Need help with cam deviation/ Variocam troubleshooting

-2000 C2. 3.4L 94,800 miles -Check engine light : code # P1341 Camshaft adjustment bank 1 below limit value -Symptoms: Car runs great , would have zero idea there was an issue aside from the C.E.L -Durametric findings : TEST # 1 Cam deviations at operating temp : BANK 1 : -4.92 BANK 2 : -4.38 -I activated Bank 1 variocam and engine stumbles as it should -I activated Bank 2 variocam and engine stumbles as it should but more than bank 1 -Rechecked deviations and found this BANK 1 : -6.92 BANK 2 : -4.30 -At this point BANK 1 stopped responding to the Activation command . tried about 5 times and nothing happened. Bank 2 was reacting to commands as it should. -Revved engine a few times and BANK 1 stated responding to the activation again Seems like Bank 1 variocam actuator is sticking and intermittently working. Bad Actuator? Bad solenoid ? DME issue ? Thanks for reading. Anthony

Bad actuator....

Same symptoms i have. Ill replacing the actuator today.

I'd probably start by changing the solenoid, as it's only a couple hundred bucks and you can do it on the 3.6 without removing the cam cover (not so on the 3.4). If it is the actuator, it's a bigger job... Hope it's just the solenoid...

Thats the rub. Seleniod is $4-600. The entire actuator with a seleniod is $1050-1500. Its a 3.4 so u would have to pull the valve cover twice if its not the seleniod. Skip explained ti me if it just doesnt work then its usually just the seleniod but if its intermintant then its probably the actuator. Im doing the entire thing because i had the motor out this winter and did the pads and chain but didnt know there was something else wrong. Now im going back into bank 1 with the motor in the car and im not gonna tear into it a 3rd time.

Thanks for the input guys. I usually do all my own wrenching when possible. I plan to attempt this with the engine in the car if possible. I need to start doing some research. Is it foolish to just replace bank 1 actuator without bank 2 ? I heard bank 2 is a real pain without removing the engine.

Ugh... I don't know why I thought it was the 3.6 vario-cam plus... ... Seeing as you've got to go all the way in regardless, it's worthy it to bite the bullet and just replace the complete assembly (solenoid & actuator). The fact that it's intermittent could point to some kind of contaminant that causing the actuator to jam/not fully engage. I've read threads where someone has cleaned and run fresh oil through the actuator and had it operate perfectly again. Also note that bank one and bank 2 actuators are different - make sure you order & get the right one before closing everything back up it would suck to have to re-do the job

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i just finished bank 1. Took me 7hrs, taking my time and checking my work 3 times over, working under my 2 post lift. Bank 1 can be done in the car but its tight and a second set of hands is helpful when pulling the cams. I would not have done job in the car if i had not already done it out of the car a few months ago. spend the time and pull the motor, you will thank yourself.

Been there, done that... https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ng-around.html

I don't know why but Bank 1 actuator tends to fail 10x more than Bank 2. Someone explain that to me.

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after looking under the car it seems physically impossible to do this project with the engine in the car unless the engine is lowered a substantial amount. Is there a secret method you have found to do this project without dropping the engine ?

On the ground probably not, on a max-jack maybe. On a lift very doable. drivers side: remove muffler remove muffler bracket remove coil packs remove tensioner remove valve cover U now have access to the cams passenger side: same as driver but the exhaust manifold may have to be removed and the tensioner is under the ac compressor so that needs to be pulled there is a bunch more little things that are more difficult with the motor in, so like i said its doable but dont reccomend if its your first time

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good to know. i will get it up on my lift and investigate closer.

All parts are ordered and on way. Getting the car situated for the surgery. I am going to attempt this without removing the engine. If things go south I am mentally prepared to switch gears and proceed with engine removal. I plan to photo document the process so it may be able to help someone in the future. Sunset Porsche is the low price leader on the parts FYI. The bank 1 tensioner assembly was $1,068 vs $1,380 that I was seeing everywhere else.

Sub'd. This should be helpful. My 3.4 is looking good at 55k miles but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I start seeing the chips in the filter and I'll want to do this myself too.

A few things that will help with doing this with the motor in the car... 1. lower it on the engine mounts and remove the sway bar 2. The oil scavange pump can not be removed until u remove the valve cover on bank one so final torque on the cam gear needs to be done with the hold downs before installing the valve covers. So u need to install the tensioner hand tight and do these steps out of sequence from the books. Then remove the tensioner again so u can "lay" the scavange pump in and install the valve cover. U dont want to leave the tentioner in when u pull the hold downs. Because u have already set the cam gear u can not double check and adjust the cam timing after the valve cover is put on. This is moot anyways because only the simple cam hold down tool fits and the full timing tool can not be used. I have not done bank 2 in the car so im no help there. 3. Have a second person when u pull the cams and variocam. Its a lot for 2 hands to hold. Also its another set of eyes to double check u have timed the variocam chain correctly.

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thanks for the the tips. Everything you said makes perfect sense now that I have done lots of research and studied the assembly / disassembly process. Did you have to remove the exhaust manifold ? I�m trying to avoid if possible so I don�t have to deal with the high likelihood of broken bolts .

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bank 1, no with the motor in bank 2 with the motor out i had to pull the manifold but others have not, so maybe. i have a stomski racing jig for the manifold bolts that i rent if u need.

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Ok , great to know.

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how much for the rental and where are you located. I�m in Texas.

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Pm sent

I�m pretty sure when my solenoid failed on my 99, both times (first one bank, then 6 months later, the other bank), my mechanic did the replacement with the engine in the car. No broken exhaust header bolts (lucky). When you�re in there, it might be a good time to replace original tensioner pads, as those are a known wear item on the early engines. Some need replacement as early as 50k miles, some much later. Mileage doesn�t matter as much as how many cold starts and just age the car has had when it comes to this original material not holding up well over time. Cam deviation numbers are affected by these pads, meaning that replacement can often yield much better numbers of the numbers don�t look good otherwise.

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This is the info that is extremely valuable. Thanks mike.

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I am replacing the whole Vario -cam tensioner assembly - part # 996-105-051-58. It comes complete with new pads and solenoid. I am also replacing the cam to cam chain. From my durametric diagnostic tests and the green o-ring material in the oil filter everything points to an internally failing vario-cam tensioner assembly.

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If you haven't seen it, "Man in a Garage" has a recent vid on our Variocam assembly. He does a good job explaining and is entertaining at the same time. You Tube

Great Video. It was a very "timely" addition to the thread.

Yeah, sounds like it. When just my solenoid failed, I did not have the same symptoms you had.

I spend 40 minutes this evening doing some prep work. With another 40 minutes work I will have this thing totally apart. Plenty of room to work, I am actually surprised how much room is available and I haven�t even lowered the engine at all yet. I was dreading the upper muffler bracket bolts but it was simple. Stay tuned for session 2 pics in a few days. Remove air box Remove wheel Lower sway bar to make more room Remove muffler Muffler removed Access muffler bracket from below with extension and universal joint Bracket removed Piece mark coils and connections and remove Drain oil Remove exhaust cam plug

Found the smoking gun for the vario cam not working properly. Internal seal was jamming the spool valve. Also found out why the deviations on bank 1 were so far out..... Whoever worked on this system last or possibly the factory had the intake cam 1 tooth off on the cam to cam chain ! so far I�m about 2 hours into this project and have had zero issues. plenty of room to work. Engine looks mint inside . The chain ramps look great . Vario cam pads are showing signs of wear but not failed by any means. Now just waiting on new parts from sunset porsche

Has anyone come up with a replacement o ring?

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Nope. Its non servicable and u have to spend over $1k to fix it. There r some poeple around that kept bad variocams and might be able.to gibe away an oring. Also good progess on the repair.

This is what your oil filter will look like if your vario cam tensioner unit fails ......green rubbery o ring type material

UPDATE: got the car back together . No oil leaks from the cam cover or oil sump. Overall it was a very simple procedure all things considered. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again with the engine in the car. I didn�t lower the engine at all. There are lots of little tricks I learned along the way that would make this even easier if I had to do it again. I will say that I expected the bank 1 deviation number to to be a lot lower after completion. After a long drive to get the oil hot the reading is 5.98 for bank 1. So it has improved about 1.5 degrees. Perhaps the sensor that reads the deviation is out of adjustment? Car runs amazing and pulls great thru the whole rev range. And best of all no CEL has returned ! New vario cam tensioner and chain Ready to seal it up Scavenge pump install Cleaned cam cover

I also replaced the IMS chain tensioner and bank 1-3 chain tensioner during this project just to be proactive. Old ones looked and felt fine when comparing to the new ones.

Did u pull the battery ground for 30min to reset the dme? The cam deviations r a smoothed curve of stored data. R u able to read the actual cam angle yet?

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I had the battery disconnected for the duration of the project ( 1.5 weeks ). The cam angles are almost mirrored between bank 1 and 2 and look good from what i can tell throughout the RPM range. When I pulled the cams out the timing dots were 9 links apart instead of the correct 8 links. No way of knowing if it was that way from the factory but it is now set at the correct 8 links. I guess this goes to show there is more to cam deviations than just replacing the vario-cam pads. Fortunately the vario-cam tensioner is now working as it should, i will be tearing apart the old unit this week to see the internal condition and whats left of the o-ring seals just for fun.

Wow, great work. Nice job.

Yea when i redid my pads it moved the deviations about 2.5* on both sides. Upon replacing the entire variocam on the drivers side that deviation moved another 1.5-2*. So yes there is more to it then just the pads like long chain stretch. The good thing is that well maintained pads will keep the system happy and within range without having to split the block.