Engine replacement for Denali xl 2017

[Stupidgm62motor]

Hi all. Bought a 2017 from a family member. They took their Yukon Denali XL in to a dealer I believe because it was running rough. Dealer told them it was a motor mount and fixed that as well as some other things I believe..cost $6k. (Note I am calling dealer tomorrow to get the full history).

Short time later the lifter went bad and was bent I believe.

I bought it to put a new motor in it, but afraid to trust the newer or even 2018+ 6.2. I have a couple questions if anyone can answer I really appreciate it.

Option 1: buy a 18 6.2?
Option 2: can I but the 5.3 in it which sounds like may not have the issues?
Option 3: the 6.6, but I thought I read issues with burning oil and other things.
Option 4: is there a higher performing engine that costs more I can have installed and programmed to keep existing driveshaft etc?

I have less than $2k invested in really well maintained truck and willing to spend a little more if it is less likely to have issues. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[Geotrash]

Hi all. Bought a 2017 from a family member. They took their Yukon Denali XL in to a dealer I believe because it was running rough. Dealer told them it was a motor mount and fixed that as well as some other things I believe..cost $6k. (Note I am calling dealer tomorrow to get the full history).

Short time later the lifter went bad and was bent I believe.

I bought it to put a new motor in it, but afraid to trust the newer or even 2018+ 6.2. I have a couple questions if anyone can answer I really appreciate it.

Option 1: buy a 18 6.2?
Option 2: can I but the 5.3 in it which sounds like may not have the issues?
Option 3: the 6.6, but I thought I read issues with burning oil and other things.
Option 4: is there a higher performing engine that costs more I can have installed and programmed to keep existing driveshaft etc?

I have less than $2k invested in really well maintained truck and willing to spend a little more if it is less likely to have issues. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

$6K is a lot. It would be helpful to us to know what else they 'fixed' in that visit.

To your core questions though:
1/ Yes, you can do that but you will want to take steps to mitigate the problem from happening on the new vehicle/engine. But regardless, a 2018 motor will bolt right in to the Yukon XL that you have and is fully electronically compatible with it as well. For reference, both the 2017 and 2018 Yukon XL Denali have the L86 motor. The main/rod bearing problems, which you may also have heard about, started with the L87 motor in the 2021+ trucks.

2/ Technically, yes, but A/ It will require a complete re-tune and, more importantly, it won't prevent AFM problems from happening. B/The AFM system can be mechanically deleted with a new cam and lifters, followed by also shutting it off electronically with a tune so that the engine will run properly without it. It would be a shame to lose out on the power and performance of that 6.2 for little, if any, risk benefit. There is no reason why an AFM-deleted L86 won't run for 300K+ miles. I have 250K on the L92 6.2 (no AFM) in my '07 and I'd drive it to Alaska tomorrow if I needed to. I also have a cammed/AFM-deleted L94 6.2 in a 2012 Yukon XL Denali that I consider similarly bulletproof now.

3/ The 6.6L may be the best option of all. There are guys here who have done it. It's a great motor designed for commercial/HD use, but it has an iron block so it's significantly heavier. Look for posts by @L8T BURB

4/ Yes, you can install a crate motor that's had all of the AFM hardware taken out (or was built without it to begin with) and will drop in with a retune. Both GM and aftermarket suppliers offer this option. A call to Summit Racing will acquaint you with some good options.

Finally, any tuning you may need as you pursue any of these options, can be done remotely, and affordably, by @BlackBearPerf - they're among the best in the business.