MaverickZ71

Thanks. I was curious; some others with higher mileage have said that after their piston rings got clogged up, the top-engine cleaner/new valve cover/oilpan deflector fix did not stop the oil usage--they still had to get new rings. Good luck and please keep us posted.

How many miles did your Sub have on it when the updated valve cover and oil deflector were installed?

Has anybody tried Auto-Rx (oil additive) to clean their AFM-caused stuck-piston-ring-packs? Did it work or is it just 'snake oil'? Specifically I'm wondering if installing the revised valve cover and running an AutoRx treatment along with having the AFM turned off by a Range V8 module would fix the oil usage problem? Seems like most everyone is saying that installing the AFM oil deflector in the oil pan along with the top-cylinder cleaning [removing spark plugs and filling cylinders with fuel injector cleaner for 3 hours, but NO LONGER than 3 hours (?)] does not work on many vehicles. Hate to have my vehicle 'torn into', especially if it accomplishes nothing! Honestly, if my dealer did the valve cover and oil pan deflector and THEN said that didn't work and it still needed new pistons/rings, I'd just trade it in at that point, even though I can't afford to . . . and even then GOOD LUCK finding something on the lot with a V6 or V8 that doesn't have AFM!

I do have an aluminum-block 5.3L LC9 flex-fuel engine. Would've rather had an iron block non-flex-fuel (without AFM!), but aluminum-block flex-fuel trucks with AFM were all they had around here when I bought it. I believe that I read somewhere that all crew cabs get aluminum blocks to save weight with the thought of getting better fuel mileage. If mine has the 'fixes', which I hope it does, then something else must be wrong, as it drinks about a quart of 5W-30 every 1000 miles with the AFM turned on, and has since it had 7000 miles on it.

I don't have the TSB. How do you tell which ones were supposedly 'fixed' in 2009? Mine was built right at the end of '09 production in Silao, but likes to drink oil . . .

I was contemplating doing the valve cover upgrade and oil pan shield myself until I read my Chilton's guide on removing the oil pan. It says you have to remove the skid plate, move the steering rack and front 4WD differential out of the way, loosen the bottom tranny bolts, and remove the crossmember just to be able to get to the oil pan. Sheesh! Is that right? [Has anybody done that?] I remember my old 350's where you just removed the oil pan bolts and let'er drop!! (The good old days?!)

HCGuy, did you also get the "AFM shield" installed in the oil pan, or just replace the valve cover with the one with the "AFM baffle" in it?

No, not yet. Probably will have my dealer do it next spring, before the powertrain warranty expires. Hopefully those TSB modifications, in conjunction with the Range V8 module, will finally end the oil usage problem. I just wish the General would've come clean about the AFM problems earlier and done a recall instead of a TSB just because they want to keep it on the down-low. There's gotta be a few million GM trucks/cars/SUVs out there with this problem, but no doubt the General does not want to derail its comeback program.

Thanks for the update, frankycyr. Glad to hear you are pleased with the results so far. Best of luck and please keep us posted.

Right around 30K miles on the clock when the Range was installed. I guess that's when the General's memo says the oil usage usually shows up. Mine started using quite a bit around 20K miles.

Bought and installed the Range V8 module last spring. Oil usage appeared to completely stop for a couple of months. Since then, over a few long trips in hot weather, my truck is using oil again. Maybe not as much as before the Range, but is still using some. D*mn!!! Looks like I'll have to have a dealer tear into the engine, which I was trying to avoid if at all possible.

I need to add some power steering fluid in my '09 Silverado CC Z71 4x4 (5.3L, 6-speed, 3.42 gears) and have always been meticulous in following the owner's manual on service intervals/GM parts. Owner's manual says to use GM power steering fluid, GM Part #89021184. Local GM dealer can't find that part number in their computer. They have some quarts of GM PS fluid that have been on their shelf for years (bottles all dusty) with a different GM part number and they that fluid is fluid. Now, I know in the old days ATF was often substituted for PS fluid. But GM trucks have changed from recirculating ball to rack-and-pinion steering since then, so I'm thinking that's why they have different bottles/part numbers. Can anyone tell me what the current correct GM part number for the proper power steering fluid is? Or an aftermarket fluid that is an acceptable substitute?

My 2009 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 4x4 (5.3L LC9 V8 flex fuel, 3.42 gears, 6-speed auto trans) was progressively getting thirstier over the last year and a half or so, up to the point of where it was drinking around 4 quarts of 5W-30 over 5K miles. Regular dino-oil or synthetic, and Fram's best or AC Delco PF48 oil filters seemed to make no difference whatsoever. Seemed to always use more oil during hot weather, on long trips where AFM was kicked in longer. I do not haul heavy loads or tow anything, nor do I race it--don't remember ever flooring the throttle on this truck. I do most of my own maintenance work and am picky about meeting or beating the factory service intervals and using quality oils, etc., and now use only PF48 oil filters. I was getting fed up with this oil usage situation, and worried that using that much oil was going to mess up my catalytic convertor, etc. Local service manager says "yeah, a lot of them AFM motors do that!" which didn't help my situation any or make me feel any more comfortable about my purchase of any present or future GM products. The last few months I started reading more on the internet about AFM engines using oil and what to do about it. So I started driving in Manual mode on the transmission around town (5th gear selected) so AFM would not kick in. Thought I could tell the oil usage was slowing down. Then I purchased and installed the Range V8 module to turn AFM completely off. After a couple of months and a few thousand miles, my oil usage has all but stopped! I'm hoping that the oil usage will stop completely, but at this point, I could live with a quart being used over a DIC OLM-indicated oil life interval if I have to, as it would certainly be a relief not to be pouring in a new quart in less than a thousand miles like I used to have to do. (Can't believe I just said that, as up to now I always viewed any oil usage in a non-abused motor as being unacceptable. But when life gives you lemons. . . ) So this was not a scientific study by any means and I anticipate being bashed by the AFM-couldn't-possibly-cause-any-problems crowd. But the fact is that NOTHING changed with my oil, filters, gasoline, driving habits, etc. over the last few months with the exception of TURNING OFF AFM and then my oil usage has ALL BUT STOPPED. I am not a paid spokesperson for Range or Blackbear or any vendor or anybody else, but am personally convinced that turning off AFM stopped my oil usage and would recommend others with oil usage problems to look into turning their AFM function off as soon as possible. My miles-per-gallon has not dropped noticably, either, since turning AFM off, so I'm not sure how much it really helps save gas, anyway. Cheers, and I hope this helps somebody.

The original question asked about the 5.3L "Generation IV" V8, right? Which includes engines manufactured from 2007-2013? I'd sure like to hear about some 2007-2013 GM 5.3 engines with 200-300K miles without problems, because all you read about on this forum is ticking AFM lifters which self-destruct later, and owners having to add oil every 2000 miles or so to keep the d*mned things from blowing up! I'm starting to believe that some on this forum keep trying to 'sweep the problems under the rug' so as to not decrease their future trade/resale values, but for others of us, these problems are unfortunately very real. My 29k-mile ticking LC9 seems to be developing quite a thirst for 5W-30, and it's not from abuse or pulling heavy trailers. At 15-16 mpg overall even with AFM, I'd GLADLY tell GM that they can keep their AFM and give me a quiet, problem-free engine!!

No offense, but I don't think this is an accurate method to measure if your engine is using oil between changes. Been changing oil for friends and family for 30 years, and you NEVER get as much oil out of the drain pan/old filter as you put new oil back in to fill it. I often drain cars that hold 5.0 quarts into an empty gallon (4.0 quarts) container, and these vehicles are not using a quart of oil between changes, because it was still full on the dipstick before being drained. So, in my experience, I'd say that only new oil added to show 'full' on the dipstick should count as the amount of oil used between changes.

It disconnects the wire for the sensor. So after you unhook the connector under the driver's seat, there is no more annoying chime or red "put on your seat belt" indicator light on the instrument cluster. The passenger seat chime/light will still occur, though, unless you unhook that one, too. Be nice and reconnect it before you sell the truck, though.