2000 LS Engine Replaced Finally!!!

[rebel_69_27]

Well this is the thread I've been waiting to write... I kind of explained in a past thread about my "adventure" but a quick reflection, I purchased the car in about March 2011 2000 LS with the v8, drove it for about a month n a half maybe around 2500 miles the engine overheated on the highway out of no where and ended up seizing... I couldnt justify all the money i spent buying the car so it came down to sell the body and lose a lot of money on it, buy a used engine which i was finding all around $2k with 150k+ miles on it or a new reman. engine that has a 3yr 100k mile warranty for $2900... so over the years between reading and educating myself on here about the car I was buying small additions for it and saving up for the engine with a lot of other things going on personally in my life, but I made it, purchased the engine back at the end of March, and anyone living in Michigan knows the cold weather stuck around longer then normal so between having to move again, me being a single dad of two(one in school), and my car being 40 min away it took a little longer than expecting but have to thank the friends that did help here and there and get their hands dirty with me and most of all to having the best kids that gave me plenty of patience and never any trouble...Started off thinking i was going to pull the engine out of the top but without thinking about the engine being seized and unable to turn the engine to disconnect the torque converter I started disassembling the top and front and ended up having to wait and find someone with an accessible lift... overall replaced the engine, front upper and lower balljoints (from rockauto so well see), the polyurethane energy suspension bushings (the red ones hate all ya want)... grabbed a cai off of ebay, brakes and rotors all around, new starter, fuel pump, aluminum housing upgrade, also had that gen 1 lse bumper but sold it to do the electric fan conversion using the Flex-a-Lite 183 Fan... so thanks to Hite and the others that helped getting me in the right direction, had to take a torch to the flex plate studs to remove it and the converter so had to buy a new connecting plate for the converter... I'm sure there was a few things in between that i might have missed but filled it up with fluids last weekend and started up the first try put the plastics all back on and have been driving it for about 3 days now... Thanks again for everyone that's part of this LS community, now on to the cosmetics...

 

[Right on the Mark]

Good job. It was alot of work but you got it done. You should get 100K out of her now. No better feeling huh? Next get some rims on her.

 

[rebel_69_27]

Thanks, yes great feeling, def. should have plenty of life left now and hopefully reliable, clear cornered the lights today and will be deleting the chrome in the near future, other things will come in time. Have to save my pennies up again.

 

[rebel_69_27]

There are two things I had questioned... 1) I have a check engine light that is reading as fuel rail pressure sensors looked into it possibilities fuel filter which is brand new, fuel pump, or the sensor itself, but it has no hesitation while idling or driving so possibly just the sensor? Or does anyone else know what could throw this code?.... and 2) also here and there I jump in to start turn the key it doesnt do anything, no click, no noise or anything I pull the key in and out and randomly it will finally roll over n start... thinking ignition itself is goin?

 

[joegr]

Exactly which code(s)?
The next time it doesn't respond when you turn the key to start, look at the PATS light and see what it is doing.

 

[rebel_69_27]

Only code that comes up is p0193 and I'll look at the light, I was unaware that light gives its own codes

 

[joegr]

It could be the fuel pressure sensor, but it is more likely to be the wiring to it.

 

[hite337]

Glad you got the LS back on the road! Another one saved from the scrap yard, good job!

 

[qzyl2m]

good job

 

[RigsLS]

---- EDIT: then deletes all that LS bashing garbage above and replaces it with the word "sweet".

 

[frenum49]

I'm curious why you decided to drop the engine out the bottom. Even with the torque converter bolted to the flywheel there is still room to pull it out the top. Also why did you torch the converter studs? A little extra time involved but you can pull the pan and clear a jam pretty easily. Unless you straight up seized the pistons to the cylinder walls.

 

[rebel_69_27]

Well to be honest we tried... and tried... it needed more room than I had to slide the splines out, only other thing I could see is removing the ac unit but to get to all of the bolts it was just a lot of extra work to do and not know in the end if it would still work the clearance just wasnt there at the bottom and I was already as pressed into the firewall as I could be... and then with the converter overall it was the quickest and most convenient I had limited time with the lift access and the core had to be returned in the same condition as the new engine so instead of spending a whole day on taking apart the engine with a chance of it being welded in place and having to put it back together after I was happy enough to pay 47$ for a new plate and torch it out and get all the parts swapped over and new engine back in one day... and the chances were looking pretty good about the pistons welding themselves in place I had a few different ppl come thru while I was working saying are ya sure its seized or even with it seized with a big enough breaker bar still could possibly turn it and on and on and being me I was all for them trying and proving me wrong but never could get it to budge... but again overall time was against me

 

[frenum49]

No question the swap is a huge pain in the butt any way you do it. The only swap I can think of that is worse is any caddy with a northstar engine. The swap I did was an 02 V8. I removed the alternator, ac pump, and both hydraulic pumps before I pulled mine. (this was the worst part) The engine had thrown a rod so the converter came out with the engine. There was room (barely) after removing the oil filter mount. Also had to unbolt the front sway-bar and links. Future reference for anyone doing this swap with a seized engine....You can still get the engine out from the top.

 

[rebel_69_27]

Gotcha, yea all the attached pulleys def were in the way and a few honestly felt impossible to get off but if I had it at my place and had time I would of had to, I luckily got the access to the lift and it went in and out so easy... but a lift makes a lot of things easier...thanks for the reassurance tho even with the converter on, with what I saw it woulda came up and out with the pulleys on if the converter was off

 

[silverbucket]

Where did you purchase your reman engine?

 

[rebel_69_27]

https://engineguy.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=L3900LS

 

[silverbucket]

https://engineguy.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=L3900LS

Thanks for the reply, saw it's on back order, just emailed them. I've been without the LS for about a year bought another car so I put the LS on the back burner, but I think it's time to get her back on the road. I've been replacing other things like suspension, wheels, exhaust, cooling components, did the interior blue led swap that a member on here did for me, replaced dccv, converted front to 2006, now just need to install clock spring and get the engine replaced.

 

[WickedLS]

Hi there new to the forum. I have an 01 ls 3.9 that I acquired awhile back. It had a timing chain tensioner get jammed under a cam sprocket also bent two valves. I was wondering what all special tools you had to buy or borrow?? I just recently found a used motor for next to nothing and I am ready to pull it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thursday is coming up quick!!!

 

[rebel_69_27]

sorry haven't been on in a while so not sure if you already tackled that but honestly the best "special tools" i used were gear wrenches, which came in the best taking the bolts out from around the bell housing. its a very tight space at the top where the firewall is.. Other than that air tools are a plus but not anything really needed... everything else is really a convenience