Before we get into the mechanical details of auto repair expert Victor Shack’s (@victorshack) recent TikTok post that’s generating all kinds of interest and response, let’s take a moment to admire and observe his artisanal use of profanity in the course of diagnosing a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado.
Remember the moment in A Christmas Story where the youngster hero Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is recounting his father’s (Darren McGavin) heavy use of the “F” word? Such a great line: “Now, I had heard that word at least 10 times a day from my old man. He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master”.
We’ve gotta think Ralphie would have similar words of wonder for Shack, who strings together more than 20 uses of that word in less than 90 seconds, expressing outright contempt for the condition of the camshaft and lifters on the Silverado.
And it’s clear from looking at some of his other clips that it’s not just the Silverado that’s causing him to have a salty tongue.
Why does this mechanic hate the Chevrolet Silverado?
The problem that Shack is lamenting involves the cam and lifters rattling and banging due to excessive wear. It’s an issue that’s so commonplace he says his shop performs 10 to 15 repair jobs of a similar nature every month.
“Look how pretty this truck is… Coming here rattling like all of them. Every [expletive] one we get is [expletive] rattling and banging and not drivable. It’s a [expletive] joke. They would just [expletive] ditch that [expletive] [expletive]. It’s[expletive] they put them (displacement on demand) crap that’s in it,” he observes while zooming in and around the partially disassembled cylinder head.
The typical repair job for the cam/lifters issue takes about three hours, according to his estimates, most of which is taken up by unhooking and removing an honestly amazing number of other components that have to come out to provide enough room to work on the problem parts.
Shack doesn’t get into too much detail about how the parts come to fail or almost fail and cause an obvious knock. Thankfully there are some pretty comprehensive videos on YouTube that explain how the most recent versions of 3.5 liter engine that’s been standard in the Silverados has developed a reputation for cam/lifter problems. One enthusiast chalks the problem up to cylinder deactivation (or active fuel management) technology that was implemented to increase fuel efficiency.
Another video takes us step by step through the disassembly and repair process for the cams and lifters in a Dodge Ram, and it’s honestly amazing to watch such a complex assemblage of machinery come apart at the hands of a knowledgeable mechanic who then has to put the whole mess back together in the exact right way to run properly. We’ve shared plenty of admiration for quality repair techs before here at Daily Dot, and it’s worth repeating often.
Commenters on Shack’s clip were pretty amused at his reaction to what was going on underneath the hood, with some suggesting the vehicle was a 2014 or 2015 instead of the 2017 model he identified it as.
“The man’s commentary is som of the best out here. Thanks VS,” one fan wrote.
@victorshack Thank God for Chevy and their inadequacies as engineers or , we would be broke 😃
♬ original sound – Victor Shack
“DUDE YOU ARE HILARIOUS” was the simple and enthusiastic endorsement of another.
Another commenter said the cam/lifter issue extends to other Detroit automakers besides Chevy/GM: “why cant chevy and chrysler figure out how to make lifters, they’ve had this problem for a long time.”
We’ve reached out to Chevrolet and McGavin.
