Having bad lifters in your truck can cause many problems with your vehicle’s operation, and may even damage the camshaft if left unchecked for too long.
Because this is such an important repair to make, many people wonder: how much does it cost to replace lifters in a truck?
The cost of replacing your truck’s lifters will vary based on how many need to be replaced. Lifters can cost anywhere between $5-$30 each, and each valve will have two lifters, so you may not need to spend a lot if you only replace one valve.
However, replacing all of your lifters can cost anywhere between $1,000-$2,000 if you have a V8 engine.
Keep reading to learn more about the cost of replacing lifters, as well as some of the signs that tell you it needs to be done soon.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace Your Truck’s Lifters?
How much it will cost you to replace your truck’s lifters will depend on a few factors. Usually, trucks have either V6 or V8 engines. V6 engines have 12 total engine lifters, while V8 engines have 16.
Each lifter itself will cost between $5-$30, but you still have to consider labor when calculating your total cost. If you need to replace all of your truck’s lifters, it can cost you anywhere between $1,000-$2,000 total.
However, this cost may be higher or lower depending on where you live, what mechanic you go to, and the make and model of your truck.
If you want to try to save a little money while replacing your truck’s engine lifters, there are a couple of ways you can do so. You can try to find a complete lifter replacement kit, or look for refurbished lifters or lifter kits.
This can save you a bit of money on parts, but the labor costs will be the same no matter what.
What Do Engine Lifters Do?
Your truck’s engine lifters are an essential part of its internal combustion abilities. Your engine’s cylinders sit between the camshaft and cylinder valves, and as the camshaft moves over the top of the lifters, it actuates and opens the exhaust and intake valves.
Because these two valves need to open up at different times, each is controlled by its own lifter.
There are two main types of lifters, and the type you have depends on the make and model of your car. Hydraulic lifters are common in most vehicles, including trucks, but some models may have solid lifters.
What’s the Difference Between Solid and Hydraulic Lifters?
Before you replace your lifters, you will need to first figure out if your truck uses solid or hydraulic lifters. To determine this, you will have to access the valve-train assembly to check if there’s a gap, or “valve lash,” between the rocker arm and the top of the valve stem.
Follow the steps listed below to do this:
- Remove one of your truck’s valve covers using a socket wrench. This will allow you to access the valve-train assembly, and you’ll be able to see the rocker arms on top.
- Next, you will need to locate the valve lash between the rocker arm and valve stem.
- Now, it’s time to determine where you need to measure the valve lash from. For rear-wheel-drive engines, you’ll measure at the closest end of the rocker arm while standing at the side of the truck. In front-wheel-drive engines, you’ll measure from the closest end while standing at the front of the truck.
- Finally, use a feeler gauge to measure the gap. If the gauge picks up on a gap, you have solid lifters. If it does not, you have hydraulic lifters.
Now that you’ve identified the type of lifters your truck has, let’s discuss the differences between the two.
Solid lifters are typically found in racing engines. While they are much simpler mechanically than hydraulic lifters, they do require more maintenance.
While hydraulic lifters can compress, solid lifters cannot, and they will need to be adjusted occasionally to maintain the correct tolerances.
Hydraulic Lifters
Unlike solid lifters, hydraulic lifters are completely hollow inside. Your mechanic will need to prime and pump them with oil before they are installed, and they have an internal piston and spring assembly that allows oil to enter and exit.
Hydraulic lifters are self-adjusting, which makes them less maintenance-heavy than solid lifters. However, it’s important to ensure the correct amount of oil is inside at all times. If it gets too low, the lifters may stop working or start making noise.
Roller Lifters
Roller lifters are a special kind of hydraulic lifter. As the name suggests, they contain a roller on one of their heads. This roller rides directly on the camshaft to allow for more horsepower and less resistance, so this type is good for people who want their trucks to go faster and more easily.
How Can I Tell if My Lifters Need to Be Replaced?
There are many mechanical and operational signs that will tell you that at least one of your engine lifters will need to be replaced soon. These signs include higher RPMs, engine misfires, a ticking noise, “sticky” lifters, a dead cylinder, and your check engine light. Read below to learn more about these signs.
You Hear Tapping or Clicking Sounds
A clicking, tapping, or ticking sound coming from your engine can sometimes signify that you have a bad lifter. While this noise could be due to several other things, including low oil, it’s worth getting it checked out by a mechanic if it persists for a long time.
Your Truck is Running at Higher RPMs
If you notice that your truck is running at a higher RPM than usual, either while your vehicle is idle or while you’re driving, you might have a bad lifter. Higher RPMs can also increase the tapping noise that bad lifters usually make.
You Notice “Sticky” Lifters
If you notice that one of your lifters will not move up or down, this is called having a “sticky” lifter. When one of your lifters cannot move, the whole system cannot maintain the proper oil pressure.
After a while, this can cause other components of your engine to hammer against each other, increasing the noise you hear and eventually causing engine damage.
You Have a Dead Cylinder
A bad lifter can eventually cause your truck’s pushrod to come out of place, which can lead to a dead cylinder. Having a dead cylinder is nothing to take lightly, as it can cause the rocker arms or valves to break.
Dead cylinders may even cause damage to your engine as a whole, so make sure to have this repaired as soon as possible.
You’re Having Engine Misfires
Since a bad lifter can reduce your cylinder’s ability to mix fuel and air, it may cause engine misfires. When you have a misfire, you may notice some hesitation and shaking in your engine, as well as slower acceleration than usual.
A misfire should only last a few seconds, so it might not seem like that big of an issue, but is definitely something that needs to be checked out.
The Check Engine Light Comes On
While it probably won’t happen at first, a bad lifter can eventually cause your check engine light to come on. Thankfully, it’s easy to diagnose the problem when this happens.
Just plug in an engine code checker, or have a mechanic do it for you, and see what comes up!
Can I Still Drive with a Bad Engine Lifter?
While a bad lifter won’t cause many problems in the beginning, it’s not something you should ignore. Bad lifters are sometimes a symptom of more serious engine problems, and the noise they make can distract you while you drive.
It’s usually not recommended that you drive more than 100 miles with bad lifters. Driving for too long on bad lifters can cause some severe problems.
Eventually, they may contact and damage your camshaft, which can lead to more expensive repairs. If you suspect that your lifters are bad, it’s important to have them checked as soon as possible.
Can I Fix My Own Engine Lifters?
While replacing your truck’s engine lifters is not a particularly difficult job, it is very labor-intensive and involves removing a lot of parts of your engine.
It can take a professional mechanic anywhere from two hours to a few days to complete the job, depending on how many lifters need to be replaced and the type of engine you have.
Unless you have a significant amount of experience working on cars, it’s best to leave this job to the experts. You don’t want to accidentally damage anything under the hood of your car trying to complete the replacement on your own.
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Final Thoughts
The total cost of replacing your truck’s engine lifters will vary based on several factors. If you only need some of them replaced, it should only cost a few hundred dollars.
However, a full lifter replacement may cost anywhere from $1,000-$2,000. Bad engine lifters are not something to ignore, and the job should always be left to a professional.
Don’t risk engine damage; have your lifters checked and replaced as soon as you suspect there’s a problem.
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