Flashing CEL - Recent IMS Replacement

Hi Folks. I have a (new to me) 2004 Carrera Cab with 46K miles on her. Owned her for about a month, and decided to have her IMS replaced preemptively. Car has run well, but for some reason, as I took her out on a short hop to the grocery store tonight, the CEL came on, flashing. I was not more than 500 feet from the house, so I pulled over and turned off the engine, hoping it was just a computer malfunction. Started her back up, and all was well, but upon putting load on her, it came back on again. Engine felt weak, so I did a U turn, cut the engine, and coasted back down the street and parked her. If I hadn't had the IMS done, I wouldn't have even attempted the restart. Nothing uncommon about the conditions - as usual, I let the computer check the oil level and verified it was good before turning the key. I let the engine idle for about 30 seconds, then revved her a few times (all good). Then, I engaged first, drove off, and shifted to second. Somewhere between mid 1st and 2nd is when the code came on (I think). Only slightly unusual thing is that the car was wet, and had been sitting outside in the rain for a day, and the spoiler was up (I had raised it to clean the bellows, and had not put it back down). I plan to pull engine codes tomorrow, but if there's not something clear, I think I'm just going to flatbed her down to the mechanic's on Monda (thank you AAA). Would love to hear some experiences on this - of the posts I searched, many with similar circumstances inidicated a problem with the coils. Rob

It's really just a guessing game until the codes are pulled. I wouldn't start her up with a flashing CEL without knowing the codes. Hopefully it is just something simple like coils.

You definitely need to get a code reader ($50-$100) hook it up and read the codes. Post it here and we can advise you better. Flashing codes are bad, do not drive car.

Classic coil pack symptoms.

come on back when you have some codes. Could be anything from coil pack to lifter to variocam solinoid

Thanks Gents - solid advice as usual. Ran a scan on the engine - two codes came back: P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire detected P1341 - "No DTC Definition Found - See Service Manual" Looks like it's a reference to a sensor fault with the camshaft adjustment on bank 1. Am I correct here? So - engine ran smooth at start - so I cleared the code to see how quick it would come back at idle. After a few minutes at idle all sounded normal, all guages looked good, so I revved her a few times. Everything was normal. After the engine temp came off the bottom peg, I put her in 1st to see if the misfire would come back. Nothing in 1st, second, or 3rd. Engine eventually came up to operating temp - all seemed good. Engine was smooth - no unusual rythyms or sounds. All looks fair for now, but what are the chances of this being related to the engine recenlty being dropped and the IMS replacement itself? Thanks - Rob

Who did you IMS replacement? Did they verify timing afterwards? Not sure how many miles after the IMS, but if the timing was not right, the CEL would come up pretty quickly. Smells like it jumped a tooth perhaps during the retrofit or just bad luck and you have a failing actuator. FWIW, I've had a lazy actuator/solenoid that took a while to show a CEL and would not come back after reset for many miles. It is going to be replaced. Read through this one might shed a light... http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...1340-and-p1341 Thanks Loren!!!!! "Only possible cause: – Allocation of outlet camshaft to inlet camshaft incorrect Note: This fault can be stored only if the engine was disassembled and the allocation of the outlet camshaft to the inlet camshaft was incorrectly set. P1341 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 1 – Below Limit P1341 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 1 – Above Limit P1341 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 1 – Signal Implausible Possible causes: – Short to ground – Open circuit in triggering wire – Open circuit in B+ supply – Actuator faulty I suggest you take it back to where they worked on it. "