Camshaft and Lifter Replacement in North Little Rock
A ticking noise from the engine that gets worse when you accelerate, a rough-running engine, and a check engine light.
What the job includes
What the repair involves
A failed lifter usually damages the camshaft too, so we inspect both every time.
- Intake manifold, valve covers, rocker arms and pushrods off and inspected
- Cylinder head removal on the affected bank so the lifters can come out
- Full lifter replacement, plus the lifter trays and guides
- Camshaft inspection with the lifters out, photographed before we call you
- Camshaft replacement when a lobe is worn, which is most of the time
- Timing chain, cam phaser and valley cover attention while the front is open
- Head gaskets, head bolts and all disturbed gaskets replaced, not reused
- Oil and filter change, road test, and a rescan before it leaves
What to expect
What happens to the engine
This is a multi-day job on a vehicle that is mostly in pieces for part of it. You should know what that looks like before you hand over the keys.
We listen and scan
Cold start, warm idle and under load, then the factory equipment tells us which cylinders are missing. That pattern is what separates a failed lifter from an ignition or fuel problem.
Estimate, then it comes apart
Nothing comes apart until you say go. Then the top of the engine comes off so the lifters can come out, and once we can see the camshaft we photograph it and call you.
New parts, then a road test
New camshaft, new lifters and every gasket we disturbed, put back to the factory specification. Then road tested, rescanned and reported to CarFax.
What backs a cam and lifter job here
Covered by our 12-month, 12,000-mile parts and labor warranty, transferable if you sell the vehicle. If the job turns into a full engine replacement, that adds nationwide coverage. Either way it is reported to CarFax, so the money you spent shows up on the vehicle history report.
FAQ
Cam and lifter questions
Is there a charge for diagnosis?
Yes. Diagnosis is $150 per hour. That covers finding the actual fault with factory equipment, and you get an estimate to approve before any repair starts.
Is camshaft and lifter replacement something you actually do?
Yes. Camshaft and lifter replacement is one of our listed services and it is some of the most common heavy engine work that comes through our bays.
Do you have to replace the camshaft along with the lifters?
Often, yes. When a lifter fails, its roller can stop turning against the camshaft lobe, and the lobe wears. We inspect the camshaft while the lifters are out and tell you what we find before going further. Either way, you approve the estimate before we do the work.
What does it cost?
It depends on which engine you have and what we find once the lifters are out, so we will not quote you a number over the internet. We diagnose it first, then give you a detailed written estimate for your approval before any work starts.
Is this work reported to CarFax?
Yes. Every repair we perform gets reported to CarFax, including major engine work, so your service history is documented.
Is the repair covered by a warranty?
Yes. Our repairs carry a 12-month, 12,000-mile parts and labor warranty. If the job becomes a full engine replacement, that carries nationwide warranty coverage as well.
The check engine light is flashing and it is shaking. Can I keep driving it?
No. A flashing check engine light means the misfire is bad enough to damage the catalytic converter, and that one is not a wait-and-see. Call (501) 747-7752 and we will get you in.
Is my truck in the worst years for this?
The 5.3 and 6.2 V8s with cylinder deactivation are the ones this happens to, and the roughest window runs from September 2020 through March 2021 production. Your build date is on the sticker in the driver door jamb. Call us with it and we will tell you where you sit.
Which misfire codes usually come with a failed lifter?
On a 5.3L V8 the cylinders that deactivate are 1, 4, 6 and 7, so the codes we usually see are P0301, P0304, P0306 and P0307, often alongside P0300 for a random or multiple cylinder misfire. When the misfires land only on those four and the other four stay clean, the pattern itself is the diagnosis, because ignition and fuel faults do not sort themselves by which cylinders have deactivating lifters.
Get on the schedule
Tell us what the tick sounds like
Bring us the year, the engine and what it is doing. We diagnose it with factory-level tools, show you the camshaft, and you approve the estimate before anything else happens.