[Z06] LS7 lifters went bad, time to upgrade cam

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01-01-2018, 04:56 AM

#21

Hirohawa

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A few months ago I had the same exact issue. Super loud ticking took car to GM - Bad Lifters fixed under warranty. Cam, Intake and Exhaust Valves where all OK.

Good luck.

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01-01-2018, 10:58 AM

#22

fisher auto

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Were the lash caps missing??????

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01-01-2018, 11:24 AM

#23

Unreal

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That would not cause that. The tops of the valves would be trashed, not the lifter wheel.

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01-01-2018, 10:05 PM

#24

big_mike_eu

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

My bad then. Yah, I thought it was SS intake valves. The Ti should not be an issue at all.

I've done the oil pump with and without touching pan. If you touch it, just need to loosen the bolts a little, not enough for it to even noticably move. I've also done it without successfully but you run the risk of ripping the gasket.

No worries, I get confused sometimes too

Thanks for the info about the oil pan. Did you have any leak problems down the road in the instances when you loosened the bolts a little bit?

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01-01-2018, 10:07 PM

#25

big_mike_eu

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirohawa

A few months ago I had the same exact issue. Super loud ticking took car to GM - Bad Lifters fixed under warranty. Cam, Intake and Exhaust Valves where all OK.

Good luck.

Thank you so much Hirohawa! Makes me feel a little bit better. I hope I end up being as lucky as you are

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisher auto

Were the lash caps missing??????

Nope, all the lash caps were there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

That would not cause that. The tops of the valves would be trashed, not the lifter wheel.

That is correct

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01-02-2018, 08:13 AM

#26

rio95

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Quote:

Originally Posted by big_mike_eu

No worries, I get confused sometimes too

Thanks for the info about the oil pan. Did you have any leak problems down the road in the instances when you loosened the bolts a little bit?

I loosened the pan a bit and then it leaked. It bothered me so eventually I replaced the pan gasket. I'd really try to not loosen it.

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01-02-2018, 08:29 AM

#27

Unreal

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No leak issues ever.

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01-02-2018, 08:44 AM

#28

Undy

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

No leak issues ever.

Same here...

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01-02-2018, 09:01 AM

#29

Unreal

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The risk and odds of a leaking pan from slightly loosening the bolts is orders of magnitude less risky than not doing it and tearing or damaging the gasket.

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01-02-2018, 10:05 AM

#30

Katech_Zach

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe@CPR

I've seen a trend on the ls7 lifter thing. You can always chock some of it up to there will always be a percentage of parts that fail early on in their life cycle. But these are things i have started to notice that will take them out.

1) wrong pushrod length, time and time again we see cams installed with the wrong length. This will kill a lifter
2)long oil change intervals
3) car show guys who will get in their car rev the crap out of it and shut it off. No joke I see this a lot and than see these types come in and go but I don't even race it...
4)people who rip on it consistently without letting oil get to temp.

All good points.

I would add:
5. Poor valvetrain dynamics
6. Bad heat treat on the camshaft

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01-02-2018, 11:04 AM

#31

big_mike_eu

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

The risk and odds of a leaking pan from slightly loosening the bolts is orders of magnitude less risky than not doing it and tearing or damaging the gasket.

Is there a trick to taking out the pump without loosening the bolts? Of course in addition to being super careful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katech_Jason

All good points.

I would add:
5. Poor valvetrain dynamics
6. Bad heat treat on the camshaft

Thanks Jason, the odd part is that this is stock cam, stock pushrods. Unless the shop that pulled the heads of the car messes something up. I don't doubt it. ...or the common soft cam issue that seems to be popular

Once I pull the cam, I am intending on ordering the Katech Torquer 110 so I'll be in touch

I wanted to ask, what are your recommendations for supporting mods for the 110? (springs, pushrods, retainers, lifters, etc)? I have stock Ti intake valves and SS exhaust per WCCH stage 2 package without the milling.

Last edited by big_mike_eu; 01-02-2018 at 11:05 AM.

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01-02-2018, 12:47 PM

#32

Katech_Zach

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Quote:

Originally Posted by big_mike_eu

Is there a trick to taking out the pump without loosening the bolts? Of course in addition to being super careful.

Thanks Jason, the odd part is that this is stock cam, stock pushrods. Unless the shop that pulled the heads of the car messes something up. I don't doubt it. ...or the common soft cam issue that seems to be popular

Once I pull the cam, I am intending on ordering the Katech Torquer 110 so I'll be in touch

My recommendations for the valvetrain are for OEM valves or Katech Ti/Mo valves. This does not apply to solid stainless steel exhaust.

http://store.katechengines.com/psi-h...prings-p8.aspx x16
http://store.katechengines.com/titan...tainer-p9.aspx x16
http://store.katechengines.com/sprin...ides-p374.aspx x16 (although this depends on guide diameter)
http://store.katechengines.com/intak...seal-p324.aspx x8
http://store.katechengines.com/exhau...seal-p323.aspx x8
http://store.katechengines.com/c5-r-...chain-p30.aspx

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01-02-2018, 12:55 PM

#33

Les-10

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Pan Gasket - the orange o-ring?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

The risk and odds of a leaking pan from slightly loosening the bolts is orders of magnitude less risky than not doing it and tearing or damaging the gasket.

Just removed my timing cover (I lowered oil pan) and see an orange perimeter o-ring with what looks like a black rtv center. The black portion is torn & ragged, the orange o-ring appears intact. In removing the oil pump it would not clear the rtv substance w/o dragging across it. I had a cam install done 3 years ago so am not sure if rtv was added then or if it's part of the pan seal. There was also a bead of black rtv along the bottom outside edge of the timing cover as well. Replace torn rtv, remove, clean & delete it or do I need a new pan gasket????
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Last edited by Les-10; 01-02-2018 at 01:36 PM.

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01-02-2018, 01:07 PM

#34

Dan_the_C5_Man

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Les-10

The RTV is from the previous work. Sounds like you can move forward w/o issue.

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01-02-2018, 02:21 PM

#35

BigVette427

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If you swap the cam I'd suggest you consider an 8620 core cam ground on a grinder that is designed for LS lobes. (ex. TSP, CamMotion, EPS). As for lifters, I love my Johnson 2110's that I went with in my build, a lot of happy folks with those lifters on the LSA's over in the Cadillac CTS-V forums.

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01-02-2018, 09:00 PM

#36

Lead Foot 66

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

Got a knocking in the engine that sounds like a banging on a hollow pipe. Makes the noise when sitting idling or moving and it is proportional to engine speed. But the engine runs smoothly otherwise. My guess is a collapsed lifter.

Thank goodness I've got an extended warranty.The car is going to the dealer shortly to see what's wrong and get fixed. Then I'll decide about getting the heads redone.

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01-03-2018, 05:56 PM

#37

Les-10

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan_the_C5_Man

The RTV is from the previous work. Sounds like you can move forward w/o issue.

Thanks for your reply. Did you see the pic I added after your response?

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01-03-2018, 06:30 PM

#38

Michael_D

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Les-10

Thanks for your reply. Did you see the pic I added after your response?

The "best" method is to relace the pan gasket. But that's a big job. You'd need to support the engine and drop the cradle. I would lower the pan as far as possible, remove the RTV, carefully. Inspect the red gasket seal, and look for tears and deformed spots. If you do not see damage, don't replace the gasket. Clean the gasket and block the best you can. Get a cover alignment tool. Use it. Smear RTV on all four corners of the pan gasket. Install cover. Then tighten pan bolts after RTV has started to set, but before it fully sets.

Keep in mind that the pan seals all the pump ports. If it is damaged, you can have pan scavenge, tank suction, or pressure issues. Not just pan leaks.