Alright, so I'm hoping this will be a very informative post since I haven't seen any conclusive solution to this posted anywhere, just a ton of hanging threads from a long time ago. Last Friday my check engine light came on, so I got out my handy dandy Matco scanner and found code p0015-camshaft position sensor. So I thought maybe I should start with the sensor and go from there since the car is running just fine, then I found out the sensors are $300 from the auto parts store. I also decided to re-inspect my VVT Gear to see if it had begun to leak. The VVT Gear still appears to be relatively new and the cam reset valve I just installed also looks nice and new, but I noticed that there appeared to be slack in the timing belt between the cam gears. This scared the hell outta me.

So I called and spoke to a service advisor over at Brentwood Volvo to see if he had any insight or if one of his technicians was free to talk. He seemed to think I needed to start with a new VVT Hub and reset valve. When I told him that those were like new and that I found slack in the belt, he set me up with an appointment to drop the car off (and a sweet 2015 Altima to drive in the meantime). I'm anxiously awaiting a phone call with their diagnosis, and I'm excited because Brentwood Volvo has 2 of the top Volvo Technicians in North America. Anyway, I'll return when I have a final diagnosis from them hopefully this will be helpful to anyone else with a similar problem.

-NFowler

 

Well you may be on to something as I did my belt and inadvertently left some slack between intake cam and crank and got the same code. Had to go back in and redo the job. Good luck.

 

Luckily that's what it ended up being, the exhaust cam was advanced one tooth according to the RO. They re-timed the engine, tested to make sure there wasn't any damage to the engine, and sent it out the door. I got a sweet hook up since I work at a nearby motorcycle dealership they cut me a break on labor. Either way its worth it to me to have a smooth running car again. It even seems to have eliminated the almost overwhelming vibration that I was experiencing on cold starts and the cars tendency to lurch forward when shifting into drive cold. All in all, totally worth it to have a professional do it right.

 

Interesting update, my check engine light has returned. So, I got an appointment to drop off tomorrow and take another free loaner for the weekend. This time I'm going to make them fix it for free, since this should have been fully diagnosed the first time. It seems like they were just winging it...pisses me off lol.

 

Hardly winging it. Sure, they could have sold you a new CVVT hub, which is probably what it's going to need. But if a car comes in with that code and the timing is off, the first step is to fix the timing.

 

Actually, its important to note the service history regarding timing on my car. When I bought the car it had 109k miles on it and a volvo service sticker stating that the timing belt had been replaced at 105k. The VVT Hub appears to be quite new and is not leaking (not that it can't have also failed somehow) so it would have been a tough sell to get me to pay for a new one. I replaced the cam reset solenoid myself at about 113k and it has had no other problems that I could detect with the exception of this cam pos. sensor code since that time. When I say winging it I only mean that they failed to completely diagnose the issue. I guess we will find out what they come up with this time..dropping it off in an hour.

 

Keep us updated, will ya?

 

Just because it looks new doesn't mean it is. Those are the only things that will cause that code, unless you have low or dirty oil. An intermittent problem with the CVVT hub isn't something that can be diagnosed that simply, especially when the timing was off. I'm assuming it's the same code, correct?

 

Alright guys, here's the latest news. They found debris had clogged the screen on my reset valve, the hub is in great condition, and timing hadn't jumped or anything. So, apparently this could happen often unless I take measures to cut down sludge. First, I'm going to change my oil ridiculously often. I'm talking every 2000 miles. Second, I'm gonna use Honda HP4M its what Honda recommends for the Turbocharged Aquatrax. It has Molybdenum added to increase lubricity and resist heat generated by the turbocharger. I'll try to keep this up to date.

 

Give it a good clean once to start. Seafoam will clean lots of sludge out. It will get caught in the filter rather quickly so if you go this route change the oil within 500 miles. Another cheaper trick is to replace a pint of oil with a pint of automatic transmission fluid. This thins the oil and adds lots of cleaners contained in the trans fluid. Again, change the oil within 500 miles.

 

Well, I plan to change my oil today, when I spoke with the technician who worked on my car he said that my car didn't really have much sludge. He also said that it had the highest oil pressure he's ever seen in one of the older s40's (which is good). However, the damn light came back on Saturday and a quick scan told me it is the exact same code again. I'm going to call them after I do my oil change today. Its kinda funny, I know they don't want to spend alot of time re-doing things but I just want it fixed since I already paid to have it repaired.

 

If you do some research on P0015 you'll find that troubleshooting is not totally straight-forward. Your mechanic is doing right by you by sticking to the cheap items first and progressing from there.

Have you replaced the gasket on the solenoid with an updated one with a screen on it? That might help.

If it keeps coming back though, I would still be inclined to attribute to either a timing issue (i.e. belt is ever so slightly off) or a vvt issue. The frustration (unfortunately) is that the last thing you want to do is pay them to re-do the timing belt only to find that the freaking error returns. For that reason, I'd almost be tempted (if all cheap fixes fail) to replace the belt and vvt (making sure that volvo/vida instructions are followed exactly). You can get a new VVT from Tasca motors online for under $200 and a timing belt for less than that.

Replacing the oil that often seems to me to be an overkill. I've gone with every 3000 miles and oil is still a lovely colour when I switch it out. I guess it depends on how much city driving you do.

On the topic of oil type (I hate going there) but beware, if the car has not previously been using synthetic and then you switch with some high mileage on the car don't be surprised if you get some sludge and maybe some minor weeping from gaskets. Happened to me. I had been using regular oil up until about 120,000 miles and then my mechanic went and put some synth in without checking with me. Valve cover gasket started sweating, mechanic suggested putting some leak stopper (bad idea), got gunk in the solenoid, plugged up my pcv oil trap, was accused of not changing my oil often enough (no way!!!), etc. If the car has been using conventional oil I'd stick with it but replace very regularly without fail...but that's just me.

 

My Mechanic is the Volvo dealership in Brentwood, MO.
And yes I put a new gasket on the cam reset valve when I replaced it.

The idea that switching to synthetic will cause leaks is absurd, synthetic oil molecules are the same size as the conventional given the same weight oil (10w40, 10w30, 5w30, etc.) is used. What you experienced was coincidental, other factors no doubt contributed to the issues you experienced. Being a service technician at a major motorcycle dealership in St. Louis I have heard it all.. every dork goldwinger has their magic smoke powered fork brace or some other gimmicky bull****. Bottom line, get educated about oils before you give someone bogus advice.

Valvoline.com > FAQs > Motor Oil Car FAQs > Full-Synthetic Motor Oil

Most notably #4.

 

Thank you!

Premium fuel also burns cleaner and increases fuel economy.

 

Had to be said. Being a motorcycle technician, it aggravates me when everyday people get on these forums and get bad information. Makes my job difficult, I get militant customers that argue with me over silly crap that they read on the internet.

Btw, I dropped the car back at Volvo yesterday. They're keeping it all weekend. In the meantime I had to order headlight assemblies, went to change a bulb and the adjusters disintegrated I'll post a fresh thread for the headlight install. Got a sweet 2014 S60 T5 loaner, I have to admit my dealership does have an awesome loaner program lol.

 

I hear ya. "I read online that there is a recall for this. It should be free." or "I read online that this is a common problem, there should be a recall for this."

 

How about a dealer who says "It's the ECM" and charges you $500 when it was really the fuel pump. Yes, dealers can be stupid too. But it's ME who ends up paying for that stupidity either way.

 

Yeah, that is quite possibly the worst misdiagnosis I have heard of yet. However, it may be the case that it came down to two possibilities, a new ecm or a new fuel pump. In some instances when I'm diagnosing a "no spark" condition on a Honda motocross bike or atv, the final test is to test the CDI (ecm for dirtbikes) and the only way to test that is with a known good CDI (per honda techline). If I don't have an identical unit to borrow one from I have to get the customers approval to order one. At which point it's either a CDI or a Stator, both are expensive so you have to kinda hope for the best. Its not a method I'm proud of. We usually end up selling it to them at cost if it doesn't solve the issue though.

I can tell you one thing for sure though, the more you yell and complain the more free stuff you get done when this happens in the future. If it was a true misdiagnosis get angry and yell, they will usually just give it away to make you, the customer, happy.

 

Those words keep me up at night.

In fact Honda just recently re-ignited a nightmare; they had a secondary master cylinder recall awhile back, we inspected over 200 Goldwing motorcycles. Only 1 turned out to be defective.

So, now Honda has re-recalled that and sent letters to customers telling them that "IF they believe their rear brake is dragging to bring it in for re-inspection" But since nobody reads the letter they just come in yelling at us that they knew something was wrong the first time and we're a bunch of idiots for not replacing their secondary m/c. Then they get even more disagreeable when your re-inspection reveals no issue whatsoever.

 

Update: Got a call on Wednesday saying the car was ready to be picked up and that there was no charge. After work, when I tried to pick the car up the CEL was on as soon as I started it. Needless to say I kept the loaner and left my car. Hoping to hear something definitive this time around, they're supposed to look at it today.