50K + miles later after cam still have a random tap.
 

It doesn't sound like a header leak!!! The lifters are Ls7 ever since the cam swap 3 years ago I had a random taping noise on driver side, sounds like lifter tap, but it is not consistent as some days it is louder than others. It is mainly at idle or stopped in drive. Some days I never hear or notice it.

I have
Checked multiple oil filters over cams 50K life, never find metal particles.
Checked all rocker arm tq specs none ever loose.
Truck has almost 200K stock bottom end doesn't leak oil
I check oil level every weekish always same level

Think it is just a noise LS7 lifter and live with it? No metal in filters.

Ill try and get a video but it is kinda hard to catch lol

To me it sounds like every LS motor I've ever owned.

Taps more one day, then nothing the next and then whenever the heck it wants to.

sheeet broham, mine freekin knocks somedays so loud and hard you think its about to blow its guts out.
then its mouse quiet and purrs..

then its ticking and squeeking.. it hates me, I flog it.. :deadhorse:


:burn:

I wonder if at random times the stock worn out 200K oil pump doesn't pump enough oil up to them at low rpm around 600-1200. psi is almost always 40 unless a crazy hot long day of driving might drop one line below 40 at idle. At WOT it makes like 70 psi. I know low mile motor/oil pump should be making 80-90 psi WOT.

These motor could run on 15psi of oil pressure hot at idle and not really care. It just needs oil to keep things from destroying themselves. My old sierra with 258K on it made 60-70psi at WOT when hot, never skipped a beat. Heck the GEN 4 motors make less than 50psi at full throttle.

To me it's just a design of the lifter and the way they sit in the motor that make them noisy.

Thank god that the Ford Diesel guys that run 7.3, 6.0 and 6.4 motors don't hear the lifters, they just get the knock sound from being a diesel. FYI those motors run the same exact lifters we do lol.

Could it be the infamous piston slap? Have you tried a heavier weight oil? Nothing drastic. Something like 15-40?

Interesting did not know that about fords...... That's the problem right there, chevy using same part as a ford :sigh:

No I always run castrol 10w30 being in hot Texas weather. If I was up north I would run 5w30.

After 200k, I seriously doubt the tolerances are factory still. Shit wears, tolerances open up some just because of use.

Just an idea. What kind of cam specs?

I'm sure they might be, what are tolerances supposed to be 0.002 -0.004 range?

cam is vinci 210/218 .551/.551 116lsa but I am running 1.8 ratio rockers so lift is .584/.584

dual lunati 0.660 valve springs Ls7 lifters comp 3.50 push rods. The heads and valves have around 100K miles on them