Failed lifter(s) please help!!!
 

My car is a 2017 ss m6 with fbo and e73 tuned by Pray Performsnce. I started hearing a clicking from the engine the other day...my mechanic and my dyno guy said it's the lifters. They first drained the oil, and did a flush using liquimoly, then added fresh Motul 5w 40 oil with additive, but the same clicking sound is there. I want to get rid of the DoD in place of some high quality johnson liters (probably go with the DoD delete kit that texas speed sells) and possibly a cam. Firstly, is it safe to drive around after having done the flush and new oil with additive, even though the clicking persists, without doing the DoD delete? And is it safe to drive hard and drag race like that? Is it possible the clicking stops over time? Secondly, is the DoD delete install (without doing the cam) possible/manageable on the floor in my garage or would I absolutely need a lift? Do my long tube headers have to come completely off if attempting on the floor?

https://youtube.com/shorts/HvFSWbJAxBU?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/1xjOUoqyqXg?feature=share

THANKS IN ADAVNCE

Hello, hopefully you are able to resolve this issue quickly.

When I installed my long tube headers, I heard a clicking as well. It’s not an exhaust leak, not failed lifters, it’s just the sound of the direct injection.

If you post clips it will be very helpful but I would not recommend driving. And if you’re already doing a DOD delete, might as well do heads/cam upgrade the lifters and enjoy your car even more.

I personally would not drive it even after doing the flush unless your builder/tuner says it’s fine to do so.

if the car has a lifter problem, it needs to be resolved asap. do not drive the car any more than absolutely necessary. certainly do not race the car. you have to swap cams before you can use a dod delete lifter, you can't simply replace the stock ones with johnsons.

Has the engine been over-revved? You can bend a pushrod and get the same effect you are talking about.

-Geoff

Thanks for your input! No one seems in doubt that it is a lifter. I am doing heads cam after all...going with pray for everything.

Would you happen to know if it's possible to do the job without a lift?

Thanks so much for your input! I was told buy some other people that the clicking noise could possibly go away by driving it but my brother and I were not sure. I definitely do not wanna take the risk. Doing heads and cam anyway as I now know that I am not able to just put Johnson style lifters in place of the old ones without doing the cam LOL

Would you happen to know if it's possible to do the job without a lift?

That's what I first thought, but the tune set the rev limiter to 6800 which is only 100 RPM overstock. Do you think the fact that it was a non-load bearing Dino had anything to do with the lift or failure? It was not doing it when i pulled in the the dyno that morning. My brother my mechanic my tuner and I are scratching our heads on this. Why would the lifter go bad on the dyno out of all places?

I’m pretty sure they take it all the way to redline on the dyno, but the failure would’ve had happened if the issue was starting to build up before. It just happened to have its last runs during those WOT pulls all the way to redline on the Dyno

things like lifter failures happen. typically nothing to point to except the part itself. gm has been plagued with valve train issues since the dawn of the lsx, it's nothing out of the norm. some stock engines go years at 7k with no issues, others don't.

you can do anything without a lift, but the lift typically makes things easier. that's something id be discussing with the mechanic.

edit: stock rev limiter is 6600. flooring it is hard on stuff, regardless of location. personal opinion: i think the quick transitions at high rpm on non loaded dynos contributes.

Post a video of so called "tick".

I realized later that day when watching the videos I took, that the ticking was happing during the pulls, and somehow didn't realize while it was happening lol
https://youtube.com/shorts/1xjOUoqyqXg?feature=share

Yeah sound like you got some unhappy lifters. I wouldn't drive it anymore and prep it for a tear down.

Rev limiter won't stop you from over-revving, it just cuts off the fuel. You could over-revved on a downshift, or I guess it is possible, if the dyno "Drum" is accelerating hard then it could take the motor with it too even after the fuel is cut off (I've never heard of it, but not saying it couldn't).

Either way, it is pretty easy to check your pushrods compared to checking your lifters. Just pull the valve covers and the rocker arms. Take them out one by one and roll them on a REALLY flat surface - granite countertops work well for this since most people don't have machined inspection tables.

-Geoff