New Member Looking At DOD Delete

[Anders2011]

New member here and looking for some assurance I haven't overlooked anything with regards to a DOD delete kit.

Currently driving a 2011 GMC Yukon Denali with the 6.2 L94 and about 187,000 miles on the clock. I recently had an oil change and afterwards noticed some ticking. Brought it in to a different local shop and they confirmed worn lifters was the case, and oil leaking from the front main and oil cooler lines.

I was quoted much more than I'd like to spend on a reman motor, and would like to keep the Yukon for as long as I can (kids, dogs, occasional towing).

Apart from replacing the oil cooler lines with a new unit, I'm also considering a new oil pump (it seems Melling is a popular choice).

I'm looking at these kits:

Complete Active Fuel Management AFM DOD Delete Kit w/ Handheld for 2010-2014 GM Chevrolet 6.2L L94 Engines (8th Digit VIN - "F")

This kit includes everything needed to delete AFM/DOD (Active Fuel Management) from GM 6.2L L94 engines. With this kit, you will retain VVT (Variable Valve Timing), and reuse the timing chain set. Includes a Diablosport I3 handheld tuner capable of disabling AFM. Kit Contents -GM PN 12711967...

www.amsracing.net

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cmb-09-0047 (will need to select a cam)

I'm not looking for any major upgrades, just keeping things close to stock as a daily driver and for longer trips here and there. Is there any factors to consider one over the other?

I have most all the tools needed already and have access to torque wrenches. Picking up some rags, Loctite, assembly lube, new oil filter, new spark plugs. Anything else I should add to the shopping list?

Plan is to 1) check the oil and pan for any metal; 2) replace oil cooler lines; 3) DOD delete & related items like oil pump and new o-ring; 4) front main seal.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Think L92 / L9H if you want to be 'conservative'; those previous 6.2L V8s did not come with Engine Half@$$.
Although an L92 / L9H oil pump will suffice, the L94 fuel pump specifically for Engine Half@$$, and is thus slightly overkill, of which you should approve.

... not looking for any major upgrades, just keeping things close to stock ...

If you expand your definition of 'stock' to include anything that was GM OE for any related vehicle, that you WISH were 'stock' for your vehicle,
you won't be making any mistakes.

 

[rdezs]

Forget the so-called kits, purchase the components you need individually so you know exactly what you're getting. That kit you referenced for example suggested reusing the timing chain. No, new timing chain and tensioner. New VVT actuator and solenoid.... OEM genuine GM ACDelco. Online you can purchase an L92 camshaft from Chevrolet performance. Melling 10296 oil pump with the +10 psi spring installed. Cloyes timing chain and gear set. Michigan Motorsports will sell you the genuine Delphi LS7 lifters with the gold retaining clips, as well as genuine GM lifter trays. Do not use any other brand of lifter trays. If you don't want to deal with the angle torque on the cylinder heads, splurge the $160 or so and by the ARP reusable bolts. Just torque them down like the good old days in three stages. Go online and buy the steel plugs that you tap in with a hammer into the oil towers below the valley cover. Even though your new valley cover will come with o-rings to seal, it's best to make sure there's no chance of losing pressure there. Like I said, be careful about buying a prepackaged kit. There's one company... I want to avoid naming so we'll just call it a company that's named after the state of Texas..... Tried to sell me a kit and when I looked up the part number of the camshaft it was for a 6.0 and not the 6.2. Didn't have the correct lift or duration. Called and told them that's not acceptable..... They said it will work just fine..... And I said yes, with about 50 less horsepower.... And they hung up.

You also need a new crankshaft harmonic balancer bolt. It's also a torque to yield and not reusable. I would replace the camshaft and crankshaft position sensors with genuine GM, simply due to the age on yours. The blue felpro mls head gaskets are good, as well as their front timing set.

The list while you're in there can get extensive, depending how much you want to spend. Installing a trunion kit is good preventative maintenance for the future. Great time to throw that new water pump on. You will need the flywheel locking tool that bolts on in place of the starter. Is the starter original? Good time for a brand new ACDelco, new not remanufactured. All new hoses, serpentine belt, tensioner and pulley.... It all just depends how much you want to spend in the quest for a reliable engine.

 

[Geotrash]

I agree with the advice to roll your own. That’s what I did, and I’m glad I did. And I affirm the advice x10 to only use genuine GM lifter trays, purchased from a reputable seller such as Summit Racing. Bon appétit:

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...nali-6-2l-cam-swap-thread.121671/post-1616690

 

[Anders2011]

Forget the so-called kits, purchase the components you need individually so you know exactly what you're getting. That kit you referenced for example suggested reusing the timing chain. No, new timing chain and tensioner. New VVT actuator and solenoid.... OEM genuine GM ACDelco. Online you can purchase an L92 camshaft from Chevrolet performance. Melling 10296 oil pump with the +10 psi spring installed. Cloyes timing chain and gear set. Michigan Motorsports will sell you the genuine Delphi LS7 lifters with the gold retaining clips, as well as genuine GM lifter trays. Do not use any other brand of lifter trays. If you don't want to deal with the angle torque on the cylinder heads, splurge the $160 or so and by the ARP reusable bolts. Just torque them down like the good old days in three stages. Go online and buy the steel plugs that you tap in with a hammer into the oil towers below the valley cover. Even though your new valley cover will come with o-rings to seal, it's best to make sure there's no chance of losing pressure there. Like I said, be careful about buying a prepackaged kit. There's one company... I want to avoid naming so we'll just call it a company that's named after the state of Texas..... Tried to sell me a kit and when I looked up the part number of the camshaft it was for a 6.0 and not the 6.2. Didn't have the correct lift or duration. Called and told them that's not acceptable..... They said it will work just fine..... And I said yes, with about 50 less horsepower.... And they hung up.

You also need a new crankshaft harmonic balancer bolt. It's also a torque to yield and not reusable. I would replace the camshaft and crankshaft position sensors with genuine GM, simply due to the age on yours. The blue felpro mls head gaskets are good, as well as their front timing set.

The list while you're in there can get extensive, depending how much you want to spend. Installing a trunion kit is good preventative maintenance for the future. Great time to throw that new water pump on. You will need the flywheel locking tool that bolts on in place of the starter. Is the starter original? Good time for a brand new ACDelco, new not remanufactured. All new hoses, serpentine belt, tensioner and pulley.... It all just depends how much you want to spend in the quest for a reliable engine.

Looked at the pre-packed kits for potential cost savings. I did like the inclusion of the afm disabler in the kit, but I have a work colleague who might have an equivalent.

It looks like the cam included in the AMS kit was from an L92 or similar.

Already planned on getting new bolts for the heads, harmonic balancer, etc.

Main objective is to get back on the road, but I see your point on timing components. I bought used a few years ago so I'll need to double check the service history. Maybe I'll add it to the list.

I have read the GM lifter trays tend to work best, so I did as a sales rep at AMS about it. I'll be insisting on the best fit.

What about pushrods? Think the originals are fine so long as they aren't damaged?

 

[rdezs]

I always replace the push rods, even on a stock build. Many people don't look at them in terms of being a wear item... but they definitely are.

Wait to get them until it's time to measure for push rod length....

 

[rdezs]

Regarding aftermarket lifter trays, it's not just that the genuine GM ones work best.... The cheap aftermarket ones put your engine at a high risk of getting destroyed from a lifter twisting. And for an oem genuine GM part, they are quite affordable.

Be very wary of cheap made in China lifters. They will market them as "LS7 style lifters." The way to tell you have the real thing is the gold retaining clip in the end.

And pick up some blue loctite. When you disassemble, you'll probably find a couple of the VLOM/valley plate cover bolts loose. They tend to loosen up over time, and the factory did not use any loctite on them. Depending on how many of them are loose can result in lost oil pressure in the VLOM.

Exhaust manifold bolts from the factory are a known weak item. Unreasonably I use stainless steel studs, that have an allen key in the end. Install with blue loctite. Stainless steel nuts with the star lock washers work really well.

At your mileage I would replace the upstream O2 sensors, but if you plan on reusing them, remove them before using an impact on the manifold to pipe flange nuts. The vibration can destroy them.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, DETERMINE YOUR MAXIMUM BUDGET ON THIS PROJECT, THE AMOUNT THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO STAY BELOW!

You are not looking at a cheap project, and project scope creep will be staring you in the face each step of the way. You don't want costs to get out of hand midway through the project, and force you to skimp of something really important towards the end. Beware of MIZEWELLS ==> While I'm doing this, might as well do that.

You've started out great by asking the folks here for ideas/suggestions/recommendations for scoping out this project.

Two recommended scope items for consideration:

I recommend deleting the oil pressure relief valve in the oil pan, as you are eliminating DOD/AFM and will no longer need it. It can be replaced by a readily available aftermarket threaded plug.

Replace the O-ring in the oil pump pickup tube, and install a readily available aftermarket 2-bolt bracket to hold the pickup tube in place (instead of the GM 1-bolt setup).

One more item..... For this specific project that you are contemplating, please keep all of your comments/questions related to this project in this one thread. It will make it easier for us to support and assist you in this project going forward.

One last item...... We all LOVE to help you spend your money, so carefully consider each suggestion/recommendation you receive from us, so that scope creep doesn't get you into financial trouble on this project.

 

[rdezs]

Yep ... The list of things to do "while you are in there" quickly becomes a long list. And it's very difficult do not go ahead and replace something since you already have it off. Like that starter with 200,000 plus miles on it... You just know if you stick it back on, it's not long for this world. Very very difficult to actually do a budget job on this project. Be prepared

 

[Anders2011]

I'll post a list of specific parts later, but completely aware of the scope creep and understand there might be critical things to address once the heads are open.

Ideally, I'd like to stay around $1-1.5k if I can.

when I bought it used in 2022, the dealership replaced the rear shocks, ball joints, control arms, transmission cooler lines, brakes, and some interior/cosmetic pieces. Still need to dig out the carfax report, but recall the first owner kept good care.

 

[rdezs]

You should be able to keep it in that ballpark figure.

Not too many problems with cylinder heads. I take them down to a local guy, skims them just to clean them up. Never had one that was warped. Even at 180,000 miles, it's not unusual to have all the guides within specs. A thorough cleaning and new valve stem seals.... I usually get both heads done for well under $200. I've always been able to extract broke off exhaust bolts, but my local guy says he charges $20 to extract each one if I get a really bad one.

And inexpensive borescope on Amazon is worthwhile to take a look at all the cam bearings. After you pull the cam, take a look at the bearings..... The front one usually looks the worst, followed by the second one. If they're clearly trashed, you'll be pulling the motor to do the cam bearings and then might as well do the rods and mains. But usually if the cam bearings are trashed, you've got other clear symptoms with a motor running. Here's one from a couple months ago, it was a bit under 200,000 miles if I remember correctly. One of the best ones I've seen. (Don't expect it to look this good, but if it does your golden)

 

[rdezs]

This was an oem oil pump, pressure relief valve I disassembled for inspection. Pulled out several tiny pieces of carbon. This engine had intermittent low oil pressure, it would literally bounce around at speed between 10 psi and 36 PSI. Had about 170,000 miles on it, new oil pump and pick up tube o-ring with the two bolt girdle securing it returned the oil pressure to normal. That original plunger was somewhat sticking in the bore, took a real strong magnet wiggling it in and out to retrieve it. The spring itself measured almost 5 mm shorter than a new OEM spring. So it's not only wore out, but a lot of crap interfering with its motion.

 

[Anders2011]

Appreciate the pictures provided. I found out the shop didn't actually take off the valve covers and diagnosed off of sound and maybe a code. I'd upload some pictures, but I haven't opened up the covers myself either.

I think I still might go with the AMS kit w/ the Chevy performance lifters or comp cams; call it $1,300 plus shipping.

Some selected parts (will get quality head bolts and gaskets) if I don't go with the AMS kit
- Camshaft: GM 12626660 (Michigan Motorsports) $250
- DOD kit from Michigan Motorsport (includes Delphi LS7 lifters; valley cover; GM lifter trays; gaskets) $444.98
- Dorman oil cooler replacement PN 625-209 $122
- Melling oil pump PN M365-395S $146
- Cloyes timing set PN CLO-9-3673TX3 $201

If I get the AMS kit plus an oil pump and a few other small replacement parts, it looks like I might come out ahead.

A few unknowns for me are costs of a local tune to delete AFM, and of course needing to open up the engine to be sure of what's needed.

Looking to keep the engine in the car.

 

[solli5pack]

At a 187000 miles dont forget you should get the heads to a machine shop for a refresh. Cost me about $500 when I did my delete.

 

[MarvinVR]

Holy catspit. Lotsas great advice. Lot of labor. Helped me make a choice for my 2012 5.7 Here is what Im going to just swap in https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-most-powerful-v8-crate-engines-you-can-buy-218486.html

 

[MarvinVR]

New grunge resto rod paint job

 

[Anders2011]

Managed to get a video with the noise for now.

 

[solli5pack]

Run it with the belt off and see if the noise goes away.

 

[alvocado]

At a 187000 miles dont forget you should get the heads to a machine shop for a refresh. Cost me about $500 when I did my delete.

Erik, how does your parts list compare with what Dave @Geotrash shared in his link posted above since you have the 5.3 vs. 6.2? I'm curious how many parts are interchangeable for the delete vs. which are engine specific.

 

[solli5pack]

I went real mild on mine opposed to what @Geotrash did with his motor. I used the "stock replacement" cam from the LMF and 4.8L non-AFM/VVT engines, GM p/n 12689035. Kept VVT and had to re use the old actuator bolt due to GM backorder and didn't feel comfortable with Doorman.Dropped in Summit lifters and kept the stock pushrods and rocker arms. I replaced the oil pump which honestly I think was unnecessary. Had the heads completely refreshed at the machine shop and used ARP bolts everywhere instead of tourqe to yield. Thats two years ago, still running great and I never noticed the supposed power loss associated with that cam. I do have what sounds like lifter tap when I first start it up during the winter mornings I need to figure out. I need to do a lot of research on pre-load but not getting any misfires. I can dig up part#'s if anyone needs anything..I meant to post them to my head gasket thread but never got around to it. Also genuine GM lifter trays..always.