Has anyone had any experience installing the Range AFM disabler. It now has the ability to also eliminate the stop start function. I was thinking of getting one for my 2017 XT5 and want to see if anyone has installed one and how well it is working.
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mmiller1
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I too have purchased one recently and will share the positives and negatives of this device after I have a little more time on it, Stay tuned!
Let me suggest that all future comments regarding The Range AFM disabler be posted on this thread rather than the "Possible new auto start/stop disable method found." thread. I am interested in the comments of actual users and this thread has the appropriate title. Let me ask, if an XT5 owner had no concern with the "V4" icon occasionally illuminating, would the Range AFM Disabler be a good way to eliminate stop/start? If so, would there be additional benefits or drawbacks?
This site says you may get some oil smoking, as follows:
"An AFM Disabler is an electronic device that plugs into the OBD-II port, under the dashboard. It prevents the computer from switching over to four-cylinder mode. It’s a simple and effective way to turn off the AFM system and provides the added bonus of improving exhaust sound.
NOTE: A disabler device should ONLY be used if the valvetrain is in good working order.
Engines with AFM use a high-volume oil pump. When you eliminate the AFM system, the extra oil is no longer needed. Excess oil will be pushed out of the pressure relief valve into the oil pan. This will spray oil on the bottom of the cylinder walls which can cause oil burning, especially in high-rpm engines." "On All Cylinders, an auto blog",
https://www.onallcylinders.com/2017...m/2017/11/30/how-to-delete-or-disable-active-fuel-management-afm-on-gm-engines/
GM Authority says there is a MPG benefit to be lost: "The primary benefit of Cylinder Deactivation/AFM is higher fuel economy without downsizing engines. The technology can improve fuel economy by up to 12 percent without sacrificing performance.
Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/general-motors-technology/general-motors-propulsion-technology/general-motors-active-fuel-management-cylinder-deactivation-technology/#ixzz5jKVh7TcF"
I stripped a motorcycle oil pump drive gear once by revving it out when cold because it sounded good and there was an audience. A consumer protection department in an adjoining office handled multiple claims for broken oil pump drive shafts after a "Quickie" type oil change shop tapped a barrel of gear oil and put it in consumers' crankcases. GM had big problems with cylinder deactivation in the '80s. I guess I would tread with care. These devices could put your expensive engine in play rather than just your oversized battery.
"An AFM Disabler is an electronic device that plugs into the OBD-II port, under the dashboard. It prevents the computer from switching over to four-cylinder mode. It’s a simple and effective way to turn off the AFM system and provides the added bonus of improving exhaust sound.
NOTE: A disabler device should ONLY be used if the valvetrain is in good working order.
Engines with AFM use a high-volume oil pump. When you eliminate the AFM system, the extra oil is no longer needed. Excess oil will be pushed out of the pressure relief valve into the oil pan. This will spray oil on the bottom of the cylinder walls which can cause oil burning, especially in high-rpm engines." "On All Cylinders, an auto blog",
https://www.onallcylinders.com/2017...m/2017/11/30/how-to-delete-or-disable-active-fuel-management-afm-on-gm-engines/
GM Authority says there is a MPG benefit to be lost: "The primary benefit of Cylinder Deactivation/AFM is higher fuel economy without downsizing engines. The technology can improve fuel economy by up to 12 percent without sacrificing performance.
Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/general-motors-technology/general-motors-propulsion-technology/general-motors-active-fuel-management-cylinder-deactivation-technology/#ixzz5jKVh7TcF"
I stripped a motorcycle oil pump drive gear once by revving it out when cold because it sounded good and there was an audience. A consumer protection department in an adjoining office handled multiple claims for broken oil pump drive shafts after a "Quickie" type oil change shop tapped a barrel of gear oil and put it in consumers' crankcases. GM had big problems with cylinder deactivation in the '80s. I guess I would tread with care. These devices could put your expensive engine in play rather than just your oversized battery.
A quick couple of comments:
njacobsen: I would suspect that you are correct in your assumption that using a product such as HPTuners would leave a footprint that GM could discover. I have seen the process on one of my friends Corvettes. He pulls up a fuel management menu, under that menu is a drop down box that AFM is either selected or not. Unselecting this option requires the ecm to be flashed. I would imagine that this would also upgrade the flash counter for the ecm and set off a red flag to GM. Obviously they know exactly how many times your ECM has been flashed for TSM's or updates. Questions is how deep they would pursue it. Personally, this is an avenue I would not use. Also, so far this change only effects AFM and not stop/start.
AFM: At one point I owned a 07 Cadillac Escalade 6.2 L92 non AFM vehicle. I put lots of miles on it and never (other then an airbag issue) had any problems with it. My brother 2 years later bought an Escalade with the 6.2 L94 AFM equipped engine. From the time he had approx 25000 miles on the clock it spent a number of visits to the Cadillac dealer for lifter issues and increased oil use. The interesting thing is my 07 ran stronger, was smoother and got about the same fuel economy. He sold it after that and has left the Cadillac brand.
Oil usage, pump and lifter issues with a possible delete: I would say this is a non issue. Think about it, AFM is not used on the open highway, so, then why are we not causing issues to our engines whenever they are not in the V4 mode. If anything I would believe the opposite is true, cylinder deactivation will cause uneven head and block temperatures between the active and inactive cylinders. An active cylinder will have a combustion chamber temperature of approx 600C, an inactive one approx 100C. That's a major difference. I would also support the theory that accelerated ring glazing may also occur as well as additional oil consumption from blow by. There would be crankcase pressure but no valve restriction that would allow more oil to sneak past the rings on deactivated cylinders and into the exhaust stream.
IMHO, and unless someone can provide some concrete arguments or proof I see no reason NOT to disable AFM on our XT5's.
njacobsen: I would suspect that you are correct in your assumption that using a product such as HPTuners would leave a footprint that GM could discover. I have seen the process on one of my friends Corvettes. He pulls up a fuel management menu, under that menu is a drop down box that AFM is either selected or not. Unselecting this option requires the ecm to be flashed. I would imagine that this would also upgrade the flash counter for the ecm and set off a red flag to GM. Obviously they know exactly how many times your ECM has been flashed for TSM's or updates. Questions is how deep they would pursue it. Personally, this is an avenue I would not use. Also, so far this change only effects AFM and not stop/start.
AFM: At one point I owned a 07 Cadillac Escalade 6.2 L92 non AFM vehicle. I put lots of miles on it and never (other then an airbag issue) had any problems with it. My brother 2 years later bought an Escalade with the 6.2 L94 AFM equipped engine. From the time he had approx 25000 miles on the clock it spent a number of visits to the Cadillac dealer for lifter issues and increased oil use. The interesting thing is my 07 ran stronger, was smoother and got about the same fuel economy. He sold it after that and has left the Cadillac brand.
Oil usage, pump and lifter issues with a possible delete: I would say this is a non issue. Think about it, AFM is not used on the open highway, so, then why are we not causing issues to our engines whenever they are not in the V4 mode. If anything I would believe the opposite is true, cylinder deactivation will cause uneven head and block temperatures between the active and inactive cylinders. An active cylinder will have a combustion chamber temperature of approx 600C, an inactive one approx 100C. That's a major difference. I would also support the theory that accelerated ring glazing may also occur as well as additional oil consumption from blow by. There would be crankcase pressure but no valve restriction that would allow more oil to sneak past the rings on deactivated cylinders and into the exhaust stream.
IMHO, and unless someone can provide some concrete arguments or proof I see no reason NOT to disable AFM on our XT5's.
I'm extremely pleased with the Range disabler thus far.
Interestingly, the 3rd gear lagging feeling I've been complaining about ad-nauseam is greatly improved.
With the disabler plugged in and V6 constantly engaged, the poor performance around 2nd/3rd gears that I was really bothered by is almost unnoticeable. However, the loud weedwacker engine noise between approx 15-35 mph is still happening. I know it's probably not, but I can't help but think this silly sounding engine ruckus is being piped in - it's almost too contrived to be real. But I digress.
Anyway, the car is much more pleasant to drive on trips in town. No stop/start makes me very, very happy. I feel like if I have to keep this car for another 3-4 years, I can feasibly do so as long as the disabler is plugged in. Plus, my dog likes riding in the XT5 so that's one benefit to keeping it.
Fuel mileage seems exactly the same, so no complaints there.
Interestingly, the 3rd gear lagging feeling I've been complaining about ad-nauseam is greatly improved.
With the disabler plugged in and V6 constantly engaged, the poor performance around 2nd/3rd gears that I was really bothered by is almost unnoticeable. However, the loud weedwacker engine noise between approx 15-35 mph is still happening. I know it's probably not, but I can't help but think this silly sounding engine ruckus is being piped in - it's almost too contrived to be real. But I digress.
Anyway, the car is much more pleasant to drive on trips in town. No stop/start makes me very, very happy. I feel like if I have to keep this car for another 3-4 years, I can feasibly do so as long as the disabler is plugged in. Plus, my dog likes riding in the XT5 so that's one benefit to keeping it.
Fuel mileage seems exactly the same, so no complaints there.
The feature incorporated into the Cadillac Bose sound system is actually ANC, Active Noise Cancellation. I mistakenly referred to it as ANR which is an acronym for Active Noise Reduction, but that is different than the ANC technology incorporated by Cadillac.
There is a menu option to turn Bose Audio Pilot on or off. The option auto adjusts radio sound to compensate for interior noise level. That is different than ANC which cannot be turned off by menu options. There was a long discussion about ANC on the SRX Forum and no one could find a way to turn the ANC off.
Perhaps a dealer could turn it off with the Cadillac specific scan tools.
There is a menu option to turn Bose Audio Pilot on or off. The option auto adjusts radio sound to compensate for interior noise level. That is different than ANC which cannot be turned off by menu options. There was a long discussion about ANC on the SRX Forum and no one could find a way to turn the ANC off.
Perhaps a dealer could turn it off with the Cadillac specific scan tools.
Does the Range AFM show up on the wireless diagnostic report in any respect? As to the transmission concerns, this is supposed to be a "learning" transmission which learns to accommodate your style.
Re: Range AFM disabler problem
I wanted to post this info as many here are considering or using the Range Technologies product to resolve their Stop/Start and AFM issue.
Up until 3 weeks ago I had been using this product and had no problems with it until now. I went to use the XT5, to my surprise I had a nearly dead battery. Ok, it had been approx a week and a half since I had last used it and suspected perhaps something had been left on. I checked for cell phone chargers, light switches and the normal things that could run down the battery. So out comes the battery charger and I use my other car. The next day I checked the battery, started the XT5 and all was well. I did not drive the car. A number of days later I went to use the XT5 and again, dead battery. This time I charged the battery until it had enough charge to start the car.
Closed the hood and off I went to do my errand. I noticed the car would stumble when it can to a light or stop sign almost as if the lockup converter in the trans did not release. This happened a number of times, no check engine and nothing else noted. Concerned I shut the car off, restarted and again the trans was still acting strange. :suspense: At that point I removed the Range device and the XT5 promptly stalled. I started back up and drove off. The trans was back to normal, so was AFM and stop/start. I drove the car for a number of miles with no issues and decided to plug the Range unit back in. The stumbling at stop did not occur again but I did not the trans seemed sluggish, not downshifting when it should.
Again I removed the Range unit and the XT5 returned to normal. I left a problem report for Range technologies and was called back within 30 minutes. I explained the situation and was given a list of what I should do. Part of this was a reset procedure. The Range rep. explained the sleep function and how it worked. Apparently the unit goes to sleep after approx 60 seconds after the vehicle shuts downs. I waited well over 1 hour and my unit would not go to sleep. The rightmost led would never go out. I then performed the reset procedure, this had no effect, the unit was not going to sleep and at that point further work with it would be a waste of time.
Range is sending me a new unit, I should receive it within a few days. I have no idea of what has died in the unit but whatever it is would kill the battery and was causing the trans to do strange things. A speculation was that the device has some sort of malfunction that would cause it to flood the system bus preventing proper communications between the transmission control module and the engine control module. Again this is simply speculation.
Electronics break and malfunction, what concerns me is that the Range unit has failed within 3 months. To be fair Range has been quick to respond and is eager to resolve the problem. At this point I will continue to update this thread and suggest all that have this unit installed check and make sure your unit is going to sleep as it should. If you drive your XT5 every day you may have a problem and not know it. The Range unit should have NO leds lit after 60 seconds of inactivity
I wanted to post this info as many here are considering or using the Range Technologies product to resolve their Stop/Start and AFM issue.
Up until 3 weeks ago I had been using this product and had no problems with it until now.
I went to use the XT5, to my surprise I had a nearly dead battery. Ok, it had been approx a week and a half since I had last used it and suspected perhaps something had been left on. I checked for cell phone chargers, light switches and the normal things that could run down the battery. So out comes the battery charger and I use my other car. The next day I checked the battery, started the XT5 and all was well. I did not drive the car. A number of days later I went to use the XT5 and again, dead battery. This time I charged the battery until it had enough charge to start the car.Closed the hood and off I went to do my errand. I noticed the car would stumble when it can to a light or stop sign almost as if the lockup converter in the trans did not release. This happened a number of times, no check engine and nothing else noted. Concerned I shut the car off, restarted and again the trans was still acting strange. :suspense: At that point I removed the Range device and the XT5 promptly stalled. I started back up and drove off. The trans was back to normal, so was AFM and stop/start. I drove the car for a number of miles with no issues and decided to plug the Range unit back in. The stumbling at stop did not occur again but I did not the trans seemed sluggish, not downshifting when it should.
Again I removed the Range unit and the XT5 returned to normal. I left a problem report for Range technologies and was called back within 30 minutes. I explained the situation and was given a list of what I should do. Part of this was a reset procedure. The Range rep. explained the sleep function and how it worked. Apparently the unit goes to sleep after approx 60 seconds after the vehicle shuts downs. I waited well over 1 hour and my unit would not go to sleep. The rightmost led would never go out. I then performed the reset procedure, this had no effect, the unit was not going to sleep and at that point further work with it would be a waste of time.
Range is sending me a new unit, I should receive it within a few days. I have no idea of what has died in the unit but whatever it is would kill the battery and was causing the trans to do strange things. A speculation was that the device has some sort of malfunction that would cause it to flood the system bus preventing proper communications between the transmission control module and the engine control module. Again this is simply speculation.
Electronics break and malfunction, what concerns me is that the Range unit has failed within 3 months. To be fair Range has been quick to respond and is eager to resolve the problem. At this point I will continue to update this thread and suggest all that have this unit installed check and make sure your unit is going to sleep as it should. If you drive your XT5 every day you may have a problem and not know it. The Range unit should have NO leds lit after 60 seconds of inactivity
A couple of updates,
KRDCAD, good suggestion, I have a very sophisticated charger that can analyze and properly recharge a battery. The battery is currently fine but you can be sure if it begins to show signs of an impending failure it will be replaced.
I received a replacement Range technologies unit the other day and promptly installed. The rightmost led no longer stay on constantly, after approx 40 seconds of inactivity it shuts of and stays off until the vehicle has been started.
So far Stop/Start and AFM are again disabled. I will report on transmission shift quality during normal driving both city and highway later. Initial results indicate I may just have had a Range unit go bad.
KRDCAD, good suggestion, I have a very sophisticated charger that can analyze and properly recharge a battery. The battery is currently fine but you can be sure if it begins to show signs of an impending failure it will be replaced.
I received a replacement Range technologies unit the other day and promptly installed. The rightmost led no longer stay on constantly, after approx 40 seconds of inactivity it shuts of and stays off until the vehicle has been started.
So far Stop/Start and AFM are again disabled. I will report on transmission shift quality during normal driving both city and highway later. Initial results indicate I may just have had a Range unit go bad.
Well, a week has gone by and it seems the replacement Range unit is working as it should and all is back to normal. I do plan on a follow up with the Range tech support to see if they can give me any additional information as to why the unit failed. I hope they will be honest and give me the straight scoop. We shall see,
My question: Anyone with a Range unit can you check your rightmost led looking at the unit as its plugged in an let me know approx. how many seconds it take to extinguish after the vehicle shut down and parked. Thanks
My question: Anyone with a Range unit can you check your rightmost led looking at the unit as its plugged in an let me know approx. how many seconds it take to extinguish after the vehicle shut down and parked. Thanks
Well folks, Another update. My XT5 had been parked for about 14 days and again the battery was dead. Before doing anything I noticed the rightmost light on the Range unit was lit and the unit itself was warm. No doubt the cause of the drain. I charged the battery and took the car for a ride. Again the XT5 was exhibiting some off the wall funky transmission shifting and slow to come out of lockup on stops. I took the XT5 home, removed the Range unit and disconnected the battery cable for about 1 hour.
Upon reconnect all was well again, trans was shifting normally (AFM and stop/start was functioning) and the XT5 was back to normal. Well, I contacted Range tech support opened a trouble repont and advised them of the problem.
The tech advised that late in the 2018 XT5 model year it was determined that GM updated the firmware in the computer in production XT5's. This change was carried over the the start of the 2019 production year as well.
As it was explained to me apparently there may be a possible collision issue on the canbus between the computer and the range unit It is suspected this collision issue creates a erratic transmission shift issue and also causes the range unit not to sleep when the vehicle is shut off running down the battery.
Apparently this problem only affects late production 2018 and early 2019 XT5's. A new firmware is currently undergoing development and testing. If you are experiencing the problems listed above keep watch on this thread or on the Range website for updates. It has been suggested by Range if you are encountering these issues to remove the device until a new firmware is released. This update should be free of charge when released. Im am confident that Range will stand behind their product and resolve the issue to the satisfaction of their customers. If you are not having these problems then you don't need to be concerned with it as it does not apply to your XT5/Range application.
Upon reconnect all was well again, trans was shifting normally (AFM and stop/start was functioning) and the XT5 was back to normal. Well, I contacted Range tech support opened a trouble repont and advised them of the problem.
The tech advised that late in the 2018 XT5 model year it was determined that GM updated the firmware in the computer in production XT5's. This change was carried over the the start of the 2019 production year as well.
As it was explained to me apparently there may be a possible collision issue on the canbus between the computer and the range unit It is suspected this collision issue creates a erratic transmission shift issue and also causes the range unit not to sleep when the vehicle is shut off running down the battery.
Apparently this problem only affects late production 2018 and early 2019 XT5's. A new firmware is currently undergoing development and testing. If you are experiencing the problems listed above keep watch on this thread or on the Range website for updates. It has been suggested by Range if you are encountering these issues to remove the device until a new firmware is released. This update should be free of charge when released. Im am confident that Range will stand behind their product and resolve the issue to the satisfaction of their customers. If you are not having these problems then you don't need to be concerned with it as it does not apply to your XT5/Range application.
In response to the original poster, I have now been using the device for 2 1/2 months without issue. I have a 2018 XT5, but it has not been exhibiting the issues above. Nonetheless, I would recommend new purchases wait until the new firmware is available. I probably just have an early 2018 car.
Let me re-iterate, this problem with the Range Technology unit appears only to be related to late production 2018's Premium Lux XT5's and early 2019's. As I have been told GM made a late year firmware change that carried over to the early 2019. A new firmware for the Range unit is due to be released to resolve the problem. If you have one of these affected vehicles I would suggest that you wait until the next firmware issue is released before you purchase. If you currently have a Range unit you will know if your vehicle is one that is affected, the battery will run down after approx. 10 days, the right most blue light will remain on all the time and your trans will act strange IE:not releasing the lock up converter at stop, not smoothly shifting as it should. If you see this happening immediately unplug the unit and submit a ticket with Range.
I've been using the Range in my '18 Corvette for over a year with no problems. No performance crippling shifts in/out of V4 and much better shifting in or out of manual auto mode. It was a night/day transformation. The vette doesn't have the auto off feature. I recently put in another Range in my new '19 XT5 Luxe. Although the driveability improvement I see in the XT5 is not as dramatic as in the vette, the shifting is much crisper and it feels more powerful overall. Of course the auto off feature is history. Another happy customer.
Purchased the Range AFM disabler as well. I just traded in my 2013 SRX Premium for the 2017 XT5 Lux Prem. I was pretty unhappy with the V4 vibration/shudder and not too thrilled with Auto Stop. Plugged the Range device in and thrilled now that both issues are no longer present. Worth the money in my book.
Interested in purchasing the Range unit. I called them and spoke to someone in tech support to ask if the bugs had been worked out that I heard with battery drain while the vehicle was off. The tech said he hadn't heard anything about that. I asked if the unit shuts off when the vehicle is off. He told me it is always on because the OBD port is always under a very small power charge. HE said that despite that, there is no significant additional draw that having the range plugged in would cause, so it shouldn't have any affect on the battery.
I'm concerned that if this was a known issue that required a firmware update, the tech had no knowledge of a problem existing or having existed.
I want to pull the trigger, but reluctant....
I'm concerned that if this was a known issue that required a firmware update, the tech had no knowledge of a problem existing or having existed.
I want to pull the trigger, but reluctant....
I have the Range on my2017 XT5 and have for several months now with no problems. I have also had on on several GM Trucks and all worked fine. The only problems I have ever heard of is that yes there is a slight battery drain on them and will kill battery over time,(weeks) if left plugged in and not driven. I have always unplugged mine if i am not going to be driving the car or truck for more than a long weekend and have never had a problem with any of my vehicles. I sure do like all of mine and will continue to use them if available for anything I drive. I have noticed that all complaints are when someone lets their car or truck sit for long periods of time and do NOT unplug them. Just my $.02. Hope this helps. I love the no more V4 and no more Start/Stop.
Pulled the trigger.....put it in on Friday - so far, so good....no more having to shift to manual as I'm coming to a stop....
Haven't really been able to put in enough driving to see the results of V6 mode 24/7 - could just be a psychological factor, but it does feel like it has more power the few times I stepped on the gas to accelerate....
Haven't really been able to put in enough driving to see the results of V6 mode 24/7 - could just be a psychological factor, but it does feel like it has more power the few times I stepped on the gas to accelerate....
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