Post DoD delete ticking

[rachealae]

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.

So when the coolant loss first started, WAY before the delete, it was wet around my thermostat housing. I changed that and it never happened there again but i still lost coolant. There is never anything on the ground so it has to be coming from somewhere. But I also feel like my exhaust DOES smell sweet. But the white smoke only happens occasionally. I would say once every week or two, sometimes it goes longer.

 

[Geotrash]

So when the coolant loss first started, WAY before the delete, it was wet around my thermostat housing. I changed that and it never happened there again but i still lost coolant. There is never anything on the ground so it has to be coming from somewhere. But I also feel like my exhaust DOES smell sweet. But the white smoke only happens occasionally. I would say once every week or two, sometimes it goes longer.

That's helpful, thank you.

Have you noticed whether the white smoke correlates with cooler temperatures or lower humidity levels outdoors? And is it dense smoke or light and wispy? How often do you have to add coolant?

Slow coolant leaks often evaporate before they make it to the ground. I had a small weep from the end tank on the radiator in my 07 that was hidden from view, and I only discovered it when I actually swapped out the radiator because I suspected it as the cause. It was the only think in the system I hadn't changed. There were no drips but it had been slowly losing coolant.

Another possibility for leakage is at the plastic tees where the heater hoses go through the firewall.

 

[rachealae]

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.

So when the coolant loss first started, WAY before the delete, it was wet around my thermostat housing. I changed that and it never happened there again but i still lost coolant. There is never anything on the ground so it has to be coming from somewhere. But I also feel like my exhaust DOES smell sweet. But the big plume of white smoke only happens occasionally. I would say once every week or two, sometimes it goes longer.

 

[rachealae]

That's helpful, thank you.

Have you noticed whether the white smoke correlates with cooler temperatures or lower humidity levels outdoors? And is it dense smoke or light and wispy? How often do you have to add coolant?

Slow coolant leaks often evaporate before they make it to the ground. I had a small weep from the end tank on the radiator in my 07 that was hidden from view, and I only discovered it when I actually swapped out the radiator because I suspected it as the cause. It was the only think in the system I hadn't changed. There were no drips but it had been slowly losing coolant.

Another possibility for leakage is at the plastic tees where the heater hoses go through the firewall.

It’s usually like this picture but can be dense on occasion. Definitely when it’s cooler outside it happens more. I add coolant about once every 2-3 months, just a top off, 1/4 of the bottle. It was every 2 weeks I had to FILL before the delete.

 

[Marky Dissod]

If you pull the spark plugs, you may notice one or two fouled by coolant.

 

[Geotrash]

It’s usually like this picture but can be dense on occasion. Definitely when it’s cooler outside it happens more. I add coolant about once every 2-3 months, just a top off, 1/4 of the bottle. It was every 2 weeks I had to FILL before the delete.

Yup, that looks like textbook coolant entering the combustion process, but it’s reassuring that it’s only a top off every few months. My guess is that it’s entering through an intake port or otherwise outside of the combustion chamber - perhaps through a hairline crack or porous casting. If it was in the chamber, the whole cooling system would be pressurized and burp gases out regularly into the overflow tank.

I suspect that it will remain stable for a long while but if it becomes problematic, pulling the spark plugs as Marky suggests will at least reveal which cylinder head needs to come off.

 

[petethepug]

Grab one of these from Amazon or China Freight. You’ll know 100%, right away if you’ve got coolant contamination in the block.



Then check your coolant tank reservoir. It took me months to find out that was the source because it evaporated almost immediately when it leaked from the cracks.

 

[BG1988]

My 13 Tahoe was ticking so bad, took it to get an AFM delete and it was a bent pushrod. The shop I went to is experienced in this and they did the full delete + tune this past September. It was making a squealing noise which I knew was my idler pulley, but then I started hearing a faint tick. I replaced the tensioner, pulley and the belt and I can still hear a faint tick that accelerates/decelerates with speed. I don’t know if it’s normal, something with my belt/pulley or if I’m more conscious of sounds after I fixed the truck and something is wrong. What are the possibilities of the failure after a delete?

as long as it doesn't sound like a diesel engine it's normal...

 

[dkad260]

@rachealae has the engine ever overheated that you are aware of? To the point the coolant needle was at or near pegged at 260?

If this has happened, could very well be a warped head, but I would expect to possibly see coolant in the oil also..but not always the case.

 

[dkad260]

@rachealae I just recently solved a light ticking sound in my 2012 6.2, tuned out to be a worn rocker arm.

The OE style has play from the start, which I have never seen with roller rockers but that's how these are.

After 130K miles the rocker had about .030" of radial play.

The worn rocker allowed the lifter to lose all it's preload when hot, since as the head warms up the expansion of about .015 takes up the preload avail when cold that keeps them quiet.

HTH