P0011 recurring issue. Help!

Hi, I have a 2002 996 Carrera 2 which I’ve owned for nearly 2 years. It’s had the P0011 from when I bought it (I didn’t know it had a code when I purchased). it also had an engine rebuild before I owned it. Anyway I’ve had numerous other issues to sort which are pretty much sorted, so I’m back to this problem. The strange thing is cam deviation is zero on both banks until I touch the throttle (I have Durametric to check). Once the throttle is touched the cam deviation on bank 1 gently creeps up to around -11. (I’ve changed the cam sensor, before replacing it the reading was -13) Initially I replaced the variocam solenoid which didn’t solve the problem, then the Cam sensor. It’s since been to the specialist that rebuilt the engine and they replaced the variocam actuator and checked the timing and carried out a service. I then went down the route of an electrical issue. The voltage at the solenoid on idle is 8 volts between the 2 pins (12 v to ground on one, 3.3 v on the other). I then checked the dme and found what looked like burning on the pcb. I’ve since replaced it and the car drives better. I used to get a hunting around 1900 rpm which has now gone. However I still have the P0011 although the car drives great. So I’m back to thinking it’s a mechanical issue. When I replaced the solenoid I saw no filter, though I notice on the 997 there is a gause that fits in before the solenoid. Is there one on the 996? Has anyone come across the weird creep on cam deviation? I hope someone can help. Thanks

Has there been engine work done to it recently, especially timing related? Only way is to re-time bank 1. Here's what Porsche says: "P0011 Position of Camshaft in Relation to Crankshaft, Bank 1 – Below Limit Diagnosis conditions • Idle speed • Reference mark recognized • Engine speed between 600 rpm and 1200 rpm. • Engine temperature greater than 40 °C • No fault in camshaft position sensors • Reference mark OK • No fault in camshaft adjustment • No fault in engine temperature • No fault in camshaft adjustment output stage Possible fault cause ◆ Allocation of camshaft to inlet camshaft incorrect Affected terminals Diagnosis/Troubleshooting Note! • This fault is stored if the engine was disassembled and the allocation of the camshaft to the inlet camshaft was incorrectly set. Work instruction: To adjust the camshafts, please refer to the 911 Turbo (996) or 911 Carrera (996) Technical Manual."

Hi, Thanks for your reply. Yes, as far as I know the timing has been checked and the cam adjuster replaced. It feels to me as though the solenoid doesn’t close properly once it’s opened. As I said before the car starts and drives perfectly. I have no CEL, it’s really weird.

Hi mi6_team, did you solve your problem? I have exact the same problem, no deviation on start up, both banks show 0,00° on idle. But when increasing throttle cam deviation on bank 1 moves up to a value about -14° and I get the code P0011. And yes, the 996 3.6 has a filter element below the adjuster. BR, boxa911

Hi, Funnily enough I was looking at it again at the weekend. The car has just been resprayed so I’ve not done much to it for a while. I’ve just changed the oil pump pressure relief spring & piston. (It was jammed in, and shows signs of wear / corrosion) And I replaced the filter on the solenoid. (The old one the centre core had spun, I assume restricting oil flow) I’ve now got much better oil pressure at idle (1.8 bar, was just over 1 before) and I’ve got a different code now P1328 which is the wiring to the solenoid. I drove the car & got the tiptronic emergency run message & code P0715 which is to do with input speed. I think I’m on the right path now, but haven’t had chance to plug Durametric in yet. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to disconnect the battery for a bit & see if resetting the ecu helps. Phil

Hi, thanks for quick response. Just checked my basic timing on bank 1 TDC and surprsingly its ok by watching and also when fitting the special tool into the cam slots, although durametric live reading says cam deviation to about—14 to -15 degrees for bank 1 when the engine is running. Now I will go on and check the electrical environment… mi6_team, could you already solve you problem with the cam deviation? BR boxa911

Hi, I’ve changed the solenoid bracket today & checked the plug for the solenoid, that’s cleared the P1328 code, but I have P0011 back. Interestingly, the cam deviation for Bank 1 is better than when I started chasing this (today 10.31, was 13.45). So I’m wondering if this has been a problem for a long time & oil passages are blocked? The oil from the oil pump was thick black, and the oil was changed in December (it’s done maybe 1500 miles tops). I’m going to do some long drives now & then maybe an oil change to see if it improves.

hi, why the bracket? did you think there is any movement, because of a bent bracket? i also put new oil in and took it for drive for about 45min. I wanted to check if there is anything clocked and it stops with higher oil pressure on the system while driving, but nothing. in my case I tried another variocam actuator, but no changes. to get sure I also tried another camshaft position sensor today, but no changes. so in the end the last chance is the variocam adjuster on the inlet cam, but getting into this the engine has to come out of the car. BR

I heard that it can cause an issue with the ground on the actuator. I’ve had the adjuster replaced and still the same result (I have to assume the timing was checked at the same time). I’d definitely check the filter for the solenoid. It’s in the hole where the actuator goes. Use a magnetic pick up tool to pull it out. I’ve got the 997 one now part number 99710570100. In the first picture you can see the centre core has spun, I’d imagine it was restricting flow. The second picture is the newer style replacement. I’d definitely also recommend the oil bypass upgrade. This seems to have made a big difference. I’ve not had everything working properly to see if it improves. I’ll keep you posted.

Hi, you alteady have a new cam adjuster on your inlet cam shaft and still P0011? And yes, when trying another cam actuator I pulled the filter out of the bore and cleaned it, but as told, no difference. In my case I changed rails and tensioners bank1 and bank2. The cam deviation issue P0011 was not present before. After finishing that job the issue occurred. Maybe only an oil channel is clogged and the cam adjuster is in good shape. BR

Fingers crossed. As I said I’d definitely try the bypass spring & piston. It took 10 minutes and made a noticeable difference to oil pressure. Hopefully that will get everything moving nicely.

Hi, yes, maybe worth to try. What was your oil pressure before and after changing bypass spring and piston? I have normal oil pressure and there was no change in values compared to when P0011 occured and before. Have been able now to solve your P0011 issue so far? BR

I had around 1 bar at idle before, now it’s near enough 2 bar. I’m pretty sure the piston was stuck too. I had to coax it out. There was a lot of wear on the old piston. Put quite a few miles on the car today and it drove the best it’s ever driven. In the past it’s kind of hunted around 1800 & 2400 rpm. When I changed the bypass I had a really rough idle (I guess the dme needed to sort itself out). I’ve not had chance to plug Durametric in again yet, but I think we’re going in the right direction.

So yesterday I changed bypass spring and piston. In the spring there is no difference between my existing one and the new one. Difference in length is 0,75mm, but that does not make any difference, because it is new and never used. Also no difference in wire thickness or strength, and piston is the same, it just has a tiny chamfer on the top. In general my oil pressure was ok before changing parts and for me this modification did not make any increase on oil pressure in my case and it also did not affect the P0011 issue. Durametric showed it is still there. Just wanted to share the info for others coming over this thread when having a similar problem. BR

Hi all, for those who struggle with the same problem, here is what solved my problem in the end. After replacing cam sensor and variocam actuator including filter the P0011 issue was still present. In a next step I had to go inside the engine. With the engine out of the car I removed cam cover bank 1 and removed the intake camshaft including variocam and exhaust camshaft. Now I was able to have a closer look at the oil ports that feed the variocam, I cleaned these ports with compressed air to make sure oil can pass the channels without loosing pressure. When reassembling I used another intake camshaft (alternatively renew the 2 sealing rings that look like piston rings) and variocam I had as used spare parts lying around. Retimed the engine and checked cam deviation and fault codes with durametric, no more P0011 issue stored and camshaft deviation in spec. Hopefully, this post will help other users having the same problem. If yes, let me know. boxa911