P0016 & P0344 - VVT Solenoid / Battery or timing chain!?
07-24-2024, 10:59 AM
#1
P0016 & P0344 - VVT Solenoid / Battery or timing chain!?
Hi everyone – I am at my witts end and am not sure what to do about current timing issue. In early June after letting my 2011 turbo sit for a few days in a hotel garage, I noticed a rough start, lack of power, misfires, fluctuating RPM and a few CEL that were intermittent and disappeared after restarting. Recently, CEL + Codes + Symptoms have become permanent. I have the auto start/stop, PSM failure, ABS CELs and P0016 & P0344 codes.
This was identical to an issue I had in 2020 where bank 1 + 2 valve lift solenoids were replaced and it resolved the issue. I recently tried Motul 5W40 for the first time and then accidentally topped with Mobile 0W40 – I thought perhaps this + an old battery, in combination with need for coils and a jackass valet doing a launch may have kicked this off and did not think much of it – but I have moved recently and no longer have a garage + a trusted local mechanic – when getting this checked out by 2x local indy shops I am told (based on diagnostic codes alone) that engine out work is needed to do a timing kit + quoted above what a dealer would charge for the same – and then offered to buy my car for next to nothing…. This was done without checking the battery, coils/plugs, sensors or VVT solenoids + no check w/ scope of timing guide/tensioner.
I am bringing it back to my trusted mechanic ASAP who is now far away from me, and I think (+ am hoping) I do not need a timing chain job… I have a clear leak from the driver side VVT solenoid, my PCV valve/hose seems to be sweating oil + my battery is very suspect (not sure how to check age but I have had it since at least 2017…. I would attempt to replace but cannot code + do not have the proper tools (durametric no longer works for me + should buy something new) – is there any way to clearly communicate that I am seeking proof that the timing needs to be done (maybe via scope down the oil fill inlet to check for guide/tensioner fragments?)
Does anyone have any advice on what else I should check myself first?
Does anyone have any experience where something as simple as a battery could cause this? I have read this to be the case but looking for first hand accounts….
Please help!!
This was identical to an issue I had in 2020 where bank 1 + 2 valve lift solenoids were replaced and it resolved the issue. I recently tried Motul 5W40 for the first time and then accidentally topped with Mobile 0W40 – I thought perhaps this + an old battery, in combination with need for coils and a jackass valet doing a launch may have kicked this off and did not think much of it – but I have moved recently and no longer have a garage + a trusted local mechanic – when getting this checked out by 2x local indy shops I am told (based on diagnostic codes alone) that engine out work is needed to do a timing kit + quoted above what a dealer would charge for the same – and then offered to buy my car for next to nothing…. This was done without checking the battery, coils/plugs, sensors or VVT solenoids + no check w/ scope of timing guide/tensioner.
I am bringing it back to my trusted mechanic ASAP who is now far away from me, and I think (+ am hoping) I do not need a timing chain job… I have a clear leak from the driver side VVT solenoid, my PCV valve/hose seems to be sweating oil + my battery is very suspect (not sure how to check age but I have had it since at least 2017…. I would attempt to replace but cannot code + do not have the proper tools (durametric no longer works for me + should buy something new) – is there any way to clearly communicate that I am seeking proof that the timing needs to be done (maybe via scope down the oil fill inlet to check for guide/tensioner fragments?)
Does anyone have any advice on what else I should check myself first?
Does anyone have any experience where something as simple as a battery could cause this? I have read this to be the case but looking for first hand accounts….
Please help!!
07-24-2024, 01:02 PM
#2
These cars seem temperamental about battery voltages, but IMO those are not the kind of codes/symptoms you would expect from a weak battery. If it's old and you want to replace it to rule it out, you can always get it coded later - the car will still respond favorably to the higher CCA, reserve capacity, etc of a new battery even if not coded.
The P0016 and P0344 are significant engine error codes and are the reason that you are getting cascading errors in the ***, PSM, ABS, etc. (so feel free to ignore those messages, they will resolve themselves when the engine issue is fixed).
When you say you are bringing it to a trusted mechanic far away - are you driving it? If you suspect timing issues, don't drive it.
A non-functional VVT solenoid could cause cam timing issues, although I think (I'm going by memory here) the P0344 is not a cam timing code (advanced/retarded), it's a signal integrity code (short/open/missing/ground/etc) so that code seems to point more to the sensor side of the cam (a bad sensor, circuit/wire, or connector) more than the control side of the cam.
I think it's more likely that cam timing issue/code would cascade into a P0016 crank timing code, rather than the other way around. I'd start by trouble shooting the P0344 first. If you can prove the P0344 stuff is all OK, then yeah you may have timing issues, which is a much bigger issue.
The most basic thing you can do is swap the cam sensors between bank 1 and bank 2, that will tell you quickly if it's the sensor (if the fault follows the sensor).
If you have access to PIWIS, I'd say look at your VVT duty cycles and cam positions (and use active tests if available) and make sure they are responding normally/as expected. My guess is they are not.
Edit: google says P0344 is indeed a DTC for bank1 cam sensor A (intake) signal abnormality
The P0016 and P0344 are significant engine error codes and are the reason that you are getting cascading errors in the ***, PSM, ABS, etc. (so feel free to ignore those messages, they will resolve themselves when the engine issue is fixed).
When you say you are bringing it to a trusted mechanic far away - are you driving it? If you suspect timing issues, don't drive it.
A non-functional VVT solenoid could cause cam timing issues, although I think (I'm going by memory here) the P0344 is not a cam timing code (advanced/retarded), it's a signal integrity code (short/open/missing/ground/etc) so that code seems to point more to the sensor side of the cam (a bad sensor, circuit/wire, or connector) more than the control side of the cam.
I think it's more likely that cam timing issue/code would cascade into a P0016 crank timing code, rather than the other way around. I'd start by trouble shooting the P0344 first. If you can prove the P0344 stuff is all OK, then yeah you may have timing issues, which is a much bigger issue.
The most basic thing you can do is swap the cam sensors between bank 1 and bank 2, that will tell you quickly if it's the sensor (if the fault follows the sensor).
If you have access to PIWIS, I'd say look at your VVT duty cycles and cam positions (and use active tests if available) and make sure they are responding normally/as expected. My guess is they are not.
Edit: google says P0344 is indeed a DTC for bank1 cam sensor A (intake) signal abnormality
Last edited by sac02; 07-24-2024 at 01:10 PM.
07-24-2024, 06:02 PM
#4
If I thought my car had skipped timing, I wouldn't drive it across the street, much less a half hour down the highway. Your call on the risk vs cost of a tow.
I just did a quick google and damn - the cam sensors are not easy to get to, at all!
On a lot of cars, swapping them takes like a 10mm socket and 5minutes, that's why I said just do it as a quick first step. Usually it's super simple but can provide valuable info. Well that sucks.
I just did a quick google and damn - the cam sensors are not easy to get to, at all!
On a lot of cars, swapping them takes like a 10mm socket and 5minutes, that's why I said just do it as a quick first step. Usually it's super simple but can provide valuable info. Well that sucks.