hi guys,

Long story short I have a 04 TSX with 165,000km on it, and got the code P0341. I actually got the code the day after I bought the car used at 150,000km.

Like many others on this forum, the CEL, VSA and (!) would turn on on morning/cold starts. VSA and (!) would go away, but the CEL will stay on after I restart the car. The CEL will go away after about 3 drive cycles. Other than the code, the car drove just fine. I know that this is somewhat a common issue, but what happened next is quite different than what others have been writing on Acurazine.

I actually drove the car with the code for 10,000km without any other issues. Although most people said it was a timing chain issue, but I did not experience anything that interferred with the actual driving, so i decided to change both the intake and exhaust camshaft position sensors. After changing the sensors, the CEL went away along with the VSA and (!) even on cold starts. The CEL never came back for about two months. However, a month ago I changed the battery, and the CEL/VSA/(!) came on again one morning. But the next day it never came back, And it seems it just randomly pops up after extremely cold nights like -30 degrees. This happened only twice after the battery change. Should I be concerned? Or just leave it. I dont really want to change the timing chain for nothing.

BTW: I have always kept the oil topped up, the car burns oil(1L/1500km) but i managed to stop it using this special compound/liquid, I add 200ml when i do my oil changes. A mechanic told me that I should not have to change the chains unless the car has like over 200,000km or I drive it with very little engine oil.

Any advice would really be appreciated!

 

It doesnt happen every day more like once a month.

 

i brought it to another mechanic and he checked the timing for me and he said the timing was not off.

 

I would leave it til' normal temperatures come back. We had nasty freezing rain few weeks ago. The next morning started the car and sure enough CEL came on. I knew this was all weather related, (sensitive electronics) 3 days later outside temperature went up, and the light was gone.

 

i mean like, ive technically been driving almost 20,000km since the CEL came on so, is it still a timing chain issue?

 

In search window type code P0341 and see what you come up with, I'm pretty sure others have had same issues.

 

i actually read basically all the threads about the p0341 code in acurazine and tsxclub. But I haven't found anyone who was able to stop the CEL after changing the camshaft sensor and then the code randomly coming back after a long time during really cold weather cond.

The P0341 code the others have been experiencing either caused the car to go into limp mode or other performance related issue such as no start. thats why i feel alone on this issue, i have the CEL but the car seems fine.

 

P0341 is not a sensor fault, rather the timing of crankshaft and camshaft were detected to be "out of phase". This happens when timing chain is worn and slightly loose. My understanding is that replacement of timing chain and timing chain tensioner are necessary to repair.

Basic timing (crankshaft to camshaft) is OK, but when engine is running enough slack in chain allows slight timing error which is detected by camshaft and crankshaft position sensors.

There is a procedure to check timing chain for wear, however it requires quite a bit of work to access and perform.

good luck

 

thank you so much for the informative input. But why did the CEL turn off after the new sensors were installed?

If it is like you said, the timing chain is bad, then I would sell the car and get a 06 TL instead, no point spending $1500 on a car thats only worth $7k. I feel like it will need to be replaced eventually, but it can still probably hold for a while at least.

So would you think selling the car in the spring would be the best alternative?

 

bump?

 

I believe my buddy has this exact same CEL where he read and thought his timing chain was stretched.

He told me that after he did multiple engine oil flushes (drain and fill), the CEL went away. It might not be the conventional way of solving the problem but it doesn't hurt to try.

 

good tip, but the CEL went away already after i changed the sensors. Its just recently it randomly poped up once after battery change, and another time after a really cold night (-35C), other than that it was never illuminated. I'm thinking of selling the car before the CEL comes and does go, but again, the car drives super smooth and the CEL is not systematic, since it poped up like two times in 4 months. ~~

 

bump.

 

bumpimp

 

bump?

 

As explained in my post, it occurs when slight phase relation error between crankshaft and camshaft is sensed due to chain slack. It may occur under very special engine conditions; high rpm, sudden engine deceleration, low oil pressure, etc. That is why replacing good sensors w/ new sensors did not fix the problem.

I would not wait for a catastrophic event such as timing chain jumping sprocket and possibly causing permanent engine damage.

good luck

 

Hey guys, thanks you all for the responses. Some good news about budgets.

I have decided to sell the TSX. As of the CEL, the car seems to be fine ive driven it over 30k since the problem occurred last year, and the light never came on after winter ended. I really question wether it is actually a mechnical problem...probably just a electrical issue since it barely comes on after the sensor replacement.

Over the last 2 months, I have increased my budget to $18,000, and I have decided to purchase a 06-08 Lexus is 350 with 90-110k km instead.=)