L94 to L96 engine swap

[davebarky]

Looking for advice, the engine in my 2012 Denali has had a few problems over the years and has recently developed a tap in the bottom. We suspect a cracked piston or wrist pin issue. I’ve also had AFM related issues a few times. I’m thinking about replacing it wit an L96 truck engine. I realize that it’s a bit heavier and down on peak power by 40 horsepower, but this is a grocery getter, daily driver. I have some other vehicles with iron block 6.0 engines and have found them to be tough and reliable. Regular gas is a plus also. Aside from a tune, does anyone know if there will be any other issues with this?

 

[Doubeleive]

Looking for advice, the engine in my 2012 Denali has had a few problems over the years and has recently developed a tap in the bottom. We suspect a cracked piston or wrist pin issue. I’ve also had AFM related issues a few times. I’m thinking about replacing it wit an L96 truck engine. I realize that it’s a bit heavier and down on peak power by 40 horsepower, but this is a grocery getter, daily driver. I have some other vehicles with iron block 6.0 engines and have found them to be tough and reliable. Regular gas is a plus also. Aside from a tune, does anyone know if there will be any other issues with this?

your 2012 should already have a L96, previous years 07-09 I believe were the L94

 

[davebarky]

your 2012 should already have a L96, previous years 07-09 I believe were the L94

My 2012 1500XL Denali has a L94 aluminum block 6.2 with AFM/DOD and VVT. Uses premium fuel.
The L96 is an iron block 6.0 with VVT but no AFM, regular gas. They’re found in 2010-17 2500 and 3500 trucks and vans. I’m wondering if anyone has tried this swap and had problems.

 

[davebarky]

My 2012 1500XL Denali has a L94 aluminum block 6.2 with AFM/DOD and VVT. Uses premium fuel.
The L96 is an iron block 6.0 with VVT but no AFM, regular gas. They’re found in 2010-17 2500 and 3500 trucks and vans. I’m wondering if anyone has tried this swap and had problems.

The engine you’re thinking of in the earlier Denali is the L92.

 

[Doubeleive]

The engine you’re thinking of in the earlier Denali is the L92.

ya easy to get mixed up lol
as far as swapping goes @iamdub or @swathdiver will know a lot more than me
but I would imagine there may be some differences where the transmission and engine mate up, possibly different splines or flywheel also, existing computer should be able to be tuned for the engine

 

[Foggy]

They should both be 58X crank teeth... You'll want to be sure you get
a GEN 4 not a Gen 3 if you are doing a complete swap.
You will also need to get a "tune"... As the 6.0 is not E85 compatible and
will have a diff camshaft, injectors, etc than your FlexFuel 6.2 L.
the compression is lower as well so you'll need that tuned.
You will also need the timing cover etc since you won't have VVT.
Kinda a pain in the ass... If you are just wanting a replacement motor I'd find
a good 6.2 L94 and just tune out the AFM/DOD when you install it

 

[Foggy]

To add: IDK if the 6.0 has cathedral port heads or square port (like L92-L94-LS3)
This "may" affect your exhaust manifolds, not sure
And of course you'll have to use the intake etc off the 6.0 if it's cathedral port heads

 

[davebarky]

ya easy to get mixed up lol
as far as swapping goes @iamdub or @swathdiver will know a lot more than me
but I would imagine there may be some differences where the transmission and engine mate up, possibly different splines or flywheel also, existing computer should be able to be tuned for the engine

Thanks! I think you’re right about the tune, starting with the AFM delete.
The engine I’m looking at was mated to a 6L90 and my truck has a 6L80. I’m pretty sure the flex plates and bell housings are the same but I’ll verify.

 

[davebarky]

To add: IDK if the 6.0 has cathedral port heads or square port (like L92-L94-LS3)
This "may" affect your exhaust manifolds, not sure
And of course you'll have to use the intake etc off the 6.0 if it's cathedral port heads

Thanks for the input. The L92 or L9H swap was my first idea, but those engines are $4000 and up at the salvage yards. A good L96 is $2500. I'll have to look into the intake port issue. Someone else suggested that I use my L94 heads and intake on the 6.0 block, seems feasible, but that will probably bring compression back up into the premium fuel range. This Denali has about 250,000 miles on it, so this is a low budget project. The vehicle is in great shape, but the engine developed this clatter. What I'm hoping for is to get a heavy duty reliable motor that burns regular gas and maybe drive it for another 100K or so.
The other part of this is my experience with older iron block engines. I have a couple others, a 99 silverado with a 5.3 and a 03 Suburban 2500 with a 6.0. They both run real strong, and seem to have much higher oil pressure than the aluminum engines.

They should both be 58X crank teeth... You'll want to be sure you get
a GEN 4 not a Gen 3 if you are doing a complete swap.
You will also need to get a "tune"... As the 6.0 is not E85 compatible and
will have a diff camshaft, injectors, etc than your FlexFuel 6.2 L.
the compression is lower as well so you'll need that tuned.
You will also need the timing cover etc since you won't have VVT.
Kinda a pain in the ass... If you are just wanting a replacement motor I'd find
a good 6.2 L94 and just tune out the AFM/DOD when you install it.

Update: After reading your comment, I did a little research. It appears that the L96 is a flex fuel engine with VVT and uses the same heads as my L94. I'm also considering a cam swap to bring the cam specs closer to the original L94.
This is starting to look like a plug and play project with a tune. https://www.onallcylinders.com/2018...ormance-bore-stroke-cylinder-heads-cam-specs/

 

[swathdiver]

Looking for advice, the engine in my 2012 Denali has had a few problems over the years and has recently developed a tap in the bottom. We suspect a cracked piston or wrist pin issue. I’ve also had AFM related issues a few times. I’m thinking about replacing it wit an L96 truck engine. I realize that it’s a bit heavier and down on peak power by 40 horsepower, but this is a grocery getter, daily driver. I have some other vehicles with iron block 6.0 engines and have found them to be tough and reliable. Regular gas is a plus also. Aside from a tune, does anyone know if there will be any other issues with this?

Bolts right up, same manifolds, same heads, same intake, same flex plate, smaller injectors and 80 pounds added to the front end for the iron block. Tune it and go.

Use the Hummer motor mounts (25847739) while the engine is out and consider a billet torque converter with the improved Sonnax parts.