Last updated on January 3rd, 2024
You can tell if a vehicle has Active Fuel Management from the car’s name or from the AFM logo. Asking the dealer about it will also clear the doubt.
Sometimes, cars with AFM can be identified by V4/V8 icons too. Ribbed Valley cover is also an indication of AFM.
You can also look at the engine number and camshaft to know about AFM.
Lastly, special lifters can be used for identification purposes too.
These are the basic ways of telling if a vehicle has AFM or not. You would need more details to answer how to tell if a vehicle has Active Fuel Management. So keep reading!
How to Tell If A Vehicle Has Active Fuel Management?
You can decide if your car has AFM by observing its components. Vehicles that come with AFM have various signs and special parts.
Let’s see the major signs that would help you to identify this fuel management system in your car.
Cars Name
The name of the car is very useful in checking whether it has Active Fuel Management or not. Only certain models of General Motor cars come with AFM.
Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and Chevrolet Tahoe are the models with AFM.
If your car falls under any of these categories, it surely has Active Fuel Management or AFM.
Also, this feature was introduced after 2007. So, cars produced before 2007 will not possess AFM.
Ribbed Valley Cover
The valley cover of the car has a direct connection with Active Fuel Management. Cars with AFM need more space in the valley cover.
Because these cars come with extra solenoids and wiring. So the valley cover is ribbed to provide this extra space.
The main function of tunnels on the cover is to send the oil of the engine to the AFM valve lifters.
These valve filters are used for intake and exhaust purposes. The valley cover also has a dark electrical connector on its back.
On the other hand, vehicles that do not support AFM have smooth valley cover. So you can find whether your car has AFM or not simply by checking out the valley cover. This process is very quick and easy.
Checking The Owner’s Manual
The first thing you can do is search the owner’s manual. The owner’s manual contains all the information about the vehicle including the details about the engine.
And, Active Fuel Management is an integral part of the car.
So information regarding it will be available in the manual for sure. So check out the manual carefully. Anyway, you should be careful in this work. You must search in the correct vehicle manual.
AFM Logo
The next major indication of Active Fuel Management is its logo. Vehicles with Active Fuel Management (AFM) usually provide their logo on the engine.
The logo consists of the letters A, F, and M. If you don’t see any logo on the engine, your car probably doesn’t have AFM.
Ask The Dealer
Another easy way to know about Active Fuel Management is by asking the dealer. The dealer is the person who is selling you the car. They know the minute details about their product.
If your car has Active Fuel Management, the dealer must have knowledge about it. Asking him will solve your doubt about AFM.
V4/V8 Icon
Cars with Active Fuel Management usually provide a special icon on the MPG DIC screen. However, this icon is different based on the number of cylinders in the car.
If the car has 4 cylinders, the MPG DIC screen will show a V4 icon. And for 8-cylinder cars, the screen will have a V8 icon.
Anyway, sometimes this logo might not be available despite having Active Fuel Management in the car. So, if you don’t find the V4/V8 logo, check for other signs for AFM before concluding.
Engine Number
The engine number of the car can also indicate the presence of Active Fuel Management. All types of engines can not support this fuel management system.
For this reason, only some particular engines have AFM. Mostly, 2.7L turbo, 4.3L V6, and 5.3L V8 engines have AFM.
The engine can be found under the car’s front hood. Open the hood and find if your engine has any of these numbers to be sure about AFM.
Special Lifters
The engines that come with AFM have special lifters installed. These lifters are installed on the four cylinders of the engine.
And the numbers on the special lifters are 1, 4, 6, and 7. So by finding these lifters, you can be positive about AFM in your car.
Presence of a Special Camshaft
The camshaft is an integral part of the engine. And for an engine with AFM, the function of the camshaft is more complicated.
FVM causes on-and-off cycles of the cylinders. And the camshaft has to endure it. So it needs to be stronger for this case.
For this reason, a special camshaft will be available in your car if it has Active Fuel Management. This camshaft is more robust and better than normal camshafts.
Identifying it can ensure the presence of AFM in the car.
These are the major indications of Active Fuel Management in the vehicle. Identifying these signs is not very hard.
List of Vehicles with Active Fuel Management
You can easily decide if your car has AFM by finding the above signs. Yet, I have made a list of cars with AFM engines here. Observe the table below!
| Vehicle | Model | Engine |
| GMC | Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali | 6.2L V-8 L86 |
| GMC | Yukon and Yukon XL | 5.3L V-8 L83 |
| Cadillac | XT5 | 3.6L V-6 LGX |
| Chevrolet | Tahoe | 5.3L V-8 L83 |
| Chevrolet | Suburban | 5.3L V-8 L83 |
| Chevrolet | Silverado 1500 | 4.3L V-8 LV3,5.3L V-8 L83,6.2L V-8 L86 |
| GMC | Sierra 1500 | 4.3L V-8 LV3,5.3L V-8 L83,6.2L V-8 L86 |
| Buick | LaCrosse | 3.6L V-6 LGX |
| Cadillac | Escalade | 6.2L V-8 L86 |
| Cadillac | CTS | 3.6L V-6 LGX |
| Cadillac | CT6 | /,3.6L V-6 LGX,3.0L Twin Turbo V-6 LGW,4.2L Twin-Turbo V-8 LTA |
| Cadillac | ATX | 3.6L V-6 LGX |
If your car is on this list, it surely has AFM. If it’s not on the list, check out the features mentioned in the sections discussed before.
Final words
I have provided the answer to how to tell if a vehicle has active fuel management. Now you would be able to easily find out if your car has AFM or not.
Oil pressure and quality are very important for the proper functioning of AFM. So check your oil regularly and ensure enough quantity.
