I guess my worry comes from it happening all of a sudden, it was quiet until a month ago. Or maybe it was happening all the time and I couldn’t hear it over the loud ass pulley but it definitely wasn’t doing this after the delete.
Post DoD delete ticking
- Thread starter rachealae
- Start date
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mattbta
Full Access Member
Not to be alarming, but losing coolant and white smoke sounds like a potential cracked head issue. However, I can't say I've heard of this generation having head problems - that was mainly the GMT-800's. Mine had it.
Easiest way to rule out is rent a coolant pressure tester and check for drops over 15 minutes/hour. If there's an external leak, you can pinpoint visually. If there's an internal leak it would be evidenced by pressure drop. Start at 15 PSI and let it sit and check at intervals.
THANK YOU. Everyone has been telling me it’s fine and not listening to any of my concerns (not the forum, other mechanics). I did a pressure test before the delete and the guy said it was fine…but I’m going to keep going somewhere until I can figure it out.
mattbta
Full Access Member
I was able to rent the pressure tester from AutoZone. I had to put the price of the tool on my CC as a hold, but once I returned it, the hold was lifted and in essence free. Could save you the challenge and price of paying someone and taking their word.
Dustin Jackson
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@rachealae Hopefully they can make things right.
Will absolutely do this thanks
I have a regular mechanic and a performance shop that did the DoD delete. I’m taking it to my regular mechanic to see what he suggests first tomorrow morning and then I’ll update and go from there. Hopefully I don’t need to go back to the performance shop.
petethepug
Michael
I didn’t check your invoice but assumed your Indi used new exh gaskets. My tick was the gaskets. I had the motor mounts go and a lot of movement on the exhaust for a long time.
New gaskets after the downpipe was reinstalled was the key. The second thing to look at is verifying if the tech pre lubed your lifters.
Some even go as far as using a dedicated crock pot for a soak. Then they’re heated for a few hours. After they’re warmed they’re checked for action and smooth operation. Any friction at that point means you found an issue before installing them.
New gaskets after the downpipe was reinstalled was the key. The second thing to look at is verifying if the tech pre lubed your lifters.
Some even go as far as using a dedicated crock pot for a soak. Then they’re heated for a few hours. After they’re warmed they’re checked for action and smooth operation. Any friction at that point means you found an issue before installing them.
swathdiver
Full Access Member
2 things I don't like seeing on that receipt. They put a smaller camshaft in the motor than what came out of it, lazy. They put in 0W40 motor oil. These engines were designed for 5W30. This is why she rattles so much on start up.
LS engines don't purr like a kitten. The valvetrain makes noise, the injectors make noise, even the coils firing make noise.
Go to your local auto parts store or Harbor Freight and get one of these so you can find the source of the annoyance:
That's a common indication of the engine not running quite right because the Stabilitrak system requires proper powertrain functioning in order to remain active. In my case it was high fuel pressure caused by a failing fuel pressure regulator that triggered it, but a good code reader that can read all of the modules will give you the clues for what triggered it in your case.
Frustrating that shops don't listen to their customers. Seems especially common for women and that sucks.
One other thought about the smoke you're seeing: A leaking valve stem seal can cause intermittent blue smoke out the tailpipe. Had that happen after my first cam swap. But my best guess for white smoke is a cracked cylinder head or leaking head gasket if it's accompanied by any coolant loss.
coolent loss, moving to 0w40.and putting a 160deg stat in it for a stock truck seems odd to me. they also did valve springs but not new valve guide seals. odd
did you ask for the colder stat? being a ls, it won't run 160 with it unless it's really cold out, but would run cooler with the ac on then the normal 200 iah deg. I'm not a omg cold oil will kill your engine guy, but it is a bit unnecessary unless you asked for it and have a good reason?
did you ask for the colder stat? being a ls, it won't run 160 with it unless it's really cold out, but would run cooler with the ac on then the normal 200 iah deg. I'm not a omg cold oil will kill your engine guy, but it is a bit unnecessary unless you asked for it and have a good reason?
I did not ask for anything specific. I asked for the basic delete. He did say why he put that in there but I really can’t remember what he said. I’m also not sure why he put 0w-40? Unless it was a mistype.
the code was for the wheel speed sensor, so unrelated to what was going on but of course I’d have more than one issue
I always bring my dad with me or actually have him take it for me because I never feel like people listen to me.
I feel like they should’ve seen a cracked cylinder head or leaking head gasket, no? I did bring that up to them but when they did the delete the coolant loss was much better. Now it doesn’t happen as frequent but I still feel like it needs to be addressed.
The shop that checked my code and the listened to the noise said it sounded normal to them but asked me if I got an oil change recently, and I did. And that was when I started to notice the ticking, too. He suggested using the ac delco oil filter for the next change. Wondering what brand oil I should be running…I’m getting mixed reviews and just noticed my receipt for the delete said 0w-40 but that’s definitely not what they put in at my recent change. They used penzoil platinum 5w-30
It never made the noise after the delete (September 2022) It started just recently, after my first oil change since the delete (Feb 2023). I brought it to my mechanic who listened and said it sounds like a normal LS engine and suggested using an ac delco oil filter. I told them to do a basic delete- I did not want anything custom. Is the smaller camshaft going to be a problem?
swathdiver
Full Access Member
Nope.
good news, I guess. I’m annoyed they would do that but I’m not surprised.
We did pennzoil 5w30 in my last change and that’s when I heard the slight tick start. Is there a better brand I should be considering?
5w-30 is what GM recommends for that engine, so that's what I would use. Better yet, make sure the oil meets the DexOS spec because that's GM's standard for oil quality. Pennzoil Platinum meets this spec. The seal looks like this:
Or like this:
And yes, using a poor quality filter can cause the startup to be a little louder than normal.
That would make sense as to why it started like that after the change. I’m going to use that filter next change and see if there’s a difference. (I hope that’s the problem). Thank you, again. You guys have been so helpful!
Maybe. Hairline cracks in the intake or exhaust ports would be really hard to spot. A head gasket leak would be seen when they did the cam swap, for sure, but it could also be that one of the head gaskets started leaking as a consequence of the work being done because the heads have to come off. That said, a leaking head gasket is extremely rare on one of these. And the fact that the puff of smoke is becoming less frequent suggests a different cause because a head gasket leak usually gets worse quickly.
Since the radiator had to come out for the work, it seems more likely that your coolant loss is the result of one of the radiator hose connections leaking a little bit or some other coolant hose connection being not quite tight. You might take a flashlight and look around the radiator and hose connections to see if you can spot any wetness anywhere. Coolant also smells faintly sweet when it's hot, so a leak may be accompanied by a slight odor.
