I have a 2007 Chevy Suburban with the 5.3l V-8. It has the Active Fuel Management system that shuts down 4 cyl. when not needed. The problem I have and have found out a lot of other owners of this vehicle have is excessive oil consumption. My personal experience has been 2 quarts in 1500 miles at worst and at best 1/2 quart in 1500 miles. Depends on driving condition and ammount of time in 4 cyl. mode. There is a TSB out stating “ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION ON ALUMINUM BLOCK ENGINES WITH ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT (AFM) (INSTALL AFM OIL DEFLECTOR AND CLEAN CARBON FROM CYLINDER). CAUSED BY AN UNCOVERED AFM VALVE THAT SPRAYS OIL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CYLINDERS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN FOUR CYLINDER MODE.” My question is, should I have this done or can I just monitor my oil level and keep it full in between oil changes with out any problems? Maybe use an adative to clean the carbon out? Is there a disadvantage to the oil deflector, such as decreased oil flow to the cylinder when needed?
I would get the fix.
Burning more than a quart every 1000 miles will likely shorten the life of the cat converter.