Scotty,
I have a 2010 GMC Yukon that my wife loves with 180,000 miles. The body is in great shape.
Do you think it would be possible and advisable to put a Toyota sequoia 4.7L or 5.7L engine in it so that we can drive it for another 10-15 years & if possible what does an engine swap cost ?
No, I would not even consider it. You will spend a fortune having to reconfigure/reengineer the rest of the vehicle to work with that engine (transmission, ECU tuning, emissions, exhaust, suspension, etc.). Modern cars are complicated computerized systems on wheels, and it’s not worth the hassle and your sanity swapping for a different engine. At the very least you would want a reputable shop that has done such swaps before to do the work, but this kind of swap is unheard of and why be the guinea pig for a shop.
I didn't even run any numbers but I can GUARANTEE you it would cost at a bare minimum 2 to 3 times what the whole SUV is worth. I'm all about modifying things but this particular swap would be incredibly difficult to do and cost prohibitive to put it nicely.
And then you still have the rest of the GM electronics that can go haywire on you after the swap. GM electrical gremlins are bad enough on a GM vehicle with its own engine (enginereed for that vehicle), never mind an engine from a different automaker.
you would have to rip all the GM stuff out. It would need a Toyota ECM, and a GM BCM can't talk to a Toyota ECM. That means you need a Toyota BCM. Well now your GM Radio, VCM, cluster, various climate and windows controls etc can't talk to anything . So they would have to go. The transmission would have to go. This is actually WORSE than building a car from scratch. You are morphing one car into another which is like quadruple the energy!
Ripple effect on the whole system - what a nightmare.
@mountainmanjoe Can you imagine the nightmares this swap would bring? I've done a lot of swaps, but I'd take a hard pass on doing that one.
OP, let's just say it would be "cost prohibitive". IF you could get someone who would agree to do it (I don't have any idea who would since they'd have to stand behind the work), they would charge a large...not a small...fortune. I would forget the whole idea.
You have an LS-based engine platform. Why not do an easy swap for a newer LS-series motor? Would be WAY more cost effective. Still expensive, but WAY more doable.
I'm sure the cost of all the hours of gutting the car, metal fabrication, research and design , adapting the electricals, building a new harness from scratch, .... well you could probably buy a new Sequioa with that.
And then there would be the years of tracking down bugs afterward! I honestly don't think any mechanic would take the job.
He probably watches a lot of Scotty and wants the reliability of a Toyota without the cost of purchasing one.. He's probably thinking the next best thing would be to just take the old engine out and put it a Toyota engine instead. He probably doesn't understand the complexity of doing so & the high cost associated with such a job.
@mountainmanjoe I wouldn't touch it. You're right that the costs would be insane, especially on an 11 year old SUV. @Pulp Friction I think you are probably right. And I'm glad he asked instead of just trying to do it. Definitely just not something I've been asked to do before. Usually if you have the ability to stay with an LS motor you use it to your advantage to save all that cost of fabrication and labor. That would be my recommendation if he really wants to swap out the engine. Not going to lie though, you would still have GM quality to deal with on the other parts.
If you want Toyota reliability then buy a Toyota.
Like Scotty says, you can spend less money on a crappy car and then have to replace it every few years, or spend once on a good one and you won't have to buy another for a long time.
I hear y’all loud and clear that an engine swap to a Toyota is a no go. Roger that. My next question is are: how do I make this 5.3L engine & the car last forever ? (Cost wise I have a mechanic who does side work for me, and this Yukon was a gift, so I am ok with investing a couple grand to make it last longer..... so what do y’all think? Engine Rebuild? Engine swap out for a newer of the same kind? What about an engine upgrade to the Denali engine ? This currently is a 5.3L. How easy is it to install/upgrade to a 6.2 since both engines are put in the same body? Oh! I’ve also wondered if it’s possible to stick in a hybrid engine (cause they did make a hybrid version of this in 2010, but I’m guessing it’s not that easy )
Ready go !
like Scotty always says: Nothing lasts forever.
You are dreaming with all this engine swap talk. But go ahead and see if you can get a quote. I would be curious.
Just keep adding oil, do your maintenance, and cross your fingers. But I do not think it will age well. It will just bleed you dry.
Just maintain how it is. And baby it to make it even last more longer.
Eventually, you're going to have to give up the Yukon.
Yeah. You should be able to source a reman engine. Or maybe a new Chevy crate motor - Chevy has a strong crate motor program that I suspect has better quality than the brand as a whole. If you love the truck and want to put another 100000 miles on it, that might be the way to go.
Or take it to a shop that does a lot of custom GM truck builds and ask them what they do.
@RyanMinnesota Serious question: are you just hoping that this car will last you forever and you'll never need to buy another one, or that the motor can be made to last forever? If so, just know that nothing lasts forever. Even Toyotas and Hondas hit their end eventually. By your questions I'm going to assume, so I could be wrong, that you haven't priced anything out regarding swaps of engines/transmissions/motors, correct? Swapping to a Hybrid is totally out of the question. Just throw that one out. Now, moving to a 6.2L is doable. I went from a 5.7L LS1 V8 in my 98 Camaro Z28 to a 6.2L LS3 V8. To give you a very, very general idea on cost I used a new crate motor. Here is a link to what they go for: https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/19419862.html . PLEASE NOTE* That price includes NO electronics. That's just the motor. Then you have tuning, module upgrades, fuel system upgrades, rear end upgrades, camshaft changes, etc. On my car, which remember started life as an already-LS-powered vehicle, by the time I was done I had close to $18k in the motor ALONE, and that's with a steep dealer discount. Granted, I have a lot of upgraded components, but you still would be looking in the $18k range doing absolutely no upgrades and just getting the motor installed, the required parts, and a good tune to make it right at retail cost. Do you really want to sink that kind of cash into a Yukon? I wouldn't recommend it.
Probably not 🙂
Yes, if you want a vehicle that’ll be a Pandora’s box of electrical nightmares.
No, if you want a peaceful car ownership.
If you want to hold on to the car, just put in a used engine from a junkyard & cross your fingers.
Whats wrong with the present engine anyway that you’re considering a swap?
It’s just got 180,000 miles. It burns a little oil..... just trying to think of ways we can hang onto it for 300k or more. What do you know about an “engine rebuild” ? Would that solve oil consumption issues ?
Just keep adding oil. Very few guys know how to rebuild an engine, correctly.
This is good advice. Especially if it is just burning a little.
People generally only rebuild engines on race cars, classic cars, project builds etc. It is not worth it for a daily commuter. The cost of labour will EASILY exceed the value of your vehicle. Go ahead and inquire but I think you'll get a chuckle.
A Toyota into a GMC? No. Nobody in their right mind would attempt that.
engine swap
It’s not stupid if it works!
it might actually be cheaper than an engine hoist too
Hahaha precisely! And the kids can go nuts after you’re done with the swap..
That 5.3L V8 has cylinder deactivation (what GM calls active fuel management or AFM). What are you doing about that? I.e. have you disabled it? If you want the engine to last longer, I would start there. We have a comprehensive sticky on that under FAQ.