GM 5.3L EcoTec3 engine questions
Okay motorheads, need some input. Bought a new 2022 Chevy Silverado with the 5.3L EcoTec3 engine. As is the story of my life I start reading about the engine after I bought it. Seems as though there are two main issues: lifters failing and carbon buildup from the Active Fuel Management system, which shuts off four of the cylinders when demand on the engine allows for it, thereby increasing gas mileage.
Granted, the websites I read these complaints on are no doubt the place where people go who've had these issues, i.e. all you read are about these issues. No one really says "I haven't had any problems". So it might seem like it is a HUGE problem when it is a small vocal minority of buyers.
I am mostly vehicle illiterate; never worked on them, only know the basics, etc. I have a couple of questions:
1) Are these problems widespread, like a majority of buyers over time?
2) What can be done to alleviate these issues? Both the lifter and carbon buildup issues seem to be related to the AFM feature, am I correct?
3) Would shutting off the AFM feature reduce the chances of these two problems occurring? Would doing so otherwise adversely affect engine performance? How do you do it?
***A little recent background information to explain my trepidation: My wife bought a new Jeep Wrangler with the 4-cylinder turbo engine in it last October. In mid-August she and I were out one Sunday with one of our dogs for a drive. "Check electronic throttle control soon" warning light comes on. We're like WTF? Turn around, let's head home. Before long it starts sputtering and then the dash lights up like a Christmas tree. Damn thing dies with smoke rolling out from under the hood. Stranded by the roadside. Turns out the engine completely burned up (like NOTHING re-usable underneath the hood). It had 11,000 miles on it and was 10 months old. Obviously a warranty-covered issue. New in-the-crate engine had to be installed. Not only were we stranded by the roadside with a dog (which royally pisses me off considering what we pay on that damn thing per month) but the dealer had it for 41 days before we got it back a week ago. They him-hawed around about "no loaner cars available, sorry" but I told them they better pull a ride out of their ass so they rented us a car for that time after much prodding. Obviously now I don't trust the damn thing and we will not take it more than an hour or so away, with just over 3 years left to pay on it no less!
I just want too make sure I haven't stumbled onto yet another albatross, but this time a $57K Chevy. Any answers to the questions I posed above would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry, bent push-rods was another issue.....tied into the other two problems somehow?
Last edited by ABNAK; 10-01-22 at 21:18.
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