1997 Tahoe lifter chatter

[jasom]

I just bought a 1997 4x4 5.7 tahoe with 169,000 miles on it. Of course it was warmed up when I checked everyting out and all was good. I let it sit for about 5 hours then went back out and the motor sounds like all the lifters are chattering or rockers.

It has great oil pressure and fesh oil in it. It takes about 10 to 15 min. before it goes away then the engine sound perfect. I have never owned a vehicle with a 5.7 vortec so I'm wanting to know is this something common in these motors?

Any info would be great, Thanks.

[mmoss10]

I have a 1999 5.7 w/120K. Mine has this exact issue. My chatter usually goes away in a couple of minutes. Sometimes it doesn't do it at all, and then sometimes, it's downright embarassing. Seems much worse in cold weather. Looking forward to your replies.

[DJ JEFF]

I have a 97 as well. I will notice mine more when it's cold as well or under a good load. Although I will say if I burn premium in it I don't here it at all. I quit doing that when gas went over 2bucks a gallon. If I am going to be pulling something I'll put premium in it.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by jasom

I just bought a 1997 4x4 5.7 tahoe with 169,000 miles on it. Of course it was warmed up when I checked everyting out and all was good. I let it sit for about 5 hours then went back out and the motor sounds like all the lifters are chattering or rockers.

It has great oil pressure and fesh oil in it. It takes about 10 to 15 min. before it goes away then the engine sound perfect. I have never owned a vehicle with a 5.7 vortec so I'm wanting to know is this something common in these motors?

Any info would be great, Thanks.

put the correct oil and not fram oil filter in.... and see if the problem goes away....10-30wt and a/c delco, wix , or pure one purolator oil filter....it's also possible that the lifters are bleeding down because of carbon...

[mmoss10]

Could you explain what you mean by the Lifters may be "bleeding down"? Do you know of a cure?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by mmoss10

Could you explain what you mean by the Lifters may be "bleeding down"? Do you know of a cure?

if the wrong oil filter is used this will occur..... also if the lifters are contaminated with carbon this will occur,,,, this is why i stated change oil and filter then see if it goes away.... if not then the additive of marvel mystry oil to engine oil add 1 oz. per quart of engine oil capacity ... probably 4-5oz max...this over 200-300mi should reduce or eliminate this lifter noise ...if oil becomes dirty quickly you will have to repeat oil changes more often to get out this contamination..... oil should not get dirty in the first 1500mi if i does the engine is dirty or worn out.....

[brcidd]

My b-i-l had the same problem on his 99 Yukon- he put a quart of resilone in it and it no longer ticks at start-up......

[bpddaddy]

Well I now have the lifter chatter on my 2001 5.3. It didn't begin until I changed the plugs after 105k miles. So jCAT I've taken your advice and changed the oil, put on a new Wix filter and still noise. Then I took out some oil and added Marvel Mystery - still have the noise.

The truck drives and feels wonderful, timing is good, idle is right. It's got to be either the fuel or the plugs. Lift sounds like it's coming from #2 and #4.

You guys suggest I throw in some premium and run it for 200 miles to see what happens?

I'm still feeling iffy about putting NGK plugs in a Chevy.

[DJ JEFF]

I would only run ACDelco. Those are what it came with. Run some premium in it. I bet it clears up. Put a can of your favorite injector cleaner while your at it.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by bpddaddy

Well I now have the lifter chatter on my 2001 5.3. It didn't begin until I changed the plugs after 105k miles. So jCAT I've taken your advice and changed the oil, put on a new Wix filter and still noise. Then I took out some oil and added Marvel Mystery - still have the noise.

The truck drives and feels wonderful, timing is good, idle is right. It's got to be either the fuel or the plugs. Lift sounds like it's coming from #2 and #4.

You guys suggest I throw in some premium and run it for 200 miles to see what happens?

I'm still feeling iffy about putting NGK plugs in a Chevy.

if this noise is only from one cylinder then it is possible that this is an internal engine part that is worn..... if all the lifters where making noise then its oil pump /flow problems or carbon in the lifters....since this occured after plug change replace plugs on cylinder that you think is the noise maker.... I once had an annoying rattle noise on my 5.3 and it was the PCV that is mounted on the rear of drivers side.. I have a question , is this noise at startup ? or is this under load ? if under load when engine is cold this could be engine knock....usually caused by carbon deposits in combustion chamber....if you just replaced your plugs after 105,000mi this would be of no surpise to me as this is well beyond what is recommended by forum members experience...plugs should be replaced 50-70,000mi.... but they should be checked every 25,000mi to see that tips are not damaged...also measure the wire resistance as it is possible that this was damaged when replacing plugs..... this is another reason to replace more often as the plug boots especially with out the silicone grease will bond to the plug requiring you to damage the internal conductor,,,on removal,,,, my wires measure 500-600 ohms..........

[Headnsouth]

Use some auto-rx in the crankcase and let it clean up the deposits causing the lifters to hang up.
www.auto-rx.com

[jasom]

Originally Posted by brcidd

My b-i-l had the same problem on his 99 Yukon- he put a quart of resilone in it and it no longer ticks at start-up......

Ok been away for awhile but glad to see the posts. I put this resilone in my crank case a 2 weeks ago and after 300 miles the lifter chatter went away(THANK GOD).

How I know it works is because it's still cold here and when it got below 25dgr it would chatter loud for 12min exactly each time, But when it was above 40dgr it would hardly chatter at all. Now when it gets below 25dgr you can just barely here it and it only last about 30 seconds.

I want to thank you all for your input!!

[bpddaddy]

Originally Posted by j cAT

if this noise is only from one cylinder then it is possible that this is an internal engine part that is worn..... if all the lifters where making noise then its oil pump /flow problems or carbon in the lifters....since this occured after plug change replace plugs on cylinder that you think is the noise maker.... I once had an annoying rattle noise on my 5.3 and it was the PCV that is mounted on the rear of drivers side.. I have a question , is this noise at startup ? or is this under load ? if under load when engine is cold this could be engine knock....usually caused by carbon deposits in combustion chamber....if you just replaced your plugs after 105,000mi this would be of no surpise to me as this is well beyond what is recommended by forum members experience...plugs should be replaced 50-70,000mi.... but they should be checked every 25,000mi to see that tips are not damaged...also measure the wire resistance as it is possible that this was damaged when replacing plugs..... this is another reason to replace more often as the plug boots especially with out the silicone grease will bond to the plug requiring you to damage the internal conductor,,,on removal,,,, my wires measure 500-600 ohms..........

JCAT, the noise is constant and even after idling for 15 mins. I don't hear it while giving it load. When I got in it this evening after work it was very faint.

I've been sitting on 1/2 a tank of fuel for 3 weeks, we just don't drive it much and only 35 miles have been put on it since I made changes. I'll put some miles on it this weekend and see what happens.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by bpddaddy

JCAT, the noise is constant and even after idling for 15 mins. I don't hear it while giving it load. When I got in it this evening after work it was very faint.

I've been sitting on 1/2 a tank of fuel for 3 weeks, we just don't drive it much and only 35 miles have been put on it since I made changes. I'll put some miles on it this weekend and see what happens.

because the noise started when replacing the plugs measure resistance of wires and compare they should read approx. the same resistance if one is way off replace wires or repair wires if possible.... i've done this before if a wire is having a bad connection at the boot joint....when removing the plugs compare color if not firing correctly they will discolor fast..if wire ok and a plug is discolored it could be a cracked ceramic of the plug replace plug....

[bpddaddy]

As I've learned from you all, and from my experience under the hood. Do it right the first time and you won't have to go back and do it again.

My lift chatter has disappeared. Why? As jCAT so successfully suggested, the wires were bad. Here's the part that mad me angry. When I changed the plugs, I knew I had a few loose connections. But no, I took the quick and easy way out. I promise - Never, ever again will I not do a thorough job.

Thanks everyone.