Chirp noise

[rjones916]

Ok guys, looking for some advise or some experience from other members...I have a G8 GT with the mods listed below for not sure how many miles. I purchased last September with 35,000 miles on it with the Cam/ DOD delete/Heads/LT's already done and installed by Livernois. Ran great and I did some other mods along the way...I currently have 46,2XX miles on it. About 500 miles ago noticed a chirp noise started, when the weather started changing. I didn't even look into it, just replaced the belts because i've had the AC belt come off before so just figured it was time and they stretched. Replaced them and noise still there. Finally go around to looking into it again today and took both the belts off and chirp still there. Goes away when engine is warm and when it warmed up here for a couple days and was around 70 didn't really do it. I'd say it makes a chirp for the first 10 miles of driving. What am I looking at doing here? Pull the heads and inspect to see if anything is broken? Pull the lifters and cam and replace as needed?? Car still runs amazing, and honestly till I took these belts off, just figured I had a bad idler pulley or needed to adjust my Powersteering pulley, but no such luck. Any advise or other experience with this? Car has LS7 lifters and Livernois Stage 1 cam. Thanks. Recently changed the oil and didn't see any metal or anything that would make you think twice.

-Ryan

[rjones916]

No replies yet, but I emailed Livernois to see if any assistance could be had. I think i'm definitely going to need at least new lifters, if not a new cam.

-Ryan

[I12XLR8]

Does the chirp change with RPM?

[DavesG8GT]

It may be a while before you hear back from Livernois, I think they are out of town at a show or something.

If it doesn't do it all the time, especially once warmed up, I have a very hard time believing it could be anything internal or valvetrain related. If you had a spun cam or rod bearing it would do it all the time.

[vert]

Your best bet would be to post up the sound to give others a better idea. Last time someone had a chirp sound it was a bad DOD lifter. Not saying you have a bad lifter, just relating it to that thread.

[jeff]

I would think alot of other things(pulleys & Etc.) before valvetrain unless you are hearing this internally.You can use a mechanics stethscope or even a long screwdiver with your ear to it and narrow down the likely place it's coming from.I would for sure not go into motor quite yet.

[-Ray-]

Video needed.

[todds87ss]

I would think alot of other things(pulleys & Etc.) before valvetrain unless you are hearing this internally.You can use a mechanics stethscope or even a long screwdiver with your ear to it and narrow down the likely place it's coming from.I would for sure not go into motor quite yet.
this.

[rjones916]

Yea, to answer a couple questions. Yesterday I took the A/C belt of and Accessory belt off and started it up, Chirp noise seems to be coming from Drivers rear of motor. Seems to go away, maybe just gets quiter when RPM's raised above 2,000 rpms. The noise doesn't seem to be rotational with the engine, doesn't change based on RPM's. My idle is set to around 800 rpms. Was doing it constantly when I remote started my vehicle to leave work. Got to Fed Hill Baltimore, which is about 20 minutes away in rush hour or 2 miles and it wasn't doing it last night. This morning leaving Fed Hill it was doing it and driving too my house in Hanover, which is 10 miles South, by the time I got home, it wasn't making noise anymore. Was going to park the car and drive another vehicle till I heard back from Livernois, since I got an auto response that Rick was out of town till the 5th. Praying, they can help me out, but we will see...I'll let it cool off for a couple hours, to get it cold again then get a video. Depressing, but I need to get this thing fixed. I honestly think the only way i'm going to find out what is wrong is to tear everything apart and then order parts. Was trying to see if anyone else has had something like this develop after having the DOD swap done mainly with this post, thought the LS7 lifters were like the best you could get but as I have learned, anything can go bad. I have a 87 Camaro that I can drive in the meantime, but that thing is worse on gas then my G8 lol, looks like that will be my main ride for a while.

[rjones916]

I have seen this issue before with a G8, like previously said from a bad DOD lifter, also I've heard a similar noise on a GMC Yukon and it ended up being a broken valve spring. That's why I mentioned something wrong inside the head. Wont be able to tear anything apart till I get to work on Monday morning, but hopefully will get a video up soon. So a bad cam bearing or rod bearing could cause the same type of noise??

[I12XLR8]

If the noise doesn't change with RPM then you should be able to stay out of the engine...wouldn't you? A bad lifter or spring noise would increase along with RPM.

[WickedMom]

I have heard of the evap solenoid going bad and causing strange noises at the drivers rear barb. Im not sure where the evap goes to on a DOD delete car though... Just food for thought.

[Crazy Paul]

I have heard of the evap solenoid going bad and causing strange noises at the drivers rear barb. Im not sure where the evap goes to on a DOD delete car though... Just food for thought.
Evap system is identical between AFM and AFM deleted.

PCV system does change, from exit rear drivers side valve cover to exit NEW valley plate on front passengers side.

[rjones916]

http://youtu.be/291BcEiTUxM

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/291BcEiTUxM?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


http://youtu.be/rF31TTx-PpU

<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rF31TTx-PpU?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hopefully that works, and you guys can hear it, sorry I couldn't leave the phone out by the engine when I revved it, so hopefully it comes thru. Thanks guys

-Ryan

[jeff]

That does sound more like some kinda contact instead of chirping. Did you try the stethscope or screwdriver I was telling you about to isolate the whereabouts?? Wish I could say for sure but hard to say man.

[rjones916]

I know, thanks for the advise...Want to hear from Livernois before I drive the vehicle again....From there if they ask me to do something or don't help i'll try a stethscope to exactly pinpoint the noise. While running the vehicle i put my ear to intake on the drivers side rear of the Intake manifold and heard it most... Soo frustrating, cause it like didn't start after taking it to the track or racing or anything. Just went to start it one morning and it was there. I don't know what i'm more worried about, to pull the heads and can't find any bad parts or see massive carnage.

[Crazy Paul]

Ryan,
It's a lifter just starting to go buddy.
The key indicator is how it's not rhythmic yet.....it's skipping beats, as it struggles to retain oil & do it's job.
Once you get some rpm (& oil pressure) happening it seems to come good.
I've seen them go from your noise to a constant clatter (even while limping the car) within 50 miles.

[rjones916]

That's was what I was kinda hopping for, I priced up the lifters and cost on the set of 16 was $108 from my work for me p/n 12499225 is what I priced up...so i'm guessing the other things I would need would be is new stock head gaskets, head bolts, valve cover gaskets and possibly try and save the Intake gaskets for the FAST intake and re-use the exhaust manifold gaskets. I've never really had any luck re-using intake gaskets, so I may just get a new set. Thanks everyone for the help.

-Ryan

[rjones916]

What sucks too is I just changed my oil like 800 miles ago with 8.5 qts of Mobil 1 0w-40, thats almost as expensive as the lifters!haha. I was trying to check out parts on wasslow.com, seems like it's down?? Any idea when it will be back up?

[-Ray-]

This is what my bad lifter sounded like before it went ballistic. Destroyed my comp cam too.

[rjones916]

Just got a response from Livernois. They said the cam bearing were "heavily worn" before replacing the cam by them and advised to replace them but the customer didn't want to. Don't understand how that could happen on such a new vehicle, but regardless looks like i'm on my own... I don't think i've ever seen a cam bearing wear out before 30,000 miles, but maybe the DOD lifters were acting up, who knows. Ill drive it to work Monday and start tearing it down and inspect everything. Hopefully the above doesn't happen to me! haha, hoping for the best. Really don't have money for any of this with Christmas around the corner, especially a new cam. If it turns out to be just lifters, I think I can live with that.

[-Ray-]

If you have a stage 1 cam, you most likely have LS7 lifters. I had one go bad. I can post my video again if you like.

[rjones916]

yea, that is what the previous owner had installed by Livernois. Only way I've personally seen a regular non-DOD lifter go bad, is on the 3800, 3100 and 3400 V6 motors where the intake gaskets leak coolant and that toasts them and they get super loud, but what can you do. I believe you and that was my first thought also. Just wanted to get some opinions other then mine to back up what I was thinking before I went tearing everything down. When I get everything apart Ill post back some progress or if any damage is seen.

-Ryan

[-Ray-]

Sucks. You can get a better cam now. :)

[rjones916]

13279

Got it all pulled apart this morning, very simple to take apart, like all GM LS motors. Noticed some wear on the lifters, but nothing that would catch a finger nail or anything, just dis-coloration. Cam looks ok, I wish I had the money to replace it, but with the $ for the Cam/Pushrods/Tune, just not in the budget unless it was absolutely needed. I think the cam can be saved. I'm going to overnight the lifters from WV for tomorrow, hopefully have it running tomorrow mid-day.

-Ryan

[rjones916]

Would it be better to use stock head gaskets or the LS9 ones?? Has APR headbolts installed, so will just re-use those. Would changing that change up the geometry with the pushrods?? Currently has 7.375 installed.

-Ryan

[rjones916]

Hahaha, I got no response, so I just went with the stock gasket. I'd say 14 out of 16 of the old lifters are dis-colored. It only took me about an hour to get the thing apart on Monday but took me about 3 hrs to get back together including cleaning all the parts today. Hardest part? getting the LT header lined up by myself, fought it for like 15 minutes, then asked someone to lay underneath and move it up and down till I could get it lined up. Also getting the dipstick installed, that was the only things that took patience, everything else was simple, could probably do it in a minute next time, but couldn't figure it out for a while, haha, must have been tired. Oh and one of the exhaust header to x-pipe bolts broke, so I had to go all over searching for one long enough. I did everything by the book though and pretty much triple checked everything. Changed the oil twice and gonna change it again tomorrow morning. Drove great on the way home, soo glad to have my car back noise free and worry free.

-Ryan

[Crazy Paul]

Would it be better to use stock head gaskets or the LS9 ones?? Has APR headbolts installed, so will just re-use those. Would changing that change up the geometry with the pushrods?? Currently has 7.375 installed.
-Ryan

4 thou uncompressed won't make a difference.

http://paceperformance.com/i-5131687-12610046-ls3-l92-cylinder-head-gasket-single.html .051" thick
http://paceperformance.com/i-7138387-12622033-lsa-ls9-cylinder-head-gasket-single.html .055" thick

[rjones916]

oh one kinda funny thing/ kinda sad, I order 2 of the 12610046 from the Gm warehouse, Martinsburg, WV. Received 2 random air bag impact sensors, with the head gasket gm p/n sticker wrapped around them and a rubber band. Luckily a Chevy dealer had them for local pick-up, but had to pay 12% mark-up on my cost. Haha, idiots.

[-Ray-]

I made two bolts from thread stock so I could hang the headers on them when I installed.

[todds87ss]

I made two bolts from thread stock so I could hang the headers on them when I installed.

this is how I've always done it. The only way to keep the gaskets on while aligning.

[-Ray-]

this is how I've always done it. The only way to keep the gaskets on while aligning.

Yeah, but I did mine while discussing politics and some other topic.

[todds87ss]

Fun-ney!!!

[STL_G8GT]

What was the other topic... politics and what? :-)