Disable AFM without Tuning

[travis73]

Travis - I refunded you $15. Enjoy!

 

Adam

Thank You Adam,I am really enjoying the module and have done a review elsewhere on this site.Thanks again Travis.

[Range Technology]

Thanks Travis. We have sold a ton of these over the past few weeks and everyone (including me) seems to be enjoying the full time V8 power.

 

Adam

[1badc5]

I put the disabler on my truck and love it. I have a Flowmaster
exhaust and hated the sound when it ran on just 4 cylinders. How it is nice and
quiet.

I have not noticed hardly any change in MPG running on all 8.

[RVJ]

It would be nice if someone with this disabler knew someone at GM and would take their truck in and find out if the computer could tell if it had ever been installed or not. I mentioned it to my dealer and he said he had heard of it but had yet to discover someone who had used it. I would buy one in a heartbeat if I was sure it would never leave evidence of ever being there.

[Gurrzt]

It would be nice if someone with this disabler knew someone at GM and would take their truck in and find out if the computer could tell if it had ever been installed or not. I mentioned it to my dealer and he said he had heard of it but had yet to discover someone who had used it. I would buy one in a heartbeat if I was sure it would never leave evidence of ever being there.

I am not an expert on anything automotive, but my guess is that if it is "plug and pray" once disconnected there is no trace of it ever being there. According to the manufacturer, you are not altering the stock tune of the vehicle.

 

I still would not use such a unit on my vehicle.

[RVJ]

I am not an expert on anything automotive, but my guess is that if it is "plug and pray" once disconnected there is no trace of it ever being there. According to the manufacturer, you are not altering the stock tune of the vehicle.

 

I still would not use such a unit on my vehicle.

I'm actually excited to see this for sale and want one right now.

The second that I'm convinced there is no trace of it ever being used and no way to void my warranty because I used it, I'm buying one. I have bought the GM extended warranty and don't want to throw that money away. That's why I would like to see for sure there is no trace from someone that has the GM equipment that will find tunes or changes in the programming.

[j-ten-ner]

I've just ordered the Range V8 device.

 

Let's see if it has any effect on the oil consumption.

I think it is an affordable way to try to lower the amount of burned oil. Way cheaper than to rebuild the engine.

 

If it doesn't change the oil consumption it will at least give me V8 all the time and get rid of the switching between V4 and V8.

 

On my last trip to Calgary I paid more attention and could feel the switching. Especially when I was going up and down the hills.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[Service1956]

I've just ordered the Range V8 device.

 

Let's see if it has any effect on the oil consumption.

I think it is an affordable way to try to lower the amount of burned oil. Way cheaper than to rebuild the engine.

 

If it doesn't change the oil consumption it will at least give me V8 all the time and get rid of the switching between V4 and V8.

 

On my last trip to Calgary I paid more attention and could feel the switching. Especially when I was going up and down the hills.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

With all of the information I have read about on this forum and many others about AFM and oil consumption issues, I have drawn my own conclusion on what I have come to believe in.

 

1. Many of the issues that AFM 5.3 engines had, were mainly in the early years, ( 2007 - 2009 ). And one must consider that many more did not have "oil consumption issues".

 

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Avalanche/

 

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Silverado/

 

2. Once a vehicle has started using oil "Gummed up pistons & oil rings" that a tune to deactivate AFM will not solve the problem. Anyone that has researched this to any length will agree. I have read many posts where people have gone to the dealers and had the AFM oil shields installed, drivers side valve cover replacement that did not solve the problem! Do not know if the 2012s & 2013s will develop this problem in the future. I would say if so, it would be very few.

 

3. I am totally convinced that AFM was the sole reason that these engines developed oil consumption issues in the 30,000-60,000 mile range. Evidence in that it involved only the 4 deactivated cylinders.

 

Having said this, I can believe that keeping the 5.3 in active V-8 mode 100% of the time will in fact, keep them from developing the problem in the future.

[j-ten-ner]

I really don't think it will solve the problem. That would be foolish.

But it maybe helps to at least reduce the amount of burned oil.

 

At 1L oil for 1000km (don't worry GM, I know it's normal... ) I'm willing to spend 200 bucks on the Range V8. Considering $50 for 5L Mobile1 it's worth a try.

 

And as I said. If it doesn't change the oil consumption it'll give me at least the comfort of driving a V8.

 

One thing is for sure. I'm not going to shove 5 to 7 Grands down the throat of a dealer (or GM for that matter) on a rebuilt or new engine.

 

I rather take that money as a down payment for a new truck.

 

Btw I just started wondering what a GM dealer would offer me for my truck in this condition...

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[Daryl Z71]

I really don't think it will solve the problem. That would be foolish.

But it maybe helps to at least reduce the amount of burned oil.

 

At 1L oil for 1000km (don't worry GM, I know it's normal... ) I'm willing to spend 200 bucks on the Range V8. Considering $50 for 5L Mobile1 it's worth a try.

 

And as I said. If it doesn't change the oil consumption it'll give me at least the comfort of driving a V8.

 

One thing is for sure. I'm not going to shove 5 to 7 Grands down the throat of a dealer (or GM for that matter) on a rebuilt or new engine.

 

I rather take that money as a down payment for a new truck.

 

Btw I just started wondering what a GM dealer would offer me for my truck in this condition...

 

so long

j-ten-ner

 

 

For that money I would just swap the engine out for a used low mileage LS based engine without all of the AFM garbage in it, but hey a new truck is nice too!

[neilbedwell]

I have a 2011 Silverado Crew Cab w/5.3L engine. Right now I have about 13K miles on it and it burns about 1/2 quart every 3K miles. I took it to my local dealer and told the service manager that it was burning oil. I showed him that it goes from the top of the dipstick to the bottom of the stick in 3,000 miles ( I didn't top it off before I took it in for service). His response "it's an AFM engine, it WILL burn oil. All AFM engines burn oil, but it won't hurt it. You just need to have your oil changed every 3,000 miles, before you have to add oil to it and it'll be fine". Typing this just makes me shake my head. I asked him about an oil consumption test and he said it wasn't necessary - again, "normal". I don't drive the truck a lot, so changing oil every 3K works out to about twice a year. If I KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt that Range's V8 module would fix my oil consumption I would order one RIGHT NOW, but there is no guarantee. I put my truck in Manual 5 a lot to see if there is a difference and it does drive much better, but I'm not sure it's worth spending a couple hundred bucks on it if it won't fix or slow my oil burning. I am still considering it though if I can squirrel enough money away after doing the other mods I am wanting to do to my truck. Suffice it to say, though, the oil burning issues with the 5.3L engines are NOT limited to the 2007-2009 model years.

[Service1956]

 

 

 

 

 

I did not say they were "limited to the early years". What I did say was mainly in the early years 2007-2009. And I would BET, that many more had no issue.

 

The dealer you are working with sounds to me like they have a clown for a service manager!! Most dealers will try to make things right by working with the customer. That has been said many times by people that have the problem by performing an oil consumption test, and going from there. An AFM motor will burn oil and won't hurt it? What about fouled spark plugs, ruined O2 sensors, and more importantly, a plugged catalytic converter? I don't think I have to say how much that will cost you.

 

Go to a different dealer and get the problem addressed right.

[GuyGene]

A rant about all the EXTRA we have to do to get a NORMAL truck:

 

GM - We buy a new high $ truck and have to pay more to get what should be there - a V8!

 

F150- Same high $ for truck, steering problems, drive shaft problems, Ecoboost problems, etc., etc.

 

Tundra - Same high $ Tundra. Yesterday I was at Toyota dealer for our Camry, talked to salesman I know about paint problems on new Tundras. He was all excited about a new Xylon (or some such) coating that really protects paint. I said Great! Toyota has fixed this issue! Included in price, right? Uh, no, buyer has to pay extra for Toyota's bad paint job!

 

Nope, old P.T. Barnum was a bit off. His idea was right, but his math was off - not a sucker born every minute, but millions of US suckers born every second - we can't stop buying trucks!

[Gadwall]

I have been bouncing around the idea of getting one of the Range units. I am leaning more and more toward the V8 mod. My only reservation, is, I am a tight Arse! and the thought of losing any MPG's is sickening to me. However, I am real skeptical regarding the V4 MAX unit and the reviews given are only revealing about 1MPG uptick, at a cost of running in V4 90% of the time and who knows what that will do to your engine long term - scary.

 

So, anybody got any feedback on the V8 module regarding loss/stable in MPG's? I know Travis said he actually got a 1MPG uptick. If I stayed exactly the same, I would be happy to have the extra power, torque and no annoying bumping in and out of V4.

 

Anybody got any news on fuel consumption in FT V8?

 

Thanks.

[j-ten-ner]

I'm convinced of the better fuel economy with the AFM.

 

No way I'll get 11.3 L/100km (20.8 MPG) on the highway in V8 mode only.

 

I just think that the AFM is not sophisticated in design.

I really hope GM will do better with the next generation.

 

so long

j-ten-ner