Can You Turn Off Cylinder Deactivation
The straight answer to your question of “can you turn off cylinder deactivation”, is Yes. You can turn off cylinder deactivation in your vehicle. Turning off cylinder deactivation ensures that your car runs on half cylinders. This will reduce the torque power of your car as well as fuel consumption rate. The importance of running your car with its complete cylinders is the power the car pulls during operation. It will perform at its peak and all the cylinders will be effectively utilized.
But at half cylinder, you will render the other half cylinder inoperable. The effect of this on your car is an early worn-out cylinder of the most used cylinders. Assuming your car runs on six cylinders. When you turn off cylinder deactivation, your car will run on three cylinders. Though this will conserve fuel usage in your car, it will have a negative impact on the long run.
If you have been looking for ways to turn off cylinder deactivation in your vehicle. Note that this option cannot be done with a click of hand. Furthermore, the option to turn off cylinder deactivation is not shown in most vehicles. You will either disable the system with the help of a mechanic. Or you can use a delete kit to turn off cylinder deactivation.
A Quick Answer To Turn Off Cylinder Deactivation
Since cylinder deactivation can’t be turned off with a click of hand. You can disable the system or with the help of a delete kit software to turn off cylinder deactivation. For this purpose, this article will focus on the two broad ways on how to turn off cylinder deactivation.
In most vehicles, you will see the acronym, AFM/MDS/VCM. These acronyms are used to represent the cylinder deactivation system. In this guide, we will make use of this acronym to turn off cylinder deactivation.
Before we get into the workings, let’s first understand how cylinder deactivation works.
As indicated by the acronyms above, they are used to designate cylinder deactivation.
The acronyms stand for:
- “AFM” stands for Active Fuel Management system. This acronym is used mostly on GM motors.
- “MDS” stands for Multiple Displacement System. This comes in Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler cars.
- “VCM” stands for Variable Cylinder Management. The acronym is used on Honda and Acura car models.
How does turning off cylinder deactivation work?
We use the acronym, AFM/MDS/VCM when referring to cylinder deactivation. When the car cylinder is deactivated, your car’s engine operates at half cylinder. As a result, there will be low fuel consumption.
We can only recommend turning off cylinder deactivation when you don’t need the full horsepower of your car. And if you’re the type who drives too often or carries loads on cars. Your car will need to run on complete cylinder for optimum performance. It will automatically switch the cylinders when it requires a lot of power. Or when the full torque is not required, it will reduce the cylinders in operation.
Also, note that running on half cylinders will not have an immediate effect on your car. But it will affect your car’s engine operation in the long run.
Can you turn off cylinder deactivation?
Since cars that are equipped with cylinder deactivation system makes use of ECU mechanism to determine when a car needs full torque or lower. The sensors determine if your car needs more power or less power to run. If it requires lesser torque, it will automatically deactivate half of the cylinders. And if it requires more power, it will also transit to full use.
Let’s assume you don’t want the automatic transition of cylinders by your vehicle. You can opt to turn off cylinder deactivation with a tool. This tool will have your car continuously run on half cylinders whether full torque is required or not.
Is It Possible to Turn Off Cylinder Deactivation?
It is very possible to turn off cylinder deactivation in a vehicle. But the steps to turn off cylinder deactivation are never straightforward. That’s why you need a guide to successfully achieve this. We will introduce two methods to turn off cylinder deactivation.
Install a delete kit To Turn Off Cylinder Deactivation.
You can use a delete kit to turn off cylinder deactivation. I won’t advise you to do this yourself except when you have carried out a similar task before. If not, it’s proper to call for the help of a mechanic.
Before using the Delete Kit, you have to upgrade to a non-AFM/MDS/VCM camshaft. Upgrading to a non-AFM/MDS/VCM camshaft will prevent a misfire code. Now use custom tuning to turn OFF the system. You can also use a program to turn the system OFF.
Install a disabler To Turn Off Cylinder Deactivation.
The second method to turn off cylinder deactivation is through a disabler. You can install a disabler through the ODM II port. To do this, connect the device having the disabler software to the ODM II port. You will use this software to re-program the car’s ECU from automatically switching to a half-cylinder. This method doesn’t require you to disassemble your engine component when turning off cylinder deactivation.
This method is straightforward to apply. The software will alter the program of the mechanism in charge of cylinder deactivation. And disable it from automatically turning off cylinder deactivation.
This method is easier to go through than the kit installation involving engine components being loosed.
Does turning off cylinder deactivation help?
It will only reduce the torque power of your car. When you turn off cylinder deactivation. Your car will continue to operate normally. But it has a negative impact in the long run.
Disadvantages of cylinder deactivation are:
- Increased fuel consumption rate.
- Your engine will often misfire.
- You will hear noise from the engine compact area.
- Your car will stutter when it tries to engage or disengage the system.
GM motors issued a public service bulletin last year, 2021. The bulletin focused on their vehicles of 2020 and 2021 that experienced a collapsed lifter. The filter is an important aspect of the cylinder deactivation system.
Most GM cars affected are the GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Cadillac Escalade, and Chevrolet Suburban.
If you turn off cylinder deactivation, it won’t reduce the fuel consumption rate.
Does cylinder deactivation affect engine life?
When you deactivate the car cylinder. It will have a negative impact on your car’s engine in the long run. But most recent car models are built to withstand the transition of cylinders. Though, they can’t withstand running on half cylinders in the long run.
Running your car on half cylinders will create hydraulic gaps in the engine. This can cause vibration in the engine. This happens when your car can’t get the expected torque to propel the engine. Because the cylinders in a car play separate significant roles in the operation of your car. So, when your car runs on half cylinders, it will lose balance and vibrate often.
Deactivating your car cylinder can also cause the common rail system to damage or break down. This will cause your car to consume more fuel. Because the system is trying to adapt to the new operating system. The deactivation of car cylinders will disable the injectors. This will add pressure pulses on the common rail system and it’s bad for the car’s operation.
Can Cylinder Deactivation Cause Engines Wear out Faster?
Yes, deactivating half of your car cylinders will cause the engine to wear out early. When your car’s engine cylinders are deactivated. It leads to more workload on the generation of torque on other cylinders.
The longer you drive with half-cylinders, the more your engine wears out.
How much can cylinder deactivation increase efficiency?
The cylinder deactivation mechanism works on certain scenarios that trigger its activation. So, it can be triggered by the sensor signaling that the car needs more torque. Or that the car needs to run on lower torque. If the sensor observes the state of the car, it will transit to half or full cylinder. At half cylinders, the fuel consumption rate will reduce.
How do I bypass cylinder deactivation?
It is difficult to turn off cylinder deactivation with a click of a switch on the dash. Therefore, you will need to bypass cylinder deactivation by installing the disabled software to the ECU. This software allows you to reprogram the cylinder deactivation mechanism.
How does cylinder deactivation cause engines to wear out faster?
Just like every other mechanical component. They’re meant to operate on certain specified conditions. When these conditions are altered, they will malfunction. When the cylinder deactivation is enabled, some components of the engine will minimize operation. This will cause a load on the engine and force it to operate beyond specification.
The most used cylinders will get weaker quicker and wear out. Though, it doesn’t wear out outrightly. But with time, you will notice it.
Does cylinder deactivation help improve mpg?
Cylinder deactivation can improve your car’s MPG. The improvement won’t be of much significant. But since the engine is running on half cylinders. The fuel consumption rate will be reduced. According to reports from Autosmart, the fuel drop range is from 4 to 10%.
With all the explanations above. You may inquire if it is worth it to buy a truck with a cylinder deactivation mechanism.
If you care about your car fuel economy. You can turn off cylinder deactivation to conserve fuel. Be informed that this will have a negative impact on your car’s engine in the long run.
Will Disabling The AFM/MDS/VCM Void the Warranty?
A report from Range Technology. They’re involved with the production of software and kits that disable cylinder activation mechanisms. Using their product on your vehicle won’t void your car warranty. Their software is a plug-and-use application. And your car will get back to the manufacturer’s standard after the use of the software.
But using the delete kit to deactivate the cylinder deactivation will void your car’s warranty. Because you will have to loosen some components of the engine.
Oil Pressure Gauge Go Up And Down While Driving
Final Thoughts On Can You Turn Off Cylinder Deactivation
Most recent car models come with a cylinder deactivation mechanism. The mechanism helps reduce the fuel consumption rate of the car. And it may also affect the lifespan of the engine. You should enquire from your dealer if to turn off cylinder deactivation in your car. Also, you can hire a mechanic for this process to prevent any damage to the car.
As said in the article, to help in a carbon-free economy. Don’t turn off cylinder deactivation or disable it.
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