What are the best AFM delete tune/plug in devices?

[thefrey]

I had a lifter collapse so I am going to attempt to un-collapse it and do a tune to ride it out a bit longer. Ideally, I would just delete AFM right now but it is just about the worst time for me personally.

Will a plug in device be as good as a tune in regards to deactivating AFM? What are the best devices?

If a tune is best, what’s the best route, finding somebody local or sending off the ECU?

 

[Marky Dissod]

Reason why a tune is best is because of all the other (very juicy) benefits of a tune -
which no one ever regrets getting - most important being better powertrain longevity & durability.

If pressed for time / on a budget, I'd swear there's a cheap way to disable / shut off V4 mode
that involves disconnecting an electrical connector at the brake booster?
Cheaper than the best plug-in for sure.

Back when GM used Powertrain Control Modules, mail order tunes were easier.
Your vehicle has an ECM AND a TCM - and the TCM is inside the transmission, all goopy with ATF.
You want to find someone local who will sit next to you with a laptop,
so you both can test changes until you're tickled pink.
Or, you could have the tuner send YOU something that records while you drive,
which you then send back to the tuner - I believe BlackBear tuning has this option, among others.

 

[PPV_2018]

If pressed for time / on a budget, I'd swear there's a cheap way to disable / shut off V4 mode
that involves disconnecting an electrical connector at the brake booster?

Seen you mention this a couple times.. check out this short exchange

AFM disable in M5 gear

This is more for those that are going to get a tune later or don't want to spend the money on a range device. ya I get it, some of the stuff gm does is annoying....and should not apply to everyone they could very easily add software to define the cause of a cel on the radio display upon a...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

I never was able to verify because reasons combined with fact I already have range unit so, wasn’t pressed to find out.

It is an interesting prospect for sure, but seems too good to be true

@ OP

plug device to disable = good
Tune & delete = better

Either way is better than not.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Seen you mention this a couple times ... check out this short exchange

AFM disable in M5 gear

This is more for those that are going to get a tune later or don't want to spend the money on a range device. ya I get it, some of the stuff gm does is annoying....and should not apply to everyone they could very easily add software to define the cause of a cel on the radio display upon a...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

I never was able to verify because reasons combined with fact I already have range unit so, wasn’t pressed to find out.
It is an interesting prospect for sure, but seems too good to be true.

@ OP
plug device to disable = good
Tune & delete = better

Either way is better than not.

Not disagreeing with you, not exactly ...

It's up to @thefrey if he's willing to endure a 'Check Engine' light whose only side effect
IS the desired effect of disabling V4 mode for FREE ...
OR
he can drive around in M5 to avoid V4 mode, which costs a wee lil bit of fuel on the highway.

 

[thefrey]

Reason why a tune is best is because of all the other (very juicy) benefits of a tune -
which no one ever regrets getting - most important being better powertrain longevity & durability.

If pressed for time / on a budget, I'd swear there's a cheap way to disable / shut off V4 mode
that involves disconnecting an electrical connector at the brake booster?
Cheaper than the best plug-in for sure.

Back when GM used Powertrain Control Modules, mail order tunes were easier.
Your vehicle has an ECM AND a TCM - and the TCM is inside the transmission, all goopy with ATF.
You want to find someone local who will sit next to you with a laptop,
so you both can test changes until you're tickled pink.
Or, you could have the tuner send YOU something that records while you drive,
which you then send back to the tuner - I believe BlackBear tuning has this option, among others.

What’s a good price for a general tune?

Blackbear does $150 I think for AFM tune. But not sure what other shops will do locally.

I have also thought about doing a general tune to get better transmission shift points, etc but not sure how much that would cost.

Based on my timeline I might just run an OBD plug in for AFM until I can get a tune

 

[Geotrash]

What’s a good price for a general tune?

Blackbear does $150 I think for AFM tune. But not sure what other shops will do locally.

I have also thought about doing a general tune to get better transmission shift points, etc but not sure how much that would cost.

Based on my timeline I might just run an OBD plug in for AFM until I can get a tune

In my view, Blackbear's full Autocal v3 tune is the way to go. Current pricing on their website. www.blackbearperformance.com

 

[Marky Dissod]

What’s a good price for a general tune? Blackbear does $150 I think for AFM tune. But not sure what other shops will do locally.

I have also thought about doing a general tune to get better transmission shift points, etc but not sure how much that would cost.

Based on my timeline I might just run an OBD plug in for AFM until I can get a tune

For that price 'until you can get a tune',
either disconnect the connector on the brake booster hose, drive in 'M5' instead of 'D',
or buy a lil plug-in and sell it off later.

After looking at BlackBear's pricing $700; (NOTHING against their results, HIGHLY recommended),
I'd suggest looking for 'local' options.

 

[thefrey]

For that price 'until you can get a tune',
either disconnect the connector on the brake booster hose, drive in 'M5' instead of 'D',
or buy a lil plug-in and sell it off later.

After looking at BlackBear's pricing $700; (NOTHING against their results, HIGHLY recommended),
I'd suggest looking for 'local' options.

Gotcha. Thank you I appreciate the info. I’ll look into my options. I need to drive it 5 hours on 70mph highways since we are moving so M5 isn’t the best option. Plug in on Amazon might be the way to go for now

 

[the 18th letter]

What’s a good price for a general tune?

Blackbear does $150 I think for AFM tune. But not sure what other shops will do locally.

I have also thought about doing a general tune to get better transmission shift points, etc but not sure how much that would cost.

Based on my timeline I might just run an OBD plug in for AFM until I can get a tune

This exactly what I did. I put about 10k on my Range Device until I was able to get AFM tuned out. It’s a lil pricey as shown above but I have no complaints at all and only compliments with the tune BlackBear did.

 

[thefrey]

This exactly what I did. I put about 10k on my Range Device until I was able to get AFM tuned out. It’s a lil pricey as shown above but I have no complaints at all and only compliments with the tune BlackBear did.

Did you also have a lifter collapse or was it just preventative?

 

[the 18th letter]

Did you also have a lifter collapse or was it just preventative?

It was a preventative measure.

 

[j91z28d1]

the connector was for the 15 and up years is my understanding.

if you have time you can mail off the ecm and have it turned off for like 50$. but there's no tune involved.

if you have the money tune is probably the way to go based on being about to hopefully keep the torque converter clutch and by that keep the tranny alive longer too.

 

[thefrey]

the connector was for the 15 and up years is my understanding.

if you have time you can mail off the ecm and have it turned off for like 50$. but there's no tune involved.

if you have the money tune is probably the way to go based on being about to hopefully keep the torque converter clutch and by that keep the tranny alive longer too.

I believe the range connectors go back to 08s. Not sure though. But as far as I know it will work for my 13

 

[j91z28d1]

I believe the range connectors go back to 08s. Not sure though. But as far as I know it will work for my 13

Yes. they sell the obd plug in thing for just about everything with afm these days.

the connector was some kinda brake sensor. unplug it, it would set a code but not going into 4cyl mode.

something someone figured out before the obd plug in became available for the newer trucks is my guess.

the range thing seems to work OK, as long as you don't need to unplug it to pass emissions testing.

 

[thefrey]

Yes. they sell the obd plug in thing for just about everything with afm these days.

the connector was some kinda brake sensor. unplug it, it would set a code but not going into 4cyl mode.

something someone figured out before the obd plug in became available for the newer trucks is my guess.

the range thing seems to work OK, as long as you don't need to unplug it to pass emissions testing.

Ah gotcha I misunderstood.

I don’t have emissions so I’m not worried about that. Just gotta be able to drive it lol

 

[BMPNUGLS]

On my 16 Denali XL I used a Range AFM disabler from day one until the warranty ran out…then sold it and bought a Diablo Intune I3 to disable the AFM and tweak the ECM & TCM tunes - couldn’t be more happy! With the 89 octane tune with tweaked throttle response (maxed at 20%) and firm shift tune with bumped shift points by 100rpm in the TCM the Denali runs and drives like a completely different vehicle! So much more fun to drive now!

 

[fredcook]

While AFM delete dongles and tunes do work as advertised (they disable AFM), they do not prevent collapsed lifter issues. The issue isn't AFM/DOD operation, the issue is the mechanical hardware itself. Preventing DOD with software does not remove the hardware in question. I only mention this because I've lost count of how many I know that went with AFM/DOD disabling dongle or tune, only top experience a collapse lifter anyway.

This hole AFM collapse lifter thing is hit or miss. Me personally, I'm in a 3rd AFM equipped Tahoe (5.3). This first I sold with 310,000 miles on it. No issues, was running smooth and quiet. I still own two 5.3L Tahoe's... one with just over 260,000 miles on it, the other is at 140,000. Neither experienced a lifter issue. Quiet and solid running. I did buy all three new myself, know them inside and out, and religiously changed oil when the DIC prompts me to do so. Always used Mobil 1 synthetic 5-30. My unscientific guess is that oil maintenance might have some bearing on it. I only feel this way because pretty much all those I now that have experience lifter collapses where a bit slack on their oil change maintenance. Again, not scientific, but it's all I got.

Having said all this, if I somehow manage to actually wear out one of the 5.3's, or experience a collapsed lifter, I'll probably just swap it with a crate 5.3 with DOD deleted (mechanically removed, lifters, cam, etc.).

 

[thefrey]

While AFM delete dongles and tunes do work as advertised (they disable AFM), they do not prevent collapsed lifter issues. The issue isn't AFM/DOD operation, the issue is the mechanical hardware itself. Preventing DOD with software does not remove the hardware in question. I only mention this because I've lost count of how many I know that went with AFM/DOD disabling dongle or tune, only top experience a collapse lifter anyway.

This hole AFM collapse lifter thing is hit or miss. Me personally, I'm in a 3rd AFM equipped Tahoe (5.3). This first I sold with 310,000 miles on it. No issues, was running smooth and quiet. I still own two 5.3L Tahoe's... one with just over 260,000 miles on it, the other is at 140,000. Neither experienced a lifter issue. Quiet and solid running. I did buy all three new myself, know them inside and out, and religiously changed oil when the DIC prompts me to do so. Always used Mobil 1 synthetic 5-30. My unscientific guess is that oil maintenance might have some bearing on it. I only feel this way because pretty much all those I now that have experience lifter collapses where a bit slack on their oil change maintenance. Again, not scientific, but it's all I got.

Having said all this, if I somehow manage to actually wear out one of the 5.3's, or experience a collapsed lifter, I'll probably just swap it with a crate 5.3 with DOD deleted (mechanically removed, lifters, cam, etc.).

Yep, I appreciate the info. That’s why I didn’t do any kind of tune or device in the first place because the last owner says they put new lifters in about 20k miles ago. I figured if the lifters fail regardless of if they are disabled or not then why would I buy a device. I didn’t fully realize that they are most likely to collapse when going from v4 to v8

I was able to unstick the lifer and I drove it 4.5 hours today with a VLOM mod that blocks the oil passage under the oil sender and won’t allow pressure to build on the towers. I think that oil pressure can still build on those towers and cause a lifter to collapse when AFM is disabled but I don’t know if that’s the reason for failures when disabled. Regardless, I know I will most likely need to replace the lifters while I own the vehicle. Just doing a full AFM delete isn’t in the cards yet as this happened at a terrible time for me and I know it’s mainly a band aid.

It seems like a lot of these AFM systems are just fine and others fail often… do you turn yours off at all or is your AFM not disabled?

 

[rdezs]

I like the Diablo predator, you can turn off the AFM in the ECM, firm up your shifting in the transmission for extended life, change tire size and a whole bunch of other things. It's the perfect companion to a Tech 2 which I also have. It does a few things that you can't do with a Tech 2, such as adjust your idle speed. (I have a co-worker that's not ready to do an AFM delete yet, he bought it to turn it off for now. He was nervous because his oil pressure is at 16 PSI hot. I told him to bump up his idle speed using the Diablo 50 rpm and see what his pressure is.
24 PSI hot idle now, he said you can't tell it's idling 50 rpm faster but it made a difference. He's in a similar boat as many people, well past 200,000 miles and doesn't want to put a lot of money into the engine. He'll probably drive it till it drops.)