P0011 means the engine control module measured the bank 1 intake camshaft (the "A" cam) advanced beyond its commanded position, or found that the phaser did not respond to commands as expected. The variable timing family is P0010 (actuator circuit), P0011 (over-advanced or performance), P0012 (over-retarded) on the bank 1 intake cam; P0014 and P0015 for the bank 1 exhaust cam; P0020 through P0025 for bank 2. Cold-start versions use P052A through P054D; see P052B.
Severity: moderate. Can you keep driving? For a short time. A cam held in the wrong position produces a rough idle, poor power, worse economy, sometimes a rattle from the phaser at start-up, and on some engines a stall at idle. Nothing fails immediately, but a phaser starved of oil wears, and a rattling phaser can damage the chain and guides. Check the oil level today and have it diagnosed within days.
How variable timing works, in the terms the code uses
The intake cam sprocket is a phaser: a hydraulic actuator that rotates the cam relative to the sprocket by a few tens of degrees. An oil control solenoid, commanded by the module with a pulse-width signal, directs engine oil pressure to one side or the other of the phaser's vanes. The module reads the cam's actual position from the cam sensor, compares it with the crank sensor, and adjusts the solenoid to hold the commanded angle.
P0011 sets when the actual angle sits advanced from the command by more than the threshold, or when the phaser lags a command for too long. Three things produce that:
- The phaser cannot move because oil pressure at the phaser is too low or arrives too slowly: low oil, thin or degraded oil, a clogged solenoid screen, a worn pump, a restricted passage.
- The phaser or the solenoid is mechanically stuck: sludge in the vanes, a lock pin that will not release, a solenoid spool held by debris.
- The parts are fine and the timing is physically wrong: a stretched chain, worn guides, a jumped tooth, or a phaser assembled a tooth off, so the cam sits advanced no matter what the phaser does.
What the manufacturers documented
Volkswagen 2.5 L, 2009 to 2014 Jetta, Golf, Passat, Beetle and wagons (technical bulletin listed in Volkswagen's October 2014 service newsletter): P0011, P000A (cam position slow response) and P052A (cold-start over-advanced). The bulletin's warnings are in capitals: do not diagnose or replace components due to camshaft position faults before performing the repair procedure, and do not replace the camshaft control valve before performing the repair procedure. The production solution is described as optimized engine cleaning; the field repair is a cleaning procedure, with the control valve replaced only if the code returns afterward.
Subaru FB and FA engines, 2011 and later Forester, 2012 and later Impreza and XV Crosstrek, 2013 Legacy, Outback and BRZ (bulletin 02-132-12R, revised January 2013): the variable valve timing codes P000A through P000D, P0011, P0014, P0021 and P0024, with the cause given as contamination within the camshaft sprocket and/or the oil control solenoid valve. Subaru changed both parts in production in July 2012 and lists the starting VINs for each countermeasure. The bulletin is a diagnosis procedure to decide which part, if any, to replace.
Audi S6, S7, RS 7, A8 and S8 2013 to 2014 with the 4.0 TFSI (bulletin 2041097/2, July 2016): the light with P0011 or P0021 and the engine running irregularly. A twin-turbo V8 whose phaser codes were common enough for a dedicated bulletin.
Volkswagen 2.0 L TDI 2015 Passat, Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Golf SportWagen (bulletins 01-15-15 and 01-16-03): P0011 with P0016 (crank and cam correlation) on the diesel, with a diagnosis and warranty procedure of its own.
The shared message: the solenoid is the last thing to replace, because the oil and what it carries are the cause in most cases.
Causes, in the order they are found
Low oil level. The single most common cause, and the first check. A phaser at the top of the engine is the first thing to starve.
Oil of the wrong viscosity, or oil overdue for a change. Thick oil on a cold start reaches the phaser late; degraded oil carries sludge into the solenoid's screen and the phaser's vanes.
A clogged oil control solenoid screen, or a solenoid spool held by debris. The screen sits on the solenoid body where it enters the head and is visible when the solenoid is removed.
A phaser sticking from sludge, a worn lock pin, or worn vanes leaking pressure.
A stretched timing chain or worn guides putting the cam permanently advanced or retarded; usually with P0016 or P0017 correlation codes, as on the VW TDI.
A cam sensor misreading, with its own circuit codes.
A phaser installed a tooth off after a timing job.
The module, last.
A diagnostic order
- Check the oil level and condition first, and confirm the grade against the cap. Top up or change before any test.
- Record companion codes and the freeze frame. P0016 or P0017 point at the chain; P0010 at the solenoid circuit; P000A at a slow response, which is oil supply.
- Check for a bulletin. On the VW 2.5 L the procedure is a cleaning; on the Subaru engines a diagnosis that ends in a sprocket or a solenoid.
- Watch commanded and actual cam angle live at idle and at 2,000 rpm on a warm engine. A cam that follows commands with a lag is oil supply; one that sits advanced regardless is a stuck phaser or a chain.
- Command the solenoid with the scan tool and watch the cam respond; listen to the solenoid click.
- Remove the solenoid and inspect its screen for debris and its spool for free movement. Clean it; on VW's procedure this is the repair.
- Check chain stretch by cam-to-crank correlation and, on engines with a tensioner viewable through a port, by tensioner extension.
- Replace the solenoid, then the phaser, only after cleaning and the oil have not cleared the code, and after the chain has been ruled out. Clear and verify on a cold start and a warm drive.
What P0011 does not tell you
It does not tell you the solenoid or the phaser is bad. It tells you the intake cam sat advanced from the command, and low oil, old oil, a blocked screen, a stuck phaser and a stretched chain all produce that. The manufacturers' own bulletins put cleaning before the parts. The general principle is covered in what a trouble code does not tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive with a P0011 code?
For a short time. Expect a rough idle and poor power. Check the oil level immediately, because a phaser starved of oil is the most common cause and continued running starves it further. Have it diagnosed within days.
Is P0011 the camshaft position sensor?
Rarely. The sensor tells the module where the cam is; the code means the cam was in the wrong place. Oil level, oil condition, a clogged solenoid screen, a stuck phaser or a stretched chain are the causes. Sensor faults set the P0340 family.
Will replacing the oil control solenoid fix P0011?
Sometimes, but Volkswagen's bulletin for its 2.5 L engines says in capitals not to replace the control valve before performing the cleaning procedure, and Subaru's traces the codes to contamination in the sprocket and the solenoid. Clean the screen and the solenoid, correct the oil, and replace the solenoid only if the code returns.
Why does P0011 appear right after an oil change?
Usually because the oil was low before the change and the phaser had already been starved, or because the new oil is the wrong grade, or because the change loosened sludge that then blocked the solenoid screen. Check the grade and the screen.
How much does it cost to fix P0011?
An oil change is routine. Cleaning a solenoid screen is under an hour. An oil control solenoid is an inexpensive part. A phaser is a moderate to major job depending on access, and a timing chain set is several hours.
Related codes
- P0010 / P0012: bank 1 intake cam actuator circuit and over-retarded.
- P0014 / P0015: bank 1 exhaust cam over-advanced and over-retarded.
- P0016 / P0017: crank and cam correlation, the chain and guide codes.
- P000A to P000D: cam position slow response, the oil supply version.
- P052A to P054D: cold-start cam timing codes; see P052B and P054C.
- P0524: engine oil pressure too low; see P0524.
The code number itself tells you the family and the domain; how to read an OBD2 code number explains what each character means.