Hey guys. I'm seeking some electrical advice regarding my 88 camaro project.
The situation- I've got a 2006 5.3l engine out of a GMC Sierra going in my previously v6 88 Camaro. I'm going to buy the 4l60e transmission that went with the engine later on when I get the money. Currently i'm working on replacing old parts with new ones while I have everything torn down. Just upgraded the sway bar today. I think I've got installing everything handled and under control except of course the electrical side of things.

See, i'm not building a racecar or anything, just making this car the way I want it to be and part of that is enjoyability of the ride. I'm not familiar with all the electrical parts of my car such as the ECM and interior wiring and stuff. I know I can install my engine's ECM just fine but i'm wanting to be able to keep most of my instrument cluster and be able to get my interior lights and such working fine. I read somewhere that after installing a newer ECM the interior lights and etc. won't work without making the ECM communicate with the old one or some such BS. I think logically all I would need to do is make sure that I have power going to all my circuits in my fusebox and link up the ECM with my gauges but what do I know?

So the question is, will I have any issues keeping my interior workings the way it is? If there are going to be issues, what could they be and how can I resolve them or better prepare for them?

Also, off topic but does anyone know where I could buy a 4l60e transmission that will fit a 2006 5.3 besides autozone? preferably somewhere that won't require a core and is under 1200 dollars? All help is appreciated.

 

Your interior lights require 12v to that circuit.....not sure what you are reading that contradicts. I'm curious as to the use of the 5.3, if you are unsure about wiring, this project may take some time. You need everything to make sure you FI will function, sensors, ignition, fuel pump as I'm not sure what's in your tank. Also, you 4l60e is electronically controlled, so vss as well as tcc wiring needs to be included.

If a $1200 core doesn't please you, do a rebuild by a local shop....much cheaper. I think my Hughes built 700r4 that was fully built was around 1700, although it's been few years now.

 

I read on some forum on how to do an engine swap that in order for me to keep my interior lights and accessories I would have to keep my old PCM and have a stand-alone program connecting that PCM to my new one so that they could communicate. In my mind I don't see why that would be necessary, I think one could just wire the old fuse box up to the new computer and include any circuits that are different between the two, such as TCC or VSS.

 

Paste the link to the forum you are reading that. On your era vehicle, only 12V from a power source to the circuit is all that is needed to make a lamp bulb light. Now about the only thing I can see the old PCM used for would be TCC/VSS and your 5.3 PCM if using the correct trans will work as if it were in the donor vehicle. The old PCM will be useless, I mean what else would the old PCM control at that point?

 

Where is the VSS on a 1988, inside the cable driven speedo? Also, you can buy a stand alone controller for the 4L60E, don't need to worry about communicating old computer with new for that.

 

I was sure his 86' used a cable driven speedo.....I was unsure of the 5.3 engine/trans combo as far as CPU controlling shifts etc. But like you've mentioned, there are many aftermarket standalone units to control TCC. If all is swapped it would work just fine. The only thing left would be linkage, but that should be the same as any 700R4, no?

 

My 88 camaro used a cable driven 700r4, the 5.3 bolts up to a 4l60E which of course is electronically controlled by the PCM.. In the 2006 GMC Sierra which is what my motor came out of the PCM controlled both the engine and transmission. I have the ECM, it came with the engine. So you want to do a motor swap... - Ultimatecarpage.com forums this is the thread that I read the information at. Like I said before, to me it seems like I should just be able to wire the battery up to my interior accessories with the correct voltage and be home free.