Holley Terminator X EFI for LS Engines

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GroceryGetter83

LS Mafia
Supporting Member
Sep 18, 2018
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Meh, I've been down the road of "stand alone aftermarket systems" and won't do it again. I used Accel's system for my LT1 swap years ago now can't get parts or support for it. I see a lot of people trying to justify spending $1,000 on the Holley system but in reality you can't beat the factory hardware for cost, reliability and sourcing parts. I've done a 3 now using a factory ECM and harness for $545 or less. You can also buy used HP tuner packages quite reasonably ($500 or less). Next step for me is likely to learn the software.

1) Junk yard GM harness and ECM $45
2) Learn how to make your own harness - FREE
3) Base tune from local speedshop - $250
4) (Optional) Dyno tune after everything is buttoned up $250

If I was doing just an NA-LS swap, I’d stick with the OEM harness for sure. Rewire and run it.

But I want boost, Flexfuel and at least 600 whp out of mine.

You can’t ignore all the gauges that the Terminator X replaces as well. Wether it be analog or digital gauges, I’d need to spend hundreds of dollars to monitor the car to ensure I didn’t hurt it.
 

L92 OLDS

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 30, 2012
2,872
3,050
113
West Michigan
If I was doing just an NA-LS swap, I’d stick with the OEM harness for sure. Rewire and run it.

But I want boost, Flexfuel and at least 600 whp out of mine.

You can’t ignore all the gauges that the Terminator X replaces as well. Wether it be analog or digital gauges, I’d need to spend hundreds of dollars to monitor the car to ensure I didn’t hurt it.

Just finished the Avalanche project and used the factory ECM. It's a LY6 6.0 with an LSA take off running E85 flexfuel. We added an alcohol sensor in the fuel system and the factory ECM adjusts parameters on it's own.
The truck will run on pump gas or E85. Intitial dyno results with the stock LSA pulley (about 8 psi of boost) produced just under 600 whp. Next step is a smaller pulley. I'll post some pics if interested.
 
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L92 OLDS

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 30, 2012
2,872
3,050
113
West Michigan
Add 1 power adder to that and the Holley is more than competitive. I don't think it's for the basic swap cruiser car, but if you want to go fast or make big power it's really competitive.

How so? The factory ECM and its program can be easily modified. Just trying to save you some hard earned $$$
 

Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
6,057
22,807
113
Louisville, KY
Just finished the Avalanche project and used the factory ECM. It's a LY6 6.0 with an LSA take off running E85 flexfuel. We added an alcohol sensor in the fuel system and the factory ECM adjusts parameters on it's own.
The truck will run on pump gas or E85. Intitial dyno results with the stock LSA pulley (about 8 psi of boost) produced just under 600 whp. Next step is a smaller pulley. I'll post some pics if interested.
YOU NEED A BUILD THREAD FOR THIS.....WE NEEEEED PICS!!!!!!!!
 

Northernregal

Sloppy McRodbender
Oct 24, 2017
3,359
12,826
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Red Deer, Northern Montana territory
Just finished the Avalanche project and used the factory ECM. It's a LY6 6.0 with an LSA take off running E85 flexfuel. We added an alcohol sensor in the fuel system and the factory ECM adjusts parameters on it's own.
The truck will run on pump gas or E85. Intitial dyno results with the stock LSA pulley (about 8 psi of boost) produced just under 600 whp. Next step is a smaller pulley. I'll post some pics if interested.


The E38 is pretty good. I won't argue there. They are not common to find in pulled motors and not as cheap yet. I know you can't do that stuff with either 0411. Might just be up here, but prices for 07 and up motors are still higher. Can you add nitrous control to that motor? How about turbo dome control? If you want to make a badass driver, as you did, it makes complete sense to stick to the OEM as it will be cheaper.

However I have staging and built in bump box with T-brake control, turbo dome and a stage of dry Nitrous that hits on launch and up top, with E-fan control, no different than the terminator x max. I can store multiple tunes and swap in seconds from the Digital dash and log internally from whatever triggers I want on the dash and the ECU simultaneously. Same as Terminator. It's a powerful, flexible system.
 
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L92 OLDS

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 30, 2012
2,872
3,050
113
West Michigan
The E38 is pretty good. I won't argue there. They are not common to find in pulled motors and not as cheap yet. I know you can't do that stuff with either 0411. Might just be up here, but prices for 07 and up motors are still higher. Can you add nitrous control to that motor? How about turbo dome control? If you want to make a badass driver, as you did, it makes complete sense to stick to the OEM as it will be cheaper.

However I have staging and built in bump box with T-brake control, turbo dome and a stage of dry Nitrous that hits on launch and up top, with E-fan control, no different than the terminator x max. I can store multiple tunes and swap in seconds from the Digital dash and log internally from whatever triggers I want on the dash and the ECU simultaneously. Same as Terminator. It's a powerful, flexible system.

I see the value of an aftermarket set up but can't you achieve the same thing with add on controllers? Just wondering. The ECM we used was the run of the mill ECM for the Avalanche. You would be surprised what a good programmer can do. I'll give Baker Engineering the credit here. They even assigned a special set of parameters to the tow haul button so when in the sand it is set up for all out performance. My 442 has the E38 which is 58X and uses the CANBUS set up.
 
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Northernregal

Sloppy McRodbender
Oct 24, 2017
3,359
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Red Deer, Northern Montana territory
I see the value of an aftermarket set up but can't you achieve the same thing with add on controllers? Just wondering. The ECM we used was the run of the mill ECM for the Avalanche. You would be surprised what a good programmer can do. I'll give Baker Engineering the credit here. They even assigned a special set of parameters to the tow haul button so when in the sand it is set up for all out performance. My 442 has the E38 which is 58X and uses the CANBUS set up.

You can use aftermarket controllers, but that adds $$$.

I used EFI-Live prior to my Holley, so pretty similar to HPT and cost almost as much as my Holley HP with the LS truck harnesses. I have poked around and tuned with EFI live on a few vehicles, I'm not a great tuner but I pretty much understand how it works and what can be done with what GM built into the software. You won't find the engine and transmission protection stuff in the Holley setup, but I can run a wide band and log without a laptop. I guess it's the little things you don't have to add to make it work (i.e. wideband, nos controller, TCC lockup, boost control, E-fan control, shift lights, trans brake, bump box, launch control, logging, traction control, etc) that make it cheaper for a race oriented street car.

If I was building a street cruiser that will run a near stock setup and won't be evolving as I go, you are 110% right and I agree with you, gm spent a lot of money developing it so, stock stuff all the way. If you are interested in tuning and modifications are down the road or you are running a power adder, I don't think you can beat the package and the ease the terminator X offers. I would have absolutely gone that way over my HP setup if it was available last year.

And once you add in the digital dash, forget it, a stock ECM tuned setup doesn't hold a candle to what it will do and how easy it is to do it.
 
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motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
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