If your XT5, and your Escalade have gone so many miles with the AFM enabled, why would you change it now?
Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Push the EASY button 😉

 

Because it will break one day, we didnt own our xt6 for a month before i put in a trifecta tune and did away with it. As a mechanic i see this causing problems on cars all the time. best to delete and forget it. Let all the pistons stay under power. our mpg actually went up a little after tune.

 

I vehemently disagree with the damned if you don't. I have had two XT5's and a Corvette with AFM and do not anticipate any problems.

 

The parts that are Prone to Fail, will still pack it in, AFM or no AFM

 

The XT5 AFM is wildly different from the GM V8 AFM and has been extremely reliable in comparison. No need to worry about your XT5.
GM may have sold 20 million AFM V8s and had 1 million failures, but statistically that’s a 5% failure rate. Meaning you could be in the 95% that does not have a problem with your GM V8.
The XT5 V6 AFM failure rate is probably zero. Nobody is reporting any failures. If they are it’s a $200 solenoid replacement.

 

The XT5 AFM is wildly different from the GM V8 AFM and has been extremely reliable in comparison. No need to worry about your XT5.
GM may have sold 20 million AFM V8s and had 1 million failures, but statistically that’s a 5% failure rate. Meaning you could be in the 95% that does not have a problem with your GM V8.
The XT5 V6 AFM failure rate is probably zero. Nobody is reporting any failures. If they are it’s a $200 solenoid replacement.

You forgot to mention that there has been three class action lawsuits against GM since the 1990s as to DOD, then AFM and now DFM including the newest lawsuit

A GM lifter recall should allegedly be ordered for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles equipped with 5.3L, 6.0L or 6.2L V8 engines.

Nine plaintiffs filed the General Motors class action lawsuit which alleges the valve train systems, active fuel management lifters and dynamic fuel management lifters are defective.

A GM lifter recall has not been issued, but the plaintiffs claim that's what GM should do for owners of these vehicles.

• 2014-present Cadillac Escalade
• 2016-2019 Cadillac CTS-V
• 2014-present Chevrolet Silverado
• 2014-present Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• 2014-2019 Chevrolet Corvette
• 2014-2016 Chevrolet Avalanche
• 2014-present Chevrolet Suburban
• 2014-present Chevrolet Tahoe
• 2016-present Chevrolet Camaro
• 2014-present Chevrolet Camaro SS
• 2014 to present GMC Sierra
• 2014 to present GMC Sierra 1500
• 2014-present GMC Yukon
• 2014-present Yukon XL

According to the lifter class action, the valve train system comprises software run by the engine control module (ECM), specially designed and manufactured lifters and other valve train components such as the valve lifter oil manifold.

The valve train systems control some or all of the 16 lifters to prevent certain valves to the engine’s eight cylinders from opening at certain times and allowing fuel to enter.
This means some of the eight cylinders will not consume fuel when the ECM determines only partial engine power is needed, such as during highway cruising speeds.
But the GM class action lawsuit alleges the lifters malfunction and prematurely fail because of multiple reasons.

The lifters (including the locking pin) allegedly do not conform to design specifications, are installed in an incorrect position in the lifter guide and/or are made of sub-standard materials.

GM also allegedly didn't consider the expansion and contraction rates of the lifters and the engine block, and the bores in which the lifters are inserted have widths that allegedly do not allow for the necessary clearance of the lifter to move freely, which damages the lifters.

A GM lifter recall should also allegedly be ordered because the automaker allegedly "failed to account for the amount of increased pressure to which the AFM lifters are exposed by the pressurized oil used to operate the lifters, causing them to fail prematurely."

The plaintiffs further claim more valve train maintenance is needed, more than is advised in GM's maintenance guides.
This allegedly includes, "more frequent oil changes, engine flushing and cleaning and/or replacing the valve lifter oil manifold and its filter at regular intervals."
According to the class action lawsuit, GM allegedly replaces the defective parts with equally defective parts that continue to fail and cause a ticking noise from the engine.
Additionally, the lifter problems can cause the vehicle to lose power, "hesitate, and the engine can misfire, stall, shudder, stutter, or surge."
Although a GM lifter recall hasn't been issued, the automaker does have a policy to provide extended warranties, called Component Coverage, when vehicle owners have had two or more repairs at dealerships of the valve train and lifter problems.

The Component Coverage extended warranty covers "all internally lubricated parts, electrical components, control modules, blocks, heads, shafts, and torque converters, among other items for defects related to materials and workmanship."
However, the lifter class action says the extended warranty is only provided if a customer has already had their vehicle repaired twice.

The GM lifter class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan: Harrison, et al., v. General Motors LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Miller Law Firm, P.C., Berger Montague, Capstone Law APC, and Gordon & Partners, P.A.

 

If in 80K miles you didn't know your car had AFM then just forget about it. There are those on this forum who say your engine will "self destruct" and suffer "catastrophic failure" due to AFM but they have no clue what they are talking about.

 

Nice detail which does not include the XT5 nor the 3.6L LGX. @Cutlass did not forget to mention anything. His post was spot on for the the vehicles we own and the question raised by the OP,

 

Check out the link I posted

 

Cannot judge failure rates as to AFM with like the XT5 since so few are sold per year versus other models like pickups, SUV, etc where millions are sold a year
Less than 4,000 sold for all of last year

GMC Sierra model alone was over 300,000 for last year
Which driven much more miles than XT5 so more apt for DOD/AFM occur

Cadillac XT5 Sales Numbers for 2023

Here you will find Cadillac XT5 sales numbers.
Sales Results - Canada - XT5

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2023	333	333	333	423	423	423	238	238	238	242	242	242	3,708
2022	274	274	274	425	425	425	374	374	374	335	335	335	4,223
2021	394	394	394	568	568	568	290	290	290	196	196	196	4,341
2020	214	214	214	299	299	299	485	485	485	407	407	407	4,216
2019	375	375	375	344	344	344	489	489	489	435	435	435	4,928
2018	293	367	541	533	576	511	600	764	563	464	381	398	5,991
2017	316	405	589	624	693	571	624	609	701	590	448	416	6,586
2016					92	317	298	349	400	435	477	421	2,789

 

Cannot judge failure rates as to AFM with like the XT5 since so few are sold per year versus other models like pickups, SUV, etc where millions are sold a year
Less than 4,000 sold for all of last year

The LGX is used in far more GM vehicles than just the XT-5. It has been the go to V-6 across dozens of GM models for the past seven years of the XT-5 existence including SUVs, Cars, Pickups, Police Spec Vehicles, etc.

 

I counted 10 alleges in that class action lawsuit post. People allege the earth is flat also.

 

You need to look at the findings in state of Ca court last year that found GM at fault and has to pay $112 million for damages to engines due to oil failure issues due to these fuel saving designs crapping out

GM keeps trying to hide all this and thinks changing the names each time from DOD, to AFM, to DFM that the customer base does not put 2 and 2 together

I in my work have come across guys losing their jobs as their vehicle engine failures due to this crap with such as high repair costs could not drive to their jobs
To guys whose wives threaten divorce if the guy does not dump their GM vehicles with these failures
To people going on trips for vacation and GM vehicles breaking down due to this crap in the boonies and cannot get vehicle repaired

Since this has been going on since the 1990s and still happening today is a damn good reason all the people coming to me to tune the PCM request I turn this crap OFF

Engine damages from this is very costly, some bad enough where engines have to be replaced

 

The simple question asked by the OP has evolved into a chicken little conspiracy.

 

All of this shade cast in the direction of the XT5 would be more relevant if identified by technology actually used in the XT5, such as the LGX engine...anything else is irrelevant to the question raised by the OP.

 

Check out the link I posted

 

"come across guys losing their jobs as their vehicle engine failures"
"guys whose wives threaten divorce if the guy does not dump their GM vehicles"

Um, sure......So they should buy an XT5 that does not have those issues and we can save our marriages and our jobs and, and......oh never mind.....So since this has gotten completely off the OP's post, I saw Argyle at the movies and it's great!

 

"come across guys losing their jobs as their vehicle engine failures"
"guys whose wives threaten divorce if the guy does not dump their GM vehicles"

Um, sure......So they should buy an XT5 that does not have those issues and we can save our marriages and our jobs and, and......oh never mind.....So since this has gotten completely off the OP's post, I saw Argyle at the movies and it's great!

View attachment 654524

I wonder what the stats are on guys losing their job directly due to AFM catastrophic engine failure and then were immediately divorced by their wives bc they didn't dump their GM car when they were told to 🤔

 

I believe Team ZR-1 is referring to from post made in other threads GM engineers that he has worked with getting the boot and yes he did get off topic.

 

I disabled the Stop/Start. The AFM still appears to be working as I still get that Green V4 light on the IP

 

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10209400-0001.pdf

This is what made me decide to do the delete. I also disabled afm on my truck 60k miles ago

 

See post #5...$200 repair if it happens.

 

 

For those with 2020 and newer XT5's with the 3.6 LGX there is no simple plug-in module available to defeat the AFM like you can get for the 2017-2019 model years.

 

Actually there is, the one I use on my 2014 Z51 works in my 2021 XT5 Sport

 

I have to ask, what is AFM? I have a 2019 XT5.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Fuel_Management

Then read this thread from post #1 to post #40.

 

I wouldn't say that rocker arm failures are rare but they aren't common either. If it's seen as a safety issue - even if uncommon - a recall would be triggered. TSBs are typically issued when the service manual doesn't detail a repair for a reported symptom that wouldn't trigger a recall. A recall repair is paid by the manufacturer whereas a TSB repair is normally only covered by the manufacturer if the vehicle is under warranty or special coverage.

Thing is, a failed rocker arm can be very costly if not caught at the right time. So even if it's an uncommon occurrence, the impact is significant. I get why people are wary about cylinder deactivation - although they are far more reliable today than in the early days of DOD, it does introduce a level of complexity and more things that can go wrong.

FWIW, I have it on my current two vehicles and am leaving it as GM's engineers intended it to work - and I will pay the piper if things go wrong. Obviously, I'd rather that things don't go wrong.

 

FWIW, I have it on my current two vehicles and am leaving it as GM's engineers intended it to work - and I will pay the piper if things go wrong. Obviously, I'd rather that things don't go wrong.

My thoughts exactly. Products created by creative individuals who have developed a "hack" without "license" from the designers of complex electronic controls have found a method to appear to change the offending operation without the ability to assess the effect on the total interoperability of the electronic controls of a vehicle.

 

Must be embarrassing to drive by a high school with all the 3 cylinder AFM HP

 

Must be embarrassing to drive by a high school with all the 3 cylinder AFM HP

I have a Honda Ridgeline which in their cylinder deactivation mode is powered by three firing cylinders called VCM. It is very smooth and cannot be detected during the transition and deactivation because in addition to the valve and electronics controls it uses electronically controlled engine mounts to completely isolate the uneven firing order.

 

LGX in AFM is V4.

 

I put the VCM defeat on my 17' RTL. It eliminated my odd vibrations at light throttle and light loads. Lots of people don't notice that 3 cyl mode but I was always able to tell and it was the exact same feeling all the time. That said, on the Hemi in the RAM pickups I was never able to tell when it kicked in. That one was very smooth.

 

Sorry to hijack an AFM thread, but the Honda VCM is as you mention, not noticeable by most drivers. I had a 2017, 2021, and now a 2024 and cannot detect when it reduces to 3-cylinder. If it does become noticeable after a couple of years of operation, it could be an engine mount because they are electronically controlled.

 

AFM isn't likely going to be an issue on these DOHC LGX 3.6 engines because the ECU simply cuts fuel and spark on the specific cylinders. There is no mechanical hardware(lifter) deactivation like the V8 OHV 5.3/6.2 engines utilize. That is where the AFM failures occur. The 3.6 cam lobes make direct contact with the rocker arms...there are no lifters.

That being said, there is a slight vibration on the Cadillac XT6 when in V4 mode and I believe that is simply because it activates at too low of mph / rpm which puts a lot of load on the engine. It needs to be recalibrated to only activate at hwy speeds not 40mph. It's not horrible, just GM trying to ring all the fuel mileage they can out of a combination at the expense of driver comfort and drivability.

Cadillac Engine LGW - LGX AFM | AutoMotoTV - YouTube

 

AFM isn't likely going to be an issue on these DOHC LGX 3.6 engines because the ECU simply cuts fuel and spark on the specific cylinders. There is no mechanical hardware(lifter) deactivation like the V8 OHV 5.3/6.2 engines utilize. That is where the AFM failures occur. The 3.6 cam lobes make direct contact with the rocker arms...there are no lifters.

Just wanted to make a quick correction to your post.
There is a mechanical deactivation and your YouTube video shows it. The valves don’t move during AFM because there are special rocker arms on those cylinders that unlatch. The cam pushes the rollers up and down but those rollers are unlatch from the rocker body and the valves don’t move.

 

Have a look at 1:40

 

Correct but most if not all reported AFM failures have been on OHV engines. The AFM lifters are what often fail from not changing the oil soon enough and the oil passages plug up.