AFM Disable Options

[TerryP]

Quality. The cheaper ones either may not have proper coding and may struggle for priority on the CAN bus, or they may be made with cheaper IC's and flash and will fail prematurely.

That's strictly from my consumer products design experience, so consider that general advice, not specific to these devices.

That said, after the nightmare I went through with this episode, I wish I had just found the $500 to do the HP Tuner out of the gate instead of running that stupid dongle for 2 years, LOL.

Still, the dongle does "work", you just have to accept the SMOG complications and potential premature failures.

Thanks for the reply, Kwing. So there are future implications to using the dongle?? I have a problem with using the OBD port for a nefarious purpose but if it solves the problem....Right now at 84K miles on this recently purchased Yukon I hear a lifter tapping at cold idle. Exhaust note sounds like a weak cylinder but not a dead miss. Performance does not appear to suffer. Question: Thinking of changing from the 0W-20 to 10W-30 semi synthetic with oil change intervals at 5,000 instead of current 7,000. Think that will help?

 

[West 1]

As instructed already, find someone local that can enter your computer and turn off the AFM. They will have a laptop with a program installed. I had to pay $100 to buy a license to use the GM software. It only licenses you to work on one vehicle but it allowed entry to the OEM computer to shut this off. I used a local guy that was familiar with he GM Software.

I agree with others, if you are plugging your filter screen you have other issues. Change the oil more frequently.

 

[gooffeyguy]

How do you like the DiabloSport Intune I3? I'm thinking about getting it to disable my DoD on my 2011.

It's fine. I really haven't used it much on the Yukon since getting it and uploading the performance tune and turning off DOD/AFM and the speed limiters. It's been a couple years actually and might be time to break it out and play around with some other things, like shift points and pressures or remove some of the torque management between shifts. I like that it has the ability to save tune files to it from a PC and flash it to the vehicle, so if you get a custom tune made they can just email you the file.

If none of that interests you, then I would just get a BTDieselworks AutoSync and one of their split OBD port cables. You can disable AFM just with a tick of the DIC buttons. The Autosync enables a lot of features using the DIC and the cruise control and mirror D pad buttons. It will also flash the BCM if you purchase the features online, then it downloads the file and flashes it, but even without custom BCM options, it allows you to enable many, many things. It also connects to my home wifi when parked in the garage or driveway and checks/downloads firmware updates, which are released pretty regularly

 

[opfor2]

It's fine. I really haven't used it much on the Yukon since getting it and uploading the performance tune and turning off DOD/AFM and the speed limiters. It's been a couple years actually and might be time to break it out and play around with some other things, like shift points and pressures or remove some of the torque management between shifts. I like that it has the ability to save tune files to it from a PC and flash it to the vehicle, so if you get a custom tune made they can just email you the file.

If none of that interests you, then I would just get a BTDieselworks AutoSync and one of their split OBD port cables. You can disable AFM just with a tick of the DIC buttons. The Autosync enables a lot of features using the DIC and the cruise control and mirror D pad buttons. It will also flash the BCM if you purchase the features online, then it downloads the file and flashes it, but even without custom BCM options, it allows you to enable many, many things. It also connects to my home wifi when parked in the garage or driveway and checks/downloads firmware updates, which are released pretty regularly

I'm going to get the DiabloSport Intune I3 this weekend.

 

[Kwing]

Thanks for the reply, Kwing. So there are future implications to using the dongle?? I have a problem with using the OBD port for a nefarious purpose but if it solves the problem....Right now at 84K miles on this recently purchased Yukon I hear a lifter tapping at cold idle. Exhaust note sounds like a weak cylinder but not a dead miss. Performance does not appear to suffer. Question: Thinking of changing from the 0W-20 to 10W-30 semi synthetic with oil change intervals at 5,000 instead of current 7,000. Think that will help?

As far as the dongle and future implications... yes. The way the dongle works is by basically sending a command over the CAN bus telling the AFM not to engage. Because the ECU is telling it to engage, then the dongle tells it not to, the ECU recognised it's command was not followed and responds in kind by throwing a fault code and illuminating the MIL. Because this would be an undesirable behavior for something that is supposed to "fix" a problem, the dongle therefore constantly erases the fault codes on the ECU so the MIL isn't on.

The problem is, at least in states like Arizona, the way they SMOG test all 1996 and newer OBDII equipped vehicles is by simply hooking up to the OBDII port, verifying no codes, verifying the check engine light works, and verifying all the systems are "ready". With the dongle constantly resetting the error codes, the computer is never "ready". So to pass SMOG in such a state, you have to remove the dongle and the let the ECU reach the "ready" stage, which can take several weeks. During that time, obviously the AFM is active again without the dongle in.

If you're just disabling it to disable it, it's a very small risk of the AFM failing during that period. If, however, like me, you had a radiator blow out and cause a severe overheating issue that left char deposits in your engine, and you remove the mesh filter at the oil pressure sensor because the char keeps blocking it, then removing the dongle becomes almost certainly fatal for the AFM lifters .

Furthermore, because it is constantly resetting the ECU, other codes that may indicate other issues are effectively hidden. I had 4 pop up once the dongle was gone .

The performance tuners allow you to simply tell the ECU to stop turning AFM on at all. If it never calls for it, it can't recognize that it didn't respond. Problem solved for good until and unless your ECU is reprogrammed to factory spec.

But again, that's $500 vs $150 or less. The level of risk in your circumstance is something you have to evaluate. I left myself with no choice, though, so don't be me, LOL.

I can't help you with the oil question, unfortunately. I live in Arizona, where 9 months out of the year we fall into the temperature range where 20W/50 is recommended, so I just run 20W/50 full synthetic all year round, which only slightly increases the oil pressure during the "winter". I haven't used anything below 10W/30 in so many years I've almost forgotten they exist, LOL.

 

[j91z28d1]

just a reminder, if you can do without the truck for a few days, you can mail off the ecm and have afm disabled in the tune for 50$ last I checked. it's not as good as buying hptuners, but it is cheaper and better than the dongles to me.

 

[gooffeyguy]

As far as the dongle and future implications... yes. The way the dongle works is by basically sending a command over the CAN bus telling the AFM not to engage. Because the ECU is telling it to engage, then the dongle tells it not to, the ECU recognised it's command was not followed and responds in kind by throwing a fault code and illuminating the MIL. Because this would be an undesirable behavior for something that is supposed to "fix" a problem, the dongle therefore constantly erases the fault codes on the ECU so the MIL isn't on.

The problem is, at least in states like Arizona, the way they SMOG test all 1996 and newer OBDII equipped vehicles is by simply hooking up to the OBDII port, verifying no codes, verifying the check engine light works, and verifying all the systems are "ready". With the dongle constantly resetting the error codes, the computer is never "ready". So to pass SMOG in such a state, you have to remove the dongle and the let the ECU reach the "ready" stage, which can take several weeks. During that time, obviously the AFM is active again without the dongle in.

If you're just disabling it to disable it, it's a very small risk of the AFM failing during that period. If, however, like me, you had a radiator blow out and cause a severe overheating issue that left char deposits in your engine, and you remove the mesh filter at the oil pressure sensor because the char keeps blocking it, then removing the dongle becomes almost certainly fatal for the AFM lifters .

Furthermore, because it is constantly resetting the ECU, other codes that may indicate other issues are effectively hidden. I had 4 pop up once the dongle was gone .

The performance tuners allow you to simply tell the ECU to stop turning AFM on at all. If it never calls for it, it can't recognize that it didn't respond. Problem solved for good until and unless your ECU is reprogrammed to factory spec.

But again, that's $500 vs $150 or less. The level of risk in your circumstance is something you have to evaluate. I left myself with no choice, though, so don't be me, LOL.

I can't help you with the oil question, unfortunately. I live in Arizona, where 9 months out of the year we fall into the temperature range where 20W/50 is recommended, so I just run 20W/50 full synthetic all year round, which only slightly increases the oil pressure during the "winter". I haven't used anything below 10W/30 in so many years I've almost forgotten they exist, LOL.

Very informative post on how the dongle disables the AFM.

I'd be curious as to how the Btdieselworks AutoSync does it and if it uses the same process.

I might re-enable AFM in my tune with the Diablo intune i3 I use and disable the AFM using the AutoSync on its splitter cable and after about a week of driving checking the readiness monitors with the scan tool plugged into the other port.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I just re-enabled AFM in the tune and also checked the readiness monitors and they're showing as "incomplete", as they should after flashing the tune.

I have the AutoSync set to disable AFM.

Now I just have to drive it for a few days and check the readiness monitors and see if they ever become "ready"

 

[j91z28d1]

using hptuners to disable mine and all the monitors have shown pasted before.

I'm a bit curious about this auto sync. does it flash the ecm or do you have to leave it plugged in all the time? what about their bcm mods, same question I guess. can you make changes to the tune? or is it a dongle that stays plugged in and requests things over can?

be careful activating afm after it's been off a while. if you hear the lifter get stuck, ****** get it released and turned back off

 

[mikez71]

If you get the BCM tuning for autosync, the autosync is used to flash your BCM.
BCM tuning mostly deals with light configurations, door locks, extended accessory power.

Otherwise, the autosync needs to stay plugged in for the afm disable, high idle, flashers, remote windows, dtc reader, camera etc.

 

[gooffeyguy]

using hptuners to disable mine and all the monitors have shown pasted before.

I'm a bit curious about this auto sync. does it flash the ecm or do you have to leave it plugged in all the time? what about their bcm mods, same question I guess. can you make changes to the tune? or is it a dongle that stays plugged in and requests things over can?

be careful activating afm after it's been off a while. if you hear the lifter get stuck, ****** get it released and turned back off

I'm just doing this as an experiment, to see if the Autosync's way of disabling the AFM will allow the readiness monitors to set, or if it keeps them "not ready" like a Range AFM device does.

It doesn't flash the ECM like a tune does, so I'm guessing it just fools the AFM system either into thinking the engine is at load when it's not or like @Kwing said above.

Funny you should say about being careful activating it since it's been off for a while. I set the Autosync AFM to disabled and when drove to get gas I watched the DIC screen to see if it stayed in V8 mode and it DIDN'T, it would switch to V4!!

I then set the Autosync AFM to enabled and it stayed in V8 mode. I posted on the Autosync forum asking about this seeming backwards and they assured me that's the way it's set....

Quote
When you “enable” it in autosync it’s “disabling” the DOD/AFM.
You are “enabling” the disable if that makes sense.

 

[petethepug]

FYI on swapping your lifters with mechanical removal of AFM

 

[j91z28d1]

be an interesting test.

edit, link to this autosync forum? I have questions.

 

[mikez71]

Facebook

www.facebook.com

I wouldn't necessarily expect a response. He seems to be more focused on the newer trucks and the development on the GMT900 seems to have stopped.
Some settings don't work on my tahoe, and I don't think they will be finishing them up for the most part.. Mainly the speed sensitive wipers, washer delay that I have noticed.
Still, I can't live without it!

 

[j91z28d1]

ahh Facebook group. such a horrible lay out for car stuff but somehow they took over and people refused to use a actual message board any anymore.

ghe worst part is as soon as something is answered its basically impossible to find it 6 months later. blah.

 

[petethepug]

Yup, the guy is a one man corporation family man. Same as a lot of our vendors and sponsors. The level of what he’s pulled off all by himself and manages to keep proprietary is mind boggling.

I worked for a guy local to me for two years training, running point and setting up at confr rooms & hotels. He had to duplicate himself to get the job done. All it took was one bad apple about 20 years ago to try and bring him down by stealing his methods & clients.

The leech that tried to copy him still survives. Now he’s just a symbol of failure and proof of how important it is to use your super powers for goodness vs evil. LOL or something like that.

 

[gooffeyguy]

Yeah, I only created a Facebook account so I can join/post in that group, and that's all I use it for. I only go on there if I'm having a problem with something on the AutoSync, like when there is a firmware update and some settings change and I can't figure out what happened.

 

[TerryP]

As far as the dongle and future implications... yes. The way the dongle works is by basically sending a command over the CAN bus telling the AFM not to engage. Because the ECU is telling it to engage, then the dongle tells it not to, the ECU recognised it's command was not followed and responds in kind by throwing a fault code and illuminating the MIL. Because this would be an undesirable behavior for something that is supposed to "fix" a problem, the dongle therefore constantly erases the fault codes on the ECU so the MIL isn't on.

The problem is, at least in states like Arizona, the way they SMOG test all 1996 and newer OBDII equipped vehicles is by simply hooking up to the OBDII port, verifying no codes, verifying the check engine light works, and verifying all the systems are "ready". With the dongle constantly resetting the error codes, the computer is never "ready". So to pass SMOG in such a state, you have to remove the dongle and the let the ECU reach the "ready" stage, which can take several weeks. During that time, obviously the AFM is active again without the dongle in.

If you're just disabling it to disable it, it's a very small risk of the AFM failing during that period. If, however, like me, you had a radiator blow out and cause a severe overheating issue that left char deposits in your engine, and you remove the mesh filter at the oil pressure sensor because the char keeps blocking it, then removing the dongle becomes almost certainly fatal for the AFM lifters .

Furthermore, because it is constantly resetting the ECU, other codes that may indicate other issues are effectively hidden. I had 4 pop up once the dongle was gone .

The performance tuners allow you to simply tell the ECU to stop turning AFM on at all. If it never calls for it, it can't recognize that it didn't respond. Problem solved for good until and unless your ECU is reprogrammed to factory spec.

But again, that's $500 vs $150 or less. The level of risk in your circumstance is something you have to evaluate. I left myself with no choice, though, so don't be me, LOL.

I can't help you with the oil question, unfortunately. I live in Arizona, where 9 months out of the year we fall into the temperature range where 20W/50 is recommended, so I just run 20W/50 full synthetic all year round, which only slightly increases the oil pressure during the "winter". I haven't used anything below 10W/30 in so many years I've almost forgotten they exist, LOL.

So what you are saying is my GMC AFM messes with the CAN and ECU is just a PIA. Sorry, I just had to do that. Silly me that I thought when I bought the Yukon in April I thought all i would have to do is pull a fuse and that would be it. Duh! Well at least I don't have Auto Start/Stop.
On the oil thing, that subject should go under the "religion and politics" heading. I belong to several antique auto clubs and that has been a hot topic for years, kind of like unleaded fuel. I live in Texas so there with you on the ambient temperature and oil viscosity issues. The dealership put in a fresh charge of 0W 20 when I bought the Yukon but I will change that next month before taking a long road trip. Personally I prefer a synthetic blend to full synthetic for higher mileage engines. Interesting that you run 20W50 in Arizona year round. I only run that in my 1925 Model T Ford (not synthetic). I have heard that the 5.3 lifters like the heavier oil but was planning 30W semi. Also I prescribe to maximum 5,000 mile max oil changes instead of the longer duration full synthetic. I have a lot to learn on this new fangled machine. My newest daily driver is 2008. Still own my first car from high school! OK, I admit to becoming attached to mechanical stuff.

 

[j91z28d1]

the oil rabbit hole is deep. every few years I lose a week to it haha. usually come away with if money doesn't matter, just use amsoil, it's easiest and within a few % of the latest and greatest.

at work we have some of the Ford v10s in ground power units that really should be and in the past always have been diesel. the new emissions makes for a hassle, so they ordered some French units with gas v10s. they call for 0w20 but will run themselves out of oil till the low pressure shut down saves them in about a week of use. fresh engines too, I took a look in the intake and don't see any oil, but I have been meaning to throw a catch can on one. in the mean time, we run 15w40 diesel oil in them. they will almost make it to the service interval of 500h now but not quiet, run out just before.

junk Ford, but still.. I like the idea or running the oil your Temps and engine seems to like.

 

[gooffeyguy]

It's only been 2 days and while some of my readiness tests are complete, 3 still are not. It looks as though the AutoSync doesn't fool the ECU like the Range device does as described earlier.

I'll keep checking the readiness monitors after each drive cycle though, but I'm flying out of town on Friday and won't be back until Wednesday.