Sad day... Didn't even get to drive her for 5 days without the lifter going...

[montegutman]

If they have the parts... and with the experience they are getting on doing these... I would think they could turn it around in a day. Its not a lot of work to pop the covers and replace the lifters if you have all the right tools.

Qualifying Statement: Haven't visited this site in a few years nor followed recent GM Engine developments.
Now curious how you access lifters without pulling intake manifold, which is much more extensive, plus removing rocker arm covers for adjustment. Still have my 05 K2500 Yukon w / 6L running Great since new with No major mechanical issues (at 78 years old, still doing All maintenance and repairs myself; but, questionable how much longer). Will likely use it as a final resting place?
SO, QUESTIONING HOW A DEALER/SHOP GOT IT IN AND OUT OVERNIGHT WITH ALL 16 LIFTER REPLACEMENTS?? If these newer engines have 4 valve per cylinder it would be a 32 valve Lifter job??

 

[Cusomano]

As a former GM dealership flat rate tech who could write a book on how some things are done in the field, you probably DON'T want to know

Qualifying Statement: Haven't visited this site in a few years nor followed recent GM Engine developments.
Now curious how you access lifters without pulling intake manifold, which is much more extensive, plus removing rocker arm covers for adjustment. Still have my 05 K2500 Yukon w / 6L running Great since new with No major mechanical issues (at 78 years old, still doing All maintenance and repairs myself; but, questionable how much longer). Will likely use it as a final resting place?
SO, QUESTIONING HOW A DEALER/SHOP GOT IT IN AND OUT OVERNIGHT WITH ALL 16 LIFTER REPLACEMENTS?? If these newer engines have 4 valve per cylinder it would be a 32 valve Lifter job??

 

[THarber]

To be honest, removing the intake and heads should be able to be done in under an hour. The intake has 10 bolts, heads 8, exhaust 8 and these are the hardest part, spark plugs, coolant drain, etc. The lifters are readily removable as they sit in a tray and are not down in the block like an old SBC. The rocker arms are on a shaft and no lash to worry about either.

The lifter issue has effected many vehicles, not just GM trucks. Mopar has had an issue as well. The 'bad' lifters are failing due to oil restrictions which is the basis of how the AFM works, reduced oil flow collapses the lifters and that reduces the number firing cylinders. These rigs run extremely low oil pressure to begin with to improve fuel economy. It takes a milli-second to have a lifter running on the cam without oil to have enough friction to cause a problem. The camshaft is hardened and the lifter roller surface is too but there is not enough mass in a lifter to absorb heat which leads to a surface failure.

Solution: Probably none for the average person who just takes the truck into a jiffy lube and spends as little as possible on an oil change. Then the guy that goes into Walmart and buys the cheapest oil and filter to do it himself. You have to use a high quality oil that is designed for our trucks. An oil that is going to provide protection at 15 to 20psi is night and day different than an oil that will protect at 50 psi. Oil filters are also extremely different. Every filter has a built in pressure bypass valve in them, meaning if you buy a cheap filter with a cheap or defective bypass, the oil will flow straight thru without being filtered. This valve is designed so that if the filter gets clogged, the engine will still get oil. a quality oil filter like WIX, Baldwin, Amsoil, etc have bypass valves in the 20-23psi range whereas the cheaper filters are in the 15 to 18psi range, so as the filter cleans the oil and removes contaminates the pressure builds up and the oil filter bypass stops filtering the oil. This is as important as the filter media which I can talk about all day. Go over to Bob the oil guys website and you can see countless pics of filters that have been cut open with crap filter media.

Sorry, I've rambled. I always run Baldwin or WIX oil filters with a Dexos or European spec rating in just a tad higher weight, 5w-40 instead of 5w-30. Its changed either at 5000 miles or when the oil life monitor gets below 20%, which ever is first. I live in Florida and the heat plays a role in this. My oil pressure is more stable, the engine is quieter and I even think my mpg improved a little. I also run about 2 oz of Marvel Mystery oil thru all my cars every other oil change. I think it eliminates any sludge inside. I also have a 3 turbo BMW's and a 2013 Z06 vette and run the same oils in all of them.

Tim

 

[Joeltz]

Mine was used.. I signed as is my 2015 LTZ had the lifter stick in less than a week . The dealer HADTo Know. It was their Cadillac dealerships employee who owned it.

no more V8 V4 DOD for me and had great guys at a speed shop swap cam and 16 LS7 lifters. Texas speed delete kit AND a Dyno Run Computer Tune…. $ 3000. It runs and shifts great and saw 24.9 at 66 on a trip

 

[wsteele]

It’s 6.2 also. A coworker of mine just had this happen to him. 2021 Denali with 8,300 miles. Left him on the side of the highway. Had it towed to the dealer. They told him that there is a TSB for this and if the mileage is less than 8,000 miles then they replace all lifters. If over 8,000 miles, then they only replace the side that was affected. He was 300 miles over and they only replaced his one side of lifters. They did, however, get his truck back to him in 2 days.

He was told they have a known lifter defect that was a machining issue for a batch of lifters that left a burr or rough surface finish and if it affects your truck, it will happen right away. I guess that’s why they choose 8,000 miles for the cutoff?

As soon as he got the truck back, I helped him install a PULSAR LT unit on it. Hopefully that will help in the future.

I talked with my longtime service advisor at the dealership I have been using for a very long time for my 07 Yukon.

He told me when they find a bad lifter(s) in one of these trucks, they replace them all. That policy has grown out of their experience that after the first failures where they would replace less than all 16, an uncomfortably large number we’re having repeat claims. The first failures nominally happened in the 8K range and the ones that came back for a repeat almost always failed before the 20K range. He maintains one customers fleet which experienced an outrageous failure rate, like half of the customers trucks had failed lifters. I believe GM is on board with their “replace them all” policy. He told me if I had a failed lifter in my ‘21 Sierra 6.2L, they would replace them all.

He also recommended I change the oil/filter once at 1500 miles, a second time at 3000 and then every 5000 thereafter. He seemed to feel the ones with more frequent oil service intervals appeared to fail less frequently. I don’t know if he has statistical data to back up the theory or it is just anecdotal impressions. This guy has always been spot on for me. My truck was built a month ago, so I have my fingers crossed, but will change my oil/filter at 1500, 3000 and 5K thereafter. A tank of gas costs almost twice what an oil/filter change costs me, seems like cheap insurance.

 

[SSGUNNER]

It’s 6.2 also. A coworker of mine just had this happen to him. 2021 Denali with 8,300 miles. Left him on the side of the highway. Had it towed to the dealer. They told him that there is a TSB for this and if the mileage is less than 8,000 miles then they replace all lifters. If over 8,000 miles, then they only replace the side that was affected. He was 300 miles over and they only replaced his one side of lifters. They did, however, get his truck back to him in 2 days.

He was told they have a known lifter defect that was a machining issue for a batch of lifters that left a burr or rough surface finish and if it affects your truck, it will happen right away. I guess that’s why they choose 8,000 miles for the cutoff?

As soon as he got the truck back, I helped him install a PULSAR LT unit on it. Hopefully that will help in the future.

Also curious on the Pulsar LT, my understanding per their website is the pulsar doesn’t work on the 10 speed transmission.

 

[slowride77]

Also curious on the Pulsar LT, my understanding per their website is the pulsar doesn’t work on the 10 speed transmission.

 

[slowride77]

I talked with my longtime service advisor at the dealership I have been using for a very long time for my 07 Yukon.

He told me when they find a bad lifter(s) in one of these trucks, they replace them all. That policy has grown out of their experience that after the first failures where they would replace less than all 16, an uncomfortably large number we’re having repeat claims. The first failures nominally happened in the 8K range and the ones that came back for a repeat almost always failed before the 20K range. He maintains one customers fleet which experienced an outrageous failure rate, like half of the customers trucks had failed lifters. I believe GM is on board with their “replace them all” policy. He told me if I had a failed lifter in my ‘21 Sierra 6.2L, they would replace them all.

He also recommended I change the oil/filter once at 1500 miles, a second time at 3000 and then every 5000 thereafter. He seemed to feel the ones with more frequent oil service intervals appeared to fail less frequently. I don’t know if he has statistical data to back up the theory or it is just anecdotal impressions. This guy has always been spot on for me. My truck was built a month ago, so I have my fingers crossed, but will change my oil/filter at 1500, 3000 and 5K thereafter. A tank of gas costs almost twice what an oil/filter change costs me, seems like cheap insurance.

Different service department near you I guess. He argued for hours with the service manager and they still ONLY replaced the one side quoting a 8,000 mile cutoff. He was not happy to say the least.

 

[SSGUNNER]

View attachment 354846

Yea I went to their page after I posted and saw that. Should work on the 5.3 then. I keep hearing 21’s are locked on the SUVs

 

[wsteele]

Different service department near you I guess. He argued for hours with the service manager and they still ONLY replaced the one side quoting a 8,000 mile cutoff. He was not happy to say the least.

I think there are differences in how the GM regional people treat given dealerships. The dealership I happen to live by probably would be considered average to smallish in large markets like LA. But in this area, they are by far the biggest. They buy/sell a lot of trucks, in truck country.

You might also tell him he might try the regional GM people. It is possible if he leaned on them, they might rethink their policy, or even maybe learn that the policy is to change them all out and the dealership is the problem.

An example of how good my local guys are, on my 2007 Yukon somewhere in the low 90K miles, my Yukon started to really burn a lot of oil. They determined the rings were stuck from carbon/ash buildup. The AFM Oil Consumption TSB had never been addressed, they tried the process in the TSB and determined the rings were not going to free up with solvent soaking, so told me new rings and pistons would be needed. My guys went to bat for me and GM said because it was less than 100K they would cover all the parts and some of the labor. My guys did the rest of the labor at cost and I got new pistons and rings for the deal of the century. The dealership does matter (or maybe who is running the service department) and also they have to ask.

One of the other things the service advisor I was talking to mentioned is after they replace bad lifters in these model years, if you request it, GM will extend the Powertrain Warranty to 100K, but you have to ask, they won't offer it to you.