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Thread: 1996 - 2000 Vortec Black Box to LS 0411 swap

  1. #1
    RIP EagleMark's Avatar
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    1996 - 2000 Vortec Black Box to LS 0411 swap

    I finally gave up on tuning the Vortec Black Box. There's a lot that can be done but so much missing that it's just to hard to develop, in the end and tuning the 0411 PCM I'm really glad I did.

    The swap is not new, I don't know where it originated but Lextech has documented it all. Just give Lextech a PM here and he will send you updated spreadsheets that work like a charm. He will also offer to sell you parts needed and a PCM flash tuned ready to go with no pressure if you just need the files! Stand up Guy!

    There's a good writeup for the swap at:
    http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/12200411.html

    Here's some info and pictures on my truck of how I did it. This is not complete, read the original article, the things I detailed here are what I found helpful if included with original.

    First you need a cool truck!


    Yeah I know it's filthy, we just had a bad snow/ice storm and I decided to stay home and do this.


    Black Box ready for swap. The extra wires you see around the PCM are for my LC-1 Wide Band O2 sensor



    Hardest part is four extra wires needed for Transmission gear selection. You can tap into harness at transmission or behind dash. I did not want to have connections underneath vehicle so I looked behind dash and it was to easy. Need about 3 feet of Black/White, White, yellow, and Gray wire. Slip them through dashboard (out hole shown below of cluster wiring) and out to PCM. Splice into four wires in dash connection, solder and tape, reinstall dash and your done with the hard part one day and can do the rest some other day.

    To tight in dash to take pictures but here's what it looks like. Look at the spreadsheet for the four wire colors (you can see then being pointed at in picture. Blk/Wht, Gray, Yellow and white from right to left) and splice the four new wires into the cluster below. There's no room to pull pins and solder so don't try, just splice as shown below.


    Splice mid wire.


    Make a hole.


    Insert new wire into hole.


    Twist, solder and tape it up. Do all four.


    You can do all this ahead of time and leave them ready for the swap.


    Parts needed for the swap are a 0411 PCM, Plugs and you'll need a few pigtails.


    Prepare the 0411 PCM plugs, take out all wires, clean them up, I used a magic marker to highlight the pin numbers, also lay the 0411 PCM in place and plug Blue and Red plugs into PCM, mark top and bottom before you start pulling blue or red caps and pulling wires. Makes it way easier to get things right first shot.



    Next part of prep work is mark each harness from the four plugs on the Vortec Black Box PCM, if you make a mistake in wiring you'll be glad you did and can go right back to original plug color harness later.



    Remove the Vortec Black Box and lay the LS 0411 PCM in place. The extra wire on mine is because it's a Roadrunner from Moates!

    Follow the spreadsheet! One Vortec Plug at a time, one wire at a time, mark your spreadsheet with each wire done.

    Vortec PCM plug separation and remove colored cap. Remember one at a time!


    Insert first wire into new 0411 plug.


    Mark your spreadsheet!



    Repeat that for the rest of the wires and you should have it done. Don't take off your harness markers or bother cleaning up till it's running and driving and no error codes or issues! I had missed one wire and had a ABS light on, because of the Vortec Harness marked for each plug it was simple to find.

    Other then four pins needed for the trans wires I only had to extend one wire and solder another 2 together. Really a simple swap.


    I'll get a finished picture soon, this is how it looks before firing it up and checking things out. The 0411 PCM fits perfect into the Vortec PCM holder. The yellow wire was to hold the 0411 PCM in place, but if you grind one small spot the PCM the original spring clamp holds it in just like it was stock.

    Hope this helps someone else contemplating the swap. Stock tune runs out of the box much better!

    But tuning now with a four year newer PCM that is way more developed was so much easier, idle is lower and steadier, drives like a factory Wide band readings are more stable, goes closed loop real fast at cold start and saves fuel. Now that I have the tune spot on, WOT is dialed in, I'm working on the Lean Cruise and it has way capability then the old ECM does. I've been running it to come on in town at 30 MPH, but the huge resolution of the lean cruise table allows light throttle to turn it off till you reach highway speed, then back off TPS and lean cruise kicks in again.

    (Need final photo)
    Attached Images Attached Images

    1990 Chevy Suburban 5.7L Auto ECM 1227747 $42!
    1998 Chevy Silverado 5.7L Vortec 0411 Swap to RoadRunner!
    -= =-

  2. #2
    Fuel Injected!
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    This is fully documented as well where the 0411 swap was developed which is Pacific performance forum.

    Best upgrade for a black box you can do,throw in some better springs and rev past 5800 to your hearts content :)

    Now your ready for this
    Last edited by Playtoy_18; 02-07-2013 at 01:40 PM.

  3. #3
    RIP EagleMark's Avatar
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    SUre looks simplar then the Marine intake conversion... isn't there also an Edlebrock MPFI intake?

    1990 Chevy Suburban 5.7L Auto ECM 1227747 $42!
    1998 Chevy Silverado 5.7L Vortec 0411 Swap to RoadRunner!
    -= =-

  4. #4
    Fuel Injected! Lextech's Avatar
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    Nice write up EagleMark. It really is an easy upgrade that works great.

    Jeff
    98 GMC RCSB, 5.0, 4L80e, Moser M60, 4.10 gear, Homemade twin turbo w/Junkyard T3 turbos, 24x CNP, 12200411 PCM.

  5. #5
    RIP EagleMark's Avatar
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    Your spreadsheet files made it SO easy! Yes it's a big and simple upgrade!

    I didn't do a complete writeup, you guys have that covered and I linked to it. What I added was what I found to make it simpler.

    1990 Chevy Suburban 5.7L Auto ECM 1227747 $42!
    1998 Chevy Silverado 5.7L Vortec 0411 Swap to RoadRunner!
    -= =-

  6. #6
    Super Moderator dave w's Avatar
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    I've posted this elsewhere, but when I saw the Marine Intake I thought maybe these videos would be a good addition to this thread.

    dave w




  7. #7
    Electronic Ignition!
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    Looks like this is what I will need to do as well...

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