DOD/AFM Delete Valve questions

[Darren2014]

Hey all, I’m debating on doing an AFM/DOD Delete on my 2014 Tahoe with 90,000 miles myself or having a local shop do it for about 3 times with price. My question is if I do it myself, do I need to lap the valves or am I good to go just leaving them as is? I’m planing on putting in a stock cam, since a Stage 2 would be a little more intrusive. Tho I have heard that a Stage 2 cam does offer better fuel economy and power. I’m a kinda new to working under the hood, tho I’m pretty use to fixing things around the vehicles and want to learn more. Any help is appreciated!

 

[wsteele]

Hey all, I’m debating on doing an AFM/DOD Delete on my 2014 Tahoe with 90,000 miles myself or having a local shop do it for about 3 times with price. My question is if I do it myself, do I need to lap the valves or am I good to go just leaving them as is? I’m planing on putting in a stock cam, since a Stage 2 would be a little more intrusive. Tho I have heard that a Stage 2 cam does offer better fuel economy and power. I’m a kinda new to working under the hood, tho I’m pretty use to fixing things around the vehicles and want to learn more. Any help is appreciated!

Maybe do a leak down test and see how your valves look, although it would be extraordinary for them not to be fine. The "while you are in there" encouragement will be here soon...

Honestly, on a 2014, if it has been maintained properly (regular oil changes), I probably would turn AFM off in SW and call it good.

 

[Darren2014]

Maybe do a leak down test and see how your valves look, although it would be extraordinary for them not to be fine. The "while you are in there" encouragement will be here soon...

Honestly, on a 2014, if it has been maintained properly (regular oil changes), I probably would turn AFM off in SW and call it good.

I attempted to do this with a Range disabler but some how now still have a stuck lifter. So if I’m in there I’m gonna go ahead and mechanically delete it. As far as “while I’m in there” lapping the valves, all the machine shops near me are booked till next month and I’m kinda in a hurry to get back in my daily driver. I’ve seen people lap the valves themselves but I’m not very knowledgeable on doing it so I’m kinda apprehensive.

 

[wsteele]

I attempted to do this with a Range disabler but some how now still have a stuck lifter. So if I’m in there I’m gonna go ahead and mechanically delete it. As far as “while I’m in there” lapping the valves, all the machine shops near me are booked till next month and I’m kinda in a hurry to get back in my daily driver. I’ve seen people lap the valves themselves but I’m not very knowledgeable on doing it so I’m kinda apprehensive.

I personally wouldn't worry about it, but if you really want to be sure they are sealing like new, lapping is really easy. You just need a valve spring tool, get the valve springs and keepers off. You lap them with the valve loose and free in the head. You get a little suction cup with wood handle tool to be able to spin the valves in their seats and use lapping compound on the valve seats.

I have never looked, but I am sure there are YouTube videos on the process, it is really simple. I used to lap my valves between practice and qualifying sessions on my Formula Ford (road racer). I probably lapped 500 valves in those days. I never ******* one up, which means it has to be REALLY easy.

 

[iamdub]

What @wsteele said. My Stage2 cam results has been all positives, but due to the supporting mods. It really is an all-or-nothing thing as each mod complements and supports the other in optimization. If you can't wait for the machine work and are fine with stock performance, then I'd suggest just the standard AFM delete. You're gonna need it turned off in the tune, anyway, and I always recommend this guy cuz it's only $50 plus shipping. I agree that, with a 2014 that would have the latest version of AFM components and only 90K miles, just disabling it in the tune should be good for a long while. But, if you're already having lifter issues, then you gotta do the delete and save it.

There's no reason not to lap the valves at the very least. Watch YouTube vids. It's a rewarding Saturday job in the garage and worth it to know your heads are sealing properly. Top off the delete with a catch can to keep the crud out of your chambers.

 

[swathdiver]

Hey all, I’m debating on doing an AFM/DOD Delete on my 2014 Tahoe with 90,000 miles myself or having a local shop do it for about 3 times with price. My question is if I do it myself, do I need to lap the valves or am I good to go just leaving them as is? I’m planing on putting in a stock cam, since a Stage 2 would be a little more intrusive. Tho I have heard that a Stage 2 cam does offer better fuel economy and power. I’m a kinda new to working under the hood, tho I’m pretty use to fixing things around the vehicles and want to learn more. Any help is appreciated!

What do you mean by "stock cam"?

 

[Darren2014]

What do you mean by "stock cam"?

Sorry I meant a LM7 cam from TSP so I can keep VVT

 

[Darren2014]

What @wsteele said. My Stage2 cam results has been all positives, but due to the supporting mods. It really is an all-or-nothing thing as each mod complements and supports the other in optimization. If you can't wait for the machine work and are fine with stock performance, then I'd suggest just the standard AFM delete. You're gonna need it turned off in the tune, anyway, and I always recommend this guy cuz it's only $50 plus shipping. I agree that, with a 2014 that would have the latest version of AFM components and only 90K miles, just disabling it in the tune should be good for a long while. But, if you're already having lifter issues, then you gotta do the delete and save it.

There's no reason not to lap the valves at the very least. Watch YouTube vids. It's a rewarding Saturday job in the garage and worth it to know your heads are sealing properly. Top off the delete with a catch can to keep the crud out of your chambers.

I’ll watch some videos and see about doing it. What do you mean a catch cam tho?

Also I’m curious if there’s any precautions I should take while doing the job to insure I don’t get coolant or oil in the wrong areas. Blowing out or vacuuming out certain portions. I’ve seen one video where the guy slipped a slim hose into a port and siphoned out some coolant.

 

[wsteele]

OK, since the "while you are in there" is kind of getting off to a slow start, I will say, since you are already going to be in there with the valve springs off to lap the valve seats, maybe consider new valve springs and seals. Valve springs wear out (although I would expect yours are not yet worn out), but are relatively cheap to replace. If you break one while on the road, the results can be problematic. I broke one in my '07 at a little over 100K, so new ones would be on my list if'n I was taking them down anyway.

 

[Darren2014]

What @wsteele said. My Stage2 cam results has been all positives, but due to the supporting mods. It really is an all-or-nothing thing as each mod complements and supports the other in optimization. If you can't wait for the machine work and are fine with stock performance, then I'd suggest just the standard AFM delete. You're gonna need it turned off in the tune, anyway, and I always recommend this guy cuz it's only $50 plus shipping. I agree that, with a 2014 that would have the latest version of AFM components and only 90K miles, just disabling it in the tune should be good for a long while. But, if you're already having lifter issues, then you gotta do the delete and save it.

There's no reason not to lap the valves at the very least. Watch YouTube vids. It's a rewarding Saturday job in the garage and worth it to know your heads are sealing properly. Top off the delete with a catch can to keep the crud out of your chambers.

Also what are all of the supporting mods you mentioned? I was curious about possibly going the stage 2 route.