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Well that didn't end well. I took the car for a little drive this morning to a small coffee shop gathering and we did not make it. The engines got a noise inside of it. Checking the dipstick it's pretty heavy metal looking. Does not look like bearing material, I'm kind of thinking it ate the cam. Great
 
It would surprise me if it were the cam, being a LS engine with roller lifters.
Maybe a rocker trunion or two if you installed a larger cam.
If the cam was changed were the valve springs changed too?
I had a LS go down on me and it turned out to be grit left in the valve cover baffles from the machine shop not cleaning them good.
The cam was not hurt but it ate the teflon off the piston skirts and the babbit off the cam bearings, rod and main bearings.
 
It would surprise me if it were the cam, being a LS engine with roller lifters.
Maybe a rocker trunion or two if you installed a larger cam.
If the cam was changed were the valve springs changed too?
I had a LS go down on me and it turned out to be grit left in the valve cover baffles from the machine shop not cleaning them good.
The cam was not hurt but it ate the teflon off the piston skirts and the babbit off the cam bearings, rod and main bearings.

The metal in the oil is bigger flakes like the last cam I had go bad in a 4.3. the flakes are magnetic so I don't believe it's a piston. the cam was changed along with the lifters, springs locks and retainers. It could be a number of things. I will rear I to it.
 
You'll figure it out.
After I posted the comment a friend of mine sent me these pics of the disaster his 5.3 went through yesterday.
I immediately thought of you.

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I did too until I seen this one.
The lifter's roller split into, broke the lifter tray then, the rest is collateral damage.
 
Well I had to start the truck up do get itn the shop and like majic there is no noise now??? It runs perfect. The oil doesn't look great, so I will still do some digging. It is the first real oil change after the build so I expect some stuff in it. But it seems to me to be more metal than normal. Checked all the plugs and they all look the same. Rich still but all the same. I looked in a few holes with the bore scope. I did see some vertical marks in on of them from a piston. It is in the air and I will drop the pan and do some looking. Stay tuned
 

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You'll figure it out.
After I posted the comment a friend of mine sent me these pics of the disaster his 5.3 went through yesterday.
I immediately thought of you.

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My dad had that occur in his 2007 Avalanche with a 5.3 just before Christmas. When he and my brother took it apart, luckily it was in the early stages and didn't cause any damage to the cam or anything else. The lifter looked exactly like what your friend's photos show. Only one lifter failed on his. AFM lifters...

About a week after the repair, my mom lost all oil pressure going to work. It turned out to be an off-brand oil filter that failed. Again caught it early so no damage.

Not good, not good at all

Uh oh...
 
My dad had that occur in his 2007 Avalanche with a 5.3 just before Christmas. When he and my brother took it apart, luckily it was in the early stages and didn't cause any damage to the cam or anything else. The lifter looked exactly like what your friend's photos show. Only one lifter failed on his. AFM lifters...

About a week after the repair, my mom lost all oil pressure going to work. It turned out to be an off-brand oil filter that failed. Again caught it early so no damage.


Uh oh...

Yeah, not good. We will tear the whole engine apart. I'll get the crank turned and I'll have the can bearings looked at probably just put new ones in it. Hopefully it didn't eat the cam along with the bearings and the crank
 
When you go back together make sure to use a new cam retaining plate. If you don't it'll create an internal oil leak that you'll not know till you see low oil pressure.
The new plates are cheap to buy, $13.50 on Amazon.

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When you go back together make sure to use a new cam retaining plate. If you don't it'll create an internal oil leak that you'll not know till you see low oil pressure.
The new plates are cheap to buy, $13.50 on Amazon.

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Thanks for the tip!
 
There is the culprit!! Spun rod bearing on hole #1
 

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Will you be doing anything with this engine or will you just get another one?
No I will fix this one. This was a brand new rebuild. It only had like 10 miles on it. There's no visible damage to the cam or the pistons or the lifters. It seems to be just the crank. So if I have to I'll put a new crank in it
 

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