P0016 and p0018 codes

[dylan720]

Hi all i have a 2011 ve omega series 2 with the lfw engine in it i had my timing chains replaced about 5 6 thousand ks ago and then i had one of the tensioners go a few weeks ago and replaced it. Its been running really well then today i keep getting the 2 codes p0016 and p0018. I have a scan tool so i can clear the codes and it tells me what the codes are when i clear the codes the engine light doesnt come back on while driving until i turn the car off then back on then sometimes i can leave it a while then the light doesnt come on when i start the car again even if i havent cleared the codes. Theres no noises or rattles at all coming from anywhere in the engine bay the car runs perfect still not loosing power or anything the car only has 138ks on the clock any help would be great if anyone has had the same issues. Thanks

 

[Skylarking]

You had the chains replaced implies someone else replaced them, so I assume a business. Five to six thousand kms ago also implies anywhere from one year to 6 months or less of actual driving but whatever the case it’s not a long time before the repair pooped itself.

But it’s not clear who actually changed the broken tensioner, the business that did the original work or some other business?

For me the real issue is why don’t businesses provide warranty on their workmanship and the parts they use. Did you even go back to them to get their poor workmanship addressed?

Obviously the car is seeing a crank cam correlation fault and clearing DTC’s isn’t the solution so best get it looked at which means proper diagnosis is the key…

The fact you are now getting crankshaft camshaft correlation codes seems to again indicate stretched chains though I’d suspect it may simple be that the chains weren’t timed well and you’re a tooth off or the guides are worn as the tensioner wasn’t working correctly (which caused the worn guides)…

 

[dylan720]

The were replaced about a year and a half ago the tensioner went about 6 to 8 months after they were done i tried contacting the the machenic who did them i could not reach him he was a mobile machenic so i parked up the car for about 14 months then recently a mate of mine did the tensioner he is a machenic by trade that was about a month ago and its been driving perfectly still is driving perfectly with no noises at all just the engine light with those codes could the sensors be faulty from sitting for so long ? I thought about replacong them 1st befire ripping the timing apart again but just wanted some advice 1st see if anyone else had any ideas thanks.

 

[dylan720]

If any of the chains have jumped a tooth wouldn't that cause the valves and pistons to colide ? Or atleast run crappy ?

 

[Skylarking]

If any of the chains have jumped a tooth wouldn't that cause the valves and pistons to colide ? Or atleast run crappy ?

May or may no cause physical impact as it depends on how “interference“ the v6 is and how retarded one tooth skip equates to… may still run ok or not.. don’t know…

I know that in an old 60 non interference engine I had, a pin that locked the cam cog to the cam itself snapped so the crank could spin the cam cog freely via the chain but all that happened was a total loss of all power… guess a v6 can be anywhere in the continuum between working and not working or between no damage to being a bucket of bolts.

It’s just that when I do any cam work, I’ve always made sure to check correct timing at every step as I don’t like short cuts… like assuming the timing is ok after a tensioner has failed where the chain has been flopping about for a while… which is why I mentioned it (being a little ocd is a pita)…

 

[dylan720]

Yeah im like that too i spoke to the machenic today and he has now informed me that when he fixed the tensioner he didnt actually remove the chains he just zip tied them together pulled the tensioner out replaced it then cut the zip tie so im now convinced that its jumped a tooth so im gonna be pulling it all apart again now and resetting the timing myslef so that way i know its done and not have to worry about what has and hasnt been done

 

[Skylarking]

Yeah im like that too i spoke to the machenic today and he has now informed me that when he fixed the tensioner he didnt actually remove the chains he just zip tied them together pulled the tensioner out replaced it then cut the zip tie so im now convinced that its jumped a tooth so im gonna be pulling it all apart again now and resetting the timing myslef so that way i know its done and not have to worry about what has and hasnt been done

Supposedly smart technicians can use workshop equipment to get a trace of cam and crank wave forms and even cylinder pressures waveforms and cross check that all is correct without disassembling anything… Problem is to find such places…

If only Diagnose Dan was local

Id chat to your mechanic mate before pulling things apart. He may have a better strategy than our ocd strategy suggests

 

[dylan720]

Well i swapped over the 4 cam sensors and andim only getting the 1 code now so im also wi dering if maybe the sensors are playing up ive ordered new one cause the sensors look quite ild and warn so im gonna swap them aswell see if that changes but any machenic ive spoken to they just seem to jump straight to replacing the chains ive told a couple that i know they have been done and what's happened and they have said eather its jumped a tooth or the sensors are gone

 

[krusing]

Sorry to say, I would be at looking at the Chains again, (depending where they were purchased from.

Which bank did the Tensioner fail ?
Or
was it was it the one on the Crank, the plastic had broken off ?

at a guess if the Tensioner failed on the side of the code being produced,
possible it caused an issue with the chain on the same bank.

I had a similar issue with my LY7 after 15,000 k's of replacing the chains, and also changed the cam sensors, as I had some spares,
And the code would just re-appear not long after,
So, I bit the bullet and replaced the chains "again" and put the original sensors back in,

That was approx 40,000 k's ago,
and the LY7 is running great,

Getting -
Highway/Freeway 11.0 L/100 k's (approx)
Suburbia 13.5 L/100 k's (approx)

Morel of the comment -
The first chain kit was a CHEAP eBay kit, $150
The second kit was NOT cheap from Repco. $550
I don't need to say anymore.

Edit: Didn't Holden have a Software update to stop premature/false chain DTC's ?
More knowledgeable members may be able to adlib on that comment.

 

[Skylarking]

Edit: Didn't Holden have a Software update to stop premature/false chain DTC's ?
More knowledgeable members may be able to adlib on that comment.

Yes Holden had an ECU update that relaxed the limits before a DTC was raised but that was just a Band-Aid that didn’t really resolve the underlying issue which was poor quality chains that stretched. That software update to fix a hardware defect smelt like a “push the problem outside warranty” type fix.

Just can’t remember whether the update was for early or late VE’s and/or whether it was rolled out to all V6’s regardless