Build 6.0 Vortec LQ9 - FJ60 Engine Swap - Old Blue's Heart Transplant

Member Build Threads

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Don't get overwhelmed i have sent two junk yard engines back that were not as discribed low miles one the camshaft was crusted over with rust the other was all hacked up. Been almost 2 months dealing with that.
 
That’s a nice piece @tmxmotorsports
You have a link to that? I would have bought that if I had seen it.
 
It was 101.94 shipped without tje temp sensor they offer buy comes with a plug and two threaded bungs. In my opinion its worth it should last a long time and offers a temp sensor location if you need it. Dont have link so i took a pic @cruisermatt

20181010_203400.webp
 
It was a long operation and duration to be under the knife. But she pulled through and is finally home where she belongs. :clap:

Didn’t break 197 degrees coming over the mountain pass. Side Note - passing cars over the pass is new to me. Not gonna lie - I like it. :grinpimp:

80E248A6-1366-4BE5-BCAF-4E234087CCAB.webp
 
tmxmotorsports said:
AWESOME!!! Happy for you man. What pass is it?
Click to expand...

This one was spooner summit. Theres numerous passes it’ll encounter on the daily ranging from about 7k - 9k elevation. It lives at 6250’. Cant wait for some snow!
 
I have yet to read all of this thread as I just found it.

So I am fortunate enough to have a 6.0 with about 137K on the clock sitting in my 2004 Yukon Denali. After spending almost 3k in repairs yesterday on the SUV and that being more than 1/2 value of the ride, my wife and I decided to keep it and strip it down this summer. We will then buy her a new vehicle.
The question is what were you missing that you felt would have helped if you had full access to the vehicle the engine was in?
I want to make sure I everything off this I need before I have the wreckers take it away.
 
You never said if you fixed the brake lights or tail light, wonder if it is/was a fuse blown?
 
SteveL said:
You never said if you fixed the brake lights or tail light, wonder if it is/was a fuse blown?
Click to expand...

Still havent fixed em. I’m pretty mich off grid as of now. Mexico, Elk Hunt, Desert Sheep hunt until end of November. All the little quirks will be handled when I return.

Things that still need to be addressed

- Brake Lights
- Oil pan is leaking a tad (prob have to drop it and replace a gasket - not happy about that one)
- AC has to be completed (no rush since it’ll be snowing soon.
- 4wd shift linkage needs some re-working
 
Willard said:
I have yet to read all of this thread as I just found it.

So I am fortunate enough to have a 6.0 with about 137K on the clock sitting in my 2004 Yukon Denali. After spending almost 3k in repairs yesterday on the SUV and that being more than 1/2 value of the ride, my wife and I decided to keep it and strip it down this summer. We will then buy her a new vehicle.
The question is what were you missing that you felt would have helped if you had full access to the vehicle the engine was in?
I want to make sure I everything off this I need before I have the wreckers take it away.
Click to expand...


Thats a good question. Honestly, I didnt need much that didnt come with thenpackage i got. Motor, Trans, ECU, Gas Pedal, Wiring Harness, Starter is all ya really need. Everything else will be retrofitted or require new components to make it work. I’m sure others will chime in, but thats all I used or needed for mine.

Anything attached on motor or trans you should keep until you know you dont need it. Easier to take it off and toss it later than need it and have to buy a new one.

Assuming your yukon is a AWD or 4WD - your gonna need to tear down the trans and put a 2WD rear oitput shaft in or buy a 2WD transmission. This is talked about in thread.
 
Put about 300 miles on the motor now. Truck runs strong. Plenty of power.
Averaging 23 MPG - Highway (Keep in mind I have 373 gears with 33s). Gears don’t seem to hinder it much, but have noticed on steep downhills it coasts at high speeds. So brakes or downshifting come into play. 4.11s would be perfect for this setup (one day)

Only issue that I’ve had is a small oil pan leak. Assuming its the gasket. So that will have to be addressed. No new error codes so it seems tip top other than that. Brake light issue hasnt been tackled yet - out of town off and on for nearly a month so I’ve had limited time.

The Borla Muffler I put on has no drone and sounds healthy. Happy with it.
 
A little time away from the FJ almost makes me want to get back to wrenching. Almost.

Viva El Mexico.

5FC26AE6-0B9C-4402-9FDA-8B0B98F3DE94.webp


Horse walks into a bar (Elk Hunt - Northern Nevada)

B0830ECE-A58E-4911-9BBE-1130CDEABE16.webp
 
Last edited:
Alright finally looked at a wiring diagram to solve this brake light wiring issue. And this is what I came up with.

Notice the cable from the battery goes to a 3 wire fusible link.

A6C08FD9-DEC6-4AF7-A197-339C5D0D9934.webp


This guy right here. (Which whoever had the FJ before me didnt have wired in)

766DA615-D4F3-4588-9BFE-FC93729529C0.webp


Single wire from the battery goes to 3 fusable links and connects to 3 wires (plug) coming the other end. The 3 wires coming out the other end are (red, black, white). Long story short - my rig had some jerry rigging wiring that deviated from stock.

As seen in an earlier post - I had a red, black and white wire that went to my alternator lug. The alternator plug that comes off the alternator houses 3 wires inside as well. So 4 wires going to alternator. I deleted the short white one from battery to alternator lug. I also deleted the plug that houses the other 3 wires. Leaving me with just red and black wires. Seen below.

5EEF6FDF-2A34-447D-B84B-3F640D6219B5.webp


Red, black and thick white went to battery before the swap. Thick white went to alternator lug. Thin white, yellow, and thin black with yellow stripe were all part of the plug that went to alternator. As mentioned I deleted all the alternator wires and just ran the red and black to battery terminal.

D363E519-8BB0-4BB7-8E0A-7A4136148973.webp


Turns out that white wire above needs to run to battery terminal as well. Its responsible for

Heater Blower Motor
Brake Lights
Headlight Cleaner
Tail Lights
Fromt & Rear Marker Lights
Dash Lights
Instrument Lights
Interior Lights
And probably more

Re-wired the white one in with the red and black to the battery terminal and everything works as it should. :D
 
The fuseable links like to give up their smoke and then you can have a truck that runs but half the stuff in the cab is not powered or some variation of that ...or a totally dead duck (electrically). sounds like you have most of the gremlin stuff solved.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom