2009 Silverado DOD Delete

Rojo · May 8, 2026, 8:21pm

CDC member P-Nut has been telling me for years this day would come. Like all Silverado trucks with a late model LS engine (Gen III or later) the Displacement on Demand system GM installs in guaranteed to fail. From what I’ve researched between 90K & 130K miles is usually when one of the DOD special Valve Lifters collapse causing major damage if you don’t stop driving it immediately. Well I have a DOD Lifter failing so down the DOD Delete road I go.

This engine has 177K miles on it. Careful care and maintenance extended the life of the Valvetrain.

It starts with removing plastic. Engine Cover and Air Intake.

I have to remove the Radiator to give me room to remove the Camshaft. More plastic to remove.

Once the Radiator cover is out of the way I unplugged both Radiator fans, removed the 2 bolts holding the Fan unit in place and lifted it up, around the Upper Radiator Hose and clean of the engine bay.

The coolant is a pain to drain because there is no Petcock in the system. I put multiple catch pans under the truck but coolant always finds it’s way to the Shop Floor.

Since the Alternator is sticking up in the way and I plan on replacing it off it comes next.

Next up is the 2 Coil Packs. Just unplug the main connector, remove 5 10mm retaining bolts, unplug the Ignition wires from the Spark Plugs and removing the Coil Packs as a unit.

Now that the Coil Packs are out of the way next is the Truck Intake. These Intakes are ugly but repeated pulls on a Dyno in YouTube videos show they perform very well. After working several plugs off the 8 Injectors and a few that is keeping wires in the way of removal I used a 8mm socket to remove all the Intake Manifold Bolts.

While sliding the Manifold up and forward I’m working the wiring to the back. Once the Intake is forward enough I unplugged the Brake Booster Vacuum source and set the Intake on the Tailgate.

Back to pulling the Radiator I filled up a couple of water jugs with the Coolant caught cleaning up the mess before continuing.

I still had to disconnect the Heater Hoses from the Water Pump and the Transmission Cooling Lines from the Radiator. I put a towel under the Water Pump connections as a lot of Coolant runs out and the Towel keeps it from running all over the A/C Clutch.

Now there are two bolts, one on each side at the top of the Radiator. Once those bolts are removed lift up on the Radiator to dislodge it from the sockets holding it on the bottom.

Taking a picture of the Pulley/Belt routing early on is helpful later as the Belt rarely routes like you would think.

Tdub318817 · May 8, 2026, 9:28pm

Nice, well known issue with those from GM, idk why they did it, I guess to help save “fuel”, but created a major issue. Some ppl say you can “tune it out”, but I would go your route. Those intakes sure are ugly but performs well like you mentioned, many folks use them on the LS4 platform.

Go ahead drop a cam in there while you at it lol, im jp. Great write up, and you saved a couple thousand at least!

Rojo · May 8, 2026, 9:41pm

The Camshaft must be replaced if you do the DOD Delete. The original cam will cause misfires.

This is just the beginning, when I do a project like this I’m always very through so I only have to do it once.

Just tuning to turn the DOD off in the ECU still leaves the problem lifters in the engine. They still fail, no “Mechanic in a Can” will fix or extend the DOD Lifter lifespan.

Tdub318817 · May 8, 2026, 9:43pm

Yessir keep us updated.

ACAMS · May 8, 2026, 11:17pm

I have an automotive machine shop ….. do this regularly, and hate to have to tell you this, but the cam bearings are probably shot and they make a new wide cam bearing to replace the junk stock bearings …. AND DO NOT forget to replace the o-ring on the oil pump pick up tube.

Summit has a plate to cover the holes for the DOD in the block … but I am mad at Summit, everybody makes them now!

ALSO, looks like you don’t know you have to remove the heads to replace the lifters!

Don’t forget new lifter trays … They are different!

Rojo · May 9, 2026, 12:00am

Bud this is not my first rodeo. At 65 years old I did what I felt like doing today and then cut grass. We went out for lunch afterwards. This is the very beginning of this thread. Thank you for your help, as you follow along you will see the rest of the job. I have a 2001 2500HD, the one I cut the roof off and weld another on, I took it to the short block 4 months before the tree crushed it. Being a Unlimited HP USCG Chief Engineer I’m no stranger to engine work and have been doing it since 1978. If you have not seen the 2500HD restoration the link to it is below.

https://forum.crappie.com/t/tree-crushed-2500hd-silverado-crew-repair/434286

ACAMS · May 9, 2026, 12:05am

NICE … I am older then you and never done that, AND NEVER WILL … Since I build engines every day, I just thought I would throw that in …. I had 3 motors in one month that the cam bearing came completely out … they are junk!

Slab · May 9, 2026, 12:08am

Wow, deleting dod sounds like pita. Good luck John. Dod, great idea, poor long term engineering. Just too much more complexity for no good reason/gain.

BuckeyeCrappie · May 9, 2026, 1:26am

Following…..

J_White · May 9, 2026, 1:44am

I put the dongle thingie in the obd port on my wifes ‘19 at about 50,000 miles to disable the 4 cylinder operation. We’ll see what happens, I sure don’t want to open it up if I don’t have to. I hate they put this junk on there, cause I love the way it runs. Thing will fly, 3.42 gears and tow pkg, it will lay a patch of rubber like an old school muscle car if you flog it. And 20-21 mpg usually

jjue1979 · May 9, 2026, 2:26am

I’m glad that my Titan doesn’t have that tech! I never liked it when I found out that other manufacturers started putting it in. Sure, the first generation Titan VK56 has other issues, such as replacing the starter under the intake manifold (already did that at 150k miles). At least you have other vehicles to ride around and haul stuff with so that you can take your time.

Jamesdean · May 9, 2026, 5:08am

jjue, I’m with you. Right now we are down to one vehicle, Ms Joyce’s Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. The hail storm that came through here April 28th and took out the windshield, and sun roof, left us no vehicle till Monday. Soonest I could get it fixed. For sure wont be like this long, I hope….Sorry John. Didn’t mean to go another direction. I’ll be following along on this project. Never know when it will come in handy…

Rojo · May 9, 2026, 10:26am

ACAMS is right about the Cam bearings but I won’t know what I have till I finish tearing it down. These heads will go to our local engine builder to be worked. He does all the machine work on my Hot Rods. No VVT to deal with on this truck. When I tore down the 5.3 3 Valve Triton engine in my Expedition it has it all, Cam Phasers, VVT Solenoids, funky Timing Chain Tensioners, poor quality Rocker Arms, etc. I’ve put 50K miles on it since I did that job. Ford installed Oil Pumps in those with plastic Backing Plates, as the pump aged the plastic gave way bypassing right back into the Oil Pan. The oil galleries flow from the pump up thru the driver’s side head, thru the rotating assembly, then thru the Passenger side Head starving the moving parts for oil. No Cam Bearings in that engine OHC with the Cam riding right on the Aluminum Head. The 2001 2500HD you can’t even feel the engine idle now with your foot on the brake after that PM. I even replaced the Transmission lines, everything but the short block.

Like jjue1979 said I have a lot of stuff around here to drive. GM has stopped making interior parts for the 2500HD, right now I’m waiting on the rear window switches from a seller on eBay. One of the back windows just started rolling down on it’s own after hitting a bump. Well the plastic just crumbled when I went to take the switches out to troubleshoot.

jwhite can appreciate this, next month I buy the last License Plate for the 2500HD. Mississippi allows you to buy a Antique tag for a vehicle 25 years old or older. What we have to pay for license plates for a new car or truck is criminal.

J_White · May 9, 2026, 2:05pm

Yes Sir! Got my antique tag on the Silverado this year, got 2 more years to go on the Dodge dually. When I drive wife’s ‘19 I start getting itchy wanting a newer one myself. I really enjoy the way it drives and rides. But just can’t bring myself to do it. Hers is sort of a throwback model, called a “LD” so it has some earlier parts from ‘18 back like the six speed transmission. The LT and LTZ in ‘19 I believe had the 8 speed which I’m hearing bad things about.
The newer Dodge/Cummins have problems I don’t want either, DEF, bad lifters, heater grid problems… looks like I’ll be wrenching on old stuff for the foreseeable.

jjue1979 · May 9, 2026, 3:18pm

I agree—fortunately, Nissan takes care of the car tag on the employee lease vehicles, which is how I get my wife’s vehicle. Hopefully, the Titan can survive 6 more years (and two kids learning how to drive) so that I can get the privilege of buying an antique tag.

Rojo · May 9, 2026, 5:58pm

10-4 on that! GM & Ford are sharing the same poor transmission now with the 10 speed. My 2500HD has a 4L80E - Bulletproof the 1500 has a 4L60E - very reliable as long as you don’t heat it up too much towing. I’m not buying new Anything, too many trucks on the market. I looked the other day and 6.0 2500HD’s made back before DOD are as cheap as $5K. Good shape lower miles $7500-8500. I would buy another one of those and do a 6.0 Stroker motor before buying a new truck. I have a big shop to fix them in.

Rojo · May 10, 2026, 12:46am

Got a little more done on the truck today. With the amount of storms last night I didn’t get much rest so I kinda coasted a little today.

Here I have a puller set up on the Power Steering Pulley. These pulleys are pressed on and off so you need a Pulley Puller Set or Kit.

So once the Puller is properly set up I use 2 wrenches to remove the pulley. One holds backup while I turn the extractor bolt with the other.

Here the pulley has been removed to allow access to the Alternator Bracket mounting bolts.

All the parts are being stored in the Bed of the truck.

For my personal vehicle maintenance I don’t buy Snap-On grade tools. This OTC set sells for a fair price and will last me till I’m not pulling wrenches anymore.

With this bracket out of the way I can remove the Water Pump. This Pump is the original unit.

With the Timing Cover in sight I remove the Sensor wires off the front of the cover before moving on.

The Harmonic Balancer Bolt is a Torque to Yield bolt and must not be reused. The torque is such my big Air Impact Wrench would not break it loose with the normal “Type M” air coupler fitting the working airlines in the shop has. I have one 3/8in high pressure hose for volumes of airflow. That hose is right off the Air Compressor and 150psi working pressure. I removed the Type M coupler in the Impact and replaced it a Sharpe HVLP air coupler fitting. You can see in the picture how much larger the hole in the fitting is compared to the Type M fitting.

Well once the Air Impact had the HVLP coupler fitting it spun the Harmonic Balancer Bolt right out. Now I have to pull the Harmonic Balancer.

Using another OTC puller kit one for GM engine Harmonic Balancers I remove the Balancer with little effort.

The long rod protruding from the Puller goes inside the bolt hole on the Crankshaft and the Puller Extractor Bolt is hollowed out and rides on the Pin.

I had a oil leak recently and this is it. This job is more than just a DOD Delete it’s a massive PM so I can continue to rely on this truck for another 150K miles. Busted Knuckles beats a $70,000 dollar truck any day in my book.

Another problem is all the Convoluted Tubing protecting the Engine Compartment Wiring is crumbling. JWhite I don’t know if you’re seeing any of this in your trucks. I will order from my vendors a case of each size I need and am going back with a Marine Grade protective tubing.

Access to the Exhaust Bolts is always nice. Skinning out the Inner Fenders provides much more access. a 10mm bolt, 4 - 7mm bolts and a few body clips and out it comes. Having a Cat Claw to remove the plastic body clips is a big help.

here is a picture of the access exposed.

The Exhaust Flange nuts are frozen. I put some Kroil oil on them till tomorrow. I have a Bolt Buster so I will use that to heat the nuts up to remove when I’m fresh.

Rojo · May 10, 2026, 10:47pm

Today - Was a Day of BATTLE! Every exhaust flange bolt was so frozen impacts would not move a bit. I pulled the Spark Plugs first so the Exhaust Manifolds wouldn’t hang up when removing.

These were not original but were OEM. I changed them at 90K miles. Afterwards I thought I would pop out the Crankcase Dipstick, WRONG! 2 hours past when I finally pulled out a 10 pound Slide Hammer and persuaded the Dipstick Tube out of the Engine Block. I saw a guy on YouTube use the Exhaust Manifold to knock his out but the engine was sitting on the Concrete not still in the Truck. The Dipstick Tube would move all over but refused to pull out. The O-Ring sealing it to the Block had hardened up good. Once I got it out I moved to the 6 Exhaust Flange nuts. Access looked great till I tried to get the Impact Socket directly on the nuts. Fortunatly I have a 1/2in Impact Swivel but it wouldn’t allow perfect alignment of the Socket. Out came my Bolt Buster…

This tool works off Induction. You place a coil in the device tightening the electrodes well inside the terminal connections on the device. When the button is pressed while a appropriately sized coil is over a steel nut and/or bolt it will heat it red hot. Great where a open flame is difficult at best and very safe. I averaged about 1hr per Flange Nut. Between heating, hammering, spraying with Kroil, heating some more, hammering some more, I removed all 6 flange nuts without damaging the Exhaust Manifold studs. Once the Flanges were free I used a cordless Impact to coax the Exhaust bolts out of the Aluminum Heads. I didn’t want to gall a thread so just removing the 2 Exhaust Manifolds took all day.