15' Silverado Lifter Collapse

J-man67 · June 28, 2019

Dang! Wish I didn't read this. My transmission just went on my 15' @ 175k. I am having it rebuilt now, but now I'm going to be worried about these damn lifters. I have solely driven in M5 to keep it in v8 mode for almost all of the miles. Hopefully that'll help me? Not sure. Good luck with the repairs.

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Penguin VII · June 29, 2019

20 hours ago, J-man67 said:

Dang! Wish I didn't read this. My transmission just went on my 15' @ 175k. I am having it rebuilt now, but now I'm going to be worried about these damn lifters. I have solely driven in M5 to keep it in v8 mode for almost all of the miles. Hopefully that'll help me? Not sure. Good luck with the repairs.

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I don't know why you're keeping it in 5 just to avoid having it go into v4 mode. I have to think that would be worse for the engine and trans than letting it get into v4. If you're that worried you should at least tune it out, can't say it would have saved your trans but by God it sure wouldn't have hurt.

diyer2 · June 29, 2019

Doing a rebuild on a trans with 175 K miles seems good to me.

Keeping them out of V4 mode is supposed to help.

J-man67 · June 29, 2019

I was expecting the trans to go soon. Most of the miles were hard working miles. Always watched Temps though. It never cooked and remained strong to the very end. Motor runs like a top. Doesn't consume too much over 7k mile change intervals. Fresh air filter every 40k, on 2nd set of plugs, soon to be 3rd. I plan to pull the heads to inspect them and blast them if needed. Do a top end refresh. I've had other trucks hit over 350k with no major surgery.

Being in 5th gear hasn't hurt either the engine or trans. At least to my knowledge. With 33s and 3.73s I'm turning at about 2200rpm at 70 so not crazy high revs on highway.

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SilverApache11 · July 3, 2019

Keep in mind this is CAD $$$..... but after more consultation from different ppl I ended up changing my mind from keeping an engine that may have more unforeseeable problems and cost more $$ if they find other issues when it gets pulled apart. I was quoted the same price ($5500) to replace lifters, camshaft, oil pump and clean oil pan (after long negotiations with GM to get partial warranty) as buying, removing and installing the same year 5.3L with 20k and give me one year warranty on it by local mechanic. The local mechanic and other friends did suggest the full replacement was better value.

I figured I can prevent the AFM problems earlier and get more resale value by replacing the engine entirely. Also, possibly getting a Diablo tune in the near future for the "younger" 5.3l that was bought from SGI salvage. I've heard of some additives in the oil that can prevent the buildup on the lifters to keep them clean and from getting stuck while closed. Might look into trying that too... Always more to research!!

Bob2C · July 4, 2019

I use the Range Technology disabler Just plug it into OBD port and I have constant V8. Smoother shifting on transmission as well. No CEL codes. Very happy

martinto · July 4, 2019

On 6/24/2019 at 11:58 PM, SilverApache11 said:

I have a 2015 Silverado with the 5.3L that just had the number 7 lifter collapse.... Just normal acceleration and lost power. Sounds like this is a common issue with the AFM engines...

I took it in to the Chevy dealer and they want way too much to replace the lifter and check the cam for wear. Of course, my warranty was done 20k ago at 160k so I'm wondering what are my best options. Does it make sense to repair and hope nothing else goes wrong or spend the money on a new or salvage engine with low km and pay to put that in?? I'd like to keep the truck for a long time if possible. What would you do in this situation?

My lifter story, its a pretty good one. 2016 GMC Sierra 6.2L Max tow pkg. Going cross country pulling 7000lb TT from South Carolina. Coming out of a campground in Iowa on a Thursday, lost power, went into limp mode at 3689 miles. Dealer/Tow 30 miles away. Got back to camp. GMC roadside assistance coordinated service at Billion GMC, Sioux City. Found #6 intake lifter failed, damaged push rod and various reassembly parts including replace rr bank 2 afm lifters. That was Thursday afternoon. Tech Support at GM knew the problem, had parts in the pipeline...parts shipped overnight. Friday late afternoon...repairs completed and she is good to go!!! Really? Now I'm wondering about pulling the TT and the risk of another break down. So what does an old guy do...what the hell, I'm going for it! Once I got through the Rockies, I was feeling pretty good. Finished the the 7000+ mile trip 7 weeks later without any more problems. She was a beast in the mountains, up and down. These guys jumped through hoops the get me back on the road for our long planned for trip. GMC even offered another truck to go on if my truck had a long repair issue. I have a VVet license plate and being in Iowa, there may have some motivation. She's 3 years old now and under 30,000 miles, and no issues. GMC and Billion service techs really stepped up. Thanks gents.