Sooo i just picked up an ls6 intake. How hard is the install for an average wrench turner? 1-10 Does anyone have a good list of directions? i am swapping my 98 ls1 intake out for the ls6. Thanks.

 

Not hard at all - there's a writeup at www.ls1howto.com

 

Took me under 2hrs... had to drive to an autozone an hour away to get the gaskets But I had everything off under an hour... 8mm socket is KEY. The oil pressure sensor IMO isn't even close and after getting a good look towards the back I find it odd how it breaks so often, but I digress... still be careful

Don't forget to attach the negative terminal when you try to fire up your car AMHIK...

-J

 

I agree. Make sure you get all the gaskets that you plan to replace before you start and everything will come off and go back really nice following those directions.

 

I didnt use any new gaskets. I used duct tape to hold the bolts from falling. You're a 98, so you wont be able to buy an oil pressure sending unit that day when you brake your stock one. If you're real careful you wont brake it. Feel around the back of the intake where the brake booster hose goes in. On the drivers side of the intake you will feel a thing sticking strait up about the size of a roll of quarters with a sensor coming out of the top. The hose wraps around behind it and when you go to pull the intake out it WILL snap off if you dont make some type of effort to miss it. The same goes for the reinstall. If you do brake it you will need a special oil pressure sending unit socket as well. Advance and AutoZone dont stock the 98 part number. If you brake it and you have some time, i recommend getting the GM one and not the borg warner. My new unit reads way too high.

You're also going to need to delete you're EGR. If you've got a custom tune or a handheld tuner like a predator or vinci you can disable the code.

 

just call ahead and have the autoparts sotre order you a oil sending unit... your most likely gonna break it!!

remember its almost 10 years old!! on top of being in a bad spot!

just watch the brake hose.. use ls1howto.com too.

 

Hes a 98 though. I work for advance and i swear we dont stock it for a 98. Now for a 99 and newer we do. Its got a different plug. Its either a dealer item or some sideshow autoparts store. You'll need the part number for that dude if you expect any help. I posted it somewhere a while back.

 

My hose was in front of the unit, hence, I found it really odd that it would've broken. And I used new gaskets because they were stuck to the head, and upon removal a few broke in half. I used clothes pins to hold up the bolts, takes no effort to open them and there is zero hassle.

-J

 

Clothes pins, now that is a good idea. I have been using zip ties, but they are a pain to cut off when you are ready to drop them. I will buying some clothes pins before I do another intake!

 

Best part is, if you have big clumsy hands that don't exactly fit like a glove under the damned cowl, you can easily compress the clothes pins with the points of two fingers, not even the thumb... Got that idea by branching off from an idea Marv gave me (he used sleeves of vacuum hose).

-J

 

here is a writeup i did after doing my ls6 swap. it is especially useful for 98's

LS6 Intake Swap Walkthrough

Needed:
LS6 Intake Manifold (of course!)
Oil Pressure Sending Unit Socket
3” extension
10mm long socket
8mm short or long socket
Pliers

Optional:
LS6 Style coolant crossover tubes
Dremel or other grinding tool

Suggested:
New knock sensors and harness (Especially 98’s)
New oil pressure sending unit
PCV delete or catch can install


Ok I am going to start off by saying I followed the LS1Howto.com guide to an LS6 intake install and knowing what I know now, I would do it VERY differently. I ended up breaking the oil pressure sending unit as most people do and it took me literally an entire day (like 8 hours) to locate and get a replacement.

Coolant Lines
You should decide whether or not you wish to use the LS6 style coolant crossover lines that connect the heads to each other. The absolute best solution would be to use basically a front and a back coolant line and connect them down the middle in an I shape. But I opted to use the existing LS1 style coolant tubes because they will cool the problem cylinder #7 better. It was exactly this reason that I chose NOT to use the LS6 style coolant crossover lines. However, if you just want to get it done quickly and easily I suggest buying coolant crossover tubes from thunderracing or some other sponsor.

Knock Sensors
This is especially important for 98 model cars , you should replace the knock sensors and harness, 1998’s had overly sensitive knock sensors that caused them to detect a constant 3-4* of false knock. The part number for the knock sensors is 10456603 which you need two of, and the harness (for 98’s anyway, it MAY be different for other years I am not sure at all) is part # 12601822 which you only need one of. Even if you’re car is a 99+ I suggest replacing them while you’re there since mine were very rusted.

PCV / Catch Can
This is of course a very debated subject but in my opinion the PCV system on the LS1 is so poorly designed it is worthless, so I opted to cap off all PCV ports and buy the Metco oil cap breather from Speed Inc.worth every penny. If breathers aren’t you’re bag then I would suggest a catch can. The whole idea is to keep oil out of your new intake manifold!

Now that you are educated on the matter, lets get down to business!

1. Start by taking the air lid, MAF and bellows assembly apart, if you need me to explain this to you , you may want to reconsider doing this swap yourself.

2. Now you want to remove the coolant tubes going through you’re throttle body if you still have them (this may be a good time to do the coolant bypass mod!) careful a little coolant will come out.

3. Disconnect the throttle cable and tuck it behind a hood strut so its out of your way for good.

4. disconnect all the sensors on the throttle body and remove it from the car, put it somewhere safe

5. remove all tubes connected to the intake manifold or throttle body, the evap tube (I believe that’s what its called?) on the drivers side has a small white/gray clip that needs to be pushed in to release it. The rest just pull off. You’re best bet here is to remove all of the PCV tubing (carefully) even if you’re not deleting PCV just to get it out of the way. There is also a small vacuum line on the back of the intake on the passengers side that needs to be removed and unplug the MAP sensor and oil pressure sending unit connector (CAREFULLY!)

6. now you want to disconnect all 8 fuel injectors by pushing the metal clip up and pulling the body out. Unplug the evap valve connector, and the big connector for the coil pack harness. Basically anything that looks like its going to be in the way EXCEPT the fuel line going to the fuel rails, DON’T mess with that!

7. now unbolt the 4 10mm bolts holding the fuel rails on and YANK them off, they will just kind of pop off the manifold but be careful. Once they pop off carefully pivot the fuel rails out of the way somewhere in the engine bay.

8. Now its just you and the intake manifold! Remove the vacuum hose connect to the brake booster. Now here is THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP squeeze you’re (hopefully) little hands behind the intake manifold and slide the oil pressure sending unit socket over the unit and get a wrench on it. Once its broken loose you can probably get it the rest of the way out with you’re hand. Now that you have the sensor out the rest is easy as pie!

9. take the 10 8mm bolts out of the intake manifold the front 6 will come all the way out, the back 4 will not. Yes, you automatic guys, the very last bolt on the passengers side is DIRECTLY below the filler tube for the trans (thanks GM!) I had to bend mine about 1 ½” to the drivers side to get the bolt out.

10. Now yank the intake out, you may have to play with the remaining 4 bolts a bit to get the manifold unseated.

11. Now you have the manifold out if you are replacing the knock sensors go ahead and do that now, I don’t recall what size socket they were but I want to say it is 7/16. In my case I also took the opportunity to vacuum some of the crap out of the space between the heads and the valley cover on either side.

12. Now if you are using the original coolant tubes go ahead and grind some of the ribs off the bottom of you’re LS6 intake, it will take quite a bit of guess work, but I spread some brake grease on the coolant lines, fitted the intake, and ground where there was grease on the manifold, worked pretty well! Just don’t forget to wipe it off real good.

13. Don’t forget to transfer you’re map sensor from the ls1 intake to the ls6

14. Now carefully put the ls6 in and don’t forget to put the 4 back bolts in before it goes in! tighten it down and make sure it looks tight, these bolts only need 37 in/lbs so don’t go crazy. – make sure you don’t have any hoses or harnesses under the manifold when you bolt it down, I had to take mine back off because I tightened it down with the oil pressure sending unit connector in the #7 intake port

15. put that oil pressure sending unit sensor back on carefully and plug it back in along with everything else back there.

16. snap the fuel rails back in and pretty much just put everything back together in reverse of installing it.

17. If you are deleting PCV don’t put the hoses back on, run one 3/8” from valve cover to valve cover and block the rest off with 3/8” nipples and of course you need a breather.


This took me a total of about 11 hours over the course of 3 days, but I was going seriously slow, working alone, and had to go on a road trip to practically f*cking Wisconsin to get a new oil pressure sending unit.

Have fun!

 

That sucks and I know how you feel. I could've gotten the gaskets locally but the dealer wanted $85 for them!!!

 

Nice write up Luna.

For everyone, Sam Taylor Buick Cadillac is the hot ticket for GM parts, cheaper by far then everyone else. I'd call ahead and get one anyway.

 

the clothes pins idea deserves some type of award. i suppose it was the southwest virginian in me that immediately thought about using duct tape.

 

Heh it was the West Virginian in my mother that had the clothes pins lying around

 

mine is a 98 and i got 2 oil sending units ( because i broke 2 one with my weiand intake and one while pulling off the ls1 intake didnt brake it with the ls6.. guess i learned my lesson )

oreillys had mine in stock! the second one they had to order.

 

Read the write ups, they helped a lot. Here are some tips for you though:

-If you can get your hands on one, get a 8mm gear wrench. This little tool would have saved me a lot of trouble.

-There are 5 8mm bolts that you can pull off the intake while it is still on the engine, and 5 that you can't. Once everything is loose and connections are done, you'll need to move all five remaining bolts up in the air and hold them while you pull the intake out, and when you put it back in. I recommend getting 3 rubber bands, and rubber banding the 3 bolts on the passenger side together and the 2 on the driver's side together, so that the tension will hold the bolts up a few inches and your hands are free to ease the intake in and out.

Good luck.