2017 Tahoe engine swap, advice appreciated

[Seanslane]

Don't do the delete then, just change the lifters and the lifter trays. Inspect the cam and if you see any scaring or damage replace aswell. Please buy oem parts, DONOT buy aftermarket parts.

If you don't do the delete you will save money, run synthetic oil you will be fine for another 150k miles.

Thank you. I think that’s I am going to do. I definitely would buy OEM parts.

 

[Geotrash]

Thank you. I think that’s I am going to do. I definitely would buy OEM parts.

Won’t work. The DOD cam has a different grind intone AFM lobes that makes them incompatible with non-AFM lifters.

 

[Seanslane]

Won’t work. The DOD cam has a different grind intone AFM lobes that makes them incompatible with non-AFM lifters.

I was going to keep it all stock. Wouldn’t that be keeping the lifters AFM? Sorry I don’t know anything about this as of yet. I’m trying to keep my questions to a minimum until I know more and can ask just what I need to know.

 

[Geotrash]

I was going to keep it all stock. Wouldn’t that be keeping the lifters AFM? Sorry I don’t know anything about this as of yet. I’m trying to keep my questions to a minimum until I know more and can ask just what I need to know.

Yes. If you want to keep it all stock, then using new AFM lifters and a new VLOM should be sufficient if there’s no cam damage. With cam damage, you can order the identical cam that it came with for I think less than $200.

 

[Seanslane]

Yes. If you want to keep it all stock, then using new AFM lifters and a new VLOM should be sufficient if there’s no cam damage. With cam damage, you can order the identical cam that it came with for I think less than $200.

I’m going to assume there is cam damage. First the transmission went out. So we paid 5000 for GM to put a new one in. Didn’t have the money to fix it right away so my wife has been driving it 15 miles a day just to work and back. I would say it’s been driven 1000 miles with the tick and the idle is pretty rough now. We have my mother in-laws car for two weeks so I’m going to take it apart now. I still have $25.000 owed on this thing. 3.5 years of payments. That’s 41,000 miles. Hopefully just putting it back stock it will last that long. With a 3 year warranty on the transmission from the dealer. I will probably sell it with 3 months left on the warranty as an incentive to buy.

 

[The comet]

Our engine is going out in our 2017 5.3 Tahoe. It’s at the dealer now since they just put in a new transmission for $5700. Then they diagnose the engine .Chevy said it’s a lift arm and needs the whole top taken off to replace it all. Best to just change engine. They quoted me $11,000 for a new engine swap with warranty and all. I live in California and barely making it by month to month. Trying to get this done and move back to Pennsylvania. Anyways. I can do it myself. I have everything to do it with help. My biggest hurdle at this time of a sourcing a reliable engine. I would like to do this only once if luck will have it.

I’m accepting any advice necessary even if it’s constructive criticism. I want to weigh all my options and ego is set aside so I can overcome this hurdle. Life is already tough enough as a middle class worker.

A good friend is an ex John deer mechanic and has everything I need to do this and will help and I have swapped engines before in a 2003 ford 7.3.

Advice on where to get an engine?
Best to buy used or reman?
Any other advice or concerns welcome and greatly appreciate.

Thank you

Get a second opinion!the dealer is trying to get your money and probably misdiagnosed it!

 

[Seanslane]

Get a second opinion!the dealer is trying to get your money and probably misdiagnosed it!

Yea I feel like they would do that for sure. The owner of the dealership is actually my cousins husband. He said it sounds just like the lifter tick. But you are right. Might just need lifters and whatnot but we have driven it like this for 1000 plus miles so not it be cam as well. I’m going to tear into it in the next couple days. I have a few weeks to get it done so I haven’t even ordered any parts yet. We shall see.

 

[ivin74]

Yea I feel like they would do that for sure. The owner of the dealership is actually my cousins husband. He said it sounds just like the lifter tick. But you are right. Might just need lifters and whatnot but we have driven it like this for 1000 plus miles so not it be cam as well. I’m going to tear into it in the next couple days. I have a few weeks to get it done so I haven’t even ordered any parts yet. We shall see.

Keep us posted on the findings

 

[Seanslane]

that's not true, you can get a canned tuner that is c.a.r.b legal for california and turn it off, I have mine turned off (not deleted) and no problem with smog because the tune is carb legal.

Thank you very much for the reply and advice. I am just now getting around to doing this work. The whole C.A.R.B legal thing is something that I’m unfamiliar with. I will need to find out more information before I make a decision on that. Seems like it would be more complicated than just getting the exact parts from the dealer and put it back to factory specs and know 100% that it will pass smog. But I’m definitely not against it if I can figure it all out.

 

[Seanslane]

Does it just need new or rebuilt heads?

Would I need new or rebuild the heads to do this work? I can’t just replace the cam, the valves and whatever else? Will the head have damage or something?