2019 6.2 First Engine Mods

[MrTris]

Hola, bishes!

SECOND post (I used my Virgin post to chirp, lol) first question.

Got a neat 2019 Yukon Denali (built for the Canadian market, according to the dual-language door jamb sticker ) with just about 63k on it and I been looking and reading, just wanted some clarification on some things :

I work from home and my trips out are a mile to the gym everyday and Costco every couple weeks. I've driven, "Ferrari mileage" for almost two decades, now, and I don't expect that to change.. Hashtag Blessed.

So, let's address the AFM and oil concerns -
I see the Range R003A is the AFM disabler of choice - that still the case, or, is there another, better option? (Tuning?)

0w-20 is роор, so, we're doing 5w-20, now? I'm seeing that, just like my Subaru, there's tons of arguments about which oil is best. I'm looking forward to being able to get oil from Costco instead of Japan, unless there's a really good reason for something else. No, I won't be using a 20k mi filter, that guy got ROASTED, and that ain't gonna be me.
Shocking, y'all really only change oil like, 1-2x a year, for most folks? That's bonkers, coming from the turbo Subaru world.

Given the propensity for sludge buildup because of my short trips, I'm still unclear on if adding a quart or so of MMO per oil change is the way to go - what's the consensus?


I wasn't a big fan of catch cans, before, but, sounds like this is a good idea with these motors - yes? What's best, or does it really matter?


I don't plan on major mods. I just don't want a more expensive repeat of my last fun vehicle. (sounds like this is more than doable with my diligence and willingness in this stuff.)

That said, I've already seen that Corsa is the bespoke brand for these, so, I'm kinda torn between their intake and the KN NextGen. Looks like BB recommends the Corsa, but, I'm getting hung up on its 11/11 vs KN's stated 19/24, with no tune and isn't voiding the warranty. Am I overthinking this?

I wanna get the engine squared away and not have to worry about it before I dive into ******** mods like headlight retrofits and audio..

The plan, for now, is simple : Get the AFM and oil stuff figured out, add an intake, catch can, and get off the stock tune. That about right?

Y'all look like a great group, I look forward to irking some of you along the way.

PS, tuner options (preferably HPT) in the Seattle/Tacoma area? Having trouble finding that, plus the tuning credits thing. I'm used to the straightforwardness of Cobb..

That is all, Thank You!

 

[Marky Dissod]

Is 2019 Denali tuning available from anyone ... at a price that won't make your eyeballs bug out?
If it doesn't have A.S.S., then all you NEED is a Cylinder Deactivation Disabler. There are other good options besides Range.
The broke@$$ option is to use M5 with a 6L80 / M7 with an 8L90 / M9 with a 10L80 ... no more cylinder confusions.
Valvoline Restore & Protect 5W30. Change it and whatever oil filter you like every 5000 miles or less.
Every direct injected engine should get a catch can. It needs to have a non-linear path, and it helps if it also has extra surface area inside for condensation.
Yes, you're WAY overthinking the intake. Whichever air filter filters BETTER than GM OE, pick that filter, keep that engine CLEAN.
No matter how much time your engine spends over 5000RpM, the worst filter is always filtering less grit; 20 peak horse is not worth inferior air filtration.

 

[MrTris]

What are the, "other options" than the Range, then? What's everyone else using with good results? No need to reinvent the wheel, here..

 

[swathdiver]

Invest in a good battery tender. With your driving schedule, the battery will get depleted in short order and those little drives are not long enough to fully recharge it.

 

[vcode]

If you don't want to do the factory fill, go to 5W30. Lots of comments on how the oil is too thin when warm so 5W20 is no better than OW20. You will be changing by time, not mileage. I would exercise her though every once in a while because those short trips are terrible if you don't warm things up.

 

[MrTris]

Invest in a good battery tender. With your driving schedule, the battery will get depleted in short order and those little drives are not long enough to fully recharge it.

Didn't even think about that - great idea!

 

[MrTris]

If you don't want to do the factory fill, go to 5W30. Lots of comments on how the oil is too thin when warm so 5W20 is no better than OW20. You will be changing by time, not mileage. I would exercise her though every once in a while because those short trips are terrible if you don't warm things up.

It's hot, here, now, but, otherwise just meh/mid most of the time, save for a few weeks in winter where it's REALLY cold. I could probably be safe with 0w20, but, will just up to 5 after I move to the sticks in The South..

 

[MrTris]

RE : Catch cans.. What's a good robust option? I'm a Buy Once, Cry Once kinda guy..

Still didn't get a straight answer on the MMO - good idea, or nah?

I'll be ordering the Range and a good hitch, here, soon.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Instead of Marvel Mystery Oil, just use Valvoline Restore & Protect, keep it simple. After a few videos on youtube, you'll likely be convinced.
I tried it (see above), gifted the rest of my stash of Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 to several friends, no going back.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

 

[robbyrob]

There is a guy in youtube that did a test on catch cans. He chose 3 - cheap to expensive, they all did what they were supposed to do.

 

[MrTris]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

There sure are - I read enough threads to get a few names and I see those guys did chime in - pretty cool.

Threw some Valvoline R&P 5w-20 in the cart, and I think I've reached a conclusion on the intake and catch can, just need to recover from the purchase a week ago, before I start throwing parts at it.

 

[lt1gmc]

A better way to delete afm operation than the Range device is to modify the tune, anyone with HP tuners guy can do it. Its only 1 switch to toggle it off and cost $200 in credits. In addition you could if you want add a blockoff plug in the VLOM to stop oil from going to the solenoids, and cheap blockoff plugs to each of the solenoid towers under the VLOM and you have eliminated oil supply problems caused by the VLOM leaking oil pressure off.

 

[MrTris]

Still new - VLOM? Can you tell me more about these block offs, or direct me to a thread where I could learn?

It's been like, wow, a whole decade since I was banned from my last forum, so, my forum-fu is a bit off (that and things have changed from phpbb back in the day) but, what would I look for to read up about intake valve cleaning? I'm gonna assume that, at 63k, this guy's not had it done in its life, and, I don't think I'm ready to tackle walnut blasting, just yet, so I wanted to try to sort out the process for the CRC GDI WXYZOMGBBQPB4UGOTOBED cleaner, and try that, first.

From the YT videos, I'm seeing we take the intake plenum (big black box with the PCV connections) off and run the motor while spraying the cleaner into the TB, right? Does that only clean the TB, or, does the spray make its way down onto the valves? Let sit for.. This is where it gets murky - I'm hearing anywhere from 15mins to a whole hour of, "hot soak" on the valves before reassembling and going for a run while it digests all the gunk that fell off the intake valves.. Yeah? No?


My confidence level is just about floored, because I don't fully understand this platform, yet, so, I'm hesitant to just dive right in with my wrenches and potentially screw something up that could be expensive to fix.. But, I know this needs to be done.

I think what I'll do, for a path, here, is clean the intake valves and add the catch can, and then the Range, and then the intake, at which point, I'll take a break, stack and stash, choose my tuner, and then get that done.


It's so weird to have such a short modlist - my last, "racecar" was a full engine rebuild where I replaced pretty much every bolt with a stud (my own deal; no one else seemed to understand the value), turbo, TMIC, and tuning was the most important thing. Still a huge fan of tunes, but, we didn't do things like new manifolds and TBs - there weren't a whole lot of options, and any that did exist, were somewhat pointless on something making ~300hp -- That's just above stock.

But, I'd like to get to the point where it's just a titch faster and torquier than stock (it's enough for me, but I'd like to overcome the 20% loss) and deadnuts reliable with nothing more than fluid changes for the next 50k or so, and I won't have to deal with the dealership's "lifetime warranty," because, as a man, I don't believe in things like that..

"HP impresses flatbills, torque impresses grrrrrls" - Boxkita