GM AFM management disable.

[DrB]

Just got around to ordering a chip to disable this and keep in V8 mode. Range Technologies.  Anyone use?  Good company?

Dave..

[M&P15T]

A "chip"? 

Methinks you've done it wrong. There is a tuner and tunes that will add power, torque, transmission shifting, and disable crap like AFM from happening, for virtually every vehicle. 

I've googled what you're talking about. Stop the transaction, get your money back. Then join a dedicated enthusiast forum for your vehicle, and ask about tunes and tuners. And don't tell them you were about to buy that Range Technologies thingy, they'll laugh you right off the forum.

If you're gonna do it, do it right.

Edited January 5, 2019 by M&P15T

[DrB]

2 minutes ago, M&P15T said:

A "chip"? 

Methinks you've done it wrong. There is a tuner and tunes that will add power, torque, transmission shifting, and disable crap like AFM from happening, for virtually every vehicle. 

I've googled what you're talking about. Stop the transaction, get your money back. Then join a dedicated enthusiast forum for your vehicle, and ask about tunes and tuners.

If you're gonna do it, do it right.

We got here inspection for emissions and crap.  Was looking for something simple to do that I can disable easily for the inspection.  I use my truck on the farm, just wanted to do something simple..  Any ideas simple, just pull from port, go get inspected put back in..  I'm a farm owner here.

Thanks..

[M&P15T]

9 minutes ago, DrB said:

We got here inspection for emissions and crap.  Was looking for something simple to do that I can disable easily for the inspection.  I use my truck on the farm, just wanted to do something simple..  Any ideas simple, just pull from port, go get inspected put back in..  I'm a farm owner here.

Thanks..

Most tunes and tuners are 100% emissions compliant. My car is tuned, and passes inspection without pause. And it's super easy to tune a vehicle with what is called a "canned" tune. Plug the tuner in, push a few buttons, wait a few minutes, and you're done.

You really need to join a forum, and learn more about tunes/tuners. You can have more power, torque, better MPGs, a better shifting transmission, and rid yourself of stuff you don't like.

Edited January 5, 2019 by M&P15T

[DrB]

3 minutes ago, M&P15T said:

Most tunes and tuners are 100% emissions compliant. My car is tuned, and passes inspection without pause. And it's super easy to tune a vehicle with what is called a "canned" tunes. Plug the tuner in, push a few buttons, wait a few minutes, and you're done.

You really need to join a forum, and learn more. 

Thanks...  Ask a question here and learn something sometimes. 

Dave..

[M&P15T]

Just now, DrB said:

Thanks...  Ask a question here and learn something sometimes. 

Dave..

What vehicle? Specifics please.

[DrB]

2015 Silverado 4x4 5.3. Towing package... Farm truck.  Not interested in go..go on the road..  In fields and drive to work days.  Dual use I guess.  Just want to disable the AFM.

Dave..

[DrB]

10 minutes ago, M&P15T said:

What vehicle? Specifics please.

see above. Thanks for any help here..

[M&P15T]

3 minutes ago, DrB said:

2015 Silverado 4x4 5.3. Towing package... Farm truck.  Not interested in go..go on the road..  In fields and drive to work days.  Dual use I guess.  Just want to disable the AFM.

Dave..

https://www.realtruck.com/superchips-flashpaq-programmer/2845.html?utm_campaign=product_ads&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=890804&cparam=7147953&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxNXh8NDX3wIViorICh0jrQB1EAQYBSABEgJghfD_BwE

[AK_Stick]

Make sure whatever tune you leave it on when taking it in if emissions compliment. 

 

They are not all so. 

 

Secondly if you’re going to mess with adding performance make sure your parts can handle the tune, and consider that if you do roach something and the factory finds out you’re running a tune, they may deny your warranty. I have personally seen that happen. 

Some of the newer ECU’s can track when they’re reflashed too. 

 

Ive run both over the years, there are advantages to both. 

 

Currently I’m not running anything because I’ve been on a mechanical fuel pump kick. 

[DrB]

Just looking to keep it from backing down to 4 cylinders is all.  Simple I thought......... Lot more to think about.

 

 

[crockett]

I had a Range AFM disabler for my Corvette. Only wanted the damn 4 cylinder bullshit to be off until the bottom-end had a 10k break-in for cams, header and a pro charger. As we all know I never got to the point of tuning it because the pile of **** GM engine was eating 2 quarts of oil every 1k miles from day one.

Anyways, the Range AFM disable device works, BUT it eats battery. If you don't drive your car / truck at least every 3 days, better pull it out every night. It killed my battery on day 6. Either way, if you keep it plugged in, it will lower the lifespan of your battery due to the constant discharge.

Another option would be to wire a switch or relay into the OBD port.

If money is no concern, get a tuner and canned tunes for your stock truck. You will see better throttle response, more power with an intake or better MPG, depending on the map.

Edited January 5, 2019 by crockett

[DrB]

26 minutes ago, crockett said:

Anyways, the Range AFM disable device works, BUT it eats battery.

Thanks. Since it's on it's way I will try it for a few days.  Nice to know that.  Thanks..

Dave..

[RenoF250]

Why do you want it off?  What does it do?  GM should have been able to do it so you don't even notice.

[DrB]

35 minutes ago, RenoF250 said:

Why do you want it off?  What does it do?  GM should have been able to do it so you don't even notice.

Some folks say it causes excessive oil consumption and valve lifter problems.

I paid for a V8 so I kinda want a V8 all times.  Just me...

Dave..

[crockett]

1 hour ago, RenoF250 said:

Why do you want it off?  What does it do?  GM should have been able to do it so you don't even notice.

 

It reduces engine lifespan, because the crank receives unbalanced forces, and half of those cylinders / pistons see more wear in order to make up for the increased load per cylinder.

Cylinder deactivation increases MPG by about 2 miles in my RAM HEMI truck at highway speeds. While that is somewhat nice, it's only about 10%. Factor in city driving it it comes down to only 1 MPG.

That would decrease my monthly gas bill from $100 to $95, big ******* deal, while increasing wear on the engine and taking away from the smiles per gallon when the truck sounds like a ******* fart can every time it shuts off half of the cylinders.

This crap also reduces throttle response, by a lot, which can increase your risk of crashing when you have to get out of a situation quickly.

Bottom-line: it's EPA bullshit, once again, and they can go eat dick.

[crockett]

By the way, in most cars / trucks you can deactivate it by going into manual mode on the transmission. Just click it into the highest gear and it should stay in V8 mode. Trailer tow mode works also in many trucks.

In sportscars you can also deactivate it by choosing the Track mode.

Only issue here, you have to do it with every engine start / going into gear.

[DrB]

40 minutes ago, crockett said:

Bottom-line: it's EPA bullshit

Yep......  That's why I want to be done with it..

[astepup]

3 hours ago, crockett said:

 

It reduces engine lifespan, because the crank receives unbalanced forces, and half of those cylinders / pistons see more wear in order to make up for the increased load per cylinder.

Cylinder deactivation increases MPG by about 2 miles in my RAM HEMI truck at highway speeds. While that is somewhat nice, it's only about 10%. Factor in city driving it it comes down to only 1 MPG.

That would decrease my monthly gas bill from $100 to $95, big ******* deal, while increasing wear on the engine and taking away from the smiles per gallon when the truck sounds like a ******* fart can every time it shuts off half of the cylinders.

This crap also reduces throttle response, by a lot, which can increase your risk of crashing when you have to get out of a situation quickly.

Bottom-line: it's EPA bullshit, once again, and they can go eat dick.

I never considered this. I'll have to look into disabling this feature on the '16 Chevy I just got. Thanks for the heads up.

[M&P15T]

On 1/5/2019 at 5:35 PM, AK_Stick said:

Make sure whatever tune you leave it on when taking it in if emissions compliment. 

 

They are not all so. 

 

Secondly if you’re going to mess with adding performance make sure your parts can handle the tune, and consider that if you do roach something and the factory finds out you’re running a tune, they may deny your warranty. I have personally seen that happen. 

Some of the newer ECU’s can track when they’re reflashed too. 

 

Ive run both over the years, there are advantages to both. 

 

Currently I’m not running anything because I’ve been on a mechanical fuel pump kick. 

In order for a warranty claim to be denied, the manufacturer has to be able to prove that your modification(s) caused the issue. This is law.

If you know of a situation where a warranty repair was denied due to a tune/mods, please share the story/info. As of 10+ years with the Mustang community, where almost everyone tunes and mods their car, there has been 0 denials of warranty repair work due to them. I myself have tuned and modded my car, and there's never been an issue.

Edited January 7, 2019 by M&P15T

[AK_Stick]

48 minutes ago, M&P15T said:

In order for a warranty claim to be denied, the manufacturer has to be able to prove that your modification(s) caused the issue. This is law.

If you know of a situation where a warranty repair was denied due to a tune/mods, please share the story/info. As of 10+ years with the Mustang community, where almost everyone tunes and mods their car, there has been 0 denials of warranty repair work due to them. I myself have tuned and modded my car, and there's never been an issue.

Yes I’ve personally seen a transmission fail under warranty and GM refused to warranty it because of the tuner installed on the truck. 

 

Allison did give me $700ish in free parts when they updated the tail housing to prevent the failure I experienced. 

[crockett]

GM is now very anti 3rd party modifications. The new L5P Duramax ECU was secured against hacking (and tuning) by a Diffie-Hellman 2048/SHA-256 key. For 2 years everybody assumed that new GM engines wound't be tunable ever again. Only recently they found a way into the ECU, by luck for the most part. So far only one tuner can modify the ECU and open it up for tunes. You have to send in your module or buy a new one. What used to be a $500 deal for a tuner with canned tunes, or $300 for a couple dyno runs, is now a $5,000 plus mod.

GM also looks much closer into traces of tuning. While you can keep your unmodified ECU and swap it every time you go in for service, it is believed to send information online through the OnStar system. In that case GM long knows if you modified it, or not.

Also, the transmission control module logs torque numbers, and that gives away any tuning as well. I do know one guy who was refused warranty work on his Dmax.

[SC Tiger]

On 1/5/2019 at 4:36 PM, M&P15T said:

Most tunes and tuners are 100% emissions compliant. My car is tuned, and passes inspection without pause. And it's super easy to tune a vehicle with what is called a "canned" tune. Plug the tuner in, push a few buttons, wait a few minutes, and you're done.

You really need to join a forum, and learn more about tunes/tuners. You can have more power, torque, better MPGs, a better shifting transmission, and rid yourself of stuff you don't like.

I think most can be easily reverted as well, but once they have tuned a car, they cannot tune another car until the first one has been reverted.  They keep track somehow.

On 1/5/2019 at 6:18 PM, crockett said:

I had a Range AFM disabler for my Corvette. Only wanted the damn 4 cylinder bull**** to be off until the bottom-end had a 10k break-in for cams, header and a pro charger. As we all know I never got to the point of tuning it because the pile of **** GM engine was eating 2 quarts of oil every 1k miles from day one.

Anyways, the Range AFM disable device works, BUT it eats battery. If you don't drive your car / truck at least every 3 days, better pull it out every night. It killed my battery on day 6. Either way, if you keep it plugged in, it will lower the lifespan of your battery due to the constant discharge.

Another option would be to wire a switch or relay into the OBD port.

If money is no concern, get a tuner and canned tunes for your stock truck. You will see better throttle response, more power with an intake or better MPG, depending on the map.

The thing with the GM AFM - as I understand it - is it disables the same cylinders all the time, which leads to oil consumption.  I don't know if this was your issue (I recall a little bit about it) but the better systems alternate which cylinders get shut down.  Not sure if the system can be upgraded through a tune or not.

I know of people who deactivate it, then use the tuner to reactivate it if going on a longer trip or something.

[crockett]

43 minutes ago, SC Tiger said:

I think most can be easily reverted as well, but once they have tuned a car, they cannot tune another car until the first one has been reverted.  They keep track somehow.

The thing with the GM AFM - as I understand it - is it disables the same cylinders all the time, which leads to oil consumption.  I don't know if this was your issue (I recall a little bit about it) but the better systems alternate which cylinders get shut down.  Not sure if the system can be upgraded through a tune or not.

I know of people who deactivate it, then use the tuner to reactivate it if going on a longer trip or something.

 

My Corvette was eating oil from the beginning. I had AFM turned off the entire time I owned the car. The reason for the oil consumption was the mistake that I broke in the engine by the manual, against better knowledge. The slow break-in caused the rings to not expand fully again the walls. Hence oil went by, and carbon build up unevenly. Those 6.2 rings need load right away. Should have done a dyno break-in within the first few miles as I did with so many race build engines.

[crockett]

PS: broke in my new RAM really hard right off the dealer lot with lots of varying RPM, up to the ref limiter as soon as the engine was warm. Did the first oil change after 300 miles.  Been beating the **** out of the engine since day one.

Guess what. Not burning a drop of oil and it runs buttery smooth with great throttle response.

Slow break-ins are a thing of the past. They only keep printing this in the manuals out of liability reasons. It wouldn't take long for the first lawsuits to pop up over crashes and tickets with claims that the manufacturer suggested in the manual to drive fast when breaking in the engine.

Edited January 7, 2019 by crockett