The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop LS engine educational video

Like most, I've been aware of LS engines and the crazy HP they can easily make along with great mpg. However my knowledge base is pretty thin and so I've been reading up a bit. Actually bought a book the other day on LS Swaps. This post is to share a just found video that covers the LS series of engines from first to last. The author (?) gives a mile high overview with comments on the good and bad for each year, at times mentioning details a potential swapper will fine interesting. Here it is.

The next video in the series. This one speaks to which engine for your budget. Starting at the $200 level and then to the highroller end of 14k (used) to 17k for new LS 7's.

I was given a few books before i started my first time LS swap. Im on probably my 6th one now and even before starting those books made me laugh a few times. Mine just recommended certain products and basically said “you need this to make it work” basically dont bother thinking or trying to make anything because its not possible. For example they said to buy a certain automatic fan switch with a thermocouple to run the electric fans.....i guess there were not aware that ANY of the gm ecu’s have the capability of turning a fan relay on at whatever temp you tell it to via tuning software. Oil pans were a few other funny stories also. Im a well seasoned creative builder for the most part and while reading the books i had I almost feel like some of the info would make people take a more expensive route or be scared or put off on doing a certain swap for fear of complexity. Let me tell you something.....these things are dead simple. If you can swap over a SBC/BBC into something where it wasn’t stock than you are qualified to do the same with a LS. It does help if someone thats done one is available to question, but its honestly easy. I have also been online and picked up LOTS of great info on simple tips and tricks that helped a lot. Just have a open mind while doing research. Thats my 2cents.

****if anyone needs help on one of these feel free to message me. I can steer you in the right direction if i dont have the exact solution to the problem.

When it comes to terminology, the learning curve is steep for me. Terms like drive by wire, throttle position sensor, etc. are new terms if all you know is the old school stuff. I’m not saying it’s hard, but the list is long.
So I guess it’s not a weekend swap kinda thing.
I over research stuff before I jump in the deep end but I love to learn stuff and help the next guy trying to do what I just did. Thanks for the posts and I’ll keep researching.

Well said Lugnutz. I think ones comfort with modern engines is directly proportional to their comfort with all things digital. One's and zeros isn't a first or second language for most of us with pre 1980 birth dates (or a 1951 B-date in my case).


Barnfind49 said "****if anyone needs help on one of these feel free to message me. I can steer you in the right direction if i dont have the exact solution to the problem."

Great offer. Thanks!

RonR

Finally got a chance to view the video. He did an excellent job. Interesting how GM stayed with the original SBC for ~50 yrs, vs. very short lives these days. Thanks for sharing those with us.

New engines aren't that much of a mystery. The basics still apply. It needs spark, it needs fuel. In the days before computer, the human computer set the spark in relation to the piston position. The human computer determined how much fuel to add to the carburetor and determined if it was too rich by smelling what comes out of the tail pipe.

These days, a computer adjusts everything. So, we have sensors and switches to tell the computer when to spark or add fuel. Break it down by systems. In the fuel system, the computer wants to know the air temp, air flow OR absolute pressure. Did somebody step on the pedal (throttle position) to add air and change the sensor readings. Then there is the spark system. What position is the crank in. Maybe even in relation to the camshaft. Is it the optimal time to trigger spark? Back to the fuel system, after the combustion, does the exhaust show the right amount of burn? O2 sensor. If not, should it richen it up or lean it out?

You might need a few newer tools to diagnose this new stuff. But it still pretty basic. You can probably diagnose and fix most stuff with a DVOM, test light and your ear. Or, you can get a somewhat fancy scanner to see what the computer sees. As long as you know what you should see and the computer is seeing the same thing.

Which is usually how you pass the ASE L1 test. Knowing that the GM system is based on a 5v reference and what most of the sensors do.

Lugnutz..... it can totally be done in a weekend if you have everything in order. Depending on what you use/have. I can take a complete pull out 4.8/5.3/6.0 engine from a local yard and probably have it running on the ground in about 15min work with some fuel pressure from a random pump laying in a gas can and a few wire nuts and jumpers lol. They are pretty simple to set up. Thats with the stock engine harness never needing to be unplugged. The only one thing you would need is for someone to flash the ecu to turn off the anti theft stuff (VATS). I have my own software so its not a issue for me but there are also places on ebay, cragslist, local wire specialties shops that offer the service for around $150. I used one off ebay for my first swap i did. Worked like a charm.

There is also A LOT of new products out for SUPER EASY LS swaps now. Some people dont want to kno anything about modifying a stock harness (what i always do) so some buy a $500-700 aftermarket harness that’s identical to the stock one but with a few relays, fuses, and labeled terminations that they plug into power, ground, and thats it..... but you will still need to deal with the stock ecu (which is basically a emissions computer). The stock ecu is fully capable and can be dumbed down to do only the bare necessities and be a great setup but you will still need a laptop and tuning software if you ever wish to change anything at all. The newest most affordable system on the market is by HOLLEY. Its called terminatorX, So you carb guys should be right at home with its name hahahahaha. Its like $999 and it comes complete with a wiring harness, small handheld tuner (like a small iphone size) that even has all gauges displayed. You literally plug it all in, power it up, awnser a few questions on the screen like engine size, injector size, sensor types, and it creates a base map to run the engine. You literally turn the key and it runs. It even has its own dedicated O2 sensor and it actually does “self tune” off of that sensor. Basically its so easy a caveman can do it.

Very helpful info.

Does any LS ECM work, or does it need to be for the specific engine? I have a 5.3 and the guy handed me an ECM that he said was an extra he had laying around.

Generally “yes”...... but some have different capabilities. Some drive by wire ecu’s can control a drive by cable throttle....some can’t . Some just lack the hardware. Generally for a basic setup without all the bells and whistles like DBW and Flex fuel you should be just fine. Google the hardware number on the sticker on the ecu and it should tell you what year and/or truck/van/car that its from.