First time swap. LQ9 into 95 OBS

[kewljay223]

not the computer. the TB is loud. and yes i sent it to brandon like you did so it should be fine. i posted in the troubleshoting area so hopefully ill get some help. but i was able to get my scanner connected today so i know for sure the computer is working correctly and it gave me a code for the APP sensor... i think my pedal might be bad. i got a little rough with it when i was trying to straigten it out. may have broke the sensor and that might be whats keeping the computer for letting the motor fire.

[Mickeymotormount]

Oops, misread the post. I thought you meant the PCM was loud. I have drive-by-cable so I wouldn't have that problem. Hopefully your problem lies with the TB/accelerator pedal sender.

[kewljay223]

Oops, misread the post. I thought you meant the PCM was loud. I have drive-by-cable so I wouldn't have that problem. Hopefully your problem lies with the TB/accelerator pedal sender.

ACTUALLY.... from the responses in the other post, im hoping its just a missing ground wire!! thats waaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than another TB/pedal!! lol

[kewljay223]

ok well good news everyone. the reason it wouldnt fire was due to a missing ground hiding behind my PS pump bracket. haha hooked it up and wala... thing turned right over! so yes, at this point in time i have officially swapped a motor in and it runs! i hit a milestone mark and its amazing. first swap ever. very gratifying feeling. makes me want to do another already. lol. i absolutely love how these motors fire up within a second of cranking it.

but the code for the pedal was still there and the TB was not doing a thing when i pressed on the pedal. so i picked up a new one today at this salvage yard right down the street that specializes in trucks. and they are super friendly/helpful/knowledgable and i didnt even know they existed. i will def be returning there again! plugged the pedal in, and it works flawlessly. the reason the other didnt work is most likely due to me being too rough with it when i was straitening the arm out. i was using a hammer... lol so this time i got a torch that was hot enough to heat the metal enough to bend it without having to use a hammer. lesson learned.

heres a pic of my new fuel lines going to the filter and return and of my new brakes. after having problems with trying to skimp on price and doing this swap, ive changed my ways on what things are worth trying to go cheap on... which is not very much. you def get what you pay for. for example, AN fittings are expensive as sh** but they are designed not to leak. worth every penny! not one an line i have leaks. and autozone brakes arent worth a damn.



more updated next week. i plan on taking it for a cruise next week. i just put an order in for mufflers before writing this post. going with dynomax bullets. you know some videos will be posted soon so stay tuned... but it sounds bad ass they way it sits now.

[Jeebalow]

That is awesome man, Congrats! I am very jealous! Great job. Can't wait to see the vids.

[Mickeymotormount]

Glad it was something simple like that. I'm sure you can't wait to give it the first test ride.

[kewljay223]

well i have to officially post that i took my first test drive today. n guess what.... it runs!!!! it actaully works!! i know for most of you this is nothing new but damn, what an accomplishment. there is still alot more to do but it drives!! it shifts through all gears like it should. all gauges work correctly. it runs smooth as hell for being a used motor. there are no leaks whatsoever so far. this is great.

but i do have a few problems i do need to ask aout. they arent a huge deal tho

1) speedo woorks but is off a bit. maybe 5-10mph depending on my speed. the faster i go the more its off. but thats only on my gauge. if im watching my scanner, its pretty well accurate. could this be tuning?
2) the PND indicator is not on. i see a lot of people with this issue. what is the solution? i dont understand why since everything else tranny wise is working correctly. it shifts into all gears like it should and reverse lights turn on also...
3)here is the big one... when i first fired it and let it idle, it got up to about 250 degrees and i shut it off. i never checked the thermostat so i assumed it was sticking. removed it and as suspected, it was corroded to hell due to the motor sitting for so long. bought a new one, threw it in and same thing. so i busted out the thermostat from the old housing put it back together and now it runs cooler than ever... which means for some reason the thermo isnt opening like it should.. only thing i can think is that the rad hoses might be reversed??? i know the ls motors are supposed to have a reverse flow right? tell me if i have this hooked up correcet.. looking down on the motor (plan view) driver side rad port goes to upper waterpump neck. pass side rad port goes to lower pump port (thermo housing) do i have this reversed? if so, is that why the thermo isnt opening when it should?

besides that everything else is gravy. i have an issue with the fuel pump staying on after motor is shut down but thats a wiring issue ill figure out. and the shifting is weird and i think thats due to the torque of the new motor. pretty sure when i get the 4l80e and new TC installed, that will clear the shifting thing right up.

anyway, thats the update so far. any help on the first 3 problems would be great. just want to say thanks to everyone on this sight and this sight in general. without you all, this wouldnt be possible.

[Mickeymotormount]

You have it hooked up right. Top port to driver's side radiator top port. Thermostat housing port to lower passenger side radiator port.

[jwang203]

I just read this whole thread. Tons of info here. I am new here but should this be a sticky before it gets buried?
Kewljay good job on the swap. Looks like it took you about 2 months? Think you can do it in 6 weeks? Lol. Im gonna try in my 1990!

Did you use your stock radiator?
Also I need my transmission in the same exact spot. Would you go with the 1" setback mounts again? I thouht about some $30 ebay brackets but idk after seeing your issues.
One more thing.. what guide did you use when modifying your harness

[kewljay223]

been a few days since i posted. just wanted to update. ive been driving the truck around for the past few day checking things out before my warantee is up in a few weeks. so far so good. runs and sounds very healthy. still no leaks. i got the fuel pump issue resolved.

i still dont know what the deal was with the temp. but i have a theory. when i took the thermo housing off, there was a lot of gunk built up behind it. i bet the water jackets were clogged and when i started the motor, it was only idling so there was not much pressure to blast through it. i bet when i hit the gas and got the pump really spinning, it probably cleared some things up. so my plan tomorrow is to run some flush through the whole system. probably do it twice, then put the thermo back in and see if that was the problem. ill keep you updated on that.

i did run into a lil snag the other day.... i got stranded on the freeway! motor just slowed down like it went into limp mode. so i pulled to the shoulder and thats when it just quit. to keep the story short, my gauge wasnt showing any fuel pressure with key on. so thats where i started. come to find out i didnt tie off a few wires good enough and the fell onto the exhaust mani, melted and shorted out my oil pressure/fuel switch unit which also blew a fuse on the old fuse box. i had some e-tape in the truck, got them off the exhaust, popped in a spare fuse and i was on my way in 5 min. lol. that was interesting to say the least.

the exhaust is directly under the cab and is waaaay to drony so it needs to be moved back. but im sick of crawling in and out to fab it up. so ill be taking it to a shop on monday. other than that, ill be doing the finishing touches to clean up the compartment and im ready to move on to the tranny swap.