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AFM....How long have you ran your Avalanche with it?

What year Avi’s are you guys driving?

I’m completely new to the whole tuner game, so I’ve got some reading up to do.
2010 for me. I agree with bpdutton, throttle response is much improved with a tune. Prior to the tune, if I was going to merge into traffic from a stop I would hit the tow/haul button, otherwise the truck had a delayed response and then eventually would jump to 4k rpm. It was difficult to hit the middle ground for acceleration, at least it felt that way to me coming from my old 4-speed 5.4L triton.
 
***** WARNING ****** LONG WINDED AND RAMBLING AVALANCHE POST

I have a 2010 LTZ 4wd. I am one of those guys that "puts it in drive and just goes". I am 100% stock (down to my 22inch factory wheels, ok I upgraded the radio quite a bit but you know what I mean). I have 82k miles on it and I read a lot about AFM and I am concerned but I will tell you this:

1) I have had no problems with AFM (I can turn the screen on in the driver center and see it switching all the time on the highway , etc) I never notice any lurching, popping, shudder or exhaust note change that many speak of. It is honestly transparent to me.
2) I change my oil every 8-10 months (usually when the oil life meter is till at like 65% or 70% just on time alone). Oil changes are cheap insurance on any motor that uses oil
3) I burn no oil, nothing, nada. I check my oil at every fill of the gas tank and I have not added any oil ever. I do not run synthetic. I run the same dinosaur oil the manual recommends (I am also careful to see it has the correct dexos designation. My local Chevy dealer sends out some crazy oil change coupons so I either have them do it when its really inconvenient or I just do it myself).
4) I am probably jinxing myself
5) I have a ton of other problems (crap power mirrors that break constantly, driver seat that won't adjust up and down, rear diff started popping at 80k so I put a new, factory diff in to replace it, I just started having the gas won't flow in while filling up without clicking off problem) so don't think I don't have issues. I just don't have any of the AFM ones.

I worry that it will happen. I will drive it until it does. when it does I will have the motor re-done and have it done at one of the shops that does the full AFM delete (the VLOM , everything). I would not replace the truck with anything else because nothing else does what this truck does. I wish it was a Toyota for the reliability but.

1) It fits in my garage , I have 219 inches and it fits, barely. Nothing else with a bed this size and 4 doors will
2) It carries supplies for me rehabbing houses great, even in the rain (Love it at Home Depot when I can stack a bunch of 4x8 sheetrock or ply-wood in the back with the covers on and door closed watching everyone else trying to find plastic to cover up the stuff in their truck beds.
3) It is not a great SUV, honestly the back seat doesn't have that much room, but it is still an SUV that seats 4/5 people in relative comfort
4) It is not a great pickup truck, it has low carry capacity and the towing is abysmal at 5k lbs, but it does have a tuck bed, carries stuff and will pull 5k lbs with relative ease
5) It does not get good gas mileage, but it does pretty well. Empty in mixed driving I get around 16/17 mpg. 13 when I don[t pay attention and lean into it at stoplights etc instead of focusing on driving smoothly
6) It is an LTZ and has really poor ground clearance for when I drive off road at my land lease (but I can pull off the front chin spoiler pretty easy and it does ok)
7) It has a single speed transfer case for 4wd and no manual locking diff, but it has 4 wheel drive and a posi in the rear. I have been fairly adventurous but not stupid and it has gotten me out of everything I have got into at this point

I guess what I am saying is that it is not really great at anything but it is pretty good at everything, for me. The locking bed with the cargo covers (still do not leak a single drop for me but I have used the grease to keep the seals supple) makes it for me. It is a mix of things is does pretty well and meets most of my needs where so many other trucks fall short (or too long for my garage in some instances). Would I buy another Avy? Yeah, ok but it needs to be a 2500 4wd in super shape with reasonable miles ( I shop all the time, I can't find one for sale) or a new one (which we know Chevy will not make and even if they did I could not afford it (common, be honest, it would be $60k or more).

Mine is scary clean, always garaged (which explains the freakishly new appearance since initial purchase even by original owner. I am owner #2). I paid south of $20k for mine (it's and LTZ loaded as hell) two years ago with 62k miles on it with new brakes and brand new tires already done.

It dropped a differential, I paid Chevy $2k for that and some small stuff they found, to fix it all. If it drops the motor I will end up putting $5-7k in it I suspect. the fact of the matter is that I own it and it is a nice truck. For me to get a new pickup that will do 2-3 of the 5-6 things I need it to do better but won't do the other 2-3 at all doesn't help me. Not to mention that I would have to pay $60k for a truck nearly this nice or loaded and make stupid payments for like 60 months or more. The Avy is cheaper to maintain than a new one is to own. Don't even start talking about depreciation on a new truck either.

So I will keep mine, look for an Avy 2500 (If I can find one that is not as dirty as a 90's Brittany Spears video) and keep using it. It is the cheapest, nicest truck,SUV, carry, thingy I can afford to own.

and I like it and think it looks cool...

If anyone is still awake thanks for reading my rant... I hope it makes sense...

Lovin' life in Texas

TriCoatLTZ
 
2010 for me. I agree with bpdutton, throttle response is much improved with a tune. Prior to the tune, if I was going to merge into traffic from a stop I would hit the tow/haul button, otherwise the truck had a delayed response and then eventually would jump to 4k rpm. It was difficult to hit the middle ground for acceleration, at least it felt that way to me coming from my old 4-speed 5.4L triton.

See that’s the thing I’m looking to fix. There seems to be (at least to me) a weird “2nd gear” thing with this truck, it feels like it can’t decide sometimes. I have a 2012 with the 5.3, and if I can fix up the shift pattern, and get a good tune on 87 octane, I’ll be happy.
 
***** WARNING ****** LONG WINDED AND RAMBLING AVALANCHE POST

I have a 2010 LTZ 4wd. I am one of those guys that "puts it in drive and just goes". I am 100% stock (down to my 22inch factory wheels, ok I upgraded the radio quite a bit but you know what I mean). I have 82k miles on it and I read a lot about AFM and I am concerned but I will tell you this:

1) I have had no problems with AFM (I can turn the screen on in the driver center and see it switching all the time on the highway , etc) I never notice any lurching, popping, shudder or exhaust note change that many speak of. It is honestly transparent to me.
2) I change my oil every 8-10 months (usually when the oil life meter is till at like 65% or 70% just on time alone). Oil changes are cheap insurance on any motor that uses oil
3) I burn no oil, nothing, nada. I check my oil at every fill of the gas tank and I have not added any oil ever. I do not run synthetic. I run the same dinosaur oil the manual recommends (I am also careful to see it has the correct dexos designation. My local Chevy dealer sends out some crazy oil change coupons so I either have them do it when its really inconvenient or I just do it myself).
4) I am probably jinxing myself
5) I have a ton of other problems (crap power mirrors that break constantly, driver seat that won't adjust up and down, rear diff started popping at 80k so I put a new, factory diff in to replace it, I just started having the gas won't flow in while filling up without clicking off problem) so don't think I don't have issues. I just don't have any of the AFM ones.

I worry that it will happen. I will drive it until it does. when it does I will have the motor re-done and have it done at one of the shops that does the full AFM delete (the VLOM , everything). I would not replace the truck with anything else because nothing else does what this truck does. I wish it was a Toyota for the reliability but.

1) It fits in my garage , I have 219 inches and it fits, barely. Nothing else with a bed this size and 4 doors will
2) It carries supplies for me rehabbing houses great, even in the rain (Love it at Home Depot when I can stack a bunch of 4x8 sheetrock or ply-wood in the back with the covers on and door closed watching everyone else trying to find plastic to cover up the stuff in their truck beds.
3) It is not a great SUV, honestly the back seat doesn't have that much room, but it is still an SUV that seats 4/5 people in relative comfort
4) It is not a great pickup truck, it has low carry capacity and the towing is abysmal at 5k lbs, but it does have a tuck bed, carries stuff and will pull 5k lbs with relative ease
5) It does not get good gas mileage, but it does pretty well. Empty in mixed driving I get around 16/17 mpg. 13 when I don[t pay attention and lean into it at stoplights etc instead of focusing on driving smoothly
6) It is an LTZ and has really poor ground clearance for when I drive off road at my land lease (but I can pull off the front chin spoiler pretty easy and it does ok)
7) It has a single speed transfer case for 4wd and no manual locking diff, but it has 4 wheel drive and a posi in the rear. I have been fairly adventurous but not stupid and it has gotten me out of everything I have got into at this point

I guess what I am saying is that it is not really great at anything but it is pretty good at everything, for me. The locking bed with the cargo covers (still do not leak a single drop for me but I have used the grease to keep the seals supple) makes it for me. It is a mix of things is does pretty well and meets most of my needs where so many other trucks fall short (or too long for my garage in some instances). Would I buy another Avy? Yeah, ok but it needs to be a 2500 4wd in super shape with reasonable miles ( I shop all the time, I can't find one for sale) or a new one (which we know Chevy will not make and even if they did I could not afford it (common, be honest, it would be $60k or more).

Mine is scary clean, always garaged (which explains the freakishly new appearance since initial purchase even by original owner. I am owner #2). I paid south of $20k for mine (it's and LTZ loaded as hell) two years ago with 62k miles on it with new brakes and brand new tires already done.

It dropped a differential, I paid Chevy $2k for that and some small stuff they found, to fix it all. If it drops the motor I will end up putting $5-7k in it I suspect. the fact of the matter is that I own it and it is a nice truck. For me to get a new pickup that will do 2-3 of the 5-6 things I need it to do better but won't do the other 2-3 at all doesn't help me. Not to mention that I would have to pay $60k for a truck nearly this nice or loaded and make stupid payments for like 60 months or more. The Avy is cheaper to maintain than a new one is to own. Don't even start talking about depreciation on a new truck either.

So I will keep mine, look for an Avy 2500 (If I can find one that is not as dirty as a 90's Brittany Spears video) and keep using it. It is the cheapest, nicest truck,SUV, carry, thingy I can afford to own.

and I like it and think it looks cool...

If anyone is still awake thanks for reading my rant... I hope it makes sense...

Lovin' life in Texas

TriCoatLTZ
 
See that’s the thing I’m looking to fix. There seems to be (at least to me) a weird “2nd gear” thing with this truck, it feels like it can’t decide sometimes. I have a 2012 with the 5.3, and if I can fix up the shift pattern, and get a good tune on 87 octane, I’ll be happy.
The Diablosport 8245 + Diablewtune absolutely cured this for me. I run an 87 tune. It also fixed the shift pattern where on cruise control going uphill and it can't maintain the speed in 6th gear, it will skip 5th & 4th gears and downshift all the way to 3rd.

 
The Diablosport 8245 + Diablewtune absolutely cured this for me. I run an 87 tune. It also fixed the shift pattern where on cruise control going uphill and it can't maintain the speed in 6th gear, it will skip 5th & 4th gears and downshift all the way to 3rd.


Interesting. So you got the tuner, then had a custom program designed for your driving habits/style?

The up hill shifting pattern is another annoyance that I dislike, especially when towing. Did it fix that on yours while towing? Or just the truck by itself?

I live in AZ at an altitude of 5k feet, and frequently tow my side-buh-side up to 8k and down to 1k, and back again. My 2012 LTZ has the towing pkg on it, so I’m able to tow up to 7900lbs, but the shifting still sucks.

If these tuners can fix these things all while running 87 octane (no need for premium at these altitudes), then I’m sold.
 
Interesting. So you got the tuner, then had a custom program designed for your driving habits/style?

The up hill shifting pattern is another annoyance that I dislike, especially when towing. Did it fix that on yours while towing? Or just the truck by itself?

I live in AZ at an altitude of 5k feet, and frequently tow my side-buh-side up to 8k and down to 1k, and back again. My 2012 LTZ has the towing pkg on it, so I’m able to tow up to 7900lbs, but the shifting still sucks.

If these tuners can fix these things all while running 87 octane (no need for premium at these altitudes), then I’m sold.
Yep. You buy the tuner and flash with one of the Diablosport stock tunes (I used 87). Then you drive for at least 150+ miles over several days to let the ECM/TCM relearn. Then you data log (through the tuner) steady driving for 2-3 minutes and send to Lew. Lew then uses this data to create a custom tune. You flash the custom tunes (both engine and transmission, they are separate tune files) back to the truck. Repeat the 150+ miles over several days. Then you data log a wide open throttle run, and he customizes the tune further. Then you reflash again with the adjustments made for WOT.

It is a different truck. In a fantastic way. I have no doubt it would help dramatically with the shift patterns while towing.
 
Yep. You buy the tuner and flash with one of the Diablosport stock tunes (I used 87). Then you drive for at least 150+ miles over several days to let the ECM/TCM relearn. Then you data log (through the tuner) steady driving for 2-3 minutes and send to Lew. Lew then uses this data to create a custom tune. You flash the custom tunes (both engine and transmission, they are separate tune files) back to the truck. Repeat the 150+ miles over several days. Then you data log a wide open throttle run, and he customizes the tune further. Then you reflash again with the adjustments made for WOT.

It is a different truck. In a fantastic way. I have no doubt it would help dramatically with the shift patterns while towing.

How was the stock 87 tune on the Diablo?
Can the Diablo flash back your factory tune if you needed too? (Like if you sell the truck)
 
How was the stock 87 tune on the Diablo?
Can the Diablo flash back your factory tune if you needed too? (Like if you sell the truck)
It was better, but did not solve the shift patterns for me.
Yes, you can return to stock at any time, and or flash back and forth from stock to Diablo to Diablew tunes whenever. The refurbished tuners on ebay can be resold at about the same as the purchase price too.
 
***** WARNING ****** LONG WINDED AND RAMBLING AVALANCHE POST

I have a 2010 LTZ 4wd. I am one of those guys that "puts it in drive and just goes". I am 100% stock (down to my 22inch factory wheels, ok I upgraded the radio quite a bit but you know what I mean). I have 82k miles on it and I read a lot about AFM and I am concerned but I will tell you this:

1) I have had no problems with AFM (I can turn the screen on in the driver center and see it switching all the time on the highway , etc) I never notice any lurching, popping, shudder or exhaust note change that many speak of. It is honestly transparent to me.
2) I change my oil every 8-10 months (usually when the oil life meter is till at like 65% or 70% just on time alone). Oil changes are cheap insurance on any motor that uses oil
3) I burn no oil, nothing, nada. I check my oil at every fill of the gas tank and I have not added any oil ever. I do not run synthetic. I run the same dinosaur oil the manual recommends (I am also careful to see it has the correct dexos designation. My local Chevy dealer sends out some crazy oil change coupons so I either have them do it when its really inconvenient or I just do it myself).
4) I am probably jinxing myself
5) I have a ton of other problems (crap power mirrors that break constantly, driver seat that won't adjust up and down, rear diff started popping at 80k so I put a new, factory diff in to replace it, I just started having the gas won't flow in while filling up without clicking off problem) so don't think I don't have issues. I just don't have any of the AFM ones.

I worry that it will happen. I will drive it until it does. when it does I will have the motor re-done and have it done at one of the shops that does the full AFM delete (the VLOM , everything). I would not replace the truck with anything else because nothing else does what this truck does. I wish it was a Toyota for the reliability but.

1) It fits in my garage , I have 219 inches and it fits, barely. Nothing else with a bed this size and 4 doors will
2) It carries supplies for me rehabbing houses great, even in the rain (Love it at Home Depot when I can stack a bunch of 4x8 sheetrock or ply-wood in the back with the covers on and door closed watching everyone else trying to find plastic to cover up the stuff in their truck beds.
3) It is not a great SUV, honestly the back seat doesn't have that much room, but it is still an SUV that seats 4/5 people in relative comfort
4) It is not a great pickup truck, it has low carry capacity and the towing is abysmal at 5k lbs, but it does have a tuck bed, carries stuff and will pull 5k lbs with relative ease
5) It does not get good gas mileage, but it does pretty well. Empty in mixed driving I get around 16/17 mpg. 13 when I don[t pay attention and lean into it at stoplights etc instead of focusing on driving smoothly
6) It is an LTZ and has really poor ground clearance for when I drive off road at my land lease (but I can pull off the front chin spoiler pretty easy and it does ok)
7) It has a single speed transfer case for 4wd and no manual locking diff, but it has 4 wheel drive and a posi in the rear. I have been fairly adventurous but not stupid and it has gotten me out of everything I have got into at this point

I guess what I am saying is that it is not really great at anything but it is pretty good at everything, for me. The locking bed with the cargo covers (still do not leak a single drop for me but I have used the grease to keep the seals supple) makes it for me. It is a mix of things is does pretty well and meets most of my needs where so many other trucks fall short (or too long for my garage in some instances). Would I buy another Avy? Yeah, ok but it needs to be a 2500 4wd in super shape with reasonable miles ( I shop all the time, I can't find one for sale) or a new one (which we know Chevy will not make and even if they did I could not afford it (common, be honest, it would be $60k or more).

Mine is scary clean, always garaged (which explains the freakishly new appearance since initial purchase even by original owner. I am owner #2). I paid south of $20k for mine (it's and LTZ loaded as hell) two years ago with 62k miles on it with new brakes and brand new tires already done.

It dropped a differential, I paid Chevy $2k for that and some small stuff they found, to fix it all. If it drops the motor I will end up putting $5-7k in it I suspect. the fact of the matter is that I own it and it is a nice truck. For me to get a new pickup that will do 2-3 of the 5-6 things I need it to do better but won't do the other 2-3 at all doesn't help me. Not to mention that I would have to pay $60k for a truck nearly this nice or loaded and make stupid payments for like 60 months or more. The Avy is cheaper to maintain than a new one is to own. Don't even start talking about depreciation on a new truck either.

So I will keep mine, look for an Avy 2500 (If I can find one that is not as dirty as a 90's Brittany Spears video) and keep using it. It is the cheapest, nicest truck,SUV, carry, thingy I can afford to own.

and I like it and think it looks cool...

If anyone is still awake thanks for reading my rant... I hope it makes sense...

Lovin' life in Texas

TriCoatLTZ
Mine is also a 2010 LTZ, I love it and I wouldn't even trade it for a brand new truck, like you said, It does more and is comfortable enough that I can take it on vacation if I want. I have every option available except for electric running boards and you can't even buy a brand new LTZ truck with all the options these have.
 
I used the Diablo Predator 2 on mine, it was about $395.00 with tax and all. I've been playing with it for a couple of weeks and it's Great. There is so much you can do with it, I'm still working on getting the perfect setup and I'll post on here what I think others might want to do with their own tunner. We have a few people on here that have the same tunner as mine. That's why I went with the Diablo Predator 2 and the reviews on it were better than any other one that I looked at.
What would be better getting a tuner or having someone tune it with a labtop?
 
What would be better getting a tuner or having someone tune it with a labtop?
The only bad thing about tuning it with a laptop is...the only person who can access or do anything different to the tune is the person who purchased the program on their laptop, with the Predator you can set the truck up the way you want it and if you decide to go back to the factory settings you can do that. I have done so many different things with it on my truck. If I was to ever sell it I would definitely have to put it back to stock. I've tuned it for 93 octane gas, adjusted my transmission pressure, reset all the shifting patterns and deleted the AFM. It would cost you more to take it to someone and have them buy the different programs and install them than you would spend on the Predator.
 
YEs... but with AFM... the damage is severe and a programmer to turn off is so cheap relative to a new motor...

and what real benefit do you get from AFM... maybe 1 mpg better on highway?
Doubt it helps much in City...

Did they not learn about this back when they called it DOD DIsplacement on Demand.... was garbage then too.

Issue is the lifter is powered by engine oil which is fine when clean but it gets dirty. pressure changes, Lifter gets sticky...
Just something I would take care of first if I had that in my truck.

Just read to yesterday day a member tearing apart his engine since it started to run bad and then give misfires and all sorts of grief.

the dreaded PO307 and stabilitrak issues on my 2008 | Chevy Avalanche Fan Club of North America


Another I just read now:
I have white exhaust smoke | Chevy Avalanche Fan Club of North America

I dunno... AFM scares me a lot since it is a design thing.... and nothing you can do but delete it.


yeah that is my avy, little back story I have known about the AFM issues for a few years now I have a 2010 Suburban with it and it started having issues right after we got it (used) it had around 125,000 miles on it and it was using oil like crazy so I started investigating and did the valve cover update and installed a Range AFM disabler since then the Suburban hasn't really had any more issues, it uses oil like crazy now but that is due to oil leaks since it now has almost 400,000 miles on it, we have the oil changed in it when the oil life gets down to 25% or so and have been using Valvoline semi synthetic high mileage in it every change.

When I bought my 08 Avy I already knew what I was getting into with the AFM system. what I did not expect was it to fail, I got a superchips flashpaq to disable the AFM and it was disabled when the failure happened. I had planned on doing the cam and lifter delete but I was waiting to to it this spring/summer when the weather warmed up. I had only owned the Avy for 3 months! now when I got the Avy it showed no signs of any issues with the AFM system, I got the programmer for a couple of reasons, to disable the AFM and avoid the lifter failure issue and to run a better towing tune when I pull my camper I hated the damn down shift when climbing hills..

Only history I had on the truck was what the owner told me along with some records the previous owner had from the original owner. when I finally gave up and tore into the motor after the failure I found something interesting the oil galleys for the #7 cylinder were dry, the other 3 cylinders had oil standing in them. also the lifter didn't stick collapsed it was fully extended it had spun in the bore wiping out the lifter roller and camshaft. IOW that lifter was doomed I believe something happened in the VLOM solenoid. and as far as the rest of the engine goes I was actually surprised at how clean it was! one other thing to note the VLOM oil system has a more screens in it further down the line so it could have been a plugged screen on #7.

looking back I wouldn't change anything except for the timing of the failure I froze my arse off working on that damn engine! I love my Avalanche and have made up my mind that if this engine does go out in the future I will rebuild or drop in a crate motor in it.

my advise is if you dont have any issues yet get the AFM disabler or a programmer and do away with the afm system, I highly reccomend the programmer route even if your not mechanically inclined it is very easy to do plus the added benefits of being able to change the tune in a few minutes makes it worth while.
BTW I found my tuner on Ebay it was a factory refurbished unit for a lot less than a new one and around the same as the Range AFM disabler.
 
yeah that is my avy, little back story I have known about the AFM issues for a few years now I have a 2010 Suburban with it and it started having issues right after we got it (used) it had around 125,000 miles on it and it was using oil like crazy so I started investigating and did the valve cover update and installed a Range AFM disabler since then the Suburban hasn't really had any more issues, it uses oil like crazy now but that is due to oil leaks since it now has almost 400,000 miles on it, we have the oil changed in it when the oil life gets down to 25% or so and have been using Valvoline semi synthetic high mileage in it every change.

When I bought my 08 Avy I already knew what I was getting into with the AFM system. what I did not expect was it to fail, I got a superchips flashpaq to disable the AFM and it was disabled when the failure happened. I had planned on doing the cam and lifter delete but I was waiting to to it this spring/summer when the weather warmed up. I had only owned the Avy for 3 months! now when I got the Avy it showed no signs of any issues with the AFM system, I got the programmer for a couple of reasons, to disable the AFM and avoid the lifter failure issue and to run a better towing tune when I pull my camper I hated the damn down shift when climbing hills..

Only history I had on the truck was what the owner told me along with some records the previous owner had from the original owner. when I finally gave up and tore into the motor after the failure I found something interesting the oil galleys for the #7 cylinder were dry, the other 3 cylinders had oil standing in them. also the lifter didn't stick collapsed it was fully extended it had spun in the bore wiping out the lifter roller and camshaft. IOW that lifter was doomed I believe something happened in the VLOM solenoid. and as far as the rest of the engine goes I was actually surprised at how clean it was! one other thing to note the VLOM oil system has a more screens in it further down the line so it could have been a plugged screen on #7.

looking back I wouldn't change anything except for the timing of the failure I froze my arse off working on that damn engine! I love my Avalanche and have made up my mind that if this engine does go out in the future I will rebuild or drop in a crate motor in it.

my advise is if you dont have any issues yet get the AFM disabler or a programmer and do away with the afm system, I highly reccomend the programmer route even if your not mechanically inclined it is very easy to do plus the added benefits of being able to change the tune in a few minutes makes it worth while.
BTW I found my tuner on Ebay it was a factory refurbished unit for a lot less than a new one and around the same as the Range AFM disabler.
I used the Diablo Predator 2 tuner on mine and I love it, I paid $395.00 with tax and all, it's the best investment I have done to my Avy, I have lots of power now and I can do just about anything I need to do with the tuner. I had 234000 miles on it and after reading and investigating the AFM it scared me to death thinking that it would spit a lifter at any given time and I do a lot of traveling with my Avy. It would cost me an arm and a leg to have something like that fixed out of town.
 
Ran with AFM on my 2013 and never had any issues. Used the InTune i3 and tried with both on and off, and since I have an extended warranty, I just left the AFM on. Still crappy mpg's but that's just how I drive. Happy to get 13-14 in City
 
Ran with AFM on my 2013 and never had any issues. Used the InTune i3 and tried with both on and off, and since I have an extended warranty, I just left the AFM on. Still crappy mpg's but that's just how I drive. Happy to get 13-14 in City
That's AWESOME! I was getting 11 highway/city and now I'm getting 13 highway/city, I have read where some people are saying they get 17/19 highway/city, I think they're imagining things or they don't know how to figure out their fuel mileage. LOL
 
That's AWESOME! I was getting 11 highway/city and now I'm getting 13 highway/city, I have read where some people are saying they get 17/19 highway/city, I think they're imagining things or they don't know how to figure out their fuel mileage. LOL
I could never really get a full tank with an average above 15mpg. the only way I could get 17/19 would be going downhill and resetting the average mpg and taking a picture. I owned my 2013 for just a little over 7 years, and gave up the mpg battle. If I need better mpg, I drive the wife's Highlander Hybrid :)
 
2007 2wd w/225k... 'Back of my head' says to disable it because it's going to grenade at any moment lol

I will be disabling it only because I get seriously annoyed by it when I'm in tow mode going uphill.

The power surging over and over when slightly depressing the accelerator going from 4v to 8v made me turn off tow mode.

Great concept but federal regs turned it into a crappy execution.

If I could have an "on/off" button like the traction control button that would make me happy.
 
Bought my first Avy in February this year, 86k on it. Took it for a test drive and the engine light came on.. Made me concerned, so we did a obd2 code check, bad oil sensor.. Dealer guy says, oh that's an easy fix and I looked it up, I could handle it. I didn't know about the AFM / DOD.. well I replaced the sensor and basket and did a fresh oil change.. Got about 1500 miles in and on a road trip for an uncles funeral when all of a sudden.. clack, clack, clack... Lifter stuck 800 miles from home. $4200 and a AFM / DOD delete later, I'm back. Cracked dash, fuel filter lines rusted out.. money effing pit! Yea, I finally got my dream truck, but it's a nightmare! I thought Chevy made a decent product, since I see them every where. Should have gotten a Toyota and skipped the hassle and BS of Chevy American made pile of poop! Sad when dreams let you down..
 
Bought my first Avy in February this year, 86k on it. Took it for a test drive and the engine light came on.. Made me concerned, so we did a obd2 code check, bad oil sensor.. Dealer guy says, oh that's an easy fix and I looked it up, I could handle it. I didn't know about the AFM / DOD.. well I replaced the sensor and basket and did a fresh oil change.. Got about 1500 miles in and on a road trip for an uncles funeral when all of a sudden.. clack, clack, clack... Lifter stuck 800 miles from home. $4200 and a AFM / DOD delete later, I'm back. Cracked dash, fuel filter lines rusted out.. money effing pit! Yea, I finally got my dream truck, but it's a nightmare! I thought Chevy made a decent product, since I see them every where. Should have gotten a Toyota and skipped the hassle and BS of Chevy American made pile of poop! Sad when dreams let you down..
They are really nice trucks, you have to watch them dealerships, they don't tell you everything about the vehicles they sell, I got my 2010 LTZ with 200k miles on it 4 years ago and the only major problem I had was the transmission, I just had it rebuilt 3 months ago at 235k miles, I guess there can be some lemmons out there, it just depends on how well the prior owners took care of it. Don't give up on it yet, now that you have the AFM fixed it'll be a nice truck for you. 💯💯💯
 
Just jumped into the club, had to put my 2002 down - (taps playing in the distance). Wisc winters got to it, but just picked up a 2009 LT-1 with 115,000 miles, sweet ride. Curious about the chatter about the AFM. Truck seems well maintained according to service records, and it drives excellent, how do you know if the AFM is actually kicking in?
 
Just jumped into the club, had to put my 2002 down - (taps playing in the distance). Wisc winters got to it, but just picked up a 2009 LT-1 with 115,000 miles, sweet ride. Curious about the chatter about the AFM. Truck seems well maintained according to service records, and it drives excellent, how do you know if the AFM is actually kicking in?
Change the cluster readout to Instant MPG, there is a 'V8' that will change to 'V4' when it activates.

I borrowed the rest of this post from ls1tech.com BigMikeGXP, but note he is referencing a 4-speed transmission:

Displacement on Demand (DoD) General Information

The original name was Displacement on Demand (DoD). For the start of the 2006 model year GM renamed it Active Fuel Management (AFM).

During light load conditions while in 3rd or 4th gear the ECM will shut down cylinders 1, 4, 6, and 7 to put the engine in V4 mode. The engine will not enter V4 mode while cranking, idleing, or heavy acceleration. To shut down the cylinders the intake and exhaust valves stay closed and the fuel injectors stop feeding gas. The ECM times the shutdown so that each deactivated cylinder keeps the exhaust charge from the previous combustion cycle. This pressure on the pistons keeps them from rocking around in the cylinder causing vibration and oil consumption. Complete cylinder deactivation is accomplished in about 250 milliseconds.

The engine components involved in cylinder deactivation are the valve lifter oil manifold (VLOM) and special valve lifters. The VLOM consists of 4 solenoids that control oil flow to 8 valve lifters. Each solenoid goes with a certain cylinder and its 2 valve lifters.

When DoD is commanded on by the ECM the 4 solenoids energize and allow oil to flow to the valve lifters. The special valve lifters are made of an inner lifter and outer lifter with a spring loaded locking pin holding them together. When the oil gets to the lifters the pin is pushed out of place and the inner and outer part of the lifter are allowed to move seperately. The camshaft is still pushing on the outer part of the lifter, but the inner part of the lifter is no longer pushing up on the pushrod. This keeps the intake and exhaust valve shut permanently until the ECM commands DoD off. At this point the solenoids stop oil flow to the lifters and the spring loaded lifter pins lock back into place, causing the lifters to return to normal operation.
 
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