Nothing wrong with swapping an LS into a vehicle that wasn't originally equipped with it, and tossing on a carb. I've done it.

Buying a truck with one of the most common, cheapest, and easily replaced EFI systems on it and tossing on a carb because your cam sensor went bad just seems wrong to me. Imagine working at a dealership when someone walks in. Wants to buy a brand new shiny truck. They ask how long the warranty is, and say when its up they're just going to toss a carburetor on it.

 

 

I feel like the statement "he took it to the shop" pretty much sums up why it was 500 to fix it. I'm fairly new to the LS world and I think these are one of the simplest motors to work with INCLUDING the EFI. I have had no issues whatsoever. If you have the ability to swap out a carb and remove all the electronics then you'll be able to diagnose simple electronic problems with these motors without ending up at a shop. If this was a motor swap going in a 70 chevelle then I'd say swap a carb if you want but like JoeNova said, no need to reinvent the wheel on a truck that's already all set up with it.

 

Very true! Had I known what to do I would have worked on it myself, but I had no clue. Turn the key to on and zero things turn on. No lights, no ignition, no gauges, nothing. So call the shop and have them fix it. I probably need to just bight the bullet and learn how to diagnose these things. Probably wouldn't take much to do it...

 

That sounded more like an ignition switch issue which could effect any car, regardless of EFI or not. I vote stay EFI... get a handheld OBD2 scanner and whatever codes come up, the awesome world of LS1Tech can help you figure out pretty much anything. I don't think you'll ever look back.

 

I agree with this. OP, tell us what the shop in question actually did, parts and labor wise. It would clear a few things up in a hurry.

 

Honestly have no clue what they did. The first thing I did was swap out the battery for one that we knew was good. Nothing changed so my dad called the dealership and told them to come get it and fix it. I never asked what it was after that, just figured it was electrical. Sorry to not be more specific.

 

I'm currently "shopping" and looking at trucks online. I need to grab a scanner of some sort and start going on test drives. I'm perfectly happy to keep EFI if it is working fine, just wanted a backup option if it was going to be a pita. Plus I like carbs, they are easy. A vacuum gauge and a screw driver will keep you running forever.

 

The carb might be that simple but the ignition isn't and the ignition and injectors use the same sensors to work so unless you're going to the old points style ignition you really aren't getting away from the electronics.

 

I'm not buying this "easy to work on" BS. From the people I talk to the the average mechanic can't diagnosis these things either. They just easter egg the problem, start swapping parts and hope they pick a winner.

My 84 year old mom's PT Loser had trouble starting at times. 3 trips to the mechanic and one new computer later they finally get around to replacing the cam sensor pigtail. $1800 in all, a hell of a lot more than a carb swap would have been. I was tempted to drive the 1200 miles just to save her the misery of a mechanic. ****, I think my Mom could have swapped in the carb.

My Tacoma with 168K mile starts cutting out on the way to work on freeway in the middle of a flipping blizzard. CEL light blinking, engine shuddering. Pull over, hook up the code reader and nothing. No codes. Restart the engine and it runs fine. Spend the next month checking EGR valves, MAF sensors, MAP sensor, plugs, wires, you name it, the whole time the problem comes back randomly threatening to strand me somewhere. Buy a new car cause I figure it is time anyway. When the snow finally stops I pull the top end apart, clean everything, replace all the gaskets and hardened fuel injector O Rings and wadda know, I must have picked a winner cause it worked after that.

No codes. Ever.

Nope, not like a carb at all. Hah.

I agree, seems extreme to pull the whole system but when did you guys turn into a bunch of fan boy purists? Shouldn't you be on a BMW forum castigating people for using something other than German made oil? Give the guy the information he wants and let him make the decision.

You know what, I might put a carb on the wife's minivan just to **** you guys off. I'm thinking Strombergs. Something old school.

 

Knock yourself out. Have fun, and keep the spray can of Gumout handy! It's your headache.....

 

Rest assured, these systems are different than the other stuff out there. No phantom electrical problems or gremlins. That's the basis of what this thread turned into anyway. There were certainly some helpful posts on this thread but plenty of just saying it's a stupid idea also. Seems there is a lot of hatred for carbs... probably just ignorance and not knowing how to work on them. Even the best systems suck if you don't know what you are doing.

 

I don't hate carbs, if this was a swap I'd say do it. But these trucks are super simple they are about as bare bones as an efi system can get. If you ever have any issues just take it to Autozone have them scan it and the codes should give you an idea of what the issue could be. But again these trucks are pretty damn reliable so the only thing I can see failing will be o2 sensors that cost like $25. I've owned 4 of trucks in the year range your looking for and out well over 200k on all of them and never had any efi related issues. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how reliable and easy to maintain your new truck is going to be.

 

Just to be clear, I have no dislike of carbs either. But I AM aware of their limitations. If I were doing a pre-'75 Chevy and am using a small block, I doubt I would even bother converting it to EFI. Or I might! But not that big a deal. I just object to converting an OEM injection system that is proven very trouble-free to something much cruder and less efficient.
There's my .02. Have a great evening, y'all!

 

I'm back...

So I'm now kind of shopping for a 99-02 Chevy... and am finding a lot of V6's. Are these significantly different than the V8 engines (beside 2 cylinders)? Are the electronics the same and just as reliable as the ls engines? Are they an ls engine? Any dependability issues associated with them like weak bottom ends or anything?

If I'm going to jump into electronic performance scene I want to make sure I'm not starting with lemons...

 

The V6 is still a derivative of the Gen I (305, 350, etc ) group of engines. Solid, but not much power. Their bottom ends are as good as the V8's they're based on. I would think the electronics are different, as they are a TBI setup, unless I'm mistaken.

 

So they are a different animal than the v8's of the same era. Basically the same as the previous TBI small blocks?

 

Like I said, not sure on the TBI part, but the V6 is based on the old small block.

 

Ya they are a little more problem prone.

 

Wouldn't run because of a cam sensor pigtail? You'll have the same issue with a carb on an LS. The ignition boxes all require a cam sensor.

So you took the top apart, cleaned it, and replaced O-rings/gaskets and it worked?

Yeah, those both sound exactly like issues you would have with a carb as well.