 1 and P0301= Cylinder 1 misfire. I changed all Sparkplugs with ACDelcos Iridiums and AC Delco wires. Replaced coil on cylinder 1 and did a fuel injector cleaning with seafoam in the gas tank. The truck ran fine for a day then all the lights came right back on. The truck only operates roughly when these lights are on.

Finally took the truck to chevrolet to see what they come up with. Service manager says I have only 2 options since cylinder 1 valve lifter is bad and recommends I replace valve lifters, VLOM and the camshaft for about $5000 or put a new motor in for $7000 not including fluids and whatever else needed.

I cannot drive anywhere anymore as the lights would come on flashing more frequently now and im just paying for it to sit in my driveway.

I want to know how difficult of a job it is to replace the AFM Valve Lifters, VLOM and Camshaft? Can I just replace cylinder 1? What is every part needed to complete the job thoroughly. What parts brand is best? I know very little and only do maintenance work. Do I even need to do all of this work?

 

[kbuskill]

Could you describe this "flapping" noise a little more?

What did the dealership actually do to verify that the lifter was bad?

Does the engine make any ticking noises from the valve cover area?

 

[Oldman1985]

Could you describe this "flapping" noise a little more?

What did the dealership actually do to verify that the lifter was bad?

Does the engine make any ticking noises from the valve cover area?

Thank you. Yes the flapping noise only happens when the stabilitrak service and traction control service with the check engine light blinking comes on. When its only the check engine light on (without blinking) it drives fine. The flap seems to go faster as i gas it. Basically the flap sound goes with the rpm. The more i gas the faster it flaps.

Dealership said they did a compression test on cylinder 1 at 160 psi and drove the car a little yo notice my symptoms explained.

I do notice a light ticking noise but it is on the passenger side valve cover not from cylinder 1.

 

[steve34459]

This is the sound of lifter failure. i believe 4 failed, this time.

 

[RED TAHOE LS]

I wish I had an answer for you, but my experience with any AFM engine is none. I thought GM had learned their lesson when they tried this with Cadillac a few years ago. That's why my Tahoe is @ 199k because my 5.7 vortec is flawless.
Why don't you search the forum info on DELETING the AFM as I have seen numerous posts on this sort of problem. I feel for you in this situation and hope there is a reasonable solution from other member's. Good luck to you and btw welcome to the forum.
David g.........

 

[RED TAHOE LS]

I forgot to ad how I feel about the Dealers in my previous post, but look @ the previous thread about DEALER **** STORY, my feelings remain.
David g...........

 

[kbuskill]

The service stabilitrac and traction control lights will come on automatically anytime the check engine light comes on with an active code such as a misfire. It happens by default. When there is a misfire the ECU will shut off stabilitrac and traction control to eliminate them from the equation as a possible culprit for the misfire since both of them have the ability to cut power from the engine through reduced timing to prevent loss of control if they detect a loss of traction. Basically you can forget those 2 things and rule them out as potential problems in your case.

Cylinder 1 having 160psi compression certainly doesn't sound to me like a bad lifter, it sounds pretty normal to me.

I would suggest getting a second opinion from some reputable mechanic that is not a dealership. Also try and get a video sound clip of this flapping noise and post it up here so we can try to diagnose it better.

Running lean on bank 1 could also mean you have an intermittent vacuum leak like at the intake manifold. If it is sucking in additional air that isn't being drawn through the MAF sensor then it won't be putting enough fuel in to compensate for it and will therefore run lean and could be causing the flapping sound you described I suppose. I would try spraying carb cleaner or starting fluid around the base of the intake manifold where it meets the heads, especially on the drivers side since that is the bank that is reading lean and see if you can pin point the leak by listening for a change in the idle.

 

[Oldman1985]

This is the sound of lifter failure. i believe 4 failed, this time.

Yes thank you it sounds just like that but only when the blinking check engine light / service stabilitrak and service traction control lights come on flashing. When all the lights are cleared it goes back to a smooth idle engine with no problems.

 

[Oldman1985]

I wish I had an answer for you, but my experience with any AFM engine is none. I thought GM had learned their lesson when they tried this with Cadillac a few years ago. That's why my Tahoe is @ 199k because my 5.7 vortec is flawless.
Why don't you search the forum info on DELETING the AFM as I have seen numerous posts on this sort of problem. I feel for you in this situation and hope there is a reasonable solution from other member's. Good luck to you and btw welcome to the forum.
David g.........

Thank you this is my first time in a forum of any kind ever because my head is just spinning everyday. I dont know if i want to keep the truck and repair if the build is already going to be nothing but trouble in the future or just let it go.

 

[Oldman1985]

The service stabilitrac and traction control lights will come on automatically anytime the check engine light comes on with an active code such as a misfire. It happens by default. When there is a misfire the ECU will shut off stabilitrac and traction control to eliminate them from the equation as a possible culprit for the misfire since both of them have the ability to cut power from the engine through reduced timing to prevent loss of control if they detect a loss of traction. Basically you can forget those 2 things and rule them out as potential problems in your case.

Cylinder 1 having 160psi compression certainly doesn't sound to me like a bad lifter, it sounds pretty normal to me.

I would suggest getting a second opinion from some reputable mechanic that is not a dealership. Also try and get a video sound clip of this flapping noise and post it up here so we can try to diagnose it better.

Running lean on bank 1 could also mean you have an intermittent vacuum leak like at the intake manifold. If it is sucking in additional air that isn't being drawn through the MAF sensor then it won't be putting enough fuel in to compensate for it and will therefore run lean and could be causing the flapping sound you described I suppose. I would try spraying carb cleaner or starting fluid around the base of the intake manifold where it meets the heads, especially on the drivers side since that is the bank that is reading lean and see if you can pin point the leak by listening for a change in the idle.