Tarago P1346 dtc problem

[Greg Drower]

Hi guys, I recently bought a 2002 Tarago GLI 2.4 2AZ-FE which drives beautifully but after putting a new battery in it, it started doing weird things like Low Oil Level light coming on and going out randomly, throwing out a P1346 dtc even after replacing the Camshaft Position Sensor......by the way non of these things existed when I bought the car. After bought it I put my OBD Scanner on it and it showed no trouble codes of any kind and drove beautifully, up until my local tyre shop changed the battery when it wouldn't start after putting new tyres on it, then it randomly started idling rough, low oil level light randomly coming on and P1346 dtc that won't go away......any suggestions out there ? Since replacing the Cam sensor and resetting the ECU by disconnecting the battery, the car runs perfectly again, no Check Engine Light, just this random Low Oil light and P1346 dtc.

Edited December 25, 2018 by Greg Drower

[campbeam]

The P1346 code relates to the VVT solenoid.actuator.

https://www.engine-codes.com/p1346_toyota.html

Following eBay listing is for reference purposes only, you will have to confirm the part number for your vehicle.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/15330-28020-Variable-Valve-Timing-VVT-Solenoid-Actuator-Toyota-2-4L-917-020/273514043221?hash=item3faeb51755:g:kKUAAOSwoR9aEOG5:rk:44:pf:0

Following YouTube videos may be relevant for your consideration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm25CP_SsIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpBOxYQtVM8&vl=en

If you are DIY, before throwing parts at the problem, I would be checking the oil level and considering whether the oil and filter needs to be changed. Next, I would be removing the VVT solenoid actuators for inspection and a clean with some degreaser.

[Greg Drower]

Thanks Ashley, so I've changed Oil and Filter as well as the Camshaft Position Sensor which is the one the P1346 code relates to....I'm not getting a P1349 that one of your references relate to. I have ordered an OCV or Oil Control Valve but haven't received that yet but when it gets here I will replace that as well as it is also part of the VVT system and am taking the car to an Auto Electrician tomorrow to check the bulbs in the Oil Pressure Light and Check Engine Light as apparantly they should come on when the ignition is turned to the ON position.

I am trying to resolve all my problems without throwing $120 an hour at a mechanic to do stuff I can do myself and when I exhaust all DIY avenues I will take it to Toyota Shop. I am still getting a Random Oil Level warning NOT an Oil Pressure light that just comes and goes whenever it feels like and I am also getting a fine shimmy through the steering wheel when braking hard even after replacing both Lower Control Arms including Bushes and Ball Joints as well as Disc Rotors and Pads and still it happens......any takers as to what could cause this ?

Edited December 26, 2018 by Greg Drower

[campbeam]

7 hours ago, Greg Drower said:

still getting a Random Oil Level warning NOT an Oil Pressure light

After looking at the following YouTube video, I would be wondering whether the float is sticking temporarily or the oil level in the sump is temporarily changing. I am assuming that you have checked the oil level on the dipstick and it is at the full mark; process of elimination to remove the obvious cause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVs6eNXlaCM

8 hours ago, Greg Drower said:

taking the car to an Auto Electrician tomorrow to check the bulbs in the Oil Pressure Light and Check Engine Light as apparantly they should come on when the ignition is turned to the ON position.

Totalling guessing but no harm in also checking the connections/wiring to the oil pressure guage and the oil level sensor.

8 hours ago, Greg Drower said:

I am also getting a fine shimmy through the steering wheel when braking hard even after replacing both Lower Control Arms including Bushes and Ball Joints as well as Disc Rotors and Pads and still it happens

Workmate is having a similar issue with his Kluger and was going back to the workshop for further parts replacement. I will try to get more details from him when he returns to work in early January.

[Greg Drower]

Thank you once again Ashley.....as far as the Oil Level Light topic is concerned, I agree with the random float sticking theory as I contacted my local Toyota Spare Parts department and the guy I spoke to said he had never sold a replacement Oil Level Sensor to anyone and that they don't even carry stock in Australia ( Japan only ). Secondly I am pretty confident I have both Oil Pressure and Check Engine bulbs blown as yesterday I disconnected the Oil Pressure Sensor plug and started the car and no Oil Light ( pressure ) came on and I will go out to the car shortly and put my code reader on it to see if it registered that event as a fault and if it did then that would confirm my theory of blown bulb and even when I have the P1346 error code in the system, the Check Engine Light never comes on either and you'd think it would if I actually had a faulty Cam Position Sensor ??  I am still thinking along the lines of a faulty / dirty Oil Control Valve causing that error but I can't even get the plastic wire plug off of it to remove for cleaning......but please keep your suggestions coming as I am taking everything on board.

Thanks heaps....Greg.

Edited December 26, 2018 by Greg Drower

[Greg Drower]

Finally managed to get the electrical connector off the Oil Control Valve ( OCV ) at the back left hand side of the motor and then pulled out the OCV, and after watching multiple Youtube videos on how to test a faulty OCV I put the Multimeter onto 200 Ohms and when I touched both electrical contacts inside it read 12.6 but should have been around 8.0 so I thoroughly cleaned inside and outside the OCV with Carby / Throttle body cleaner and then discovered the piston was getting stuck when it opened. So I sprayed more carby cleaner into it while using a small flat blade screw driver to push the piston back compressing the spring inside until it stopped sticking, then sprayed CRC into it to lubricate the piston and worked it in and out until I was happy it wouldn't stick again then put the multimeter onto the contacts again and now it was only 8.3 which was good enough for me. I wiped it down again and reinserted into the back of the engine again, re connected the electrical plug and took it for a run before plugging in my code reader ( an ELM327 WiFi unit ) and run an iPhone App called EOBD-Facile which is the Paid basic version $28aud )  no more error codes. 

I will now take the car for a big run varying my driving styles from Tame to Agressive to try and trigger another DTC P1346 and report back on here whether what I did cured the problem or if it has come back ( I still have a brand new OCV still in transit and will fit it once it gets here ) but I hope anything I have mentioned on this Forum is of some value to other Toyota Owners.....stay tuned for more updates.....cheers, Greg.

I still haven't got resolved the random Low Oil Level Light and shimmy in the steering wheel under hard braking if there any other explanations out there.

[Greg Drower]

Test drive over and P1346 is back again....Auto Electrician can't fix warning light bulbs until tomorrow and have to wait for New OCV to arrive and fit to see if that fixes the P1346 error even though it is supposed to relate to the Camshaft Position Sensor which I am about to pull out of the engine this afternoon and check the Ohms on a multimeter as they are supposed to be about 2000ohms and the faulty one was only 1.6k or less.

[campbeam]

On 12/27/2018 at 9:57 AM, Greg Drower said:

I still haven't got resolved the random Low Oil Level Light and shimmy in the steering wheel under hard braking if there any other explanations out there.

I don't know what your low oil level light but presumably it is similar to the oil pressure with a wavy line underneath.

A good day trip with full synthetic oil will help to de-sludge the engine. 

Finally remembered to ask my workmate who drives a Kluger about the slight vibration in the steering wheel under hard braking. At a prior service the brake rotors and brake pads were replaced. After being back a few times, they have very recently replaced the brake pads. He did not know what brand parts were used but I have my doubts. Might be a good idea to check the condition of the rotors and brake pads.

 

[Greg Drower]

Thanks Ashley, my random Low Oil Level Light is the yellow oil can with wiggley line underneath and so far I have replaced both front rotors and pads plus both new lower control arms with new bushes and ball joints.....still got the P1346 dtc happening even after replacing the camshaft position sensor but just waiting for an Oil Control Valve to arrive to arrive from China and if that doesn't resolve the mystery I will take it to Toyota to get to the bottom of all this weird stuff.

 

[campbeam]

Modern engines can be prone to engine sludge. Depending upon how well they have been serviced with good quality oils and regular filter changes, it should not be an issue. When I do an oil and filter change, I warm the engine then drop the oil. Depending upon the engine oil capacity, I then add 4-5 litres of diesel then idle the engine [no hard revving] for 5-10 minutes. Let the engine cool then remove the oil filter and drain the diesel oil mixture. Fit the new oil filter and drain plug then add new engine oil.

My personal preference is definitely a full synthetic oil which has extra additives for desludging the engine.

http://www.datateck.com.au/lube/NulonAus/

https://www.datateck.com.au/Lube/ShellAU/?if=1

 

 

[Greg Drower]

Thanks once again for your input. I have only owned the car for about a month now and have no idea of its background but when I got it I added some Valvoline engine flush and let the car idle for about 25 minutes to hopefully dislodge any sludge built up inside, then drained the oil and removed the filter. Refilled with Valvoline Engine Armour 10w-40 and fitted a new filter.

When you say filled with Diesel are you talking diesel oil or are you putting diesel fuel in the sump to dissolve more sludge and then draining and filling with oil ?

Also do you or anyone else know if the Oil Level Sensor which is fitted into front of the sump can be removed without having to pull the whole sump off ? I was going to pull it out and clean at next oil change but if I have the pull off the whole sump I won't bother but will add another bottle of flush and see if that dislodges what ever is causing it to stick and release at will. For all I know at this stage I may have a faulty ECU causing both of my Oil / VVT dtc error and low oil light - last resort will be take it to Toyota to tell me what is happening.

[campbeam]

9 hours ago, Greg Drower said:

are you putting diesel fuel in the sump to dissolve more sludge and then draining and filling with oil ?

Yes, I am using diesel fuel. Something that I have been doing for the past 40 years with all my different vehicles without any issue. I reckon that it cleans the engine just that little bit more so the new oil is not immediately contaminated with residue old oil. Any diesel fuel residue should get vaporised and exit the engine via the PCV then out the exhaust.

Best desludging results i[n last 3 years] was an oil and filter change with 5W-30 full synthetic engine oil then an interstate road trip of about 5,000 kms. Oil was totally black when I changed it upon returning home. Previously, I had been using 10W-40 mineral engine oil and semi-synthetic engine oil which I had bought on special.

Hopefully the following YouTube video is applicable then no need to remove the sump,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H00QqPud6p8

 

[Greg Drower]

Again you're a champ Ash, I'll do that diesel thing as I saw somewhere someone else suggested putting kerosine in the engine to do the same thing but 2 litres of Kero is about $17 but 4 litres of diesel will be about $6.

I've watched that oil level sensor video multiple times now prior to you posting the link but he has the sump out and that is why I wanted to know if anyone else had pulled it out with the sump on because there are some cross members or something in front of it and I didn't want to break the seal / gasket only to find out it can only come out if I drop the sump but I will try the diesel thing first....the other suggestion with the Kero technique was to leave it in over night before draining and refilling with fresh oil and filter.

Anyway, thanks again for your input and if there are any Toyota Mechanics out there following this thread, if you can shed any light on the P1346 fiasco it would be appreciated and just an add on to that saga, I decided to disconnect the wire harness to the Camshaft Position Sensor and start the engine and within 5 - 10 seconds the engine light came on and when I plugged the scanner in I was expecting it to say P1346 but this time it said P0340, so now I am even more confused as to what is causing a P1346 because both refer to the same thing ?????

[campbeam]

15 hours ago, Greg Drower said:

P0340, so now I am even more confused as to what is causing a P1346 because both refer to the same thing

Different sensors. The P1346 code refers to the Variable Valve Timing sensor / Oil control valve. It is your time and effort but I would not be surprised that if you removed both sensors again that you will find that they need a clean, hence the mentioning of desludging.

[Greg Drower]

Thanks yet again Ash as your response is encouraging as I’ve put a lot of time and effort into trying to resolve this issue and ordered an Oil Control Valve over 2 weeks ago from China which is expected to arrive this week. As I am currently away from home on a business trip I will tackle that job on Saturday and report back if it finally stops the P1346 saga.

[Greg Drower]

The plot thickens as the P1346 error code continues even after replacing the Camshaft Position Sensor and also the Oil Control Valve, so this has me baffled as to why the car runs perfectly but I keep getting this eror along with random Low Oil Level light.

Here are some clues if anyone out there can solve the mystery. When you first drive the car in the morning the check engine light is out and you can drive the car all day without the light coming on but as soon as you turn the car off say for example, to refuel....the second time it starts, within 5 - 10 minutes the Check Engine Light comes on and this pattern keeps repeating itself.....the first time it starts everytime you can drive as far as you like but as soon as it is turned off and restarted the second time, that's when the trouble starts.

Even after the CEL comes on, just turn the car off and restart immediately and the light goes out but comes back within 5 - 10 minutes......any takers as to what could be causing this frustrating problem ?

Next step if no one here can solve the mystery is take the car to Toyota and let them resolve the problem but the only other alternatives I can come up with are...1. Faulty wiring harness / sensor connector somewhere. 2. Faulty ECU. 3. Timing Chain / Camshaft damage even though there is no timing chain rattle or noises of any kind and engine runs faultlessly and if the Check Engine Light Bulb was removed ( which is how I bought the car ) no one would know there was a problem.