Well Driving My truck tonight up the freeway, I developed a ticking noise, it was pretty decent.

I thought i had another loose rocker arm after my cam swap.

So i pulled over to a parking lot, it idled for a few mins. and quit ticking.

So Then after driving away and increased RPMS the ticking came back.

So im thinking its lifters, i didnt replace them after my cam swap.

What lifters should i get? LS7 ? I just want a good lifter that wont brake the bank.

I just put a new head on the passenger side of my truck ( due to a broken rocker arm bolt.) Can i reuse the head gasket? Its a GM gasket.

Do i need to replace the lifter cups/holders also?

Thanks for the info inadvance. Ive never done lifters on an LS motor so i hope its not too bad.


I thought my truck was lacking a bit of performance after the cam swap, i thought it was due to having the stock stall, but now i know the valves werent doing their job.

 

Just to be sure. what exhaust gaskets did you use?

 

what springs?? if u have lt's, it will sound like a lifter ticking also, i put on my patriot golds, and for a few days i thought i had a lifter ticking, it was the springs

 

Stock exhaust manifolds/ gaskets. Def not an exhaust leak . PAC 5812 springs.

Just sounds like the lifters collapse at higher rpms , but pump up at idle.

The truck has 182,000 on it. The engine ran fine before the cam install.

Im going to check for loose rocker arms again but if they were loose i'd think it would tick all the time, not just while driving/upper rpms.

It takes a while sometimes also to start ticking after driving.

Just want to be sure before i go thru all the work of replacing the lifters

 

Run a thicker weight oil, go up to some 20W. By the time you do a head swap with lifters on your truck youll be into it for 400 bucks EASILY, why not find a lower mileage 5.3 to swap in and be ahead of the game. IMO a motor swap is easier than a head swap. Too bad you dont live closer Tim Ive got a couple of spare engines Id sell ya cheap

 

Thanks Cody , appreciate the thought.

But yes now that have the top end tore down, hell not much more and i could swap another motor in!

Thinking maybe a 6.0.

Didnt want to spend that kind of money right now, but i might just be ahead to do it.

Then my trans is def going to need built.

Going to check around on some prices.

Already ordered LS7 lifters , head gaskets and head bolts from SDPC.


BTW a 6.0 long block outghta work right? i could reuse my intake/all sensors and bolt up to my 4L60E right? Wander how my cam would work in that 6.0 ???

 

Send the stuff back to SDPC, and put that towards a new motor. Before you do all that Id try thicker oil first. A 6.0 would be much better than a 5.3 with a turbo for sure, and your cam will work great in a 5.3 and will feel even better down low. Everything will swap over no problem.

 

Awesome, Thanks Cody, thats what im going to do, find a 6.0 and swap my goodies over. I know youve done a " few" LS engines in your time LOL !

Just wandering if i have to worry about lifters on say, a 6.0 with 72,000 miles?

 

Ive done cam swaps on motors with up to 120K on them so take it for what its worth...

I wouldnt be worried about it personally. That cam will work good in a 6.0, that size cam is better suited for those cubes than a 5.3 IMO anyway.

 

I did one that had 220K on it

looked like a BBQ pit on the inside