Disable AFM

[Stewmatic]

We paid all this money for the vehicles and worry about the engine and transmission all the time. It’s really a shame. I haven’t had any issues with mine. But man it’s scary to read. I am out of warranty soon.

 

[swathdiver]

N

Not how that works. CAA is Congressional legislation and isn't going anywhere. GM gets the 5.3 to ULEV50 with DFM and they sell that engine in other markets so there's no point in having multiple versions. Whichever way GM wants to meet the law is up to them. Big gov doesn't require cylinder deactivation but it helps meet the target. Ford went the opposite route for their volume engines (2.7 and 3.5) with smaller displacement and sell relatively few V8s now even though those have cylinder deactivation too.

What little has trickled down to us concerning the new engines for 27/28 indicates they'll still employ the deactivation technology along with cooled EGR which has been on the Ford stuff for a few years now. That's secondhand information from the bosses that attend dealer shows so take it for what it's worth.

It's kinda early to tell. However the EPA is saying that they cannot enforce it and are kicking enforcement over to the DOJ it seems. I think Ford was foolish for making those engines but after seeing how they engineer stuff over the last 25-30 years, well, it just reinforces my opinion and will probably never own one again.

 

[RG23RST]

It's kinda early to tell. However the EPA is saying that they cannot enforce it and are kicking enforcement over to the DOJ it seems. I think Ford was foolish for making those engines but after seeing how they engineer stuff over the last 25-30 years, well, it just reinforces my opinion and will probably never own one again.

Again, that’s not how that works. NAAQS are legislatively mandated by the Clean Air Act and subsequent revisions. Statute of limitations for CAA knowing violations is 5 years so no business operating above board is going run the risk of violating the law.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Plus, it is entirely unclear whether "disabling" (a better description would be preventing the entry and exit of cylinder deactivation; leaving all cylinders enabled at all times) really enhances durability or not. The weak point is the needle bearing in the lifter...and it isn't clear preventing lifter collapse or not really mitigates that. So, aside from maybe maintaining the thermal consistency across the block (which I think is handled by DFM by design), simply preventing the entry/exit of deactivated cylinders, when all the known failing components are still present, probably does little other than a placebo affect for the owner?

 

[swathdiver]

Again, that’s not how that works. NAAQS are legislatively mandated by the Clean Air Act and subsequent revisions. Statute of limitations for CAA knowing violations is 5 years so no business operating above board is going run the risk of violating the law.

Ok, starting to get some of what you're putting down. On a slightly different topic, what about the CAFE standards being eliminated? Wouldn't that allow GM and the others to dump AFM since that system is not directly tied to emissions standards?

Which makes me ask, are there specific emissions standards for vehicles specified in the CAA? Or does the CAA tell the government to figure it out?

 

[RG23RST]

Ok, starting to get some of what you're putting down. On a slightly different topic, what about the CAFE standards being eliminated? Wouldn't that allow GM and the others to dump AFM since that system is not directly tied to emissions standards?

Which makes me ask, are there specific emissions standards for vehicles specified in the CAA? Or does the CAA tell the government to figure it out?

Your 2nd paragraph requires an answer too long to type at the moment.

CAFE is not a bad idea just implemented poorly largely because of the revolving door between big business and government. Larger vehicles are more profitable and CAFE essentially pulled forward a lot of demand in larger vehicles over the years. Had it been written fairly we’d still have more choice in smaller vehicles. Tangent to that we almost got a new national fuel standard post 2008 crisis. Not only would it be cheaper to have only 1 grade of fuel produced and transported it would help automakers to meet mpg and emissions targets. Sadly the oil companies nixed that in the name of profit. IIRC there was a serious proposal to standardize on 91 octane E10 with some exceptions for places like Southern California, Atlanta etc where smog is a problem.