6.2 swap thread

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Foggy

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Mine has cooled great, no complaints there. My trans temp chills at 129 and never really goes above unless I drive it hard. I have zl1 stall, the mishimoto, and the deeper trans pan.

Stall converter tuning will have a giant affect on the trans temps. Also, I wouldn't look to the radiator to really cool the trans fluid. OEM uses an aux cooler, which typically people upgrade that if they are towing a lot. I would do that.

I've got the HD cooling (KL5 I think). So engine oil cooler and trans cooler in radiator plus the aux factory trans cooler.
My stall is just a redone GM converter with 1800 stall... so less than the ZL one
And I have the B&M Deep trans pan... I don't know if i'm just getting too much heat from the water to air intercooler or what???
But my trans temps (non towing) are higher than they were bone stock.. So maybe trans tuning will help or maybe I just have
something f'ed up in trans maybe?? Since I did it all at once, It's hard to pin point
 
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ls1frc

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I've got the HD cooling (KL5 I think). So engine oil cooler and trans cooler in radiator plus the aux factory trans cooler.
My stall is just a redone GM converter with 1800 stall... so less than the ZL one
And I have the B&M Deep trans pan... I don't know if i'm just getting too much heat from the water to air intercooler or what???
But my trans temps (non towing) are higher than they were bone stock.. So maybe trans tuning will help or maybe I just have
something f'ed up in trans maybe?? Since I did it all at once, It's hard to pin point

I'm not sure, but your trans is a built circle D trans so it's apples to oranges with mine. I am a member of 6l80etuning.com, I pay the $99 annually to access his knowledge.

He specifically mentions if you have a Circle D trans, DO NOT touch the shift pressures. Since it sounds like you were not happy with your tune, I wonder if the shift pressures got messed with.

"From the above you can see I change most pressure values to match a 2010 CTSV. I then add 20 psi to Max Pressure, and set Max Pressure B/Max Clutch to 300 psi. I set Max Line Pressure in gears 1-4 to 279 psi. I max out the last two cells for all Base Shift Pressure Upshift pattern modes. Do Not do this on the latest generation of Circle D transmissions, leave them stock. The latest internal mods only require you run stock pressure. You will need to check with Circle D to see if you can run these values. For downshifts, I add 40 psi to the Power cells only. For CTSV, Corvette, and Camaro Tunes, you can set all Base/Oncoming/Offgoing pressures and Volumes to mirror a 2010 Base CTSV tune see (TUNING FILES). Again, check with Circle D before you do this. You can try it on the G8, Escalde, and Trucks, but they seem to be real finicky."
 
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ls1frc

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Spent a good 2 hours tuning today. My idle/drivability was really funky. I'd get horrible cold starts and random idle surges.

I decided to start from scratch and just copy over every Idle tab table from a stock L94 6.2 tune.

Flashed the tune, truck started right up and idled perfectly with no adjustments.... Tweaked it some and it's driving perfectly now.

I also ordered a 3" Walker quietflow muffler. I am hoping I can pair this with my existing Corsa pipes so I can remove my rusting out OEM 2.75" exhaust.

Oh yeah, spent $150 on detailing polishes/washes/towels. I haven't detailed in years, but it's time to make the truck look as best as it can look. If I am gonna justify doing this 6.2 swap over buying a new truck, it has to look good too lol.
 

Foggy

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I'm not sure, but your trans is a built circle D trans so it's apples to oranges with mine. I am a member of 6l80etuning.com, I pay the $99 annually to access his knowledge.

He specifically mentions if you have a Circle D trans, DO NOT touch the shift pressures. Since it sounds like you were not happy with your tune, I wonder if the shift pressures got messed with.

"From the above you can see I change most pressure values to match a 2010 CTSV. I then add 20 psi to Max Pressure, and set Max Pressure B/Max Clutch to 300 psi. I set Max Line Pressure in gears 1-4 to 279 psi. I max out the last two cells for all Base Shift Pressure Upshift pattern modes. Do Not do this on the latest generation of Circle D transmissions, leave them stock. The latest internal mods only require you run stock pressure. You will need to check with Circle D to see if you can run these values. For downshifts, I add 40 psi to the Power cells only. For CTSV, Corvette, and Camaro Tunes, you can set all Base/Oncoming/Offgoing pressures and Volumes to mirror a 2010 Base CTSV tune see (TUNING FILES). Again, check with Circle D before you do this. You can try it on the G8, Escalde, and Trucks, but they seem to be real finicky."

Do you think that shift pressures being too high would cause all the extra heat.???
Even today on a 30* day, i'm running about 160-190 trans temps while my
coolant temps are steady at 185* ish
 
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ls1frc

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Do you think that shift pressures being too high would cause all the extra heat.???
Even today on a 30* day, i'm running about 160-190 trans temps while my
coolant temps are steady at 185* ish

Yes, pressure needs to be stock with circle D trans. Pull that tune so I can look at it.

That trans temp is too high considering the ambient temp. It was 45 out today. I drove all day today and never got over 139.

From their website

"Auxiliary Cooler You need to install a stacked plate auxiliary transmission cooler (not a tube & fin style cooler) rated for 25,000 GVW. The ideal operating temperature for this transmission is 180°or less. These transmissions have a tendency to run very hot – the cooler will lower operating temperature and recovery time which in turn will extend the life of your transmission."
 
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ls1frc

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Run a few tanks of gas through it so far. No issues other than the leaking radiator.

I still get a very short clacking at very cold starts. It's only a split second now vs a full minute before. Maybe there's still a tiny bit of air trapped inside.

I read that the A/C delco basic filters have subpar anti drainback valves, so the theory is oil is slowly leaking back down over night. I bought a fram ultra filter which has a much better drainback valve. It's nothing like the ****** old fram cardboard filters.

I'll see if that helps alleviate the issue.
 
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ls1frc

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Hahaha the quiet flow muffler necks down to literally, what appears to be, 1 inch or less inside. Going right back to amazon.

I bought another vibrant ultra quiet resonator. I am going to weld that in in the factory resonator location on the Corsa. So it will be...

Headers -> ultra quiet -> Corsa touring -> ultra quiet -> tip

The one ultra quiet got me 80% there. Eliminated all rasp, but it still got a little bit too boomy at 2k rpms which is annoying as a family hauler, so the stock exhaust has been back on. But the flex joint will fail any day now, so I want to be proactive.
 
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ls1frc

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Put the 3" Corsa touring back on that has a Vibrant resonator after the y-pipe.

It sounds a lot better with the 6.2. The boomy sound I had with the 5.3 went away, now there is zero drone. Sounds insane at WOT and just put puts around at lower RPM.
 

1BADI5

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With my 6L80 and Circle D 3200 billet converter, my trans temps run right around 100-110 on the highway.

Around town rumping on it, never goes above 150*.

I have the Tru Cooler and the B&M deep pan too
 
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ls1frc

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Nice. Mine runs real cool too. Replacement mishimoto is here. Im gonna run it. Warranty is not transferrable so that will hurt me trying to sell it anyway.
 
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ls1frc

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Figured I'd give an update here

Truck has been running pretty well. I was struggling with some idling issues, but I think I have it ironed out. The stock 6.2 tune was causing it to surge badly intermittently and always seemed to happen right when I picked up my son from school. Embarassing. So I went back to a bone stock 5.3 idle parameters, and changed just the bare minimum. Added some base idle air and halved the deceleration airflow (makes it take longer for RPMs to come down). Now it's running perfectly (fingers crossed).

I also took off my flex fuel line fittings and added some Earl's conical seals to it. This seems to have fixed any leakage. Pretty disappointed I had to do this though.

Got the new Mishimoto installed and all is well so far, no leaks or orange stains.

My only complaint about the truck is these expensive Johnson lifters are still very noisy on cold start. They bleed down more than any lifter I've used. I am very disappointed because I spent the extra cash for a known good brand. It only does it in sub 40 degree weather and only lasts for a few minutes, so I am just going to live with it. No way I'd pull the heads just to fix that. With spring around the corner, I won't hear it. When warm, they are very quiet and the truck runs great. I added a quart of marvel mystery oil to my crankcase and I will run that for a bit to see if it's possible one lifter had some grime in it or something. I've spent like $150 on oils/filters to try to narrow it down. Once I drain this oil, I am going to run Mobil 1 Extended Performance and do long OCIs and be done with it.

I still need to spend more time dialing in WOT, but man it's feeling very strong. The Corsa definitely picked up a good bit of HP. Even with the 5.5 0-60 time, it would not break the tires loose in 1st gear. Now it will squeal them from a low roll. The stock exhaust was very restrictive.
 

mikeyss

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You may be hearing piston slap. There is a coating on the piston skirts that wear off over time and cause a noise at start up. However, I read reviews on Johnson lifters saying they are noisy on startup. It's one of the reasons i didn't buy from them.
 
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ls1frc

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It's not piston slap, I have that too. That's a hollow sound. This is straight clicking, and it causes it to even misfire sometimes because the lifters are not actuating properly. It's annoying as ****. It's something I will only need to be annoyed about 3 months out of the year. I am still going to send them a video so I have the paper trail though in case I do decide to warranty them.

I wasn't happy with their customer service. Was painful talking to whoever helped me. Kept harping on preload. Thing is these are dropin lifters with .200 travel, preload really isnt' that important. I did .037 preload and .062, no difference.
 
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Geotrash

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My only complaint about the truck is these expensive Johnson lifters are still very noisy on cold start. They bleed down more than any lifter I've used. I am very disappointed because I spent the extra cash for a known good brand. It only does it in sub 40 degree weather and only lasts for a few minutes, so I am just going to live with it. No way I'd pull the heads just to fix that. With spring around the corner, I won't hear it. When warm, they are very quiet and the truck runs great. I added a quart of marvel mystery oil to my crankcase and I will run that for a bit to see if it's possible one lifter had some grime in it or something. I've spent like $150 on oils/filters to try to narrow it down. Once I drain this oil, I am going to run Mobil 1 Extended Performance and do long OCIs and be done with it.
Is it all of the lifters or just 1 or a few? Bet they quiet down after a few thousand on the clock.

BTW- I'm very happy with the Morel's you recommended to me. Very quiet all the way around, even on cold starts. Thanks for that.
 
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ls1frc

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Is it all of the lifters or just 1 or a few? Bet they quiet down after a few thousand on the clock.

BTW- I'm very happy with the Morel's you recommended to me. Very quiet all the way around, even on cold starts. Thanks for that.

Np. I wish i stuck with them lol.

They all clack like first start after a cam swap every morning for a few minutes. My morels were also loud on cold starts and actually did get quieter over time so we will see.
 
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ls1frc

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Relocated IAT sensor fixed the erratic idle. Pretty happy about that.

Basically reads artificially high after sitting with a hot engine bay and just sitting there idling while waiting to pick up my son really cooked it. Leads to a lean condition and the idle randomly dropping then over correcting. Very annoying but seems to be fixed now.
 
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ls1frc

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Relocated IAT
Clean maf
Tweaked 02s to be less reactive on the fuel trims

Rock solid idle, perfect drivability and now better MPG than the 5.3 by a lot. This is my normal drive to the stores, mix of some 45 mph highway and stop lights. 5.3 normally got 13 mpg.

20210123_121933.jpg
 

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