Alloytec heads

[hobo]

Can anyone tell me if the alloytec heads are all the same? I have an alloytec rodeo and I'm wondering if I can use the heads from a vz sv6 with the rodeo camshafts. Any reason this won't work?

 

[_R_J_K_]

Can't comment on if all of them use the same head casting, but you should pick ones that are from the same engine (LY7, LE0 etc...) as the cams will be different for the low and high output variants of the engine.

 

[hobo]

Yeah I figured they would be different. Plan would be to put the rodeo cams into sv6 heads

 

[_R_J_K_]

Yeah I figured they would be different. Plan would be to put the rodeo cams into sv6 heads

If Wikipedia is to be believed the Rodeo already comes with the same engine as the SV6 - an LY7 engine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_High_Feature_engine#3.6

There will be no difference in head design in terms of runners or combustion chamber, you'll have to figure out if it's actually a difference in cam profile or tuning or a combination of both.

 

[hobo]

I believe the rodeo has no variable cams but the sv6 has phasers on all 4 cams. So I wonder if there is differences in oil passages. I will have to just try and see I guess

 

[_R_J_K_]

I believe the rodeo has no variable cams

If it's an LY7 it will have at least one but more likely both, LE0 only has it on intake and that's the low output version. Variable cams would have been a large part of the point of using an Alloytec instead of just continuing with whatever GM had before.

Maybe you should actually find out what the engine code on the build plate is? Then get the engine number (probably also on the build plate) and see if you can make heads or tails out of those two bits of into with some kind of decoder or info on the High Feature Engine.

 

[_R_J_K_]

This thread will be helpful to you, particularly the comments at the end from Fu Manchu - https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/vz-3-6-into-rodeo-can-be-done.251623/

The thing to pickup from that thread though is that they're swapping an LY7 in and deactivating the exhaust cam phaser, which essentially just makes the same as the LE0 that was in it before. They're not swapping ECUs or looms or changing the tune or enabling any other features either that would get that exhaust phaser going. This means that there is absolutely no performance gained out of swapping just the engine, even if there was some slight difference in cam profiles.

The only cost effective way to change this would be to swap in an LY7 loom and ECU from a VZ or VE and work out the ensuing security issues so the car actually starts, along with the inevitable differences in body and engine looms that won't plug into each other, and then when that works retune so there is actually some benefit above the base 195kw.

 

[rtmpgt]

This thread will be helpful to you, particularly the comments at the end from Fu Manchu - https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/vz-3-6-into-rodeo-can-be-done.251623/

The thing to pickup from that thread though is that they're swapping an LY7 in and deactivating the exhaust cam phaser, which essentially just makes the same as the LE0 that was in it before. They're not swapping ECUs or looms or changing the tune or enabling any other features either that would get that exhaust phaser going. This means that there is absolutely no performance gained out of swapping just the engine, even if there was some slight difference in cam profiles.

The only cost effective way to change this would be to swap in an LY7 loom and ECU from a VZ or VE and work out the ensuing security issues so the car actually starts, along with the inevitable differences in body and engine looms that won't plug into each other, and then when that works retune so there is actually some benefit above the base 195kw.

That'd be VATS mode you're talking about there. Should be able to run the engine in any car if you activate that.

 

[_R_J_K_]

That'd be VATS mode you're talking about there. Should be able to run the engine in any car if you activate that.

The problem is that VATS seemed to be a Delco thing. I don't know what the equivalent would be for the Bosch ECUs they moved to for the Alloytec or who would even do that, or if it could be done with something like a Tech2. Envyous Customs or the PCMHacking forum might know more. HP Tuners might have also come far enough with this ECU that it's possible to do with their software.

The possibility still exists that you could link it with whatever the equivalent of the BCM is in the Rodeo, or that I could totally be wrong and the loom will just plug in.

 

[rtmpgt]

The problem is that VATS seemed to be a Delco thing. I don't know what the equivalent would be for the Bosch ECUs they moved to for the Alloytec or who would even do that, or if it could be done with something like a Tech2. Envyous Customs or the PCMHacking forum might know more. HP Tuners might have also come far enough with this ECU that it's possible to do with their software.

The possibility still exists that you could link it with whatever the equivalent of the BCM is in the Rodeo, or that I could totally be wrong and the loom will just plug in.

Alloytecs have a bunch of different ECUs, LF1s/ LFWs, LLTs and LFXs have E39 Delcos. For LY7s and LE0s, Bosch Motronic ME9s are in VZs, and E77s in VEs.

You'd have to check the loom to see if the exhaust cam phaser and exhaust cam position sensor plugs are available. If so, swap it in. If not, ECU reflash is probs needed.