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I have a 2005 Chevy Suburban 1500 4WD 5.3L with 187000+ miles. It has a really bad tapping/knocking sound. I think this is the infamous lifter knock, and was caused by infrequent oil changes and running low on oil about 100k miles ago.

I am planning to spray Berryman B-12 Chemtool into the lifters, and then run Motor Medic Motor Flush through the engine for 5 min, followed by an oil change.

The directions for the flush say that on high mileage engines to clean out the oil pan after the flush and before putting in the new oil. My Haynes manual says that to do this, I need to remove the front differential. This seems like quite an involved process, and I want to make sure this is advisable before I go down this road.

I consider myself a novice: I have changed my sparkplugs, replaced front suspension components (control arms, shocks, links, etc), changed the oil, etc. This would be my first time doing something like this.

If I go through this process (please comment on whether I should!), what else should I inspect/change while I have the oil pan off? Should I replace the gasket, oil pumps, etc?

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  • It really depends on how far you want to go and how much effort and dollars you are willing to give. Myself I would pull the engine and rebuild or exchange for a rebuilt block, if the rest of the vehicle is in good shape. – spicetraders Sep 12 '16 at 15:04
  • Thanks @spicetraders. I'm not in a position to pull the engine and rebuild. I'm looking for parts that I will have access to that should be inspected while I have the oil pan off. – Nathan DeWitt Sep 12 '16 at 15:16
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    It seems that you need to pull the front differential just to get to the pan that is a pain in itself. The oil pump screen should be replaced or cleaned when the pan is pulled. Which Chevy engine is in your Suburban? – spicetraders Sep 12 '16 at 15:33
  • 5.3L. I think the differential can just be loosened, dropping it an inch or two, which would let the oil pan slide out. – Nathan DeWitt Sep 12 '16 at 15:35
  • Yes, I have seen that before, which is not so bad if you have a car lift. I hate putting vehicle on jack stands and crawling under to lower the front. I am more for loosening motor mounts and cherry picker to lift engine up the few inches. – spicetraders Sep 12 '16 at 15:40

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