I was involved with a dropped lifter issue on a 4.8L (won't say who's) But we were able to take the pan off, tape the lifter to the end of a 3 foot long extension with electrical tape and the roller of the lifter seated in the square part of the extenion (where the ratchet would go into) and pushed the lifter in from the bottom UP. When lined up we just hit the end of the extention with the hammer and the tight fit of the lifter pushed the tape off. Held the lifter and grabbed it with a magnet. You can get lifters back in without taking a head off, I've been there done that

 

I use 3/8 wood dowels and sanded a flat edge till it just fits in the passage way. Works much better then 5/16 dowels. It's just like the tool, only cheaper.

 

On my 2008 5.3L (AFM/DOD-Aluminum) there is no holes in the block to insert dowels. I had to spin the cam, yet I could hear 1 lifter continue to touch the camshaft no matter how much I spun the cam. Sure enough, it was a DOD lifter for #7 cylinder, so I put a magnet (the only 1 I had) only on that lifter and sure enough it held it up into the tray. I then spun the cam, and no other lifters were "knocking" on the cam.

Make sure to keep the shop quiet as you can at this time.

Then I took the new cam, lubed with oil, water pump bolts installed, and laid it in the engine bay lengthwise just below the cam hole, resting the front of the cam on the radiator support, rear on the engine crossmember.

I quickly pulled out the original cam, sweating the whole time that a lifter would drop, and as soon as the old cam was out, quickly put in the new cam which was right there. No issues.

 

^^^ use the same thing, the 5/16 dowel doesn't really work, the dowel is too small and barely if at all, touches the lifter.

 

will a 3/8" dowel rod fit all the way in even with the one edge sanded down? Or did you guys have to sand the whole thing down a little?

 

I used pen magnets on my LS1. I don't want to fish thru the pan for a lifter.

 

Mine looks like this

 

alright thats what i'll do! Thanks!

 

I had one lifter fall out out of about 175 cam installs.