5.3l 2004 engine swap

[crazytb]

Im thinking about putting a 2004 ext 5.3 in my 2004 ls..i have talked to scarabepic22 and got some insight..does anyone if its a i6 to 5.3 simple swap and plug and done..or is there electrical tricks or other things to look into..i know my 3.42s will need beefing eventually but will the 4x4 and transfercase handle the increase? also has anyone taken out a 4.2 and kno have things to look out for..i will be talkin to a friend who swaps engines but want to know if the electronics will definitely mate exaactly with my 04 ls setup..i don't want to rewire anything or get to complicated..if i find out it won't work im not goin to push it..i just have an idea and have seen complete engines on ebay for 1500-2000 with computer and ecm

[topprolmc]

Im thinking about putting a 2004 ext 5.3 in my 2004 ls..i have talked to scarabepic22 and got some insight..the electronics seem to be the same form 02-04 ext or ls but does anyone if its a simple swap and plug and done..or is there electrical tricks or other things to look into..i know my 3.42s will need beefing eventually but will the 4x4 and transfercase handle the increase? also has anyone taken out a 4.2 and kno have things to look out for..i will be talkin to a friend who swaps engines but want to know if the electronics will definitely mate exaactly with my 04 ls setup..i don't want to rewire anything or get to complicated..if i find out it won't work im not goin to push it..i just have an idea and have seen complete engines on ebay for 1500-2000 with computer and ecm


Add in a new BCM, PCM and all wireing harness. Add in the 8.6" Rear axle.

For the cost, just buy one with the 5.3

[hatchet669]

well for one thing if u dont already have a 8 in there... then ur gunna need to add 2 more spark plug cables... motor mounts will most likely need to be moved and modified... yes the rear axle mite need to beefing up... r u changing the tranny to? should be alrite with fit no problem.. other then that is should be perfectly fine lol

and i have been thinking bout something like this myself... but it has to do with a totaled SS lol we shall see if this goes down lol

good luck

[crazytb]

yea i had that same thought but the 04 electric might not go with the 06 ss so there would be problems..how much is involved in adding 2 spark plugs cables..and other then that do u think it will just plug in..the 04 rainier has the 5.3 and is short wheel base if im correct..if i can get my hands on a wrecked one should be plug and play..good luck with the ss conversion..maybe i'll wait and see how urs goes..i have time and don't want to mess up..plus if the ls2 ends up working that would be a better upgrade then the 5.3

[ScarabEpic22]

I dont know if the electronics are the same for the I6 and the 5.3 even in the same years, there are bound to be differences regarding the different engine sensors and whatnot.

topprolmc, you are correct. A new ECM, TCM (no PCM for the V8s:hissy: ) are required, but the BCM should be the same.

crazytb, yes the Rainier got the V8 in the SWB model in ~04, so if you can find a wrecked one you might be able to just swap the entire drivetrain out.

Ohh, and to answer your question in the last PM you sent me, the 8" axle should hold up under the 5.3, at least for a couple months. If you continually beat on it then it will break faster, but eventually you are going to want a bigger rear axle. Tuning shouldnt be an issue, especially since everything is OBDII now and the V8s you are looking at are Gen III and can be tuned via EFILive or HPTuners (plus more).

[AlekG]

In thinking about it, I am having trouble justifying the cost (engine + labor) to the benefit realized, unless this was done completely as a weekend mechanic type project.

We are talking only 10 more HP, but 50 more lb.-ft. of torque, and I guess this is where the benefit comes in. However, this is where even more costs could totally kill this as a project.

The transfer case is the same between the 2 engines, but as you gathered, the rear axle is not. You may have been following my thread (http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=22973) about my potential rear axle swap to get 4.56 gears front and back. And you also may have seen that (after a bunch of investigation) a mutant set up may be in order to save some money by not swapping the axle.

However, that would probably not be recommended for the V8 as the difference between rear ends is not only the ring and pinion gears (size, spline count) but also the spline count on the axles (30 vs 28) and that is where breakage could occur.

Although, saying that, we also have to keep in mind that the front axles and differential for the 2 engines are exactly the same so maybe the extra torque would not be as detrimental to the 8" rear as one might think ...

AG

[hatchet669]

yea i had that same thought but the 04 electric might not go with the 06 ss so there would be problems..how much is involved in adding 2 spark plugs cables..and other then that do u think it will just plug in..the 04 rainier has the 5.3 and is short wheel base if im correct..if i can get my hands on a wrecked one should be plug and play..good luck with the ss conversion..maybe i'll wait and see how urs goes..i have time and don't want to mess up..plus if the ls2 ends up working that would be a better upgrade then the 5.3

not good to wait for me... cause i dunno if and when that will happened... its just an idea rite now... cause everything i would need is in that car and i would just pull it out and put it in mine... but my problem is i cant be down a car that long so i will have to work somethings out at work before i could even try this to get a car for a while so dont wait for me lol

[J-Blazer]

Add a Turbo instead.:drool

[ScarabEpic22]

Add a Turbo instead.:drool

Well since we are all still screwed for any sort of FI at all, not really an option (for the I6).

[crazytb]

what is the difference with the 2004 5.3l engine from a ssr or other truck as opposed to the trailvoy ext? it broadens the possibilities if these were also able to be put in

would a smashed ssr be a good parts department for a conversion?

[hatchet669]

how trashed are we talking? lol

[ScarabEpic22]

what is the difference with the 2004 5.3l engine from a ssr or other truck as opposed to the trailvoy ext? it broadens the possibilities if these were also able to be put in

would a smashed ssr be a good parts department for a conversion?

The SSR would be an ideal donor as much of the wiring should swap easily, however a wrecked TB EXT with the V8 is much more likely to be found as only like 26K SSRs were ever made...

[hatchet669]

The SSR would be an ideal donor as much of the wiring should swap easily, however a wrecked TB EXT with the V8 is much more likely to be found as only like 26K SSRs were ever made...

point taken... and the TB's are a dime a dozen

[crazytb]

im still unsure about the whole engine swapping thing...im only 21 and a college student...i found some i6 engines with work done and they may be a better route..just sticking with the i6 but maxing out the power..look at the thread i posted..maybe be maxed i6 with a 5 speed is a beter option then a 5.3 conversion...the 5.3 with dod would be good with teh gas mileage but might have trouble with the 04 electronics
heres the link i had in the other forum i started..these 4200 have after market performance parts just gotta find em

http://www.selfracing.com/engines.htm