200K and counting

[SRQYukon]

The VRT works good on running boards and lasts through several washings. But it is a little slippery when wet.
I removed my roof rack and add a 1 1/4" vinyl body-side molding to cover all the holes. Some people just leave the screws in place. The screws require a torx bit.

 

[mountie]

I learned tricks when I was working on boats.

 

[adventurenali92]

View attachment 223840 Hello Fellow Manatee resident. I'm in Parrish, and have an 05 Yukon, original owner.
225,000 and couldn't be happier with my ride.
It has sat outside its entire life so I am going to have to paint the roof and hood as well.
Other than that no major problems. I picked up some Denali wheels and tires a few years back.
Tranny, and diff never opened up.l Mobil 1 every 6,000. Do it myself since new.
I did have a water leak and I fixed the rear main seal last year.
No doubt this truck has a lot of life left. Every time I drive it I am amazed at how it still feels tight and drives like new.

Good looking truck! I had those same wheels on my 2006 Denali xl u til last August! They look really clean on the GMT800 Yukon’s!

 

[miko442]

I learned tricks when I was working on boats.

I guess you paint the vinyl molding?? Where did you get the molding?

 

[SRQYukon]

I painted the roof first so I'd get good adhesion of the molding. I plan to double back and paint the molding when I get a chance. But really, unless your 6' plus you can't even see it.
I misspoke the molding is 1 1/2" wide and I got it from Amazon. Here's the link: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WWQNMCM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SRQYukon]

So my 5.3 is dying at 218K. Pretty disappointing since I'm the original owner and meticulously maintained the engine with synthetic oils since the first oil change. I spent a ton of money on the suspension and brakes a while back with the thought that I would put in a crate engine at around 300k. Well, a few weeks ago a lifter started ticking and gradually has become worse to the point that it sounds like there is no oil in the crankcase at times. We have ruled out the oil pump and pulled the pan and checked the p/u tube. It's very weird bc the noise is bad for a few seconds at startup, then quiets down. But intermittently it sounds like the top end is without oil for several minutes at any rpm under 2000. Sometimes I can start it and let it idle for an hour w/o any noise at all. Once it quiets down, I can drive at highway speeds with no noticeable valvetrain noise. Also, it doesn't seem to be down on power or have any misfire. I've been looking for a crate engine but they are hard to come by for Gen IIIs. Especially since I would prefer a 6.0L when replacing. So I went out and purchased a 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD Duramax this week to be my new tow vehicle (and my daily driver until I get an engine). Has anyone else had this type of failure on a well maintained engine at 220k?

 

[iamdub]

So my 5.3 is dying at 218K. Pretty disappointing since I'm the original owner and meticulously maintained the engine with synthetic oils since the first oil change. I spent a ton of money on the suspension and brakes a while back with the thought that I would put in a crate engine at around 300k. Well, a few weeks ago a lifter started ticking and gradually has become worse to the point that it sounds like there is no oil in the crankcase at times. We have ruled out the oil pump and pulled the pan and checked the p/u tube. It's very weird bc the noise is bad for a few seconds at startup, then quiets down. But intermittently it sounds like the top end is without oil for several minutes at any rpm under 2000. Sometimes I can start it and let it idle for an hour w/o any noise at all. Once it quiets down, I can drive at highway speeds with no noticeable valvetrain noise. Also, it doesn't seem to be down on power or have any misfire. I've been looking for a crate engine but they are hard to come by for Gen IIIs. Especially since I would prefer a 6.0L when replacing. So I went out and purchased a 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 HD Duramax this week to be my new tow vehicle (and my daily driver until I get an engine). Has anyone else had this type of failure on a well maintained engine at 220k?

Is your oil pressure low at the times it's making noise?

 

[SRQYukon]

Is your oil pressure low at the times it's making noise?

Maintains 35 psi at idle and around 48-50 at cruising speed (2200-2500 rpm). The only time the pressure seems weak is the first 2-3 seconds after start-up after which the valvetrain noise goes quiet. Then the noise comes back with a vengeance randomly. But the pressure gauge never shows any abnormal fluctuation when it gets noisy. My son-in-law (ASE-certified mechanic) speculates that a lifter periodically collapses and then pumps back up again.

 

[iamdub]

Maintains 35 psi at idle and around 48-50 at cruising speed (2200-2500 rpm). The only time the pressure seems weak is the first 2-3 seconds after start-up after which the valvetrain noise goes quiet. Then the noise comes back with a vengeance randomly. But the pressure gauge never shows any abnormal fluctuation when it gets noisy. My son-in-law (ASE-certified mechanic) speculates that a lifter periodically collapses and then pumps back up again.

Well, crap. I was hoping it'd be a simple intermittently leaking O-ring causing intermittent low pressure and lifter collapse (ticking). IMO, this is rather low mileage for what sounds like a lifter failure.

Is it not worth it to you to drop in a set of lifters? It'd be a few hundred bucks in parts and a solid day's work. It'd buy you time and you'd get your money back out of selling a quiet engine if/when you do find a 6.0+ to swap in.

 

[Fless]

If a lifter is collapsing I would expect possible misfires on that cylinder, even though you're not feeling them. Maybe monitor the misfires to see.

 

[SRQYukon]

If a lifter is collapsing I would expect possible misfires on that cylinder, even though you're not feeling them. Maybe monitor the misfires to see.

I know, it's a little puzzling. I would have expected a misfire, too. But I guess the cylinder still fires and maybe the valve is opening enough to partially fill the cylinder with fuel/air.

I watched some mechanic on YouTube repairing an NNBS with VVT DOD and he showed how roller lifters can separate and then spin around in the lifter bore. If something like that were happening, the roller would be misaligned with the cam lobe part of the time. That would cause lifter noise. So maybe something like that is happening. As suggested, changing the lifters might buy me another 50-80k miles. But, it may have also resulted in damage to the cam lobe, which means I'm done.

 

[iamdub]

I know, it's a little puzzling. I would have expected a misfire, too. But I guess the cylinder still fires and maybe the valve is opening enough to partially fill the cylinder with fuel/air.

I watched some mechanic on YouTube repairing an NNBS with VVT DOD and he showed how roller lifters can separate and then spin around in the lifter bore. If something like that were happening, the roller would be misaligned with the cam lobe part of the time. That would cause lifter noise. So maybe something like that is happening. As suggested, changing the lifters might buy me another 50-80k miles. But, it may have also resulted in damage to the cam lobe, which means I'm done.

Usually a ticking lifter is just from a small amount of slack and not a totally collapsed lifter. The engine will run fine and, like you said, just have less valve lift. You could send an oil sample to Blackstone. If the iron content is high, then you'll know you have some serious mechanical problems. If the lifter collapses so badly that it has a lot of slack, it'll usually be louder and that might be the intermittent knocking you're hearing. That could beat up the cam lobe and lifter roller. If the oil analysis shows mildly elevated iron, then it might be from the harder knocking. You could pop off the intake manifold and valley cover and, hopefully, the cam lobes of the cylinder(s) in question will be one of the visible ones. If it's/they're smooth, proceed with replacing the lifters.

If it just has a failed lifter that was just by chance and not due to abuse and/or lack of maintenance, then, I don't see why dropping in a new one (or all on that bank or both banks) wouldn't put it back on its track to 300K miles- where it should be.

 

[SRQYukon]

Thanks, Iamdub. I'm thinking I'll try that when a get some time. Thanks

 

[S33k3r]

I suggest changing the weight of your oil. From the described symptoms, maybe going to 0/30 could stop the start up tick. If the noise were happening during run time, I'd suggest a 10/40, for example.

 

[SRQYukon]

I suggest changing the weight of your oil. From the described symptoms, maybe going to 0/30 could stop the start up tick. If the noise were happening during run time, I'd suggest a 10/40, for example.

Worth a try. maybe.

 

[SRQYukon]

Update:
I took my Yukon to another shop and had them replace the pickup tube and o-ring. This completely solved my problem and I should be good for another 80-100K. Thanks all, for the advice. My son-in-law, who originally changed the o-ring and pan gasket was just being stubborn and insisting that this couldn't be the cause. When I took it back to have him pull the pan and check it, I actually thought that he had done that. Turns out he just ran some diagnostics on it and told me the valvetrain was shot (w/o pulling the pan and doing what I asked). If you could have heard it, you probably would have agreed with that diagnosis. I had to twist the arm of the rival shop to get them to do it. They also thought I was throwing away $500 on something that wouldn't correct the problem. I finally just insisted that they do what I asked. They were amazed that all of the valvetrain noise was gone. I've driven it a couple of hundred miles now and I believe it's quieter than it was before the issue came up. So apparently the inconsistent oil volume was the problem. I suppose that's where the factory gauge is lacking. It always showed 35-50 psi (except for a few seconds after start-up). But oil pressure gauges don't measure volume. But anyway, it gave me an excuse to buy the Duramax