Hi all, new guy here.

I recently purchased a 2009 C30 R Type with 68000 miles. The car was in what I thought to be very nice shape when I bought it. Yesterday it started running rough and wouldn't allow me to go very fast (limp mode) I believe it's called. A check engine light came on. When I got home I used a code reader on it and found multiple codes, even though there was nothing in the messages. The codes are as follows:

P0026 Intake Valve Bank 1 Control Solenoid

P0027 Exhaust Valve Bank 1 Control Solenoid

P0300 Multiple Cylinder Misfire

P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire

P0302 Cylinder 2 Misfire

P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire

P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire

P0305 Cylinder 5 Misfire

I'm not really sure what all that means. Any insight you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Dan

 

the engine has a feature called variable valve timing (VVT) which uses oil pressure to advance or retard the cam timing based on engine speed. The VVT cam gear has a solenoid to actuate the system so you are getting a warning that both the intake and exhaust cam VVT are reporting a problem. With the valve timing being off at certain RPMs, the engine is misfiring. This could be related to the VVT solenoids failing or an oil pressure issue. Make sure your oil is clean and the correct weight - some people have reported that a seafoam treatment to clean the oil galleys but you may also need to drop the oil pan to look for any issues with the oil pick up being clean.

 

@mt6127 Thanks for the reply!

It seems very unusual that both solenoids would malfunction at the same time. If it is due to an oil pressure issue, would I see some kind of warning light? I think I'll start with an oil change then go from there. The solenoids seem fairly easy to replace if need be.

Even though the car has fairly low miles, I may go ahead and change the timing belt and water pump due to age while I'm at it. I will also due a coolant flush and change the (automatic) transmission fluid as well. Is there anything else you can think of that I should go over? I'd like to do all I can to keep the car in good shape for as long as I can.

Thanks again

 

yeah I agree that it would be rare that both solenoids would fail and set a code at that same time.

Thinking a bit more, it may be worth looking at the wiring harness to the solenoids and its possible your timing belt slipped a notch. Redoing the timing belt/tensioner and idler will correct that.

The only other thing I'd add to your check list is inspecting the PCV system to make sure you don't have any issues there.

 

Yesterday I changed the oil and filter, as well as the air filter and did a coolant flush. I cleared all the codes and took it out for a spin. The car was running better then it was but still wasn't right, the check engine light came back on. When I got back I read the codes again and got a different set of codes. I cleared those codes and then took another quick ride. Got back and had more different codes. It seems obvious to me now that there are some electrical gremlins going on. I have decided to take it to a specialist for in depth diagnostics. I'll keep you posted on what they find.

 

So I ended up taking the car to the shop last week and just picked it back up last night. As it turns out, it did indeed jumped time. 4 to 5 notches! The mechanic couldn't believe that no major damage was done. He told me multiple times how lucky I was and that he'd never seen that before. He said it can be hard to tell exactly what caused it to jump so far but said it was likely caused by a weakened tensioner.