Afm And Oil Consumption

pm26 · January 4, 2011

I was wondering the same, myself.

In 2006, I bought a brand new 2006 Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison CC/SB LT-3 with literally ALL of the bells and whistles.

Then, I made the mistake of joining DieselPlace.com. Holy Crap, my brand-new $50,000 MSRP rig was a pile of shit, with heads that warped, fuel filters that needed doubling, injectors that popped by the dozen and a quiet recall on everything from seat heaters to the glow plugs. Honestly, it was that bad.

So I posted a thread: "Why Did I Even Bother Buying This Piece of Junk?" And, of course, the responders informed me that my new Duramax was a wonderful piece of equipment and not to worry.

Sure, "not to worry" ... I pay only cash for my trucks and after the negotiations were over, I was 46 Big Ones short ... and my fellow Duramax owners are crying the blues about what an awful rig GM is duping the public with.

And, to be absolutely honest, DieselPlace absolutely spoiled my enjoyment of my Duramax.

Flash forward four years, and maybe I'm a little more Internet savvy than I was back then.

Now, I have a 2010 Silverado 1500 4X4 CC/SB LBZ Z-71 in Victory Red. I knew that the Internet mavens had their tighty-whiteys in a wad and pulled up their azz about the AFM and it's possible relationship with excessive oil-consumption. Did it bother me? Not particularly.

The Internet is a problem-magnet. Not only that, you're going to have some lurkers & trolls who try to spoil other's enjoyment of a new truck.

MY 2010 5.3 AFM ENGINE IS NOW NINE-MONTHS OLD AND IT HAS NOT BURNED AN OUNCE OF OIL.

That's all I know. And that's all I care about.

Would I buy a new 2011 Silverado or Sierra truck with the 5.3-liter engine with AFM. Hell yes I would ... in a heartbeat. The 5.3-liter engine, especially when linked to a 3.42 rear end and the new six-speed tranny is not only a powerhouse, but it gets fabulous fuel mileage. It tows my 6,000 pound trailer wonderfully and it's a dream in every possible way.

If you want an oil-burner, the 8.1-liter Big Block that is the darling of this site was horrid in my 2002 - 2500 Avalanche. It started out burning 1-quart per 1,000 miles when it was new and by the time I had 10,000 miles on the odo, it was up to 3-quarts of oil per 1,000. And GM never fixed it and they never fixed my neighbor's 3500/Allison with the same 8.1-liter.

Would I ever want another 8.1-liter? Not likely.

I'm awfully happy with my 5.3s (we have two) and I wouldn't let a few folks bellyaching over the Internet stop me from buying one.

Steve

Hey Steve (or "Dogzapper" ) you and I bought our trucks at about the same time. They were also the same color, except yours was a 2500 Duramax and fully loaded and mine an LT1 1500 crew cab Z71 4X4 with the 5.3 engine. I remember you commenting on how well that Duramax pulled your trailer in the mountains and how your previous half ton Z71 struggled with it. Did you really experience a lot of problems with that Duramax, or was it the negative comments of the diesel forum that made you apprehensive about owning the truck? I was thinking hard about buying a Duramax truck myself. Heck, if I knew you were going to trade your truck in, we could have swapped the trucks, plus the appropriate cash difference from me and you would have a great 5.3 without any AFM, 3.73 gears and no real problems to date. It has only 16k miles on it now. I think I will keep my truck for a long time.

Hope you have better luck with your new truck. I would hate to see you get stuck with lifter or oil consumption headaches.

jimbrown1 · January 4, 2011

Here was GMs response to me today.

Dear Mr. Brown,

Thank you for contacting General Motors and your interest in the 2011 Silverado. We appreciate the time you have taken to write us. We are sending this e-mail as a follow up to our phone conversation.

Recalls are vehicle identification number specific so not all vehicles of a model year are affected. Although websites, magazines or newspapers not generated or approved by General Motors have reported on the Active Fuel Management feature, we have no official information from GM regarding any problems. Until we have official information and approval from GM we are unable to address inquires regarding any problems with AFM. We apologize for any confusion.

There are many reasons to choose GM. Most GM cars and light-duty trucks come with a transferable 100,000-Mile/5-year Powertrain Limited Warranty. More than 50 models also come with OnStar safety, communications, and diagnostics. And GM offers many models with an EPA-estimated 30 MPG highway or better. You can search dealer inventory, browse current offers, or schedule a test drive. To locate your preferred GM dealer visit http://www.findgmdealer.com.

At General Motors, we strive to provide exceptional customer service. If we can be of any further assistance please e-mail us or call 1-800-462-8976 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am to 9pm Eastern Time, and Saturday 9am to 6pm. Thank you for contacting General Motors.

Sincerely,

The General Motors Marketing Team

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music · January 4, 2011

^^^ Reminds me of good 'ol Sgt. Schultz: "I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!" .

pm26 · January 4, 2011

^^^ Reminds me of good 'ol Sgt. Schultz: "I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!" .

Yes, a one page letter that say absolutely nothing relevant to the original query.

stlavsa · January 4, 2011

i dunno mines got 50K on it and it doesnt burn any oil

Zembonez · January 4, 2011

What's funny is that for every post on here about "AFM motors burn oil", less than one in ten is actually a 5.3/AFM owner (edit: made up number there, but you get the idea). By far, most of the 5.3 and 6.0 AFM owners on this board report no issues. I'm one of 'em.

Some of us didn't buy a 5.3 BECAUSE of AFM. Oil consumption is a very well known issue with these engines. My buddy's Chevrolet Dealership has been advised to keep quiet on the subject - "unofficially" of course.

They are busy replacing lifters.

Good call.

In the 3 months (and around 4k miles) I've had the Avalanche, I've had to add two quarts.

The sad thing is... the 5.3 is an absolutely FANTASTIC engine. It's the AFM components that are failing.

mtiffinal · January 5, 2011

White 05 Z71Posted Today, 02:17 PM Here was GMs response to me today.

Dear Mr. Brown,

Thank you for contacting General Motors and your interest in the 2011 Silverado. We appreciate the time you have taken to write us. We are sending this e-mail as a follow up to our phone conversation.

Recalls are vehicle identification number specific so not all vehicles of a model year are affected. Although websites, magazines or newspapers not generated or approved by General Motors have reported on the Active Fuel Management feature, we have no official information from GM regarding any problems. Until we have official information and approval from GM we are unable to address inquires regarding any problems with AFM. We apologize for any confusion.

You mean to tell me that GM issues TSB's to work on this, yet GM knows nothing about it.

Wingnut · January 5, 2011

What's funny is that for every post on here about "AFM motors burn oil", less than one in ten is actually a 5.3/AFM owner (edit: made up number there, but you get the idea). By far, most of the 5.3 and 6.0 AFM owners on this board report no issues. I'm one of 'em.

Some of us didn't buy a 5.3 BECAUSE of AFM. Oil consumption is a very well known issue with these engines. My buddy's Chevrolet Dealership has been advised to keep quiet on the subject - "unofficially" of course.

They are busy replacing lifters.

Good call.

In the 3 months (and around 4k miles) I've had the Avalanche, I've had to add two quarts.

The sad thing is... the 5.3 is an absolutely FANTASTIC engine. It's the AFM components that are failing.

Yup...Which is why I'm not too worried about it. I'll get it fixed (under warranty), pop a Mentos, and call it a day.

White 05 Z71Posted Today, 02:17 PM Here was GMs response to me today.

Dear Mr. Brown,

Thank you for contacting General Motors and your interest in the 2011 Silverado. We appreciate the time you have taken to write us. We are sending this e-mail as a follow up to our phone conversation.

Recalls are vehicle identification number specific so not all vehicles of a model year are affected. Although websites, magazines or newspapers not generated or approved by General Motors have reported on the Active Fuel Management feature, we have no official information from GM regarding any problems. Until we have official information and approval from GM we are unable to address inquires regarding any problems with AFM. We apologize for any confusion.

You mean to tell me that GM issues TSB's to work on this, yet GM knows nothing about it.

The "Marketing Team" is who wrote that. You'll sooner get a straight answer out of a politician than you will out of any marketing team.

Jay69 · January 5, 2011

I hope this does not come around and bite me in the rear:)

I really like my 2011 5.3 AFM truck so much I gave up a 2009 2500HD with the 6.0 non AFM.

Bought the 2009 2500HD to pull a #4500 pound camper, worked great for that. Fast forward 2 years and our 1994 Suburban gave up the gost and the 2500HD became a daily driver for the wife (I drive way to miles per day). Took about one month to get tired of driving the 3/4 ton everyday. Matter of fact I got to the point I really did not like driving it on the weekends when I had a chance to drive the 2500HD.

So I'm really hope my 5.3 will hold up for many years.

I do need to ask you guys about the towing compacity of the new rig, I know its pleanty for what I need but the numbers dont make sense to me, thats another thread.

It all a crap shoot I really think. Im not sure how many 5.3 are ouyt there but there has to be a crap load of them.

pm26 · January 6, 2011

GM must really be pushing the 5.3 AFM engines on dealers by giving them better deals on 5.3 engine trucks because based on my estimation, 90% of new 1/2 tons on dealer lots are 5.3 AFM ones. Some delaers do not have a single truck with the 6.2 liter engine in stock and maybe only one or two with the 4.8 engine.

I bet this has a lot to do with the EPA mileage ratings of AFM equipped trucks, which are higher.

1911guy · January 6, 2011

I have one of the oil burner/using trucks. 3.5qts in 2500 straight highway miles Missouri-tampa-missouri. Took it in to the dealer the other day and they put some sort of shield somewhere in the engine and something else I am no sure of. So I will see if this helps any or not. Truck only used oil on highway trips and never seemed to when driving around locally.

tonygxp · January 6, 2011

I have one of the oil burner/using trucks. 3.5qts in 2500 straight highway miles Missouri-tampa-missouri. Took it in to the dealer the other day and they put some sort of shield somewhere in the engine and something else I am no sure of. So I will see if this helps any or not. Truck only used oil on highway trips and never seemed to when driving around locally.

strange?

the real question i think we need answered is whether or not GM changed the afm lifters or any components since it's inception in 2005 (V8 cars with LS4). maybe a parts guy on here can cross reference them from the start and see if there were any superceded parts in the afm family??? we should poll '07, '08, '09, '10 owners (and mileage) and see where the majority of the problems are?

A) 5.3 afm owner experienced oil consumption higher than normal, or excessive "ticking".

what year and what mileage did problem appear?

during routine oil change interval of 5,000mi how many qts?

0-1

1-2

2-3

3+

first noticed problem at?

0-7,500 mi

7,500-20,000mi

20,000-36000mi

36,000-50,000mi

etc., etc.

what year truck?

'07

'08

etc.

same for excessive "ticking" that warranted replacement of afm components

relist above minus the qts of oil used.

who's got the skill and nothing to do for a couple hours lol

music · January 6, 2011

I have one of the oil burner/using trucks. 3.5qts in 2500 straight highway miles Missouri-tampa-missouri. Took it in to the dealer the other day and they put some sort of shield somewhere in the engine and something else I am no sure of. So I will see if this helps any or not. Truck only used oil on highway trips and never seemed to when driving around locally.

Yup, that's the latest TSB fix. Return oil from the AFM bypass spraying the lower block. The fix is a small shield to block the spray. They should have also soaked the pistons/rings in solvent for a while to clean them up.

January 6, 2011

would burning oil be cause by not breaking the engine in properly ? say revving it out to around 5 or 6k rpms frequently ? or babying it have any effect ?

441G · January 6, 2011

well we just got another truck in the shop today with the TICK TICK TICK. we are getting ready to tear it down - the last one we did had a stuck lifter.