cbergin92 Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Hey guys, I've gone 2 weeks of having my car die randomly at low speeds (couple times in the middle lane on 95...fun times...) on the highway and countless hours of researching every forum and youtube video I could. Now I'm turning to this post and appreciate anybody's input. I'll try and be clear and concise... 108k miles on 05 legacy GT First problem (typical symptoms of 0340 code) - Engine hesitation, rough low idle, engine stalling sometimes (as i mentioned above), strong oil smell every now and then, difficulty starting after stalling, CEL 1st trip to mechanic - p0340 (cam shaft actuator circuit), p0301/p0303/p0304 (misfire) - mechanic diagnosis:Bank 1 Variable valve timing solenoid screen was damaged/clogged and needs to be replaced. This was causing the engine to run very rich (causing oil smell). Replaced VVT solenoid. Pick up car, drive 18 miles, steady on the accelerator going 60 on highway, rpms drop, engine hesitates for about 5 seconds, power kicks back in and... CEL back on.... hmmmm. However, not getting whiffs of oil anymore, so maybe replacing the vvt did solve 1 problem... 2nd trip to local mechanic - Now its just the p0340 code. I told him i replaced my timing belt, water pump, all idlers/pulleys, and tensioner (gates kit!) at 105k (not too long ago). Now I'm worried I did a poor job and f***ed up my timing. They check and he says im dead tooth on and it all looks good (shout out to the great timing belt walkthroughs on here, very helpful and saved me $$$). Mechanic says he thinks i built up a lot of oil sludge overtime and then the broken VVT didn't help. We put in an oil blend to run briefly that will hopefully dissolve this sludge so we can drain it out. This is where I'm currently at (day 5 of running this blend). The CEL has gone on and off a few times (i drive 60 miles to and from work). Some days it seems fine, other days (like today) engine hesitates (while merging!) and stalls. I like to think that this mechanic is right and i just need to run this blend, clear out the sludge and all is well. I'm highly skeptical however that I have built up that much sludge in 108k that it is causing this much of an issue. Note that i have replaced my timing belt, and now I also replaced the spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter recently as it was close enough to the time and though it would help isolate. At this point the only other things i can think of is that maybe my fuel injectors are bad. I've read that usually this would cause an engine to lean but other than that, the symptoms of bad fuel injectors seem too relevant to ignore, especially after all the other things i've ruled out. I turn to you for any thoughts/comments/possible causes and solutions. You guys have been great in the past and I've learned a lot. Appreciate any feedback as to what is causing this problem. Cheers - Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zactek Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 I had a rough idle and stalling for a while (no cel though) and cleaning the MAF solved it. Doesn't hurt to get a can of the cleaner($8) and clean it a few times. Zack K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Bank 1 is the passenger side, maybe he replaced the driver side by mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbergin92 Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 To my knowledge, there is only one avcs solenoid. Either way, ended up replacing the sensor itself and that seems to be the issue. The wiring from the sensor to the ECM looked fine and wasn't oxidized. Timing again is fine. I spoke with a mechanic I know and he said these camshaft sensors do go from time to time. He said sometimes the apoxy on the sensor can deteriorate and oil or carbon can get in the sensor causing the signal to be disrupted. The OEM sensor will run you about $120. Just hoping the other one doesn't go soon, although the bank 2 sensor is easier to get to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 There are 2 AVCS solenoids. One on each cylinder head. A couple of things I would do to check. First, replace the front O2 with a good known one to test. These can go bad and never set a check engine light and cause many idle and misfire issues including STFT going from 0-25, unstoppable surging UNTIL it decides to just stop and then lull you into a false sense of security, and a host of other things including false knock. Second, make sure the cam sensors are, in fact, good. Third, remove the coils and use a pair of needlenose pliers and twist the electrical connection pins inside the coils slightly and reinstall. The male plugs become loose over time and can cause sporadic misfire and issues you'll chase forever. Fourth, Clean MAF several times and do NOT blow it off with compressed air. Let it drip off and dry on it's own and reinstall, making sure that the o-ring seals. Fifth, run a can of Berryman B12 Chemtool through the fuel system. Run it down to 1/4 tank, add the entire can, drive it to 1/8 tank and refill with GOOD gasoline. Drive it at least 100 miles each way right after to allow the Berryman to clean the injectors. See if these tips help. Many times it can be a combination of several things all being a "little bit off" and when you fix one, you can't really tell for sure if it's any better. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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