My check engine light went on in my 2009 997.1 turbo so I took it to the independent shop I have used for 9 years and 2 911's. They diagnosed the camshaft issue but said they have no one at the shop that can fix it. They are making calls to other shops but I would like to know any place from Cleveland to Chicago that can do this work well. Ann Arbor may also be a possibility. Thanks in advance.

 

Sorry to hear that. We've all been there, or will be at some point.

Maybe they don't know they can ship the cams off to be repaired? I would image that have the tools set the timing (the only other tricky part of the job).

Either way, good luck!

 

One thing to note is that for that particular code, it's also possible the VVT solenoid is bad.. the cam itself is at the bottom of possibilities for that particular code.

Might have them swap the solenoid to the other side and see if the code follows it.. I'd eliminate the other possibilities before going to the $$$ option.

 

Car has a “ P0021 A camshaft position - system performance bank 2” fault.
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This was the error code that caused the check engine light.

 

^ Yep, thats the code. Could be number of things, including the VVT solenoid or the camshaft itself. Swapping the solenoid is fairly easy to do to eliminate that possibility. It happened to me, so it is possible.

 

+1. I got the same P0021 code late last summer and starting mentally preparing to pull engine and have camshafts pinned. First I pulled the VVT solenoids and they were the originals with the dated part number (997.105.303.72). I went ahead and replaced with two new ones (997-105-303-73), did an oil change, and I have not had an issue since, no codes and camshaft deviation and logs look solid. Will still tackle the spum camshaft issue one day, but since my coolant pipes were already taken care of I didn't feel need to do the full pull. was $476 for two new VVT solenoids from Gaudin and took me an hour or so.

 

so I took my car to the local dealer and he is going to check the solenoids. He says he has to pull the engine to do that. Is he correct?

 

​​​​ You can switch them with the car in.

 

You might want to find a new mechanic. Most certainly does not need the engine dropped to swap them out.

I highlighted them on this pic in red.. Will need to remove the airbox in order to access. 2 E-torx screws need removed that holds a little metal flange that is holding the solenoid in place.




Maybe he was talking about the other sensor, the ones on the side of the engine? (Cam timing sensor.) Highlighted purple in this pic..
Even if we was thinking *these* were the ones to swap (they typically aren't), these can be changed as well without dropping the engine.


Lot of good info here:
The Dreaded 997 Turbo P0021 Code & Camshaft Issue (sharkwerks.com)

 

So my P0021 saga might have been different than most, but if happened once…

In my case, P0021 came up, and from logging the cams it was clear that bank 2 was barely moving compared to bank 1. Swapping the solenoids did nothing, so I assumed I had a spun cam bearing. Although I usually do many such jobs myself, due to a combination of factors I found a shop that could take them out and have them pinned.

The twist comes when I tried doing what I could myself before the shop could take my car (2 months wait). I had replaced both solenoids (btw engine out is bs, they are as easy to change as the air filter…well, almost) and that made no difference, bank 2 still lagged seriously behind bank 1, if it did anything at all. But when I revved it up a bit, it seemed a bit more responsive. Reading the service manual, one thing they suggest in the troubleshooting is to check the oil - dirty, wrong grade. Plus, one thing I noticed when I replaced the solenoids is the bank 2 solenoid had been installed wrong, for at least some of its life, by the PO. So I changed back to Mobil 1 0W40, flushed it through with several changes, and started revving the engine higher while recording the cam timing. To note, many people advise that I should not drive the car with the code, and many people said it was ok to. So when testing it out I would go easy on it just in case.

Anyway to shorten this, as I got the nerve to slowly increase the rpm while logging, bank 2 slowly started to respond. After several hours of running, short bursts up to +5000 rpm, low and behold bank 2 came back, and started following bank one perfectly. So my theory on what happened with me is the bank 2 solenoid was perhaps installed wrong and the reduced oil flow to the variocam caused to “gum up” or stick. Installing a new solenoid, changing the oil a lot and revving it higher rpm eventually cleared it out. But who knows for sure - maybe it spun back! I cancelled the pinning job and have put over 10,000 miles on it since, with flawless cam and engine performance. And of course, no codes. In fact, the engine is running better than it ever has since I owned it. Maybe I will pin the cams someday, but for now, I am enjoying it while I can!

Btw I have a long thread about all this here, lots of good input from the more knowledgeable members.

 

Thanks to everyone for your information, experiences, and educating me. I picked up my car first thing this morning from the dealer that wanted to pull the engine. The check engine light went out as I drove home. I am going to go to an independent facility in Ann Arbor and have them install new solenoids and change the oil that was changed last month. I hope that solves the problem.

 

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Hi @Jaskfri,

Bummed to hear of your issues, I'm quite surprised since I believed the spun cam issue to be rare. Is Automotive Techniques your Indy? Jeff is a good guy, but things seem to have changed a bit over the years. There's Munk's Motors in Waterford, but is sounds like you're already at Rennstatt/ Arbor Motion, in which case, Sabastian is trust worthy and well known in the PCA RSR community.

Let me know how it goes, i hope it's on the minor side, like others in this thread mentioned. Shoot me a PM on it. You need an air-cooled car to enjoy while your Turbo gets sorted!

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-turb...n-detroit.html