2013 Escalade Hybrid - AFM disabling recommended?
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OBSalsoNNBS
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@Marky Dissod
This is a very interesting comment. So there are no downsides in your mind to disabling? Even with a knock off China dongle? (No emissions tests here)
I've searched, not too hard, but never really got an overwhelmingly obvious answer.
Also, see my comment above about weird failures I had, if you'd be so kind. Could be more to do with M5 than the actual disabling though.
Thanks!
I bought mine used in FL and brought my laptop with me to disable it with hptuners before I drove home. I wasn't going to risk the drive home with it on.
OBSalsoNNBS
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@j91z28d1
They look pretty good...I think? Not really sure what to look for besides broken rubber. I'm not noticing any of the classic symptoms. It moves a little when it's idling and you have someone hit the gas. I thought that was normal movement.
I did have a bit of a bouncy idle, but when I cracked the PCV vacuum line when replacing the oil sender, the new one seems to have solved that problem.
OBSalsoNNBS
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Ha, 'nuff said!
there's a motor mount sticky in the engine;drive train sub forum. near the end is a video clip of broken mounts. to test you gotta be in gear and give it gas while someone watches the engine move. it's the tq of moving the vehicle that makes it lift
OBSalsoNNBS
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Thanks, I will check it out! Some of the threads are so long it's a real time investment to wade through them...
Marky Dissod
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Long story short: no, no downsides to disabling it.
If a 'dongle' / plug-in does not properly accomplish this, then I judge it by its subpar results,
although I get why Chinesey stuff is prejudged, but again, I judge by results.
I've unique experience among most of you. Had my GMT900 tuned to INCREASE V4 mode duty cycle,
made it available as early as 20MpH, in 3rd 4th 5th AND 6th.
Changed my oil every 2800-3000 miles. No lifter or oil pressure related concerns.
BUT my piston rings got coked up and oil consumption eventually cost an extra $20 a week in oil.
Problem is the lazy V4's cylinders spend more time colder than the fulltime V4.
Eventually, you effectively have half your engine aging differently than the other half,
which is why I insist on calling it Engine Half@$$, and insist on disabling it even moreso.
HOWEVER
There is ONLY one POSSIBLE codicil to my insistence:
For those who are not willing or able to delete it completely, but are willing to get an ecm tune,
raise the V4 mode enable temp to 221F-230F, effectively using it as a near-overheat mode ONLY.
This would reduce the wear differences, delay possible head warpage,
further encourage the driver to shut down ASAP,
while absolutely disabling it under normal circumstances for nearly everyone nearly always.
Since most people don't overheat to the point of head warpage or worse,
disabling the feature entirely is better than keeping it operating as GM intended.
IT IS NOT AN EMISSIONS ISSUE.
There is supposed to be a vacuum line that can be unplugged to disable it?
Used a '?', because I don't KNOW for sure.
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OBSalsoNNBS
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Gotta ask, why did you do that? ^^^
Good point about half the engine wearing at a different rate too.
I would really like to get it tuned, but right now my bank account says get the Chinesium dongle...[sad chuckle]
Marky Dissod
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I was (and very occasionally still am) a taxi / livery driver / chauffeur for hire in NYC.
Clients occasionally asked for a different vehicle, but I leased a 2012 GMC Y-XL 4WD then.
I'm a somewhat talented leadfoot (pleasantly surprised some clients when asked to 'step on it'),
most riders cannot handle enthusiastic driving without a hissyfit ...
so, to invent a reward for taking it easy on the hoipolloi, asked my tuner to TRY to improve my MpG.
'Obviously, 'you mean WHEN you drive conservatively, right?' I said 'of course'.
Once he got it was a lease I'd NOT keep, he suggested 'how about a lil bit more V4 mode?'
3 days worth of test-driving to get it so that only he & I'd BARELY notice the sound or feel, but not other riders,
then only when driving expressly to improve MpG and put riders at ease.
Basically, ANY iota of acceleration, or even the gentlest incline = Engine Full @$$, but
cruising, coasting, deceleration, or decline, = Engine Half@$$
(think of 'TPS % angle' and 'engine load by MAF AND MAP' as chief determinants)
Despite changing oil & filter 1.5x as often as most of y'all (every 2800-3000 miles),
despite slightly raising the minimum coolant temp for Engine Half@$$ for safety,
(early Hemis with 'MDS' would CRACK CYLINDERS),
13MpG in Manhattan, 14MpG in Brooklyn & Queens was best I could get;
19-20MpH on the highway ... and only for two years.
MpG gains faded away by the 3rd year. In the winter of the 4th year,
oil consumption went from zero to 'hwatndahell'? An extra 3-4 qt between oil changes every 2800-3000 miles.
Disabling Engine Half@$$ did not reduce oil consumption.
Winter of the 3rd year, there was a slow coolant leak.
Extra V4 mode gave me an extra SIX MINS, just enough to use the shoulder to get off the highway
(highway roadside assistance costs extra for TLC drivers, and the wait is over 2hr for a flatbed)
Before turning it back in, had tuner leave all other V4 mode parameters be,
but raised minimum coolant temp for V4 mode to 221F, a coolant temp only ever seen the day of the slow leak.
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