Catastrophic roller lifter failure

I pulled a bad lifter out of my little brother Tahoe last night with a 5.3L in it. We had to pull the heads to even get at the lifter. What a job that was. The bad lifter didn't want to come out and I couldn't figure out why. Little did I know what we were about to find. This thing started making a ticking noise about a month ago. It ticked for a few miles and than quit. Than last week it started the ticking noise again but this time it never went away and just kept getting louder. We figured out it was the lifter and found this catastrophic failure. The lifter took the cam with it and who knows what else. I'm really hoping the rest of the missing roller tip is in the oil pan when we get it apart. Anyone have any idea why this lifter would fail this way?? Any predictions on where we might find the roller at??

I dont know anything it could be except a defect in the metal that was used in the batch of roller tips that came from.

Thats been my hunch on it also but I'm not a valve train expert either. I'm really hoping we can put a new lifter and cam in it, clean out the pan, put a good magnet on the pan, let it run at idle and change the oil a couple times. Just hoping we can get all of the metal out of it before it kills a bearing. I'd say the roller tip stayed in 1 piece but the side piece that got broke off I'm thinking might have broken apart into pieces.

you maybe in luck! my opinion is that when it broke off it would have taken out something and that if it has not by now it wont! but dont not look for it. id count my blessings and find it. get a magnet and stick it to the bottom of the pan after all the oil has drained move the magnet tword the drain plug. try and get it that way if not leave the magnet on the pan. it will collect all that is there!

Funny thing about that.... I had an 07 avalanche with a 5.3 that did that also... not as extensive but the same.. mine collapsed on it self or had lack of oil flow and started bouncing on the cam.. the roller and the cam looked like a piece of granite.. you should be able to just pull your pan and clean it and throw a good magnet in the bottom of the pan near the pickup..

its not uncommon. google roller lifter failure you'll see enough. but with millions of motors out there one or two bad lifters here and there isnt bad odds.

make sure when you get a cam you get a performance cam. youll add a bunch of hp with a cam swap. you gotta put a new cam in so might as well get a new truck feel out of it.

nice thing is with roller cams you only need to buy a new lifter. you dont need to replace them all. but do your self a favor and chevk the other lifters while its apart.

if it was running for some time befpore you pulled it apart then most likley the piece fell down into the pan. if it didnt lock the motor up by gettin wedged between the block and crank your probably good to go.

but....

think of it this way, a few hours of labor, and new oil and a pan gasket to make 100% sure it is in the pan. is that worth risking maybe having a piece of metal floating around waiting to lock your motor up?

I bought a junkyard 5.3 few months ago from LKQ for 360 bucks delivered....doubt youll find a cam and a lifter for much cheaper than that

i have a stock cam with 64000 miles laying around and a few lifters from where i bulit my turbo 5.3 in my s10......i could hook you up if intersted...just pm me

Pm has been sent. That cam would be a huge help and the couple of lifters would be great in case there are a couple others about to go when we get them out.

but its a junk yard motor. no idea how many true miles/oil changes/anything on that motor without tearing it down and checkin everything.