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2007 5.3 lifters being replaced

wright4thepow

Full Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2011
Messages
16
Location
Washington State
Can anyone tell me why a lifter would collapse? My Av started missing and the shop said the cylinder was shut off because the lifter collapsed. So they are replacing all the lifters. I just wonder if this is a symptom of a bigger issue. Anyone got any ideas? I have searched and read alot about this issue in the forums, but no one has really answered why it happens.
 
I have seen a few of them, sometimes they replace the whole motor.

Which 5.3 engine to you have. Some are aluminum block, some are iron blocks and aluminum heads then some are cast iron heads and blocks.
 
I dont know MS03. I just bought this Av 3 weeks ago. Its still under the dealerships 3 month warranty. I'm just afraid its gonna keep having major issues and gonna start costing me major $$ after that warranty ends. How can I find out what kinda engine it is? I know its a 1500 that went into service in late 06 even though its an 07. Its only got 70k miles on it. Its an LT3. 
 
I believe for 2007 5.3L
2wd has iron block and aluminum heads.
4x4 has aluminum block and aluminum heads.

I'm not sure about the heads but i am sure about the blocks.
 
Sometimes they just collapse due to a leak. The oil fills the lifter to maintain proper clearance between the lifter and the camshaft. If the lifter leaks down, the clearance (distance between the bottom of the lifter and the camshaft) is too great and they will tick or clack. Cold-start ticking on the 5.3 is a common complaint and the dealer will sometimes replace all of the lifters to cure it. There's a TSB on it, but I don't recall the details. Mine will tick once in a while on a cold start, but it will immediately clear up once I'm moving. If/when it becomes a constant tick, I'll have to tear into it. Fingers crossed for now....
 
That happened to my 08 @ 30k miles. The DOD is hard on the lifters, they have a revised lifter now that is suppose to fix the issue. Make sure they put the deflectors in it while they are at it. Mine started using oil and that is supposedly what the problem was. I just got it back from the dealer 2 weeks ago
 
Yeah so the dealership said they are changing all the lifters, putting a baffle/shield into the oil pan as well as replacing the valve cover that has a baffle in it as well. They said this should prevent the oil consumption problem. So I am supposed to get the truck back friday. That will be 8 days in the shop. That makes more time in the shop now than Ive had it at home since I bought it. Awesome. But I'm hoping this prevents any other major problems in the future. Can anyone comment on the reliability of the GM repair for this problem?
 
like I said mine had the lifter issue at 30k and at 99k the low oil light came on and they put the deflectors in it. Now has 101k and so far so good. I did a oil change just in case they put some thicker oil or some lucas in it to slow the problem down to limp it out of warranty but so far it seems to be doing good. Keep an eye on the oil. I was really hoping they would replace the engine but they said if its using oil bring it back and go from there. Keeping my fingers crossed that its ok
 
I have the 2005 AV with the same 5.3L.  Bought it in 2008 and by the end of the first year I had it they replaced all the lifters on the left side, a cam and the same work on the oil pan.  That all happened at about 50,000 miles.  I now have about 105,000 miles on it and have not had any problems with it again.  The dealership did do the repairs under warranty thankfully.  Now if they could just figure out the strange electrical issues I'm having.

Best of luck!  Enjoy the AV!
 
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