2008 Yukon Denali Pressure relief valve deflector

[02Lightning]

I'm getting ready to do my oil pan gasket, then replace my oil pick up tube O-ring while I'm there. I'm thinking my car does not get the pressure relief valve deflector, because I do not have DoD. Should I go ahead and put it in there anyway? I am also replacing the oil cooler block off plate gasket, anything else I'm missing?

 

[iamdub]

I'm getting ready to do my oil pan gasket, then replace my oil pick up tube O-ring while I'm there. I'm thinking my car does not get the pressure relief valve deflector, because I do not have DoD. Should I go ahead and put it in there anyway? I am also replacing the oil cooler block off plate gasket, anything else I'm missing?

Do the non-AFM engines even have the relief valve? If so, and if it were mine, I'd remove and cap it off since the oil pump has its own oil pressure relief and having that pop-off valve is just one extra possibility for a pressure loss if it were to leak. Although that's VERY unlikely to happen.

 

[02Lightning]

Do the non-AFM engines even have the relief valve? If so, and if it were mine, I'd remove and cap it off since the oil pump has its own oil pressure relief and having that pop-off valve is just one extra possibility for a pressure loss if it were to leak. Although that's VERY unlikely to happen.

I'm not sure if the oil pan has the relief valve or not until I get it off. I don't really know how that system works so I assumed the pump didn't have a relief valve and it was on the pan. Why would it need two? But again, I really don't know how the system works.

 

[wsteele]

Without AFM, oil isn't going to be directed through the AFM system (it is oil pressure in the AFM system that activates the AFM lifters and shut the valves off in the AFM cylinders), so there is nothing to deflect out the relief valve (which is there to assure over pressure in the AFM system doesn't happen).

I have heard conflicting accounts of what AFM components are there or not there in those model year Denali's. I was always shocked to hear when someone said they had all the AFM components, but were turned off. Knowing every penny counts when building mass volumes of cars, it never made sense to me that GM put the AFM components in those 6.2L engines but didn't turn them on.

In any case, as @iamdub said, if it were me and it was there, I would pull it out and plug it.

 

[wjburken]

Without AFM, oil isn't going to be directed through the AFM system (it is oil pressure in the AFM system that activates the AFM lifters and shut the valves off in the AFM cylinders), so there is nothing to deflect out the relief valve (which is there to assure over pressure in the AFM system doesn't happen).

I have heard conflicting accounts of what AFM components are there or not there in those model year Denali's. I was always shocked to hear when someone said they had all the AFM components, but were turned off. Knowing every penny counts when building mass volumes of cars, it never made sense to me that GM put the AFM components in those 6.2L engines but didn't turn them on.

In any case, as @iamdub said, if it were me and it was there, I would pull it out and plug it.

The 6.2's that had "all the AFM components" to my knowledge, had the same ports in the block, which are blocked/sealed off, but that was it. My 2007 Denali did not have a VLOM or AFM lifters in it.

 

[Geotrash]

The 6.2's that had "all the AFM components" to my knowledge, had the same ports in the block, which are blocked/sealed off, but that was it. My 2007 Denali did not have a VLOM or AFM lifters in it.

This is correct. The towers are there, cast into the block, but blocked off with the flat valley pan with the o-rings for the tops of the towers. The engine has standard lifters in that case. I don't know for sure whether they have the relief valve in the pan, but my bet is that they do because the VVT system works on oil pressure as well. Either way, the deflectors are cheap so buying one to have on hand for the job isn't a bad idea. Removing the valve and blocking the passage may be fine too, but they engineered it into the system for reasons I don't fully understand, so when I dropped the pan on my 2012 for a cam swap, I replaced the valve with a new one and left the deflector in place, even though I had deleted AFM and VVT. It might have been a silly thing to do, but my oil pressure is better than ever - never drops below 35-40, nor goes above 55.

 

[Just Fishing]

Plug it off.
It's just one more failure point imo.

The pump already has an internal pressure relief/bypass built in.

 

[avalonandl]

I have heard conflicting accounts of what AFM components are there or not there in those model year Denali's. I was always shocked to hear when someone said they had all the AFM components, but were turned off. Knowing every penny counts when building mass volumes of cars, it never made sense to me that GM put the AFM components in those 6.2L engines but didn't turn them on.

In any case, as @iamdub said, if it were me and it was there, I would pull it out and plug it.

You will be shocked to learn that all LT1 shortblocks GM is producing have AFM components whether its turned on or not. It reduces complexity on their engine assembly line and part numbers that need to be inventoried especially for a large expsensive part (an engine).

My 2017 Camaro SS is a 6 speed manual and AFM is turned off (thankfully) from the factory. The Automatics its turned on.

 

[wsteele]

You will be shocked to learn that all LT1 shortblocks GM is producing have AFM components whether its turned on or not. It reduces complexity on their engine assembly line and part numbers that need to be inventoried especially for a large expsensive part (an engine).

My 2017 Camaro SS is a 6 speed manual and AFM is turned off (thankfully) from the factory. The Automatics its turned on.

If you are talking about the castings, I can see that. As @Geotrash and @wjburken have confirmed, they don't have the lifters, VLOM, etc. which is the stuff that would have to be present for the relief valve to make sense. The whole RPO code things is built around being able to split hairs about components not being installed that don't need to be (i.e. maximize profits).

 

[swathdiver]

I'm not sure if the oil pan has the relief valve or not until I get it off. I don't really know how that system works so I assumed the pump didn't have a relief valve and it was on the pan. Why would it need two? But again, I really don't know how the system works.

I have heard conflicting accounts of what AFM components are there or not there in those model year Denali's. I was always shocked to hear when someone said they had all the AFM components, but were turned off.

The very earliest 6.2 motors made before April 2005 had all of the hardware for AFM but the system was turned off in the tune. This would likely include some Escalades as well but in total, not many were configured this way.