Code 1341 Camshaft Adjustment Bank1 below limit value

[Schnell Gelb]

45 minutes ago, Porschetech3 said:

 

I just looked at one of the ones I have , I think the divot that you are talking about is actually a spring guide. There is a spring in the bottom that pushes the valve toward the solenoid.The valve installs with the recess pointing down toward the spring.

 

Is your spring still in there? And a plug in the bottom with a small hole? Take some pictures of the actuator in this valve area top and bottom.

There is NO SPRING  ! My Kingdom for that 'missing' (?) spring ! Are you sure we are talking about the same part? See my photo on Page 2 of this Thread- way down toward the end of the Page.

Edited April 3, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Ahsai]

Looks like you have that piston up side down. The pin that sticks out from the solenoid should push toward a flat surface, right? If it pushes toward the divot, the piston won't move, right?

 

Another thread that may be useful http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60995-vario-cam-adjuster-plunger-question-re-p1324-code.html

Edited April 3, 2017 by Ahsai

[Ahsai]

7 minutes ago, Schnell Gelb said:

There is NO SPRING  ! My Kingdom for that 'missing' (?) spring !

Sounds like relatively good news! Maybe get a spring from a used unit?

Edited April 3, 2017 by Ahsai

[Schnell Gelb]

I'm thinking about that Treasure Trove in Porschetech3's basement.Must be a spring or 2 there ? :-).

Edited April 3, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Schnell Gelb]

Ahsai's latest link is useful because it confirms my suspicion about the orientation of the piston.But compare the photo in that link with mine at the end of Page 2 of this Thread. They are very different ! Difference between earlier/later engines? No mention of springs

Edited April 3, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Schnell Gelb]

17 minutes ago, Ahsai said:

Looks like you have that piston up side down. The pin that sticks out from the solenoid should push toward a flat surface, right? If it pushes toward the divot, the piston won't move, right?

 

Another thread that may be useful http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60995-vario-cam-adjuster-plunger-question-re-p1324-code.html

Agreed because the divot is 4mm deep - more than the travel of the plunger on the Solenoid .This was for photo purposes only.

And a very useful link I had missed - thank you !

Edited April 3, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Porschetech3]

55 minutes ago, Schnell Gelb said:

There is NO SPRING  ! My Kingdom for that 'missing' (?) spring ! Are you sure we are talking about the same part? See my photo on Page 2 of this Thread- way down toward the end of the Page.

 

 

Well good for you !! Looks like you have solved another P1341 mystery!! Yes we are talking about the same part. The valve that is actuated by the solenoid is spring loaded to press upward to the solenoid. There is a little spring the size of a fountain pen spring (except shorter) that fits the recess in the bottom of the valve. When the solenoid is energized it pushes the valve down to send oil to the actuator, when not energized the spring pushes the valve up(closing off the oil)

 

I actually lost the first spring as it came out I didn't catch it and it hit the floor and went who knows where. I have another one in a envelope so I don't lose it . If you PM me your address I'll mail it to you.

 

And yes you had the valve upside down.The recess and spring go at the bottom.Looks like you will be motoring soon !!

Edited April 3, 2017 by Porschetech3

[Ahsai]

Kudos to Porschetech3 for helping out a fellow member!

[Schnell Gelb]

27 minutes ago, Porschetech3 said:

 

 

Well good for you !! Looks like you have solved another P1341 mystery!! Yes we are talking about the same part. The valve that is actuated by the solenoid is spring loaded to press upward to the solenoid. There is a little spring the size of a fountain pen spring (except shorter) that fits the recess in the bottom of the valve. When the solenoid is energized it pushes the valve down to send oil to the actuator, when not energized the spring pushes the valve up(closing off the oil)

 

I actually lost the first spring as it came out I didn't catch it and it hit the floor and went who knows where. I have another one in a envelope so I don't lose it . If you PM me your address I'll mail it to you.

 

And yes you had the valve upside down.The recess and spring go at the bottom.Looks like you will be motoring soon !!

THANK YOU SO MUCH Porschetech3 !!

Edited April 3, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Schnell Gelb]

On 3/31/2017 at 8:32 PM, Porschetech3 said:

Schnell, one thing that has not been talked about on your problem is the mechanical timing between intake and exhaust cam. A common problem that is easy for the chain to slip over a tooth when trying to assemble the cams with chain and tensioner especially if you don't have the engine vertical. There are two gold colored links and two dots on the gears to time this(of course you already know this, I think this is a new build?). You can check this quickly by putting the engine in TDC same as setting the cam timing for the exhaust cam. then remover the cam plug above the bank 1 oil pump, look at the tang for the cam sensor, it should be pointing directly to 3 o'clock away from the head. If it's anything other than 3 o'clock the cams will have to be removed and retime intake to exhaust cam timing. I have seen this a few times and it will cause code p1341 and also will not allow cam actuator to advance/retard timing because it is too far out of spec.(14.9). There are 24 teeth on the gear that means 1 tooth off will give you 15 degrees off ie 14.9

 

[Schnell Gelb]

On 4/2/2017 at 4:39 PM, Porschetech3 said:

The actuator for bank 1 should have a casting on it that says ZYL 1-3 between the solenoid and the pad.. the lower pad (or inward pad) should have 2 small holes and a green o-ring on it. the upper (or outer) pad does not. The bank 2 side will be opposite.

This seems odd that the pads are reversed between the 2 Banks.I am sure some rebuilders miss this.It is correct per the FSM Sec 15, page 23 & 24. You can also see it here for Bank 2 (TWO!) See the video at 1.30 .

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Porschetech3]

32 minutes ago, Schnell Gelb said:

This seems odd that the pads are reversed between the 2 Banks.I am sure some rebuilders miss this.It is Correct per the FSM Sec 15, page 23 & 24. You can also see it here for Bank 2 (TWO!)

 

 

 

Looking at the engine from the front ( crank pulley side)., all 5 chains, 4 cams, crank, IMS turn clockwise.To advance the intake cams the adjusters must move the cam-to-cam chains to the right. On bank 1 that of course will be toward the crank, and bank 2 will be away from the crank. Because the adjusters are mounted physically face-to-face, they must literally move opposite directions to physically move the chains the same direction. The pads with the o-ring and 2 oil holes will be on the right (advance) side.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Porschetech3

[JFP in PA]

I've often felt that these engines were designed for a tech with three hands to work on..............

[Porschetech3]

12 hours ago, JFP in PA said:

I've often felt that these engines were designed for a tech with three hands to work on..............

 

I agree !! Designed for a tech with three SMALL hands !! My two big hands require way too much finesse.

[Randy J.]

New to forum...been reading all the problems with solenoid/ actuator. My 2002 porsche boxster 2.7 tiptronic. Has 123,725 miles on her now and the CEL came on for 1st time. ...not flashing. Code p1341 came up! The car is running perfect...no misfires, no rpm issues...ect.  My brakes were squeaking so this mechanic got in my car and slammed the brakes 3 times to get it to stop but when we got back to the shop the CEL came on...did he perhaps jar something lose or is it really a solenoid problem?  It got the CEL reset and the light came back on 25 miles later. Bought her last month for a good price and had it checked out before and knew it needed some repairs. I got everything fixed on it and been running perfect. Any feedback would be helpful... Also I've driven it bout 50 miles since and runs great...thanks.

 

 

[Schnell Gelb]

Welcome to RennTech  an oasis of technical brilliance and courtesy .I 'll try to stay true to that here :-).

Without Durametric readings to 'triangulate ' other factors in the 1341 code, we would be throwing out lots of futile suggestions. For example, what are the "Actual & Deviation  angles", does the Variocam respond to a Durametric prompt ?

To start with a logical diagnosis you could check the connections and do the 13 ohm and 9v click test mentioned above. Much depends on your skill level, equipment  and FSM resources. Maybe better to find the best Indie in Las Vegas instead ?

I am writing a full diy diagnosis for P1341 and related codes .It has many wiring harnesses for tests and runs to over 2000 words. I am not done yet.  Probably more than the average diy  enthusiast wants to get involved with ?

Edited April 8, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Randy J.]

Thanks Schnell Gelb, I'll get a Durametric done this week. Had some repairs done for sure so no leaks anywhere...Like i said its running great so this CEL freaks me out some!  By the way it was slow to start last week and they pulled a 2006 battery out of her...11 year old battery? Really...in Las Vegas...how in the world.

[Schnell Gelb]

The Porschetech 3 spring arrived in the mail this afternoon. It works ! THANK YOU Skip.

Here are the specs of the 2001 Boxster S Variocam Actuator spring I promised. Note the earlier Boxsters have a different shuttle valve/barbell-like piston  so may have(??) a different spring also.

# of coils - 8

Diameter - 5mm

Free length - 15mm

wire diameter approx 0.5mm

The bore that the spring fits into is 10mm

The shuttle valve has a relief machined into the end to locate the spring .It is 6mm.

Now ,with the cams and actuator fitted ,how to fit the spring and center it in the bore? Gravity is tending to have the spring offset to the bottom of the bore. This would produce a different Variocam response on Bank 1 to Bank 2 .

Lesson - fit the spring to the Actuator on the bench in ideal(vertical) conditions. Then allocate the camshafts and fit the Actuator.Then fit to the cylinder head.

In theory you could pack the bore and the spring with that very sticky grease and hope ?

I fitted the solenoid and tested it with 12v + the MOM switched test lead. For the first time it clicked. You could also hear the 'squelching' of oil out of the ports in the Actuator.You can feel the click if you hold the solenoid with your finger tips while operating the switch on the test leads.

 

One  detail with this job is the orientation of the 2 pads on the Actuator. The pads are different . One pad has 2 oil ports in it and a green 'O' ring on the underside of it. The other pad has neither the oil ports ,nor the 'O' ring .

Each  pad will fit on the top or the bottom of the actuator ! So which pad goes where??

Very few Instructions mention this.

AFAIK , the pad with the oil ports always(for Bank 1 or 2) should be fitted adjacent to the solenoid .

If this is incorrect Please mention it here !

Thank you for the spring Porschetech3 !

 

 

 

[Porschetech3]

Your welcome !! Glad the spring made it !!!

 

As far as the allocation of the actuator pads, looking at the engine from the front (crank pulley side) the pads with oil holes go to the advanced (right side), which on bank 1 will be away from the solenoid, and on bank 2 will be next to the solenoid.

 

Also you mentioned the earlier engines having a different shuttle valve/barbell like piston, the different one you are referring to.is actually a bank 2 shuttle valve/barbell. There was an earlier version that was superseded for 99 up but that picture you were referring to was a bank 2

Edited April 11, 2017 by Porschetech3

[Schnell Gelb]

Thanks for the clarification  about the Bank 1 & 2 Actuators  having different shuttle valves.I have never seen this discussed.

The photos in this link are for Bank 2. http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60995-vario-cam-adjuster-plunger-question-re-p1324-code.html

The photo of the Bank 2 Actuator chain pad clearly shows the 2 oil holes close to the solenoid.

So for Bank 1, the pads would be reversed .Meaning the pad with no holes would be  next to the Bank 1 Solenoid. A photo of the Actuator plus Solenoid for Bank 1 from the same perspective would show no oil holes in the pad next to the Solenoid.

This makes sense because there is an oil feed in the Actuator  clearly visible to supply the  pad with the oil holes + 'O' ring.

FSM Section 15-19 has a diagram showing this.

Thanks.

Edited August 19, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Ahsai]

Congrats!!

[Porschetech3]

16 minutes ago, Schnell Gelb said:

Thanks for the clarification  about the Bank 1 & 2 Actuators  having different shuttle valves.I have never seen this discussed.

The photos in this link are for Bank 2. http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60995-vario-cam-adjuster-plunger-question-re-p1324-code.html

So for Bank 1, the pads would be reversed .Meaning the pad with no holes would be  next to the Bank 1 Solenoid. A photo of the Actuator plus Solenoid for Bank 1 from the same perspective would show no oil holes in the pad next to the Solenoid.

Thanks.

Correct

[Schnell Gelb]

The idea of using chilled grease to (maybe) centralize the spring in the bore was too much of a haphazard solution.

So I dismantled everything again. I am really slick at this now !

I figured out the solution to aligning the spring in the bore of the Actuator. Use a brass guide-rod through the oilway hole at the bottom of the Actuator bore to centralize the spring. Gently push the shuttle valve into the bore while retracting the brass rod. Keep the point on the brass rod firmly engaged in the central counterbore in the leading face of the shuttle valve. With the third hand that JFP suggests, attach the Solenoid. Remove brass rod.

Practice makes perfect - eventually ?

Edited April 12, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Schnell Gelb]

Just to conclude the saga. The spring generously donated by Porschetech3 works well.

The Vatiocam advance works perfectly to spec. It worked within minutes of starting. I was a bit surprised because the oil pump has a lot of cavities and oilways to fill when one Bank has been dismantled and has been draining& dripping for a few weeks.

Durametric says the engine has zero Deviation - I assume because of the new chains and pads on both Banks.

I'll post Actual Values when the assembly has had chance to 'settle'. I may just tweak the static timing so both Banks 'match' their Actual Values at idle speed when warm. That will be an interesting & perhaps futile exercise but the engine is so smooth (balanced both ends of rods and pistons )  that is tempting to see if even greater refinement can be achieved.

I am most grateful to all who helped me through this project. Thank you all.

Actual Values after 'settling" 

No tweaking of the Static Timing required. But i had to be patient and let the engine get up to temperature.By then I presume the oilways had purged any air/assembly grease. The Actual Values fluctuate over a narrow range & are not exactly the same on both Banks. May be insignificant(?) but Bank 1 range 'settled' to +0.2 to +0.6 Crk deg. Initially it had been negative 7 ! Bank 2 is slightly negative  - 0.2 to -0.5 Crk deg. at idle.

The Cam advance just exceeds 20 Crk deg for both Banks over 3000rpm with a warm engine.

Now I can replace the smashed windshield

Then to try to  fix all the fickle Readiness monitors that currently all show "FAIL".

I am dreading the Drive Cycle because although I have  Reg &Insurance & paid Tags, I have no Smog Cert - so no current "Sticker" -CHIP bait to add to the complications .

Edited April 16, 2017 by Schnell Gelb

[Ahsai]