Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire GM 5.3 and 6.2 liter AFM engines. Yea, Nay, Run away?

i'd have to think for a minute and count the 5.3s that I've owned, or my friends and family own,

All have been rock stars, I've never once ever felt any of the cylinders cut out like stated above, In fact I call bullcrap on that statement...

Currently driving a '12 with the 5.3, 160k (bought new) on the engine, And in usual fashion I'll drive it to the 225k range before i think of replacing.

They had a surge problem.

GM collapsed its stock. They left millions of company OWNERS holding the bag. All the other companies bought out the shares.

why would you want to do this?

A v8 when needed, A v4 when needed....it's not like this feature is costing you extra, in fact just the opposite.

what and when?

true, and totally uncool.

Google it if you’re interested.

It affected the whole line including the Cadillac suv

264k on a 2012 1/2 ton Silverado w/afm. Never an issue, but flush the engine 2x a year. You’ll never feel the AFM working. You’ll have V8 for everything except cruising.

I'm not interested, you brought it up, It's irrelevant to me or the topic.

Good to know that you're getting that reliability out of your drivetrains. My guess is that maintenance is key to longevity, just like everything else.

Had a 2003 that I bought new and dearly loved. 225k trouble free miles.

Dad has a 2006. Has a leaky pan and rear main. Runs smooth other than lifter tick or whatever it is, common. 170k miles.

Wife bought a 2007 new. Traded at 100k. Motor ran smooth but used a lot of oil between changes. Several friends with same in 2007.

Had a 2012 Yukon. Bought with 50k mikes. Traded at 160k. Only repair I made was a steering wheel position sensor, took about an hour to pull steering column and replace. $40 part.

Currently GM free.

I've got a 2015 Silverado 1/2 ton Crew Cab 4x4 5,3 and I assume it has the original AFM type ignition system. I think they changed it in 2017 or so? I've got about 55K on it and it has been pretty much flawless other than a fault I kept getting that caused me to replace a direct fuel injector before I took it to the dealer and found out it was a wire that had gotten nicked and was rubbing against the body, causing it to throw several unrelated codes. I never notice the switch from V8- V4 except for the indicator on the guage cluster that tells me when it changes. In fact, I try to drive easily when I can as kind of a challenge to see how long I can get the V4 indicator to show up and get my best gas mileage... all in all I love this truck so far and I haven't changed my mind about the 5.3 being possibly the best engine Chevy ever built... my buddies own Fords, Dodges, and Toyotas and always seem to want to take my truck because it has the best ride and gas mileage of the bunch...

My 2003 had just a tick over 200K miles, but it lived a hard life. It was a farm truck before I bought it with about 120K miles on it. The 6.0 still ran like a top and the transmission was perfect, but the body bushings, tie rods, control arm bushings, shocks, and everything else needed replacing at 200K and I figured it was time for a new truck instead since I was getting ready to retire. For a couple thousand dollars in total repairs I could have driven it another 200K, but I was tired of driving a 3/4 ton HD and getting beat up on the rough roads where I hunt and fish... drivetrain was never an issue, though...

Then forget it. It seemed relevant enough to you to ask.

Fair enough.

Those articles read as if Ford is living paycheck to paycheck in an effort to pay back those loans. It reads as if Ford got in financial trouble early and took out these Federal Loans and probably wished they could have waited and took the TRAP money. It may yet get interesting as to what Ford does in June of 2022 about these loans. I hope it works out for them and their employees. Oh yeah, I'm on my third 5.3. No troubles and averaging 20+ mpg on the AFM models. Seamless transition between 4 and 8 cylinders so far at 45K miles on my 2018 so far.

The 6.0 was the the gas hungry one not the 6.2. I’m on my third one and have averaged overall 18 plus mpg. This is in North Dakota with long cold winters.

Had a 2011 Z71 that clogged the cats at 72k miles. Kept a quart of oil on hand because it likely needed it (often). Sold it and went with a trouble free Ram.

My experience with 2018 Silverado is same.... 26,000 miles... no issues.

Sold my diesel truck as this 6.2/hd half ton does really well.

I had an 04 Avalanche with the 5.3. I was disappointed with its gas mileage. Constantly searched for gears on mountain roads. Not so great pulling even a medium trailer.

Had a 6.0 in a work van and Escalade. Great motor! Decent gas mileage and plenty of poop.

I've been looking for new. Test drove the 6.2 and like it a lot. Great power. Can't speak to the towing or gas mileage.

I currently drive an 06 Silverado 2500 with a Duramax. Can easily keep up with a stock Mustang and gets great fuel mileage. No emissions to mess with.

I'm a die hard Chevy guy. Embarrassed to say I just took a 5.7 Ram Crew Cab for a test drive. Hate to admit, they are doing a lot right. Interior is very nice. Motor has tons of power. Couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on one. Very good value.

Same here. Great engine. Never had a issue with it.

Drove a 2019 suburban that had less than 20k miles on it recently as a rental. The thing was more loose and rattley and just felt unsold compared to my 2017 f 150 with 91k miles including aboun12k of that being beat to hell on nevada high desert back roads. Plastic trim and materials didn’t seem awesome either. I am not a Ford fan boy btw. I am buying a Toyota next. My experience with the rental suburban is typical of my GM experience. Great power train. Piss poor build quality.