5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Hello guys, been reading here for a while now, but this is my first post. I have an 02 Camry 4cyl that ran hot on me a while back and had to replace the head. Been running fine and the the cel came on. p1349. I replaced the solenoid on the back of the head to see if it cleared it but it did not. Well, the oil light started flickering a little, so i changed the oil and added a little lucas oil treatment to it and the oil light has not come back on now for 2 oil changes. My thoughts are a bad actuator. I just read where there is a filter under the solenoid that i need to check also. Do you think if i ran some seafoam thru the crankcase for 30min or so it may fix the problem if it is some varnish? O r is that wishful thinking since the head is new? I know the actuator is the one out of the old head though. Sorry so long, just giving the background of the car. Thanks, Jason
I had a P1349 and the flickering oil light on a 00 Corolla. Turns out Toyota's VVT uses oil control valves and sensors heavily reliant on oil pressure to set timing. Any fouling/varnish/sludge will cause problems. An oil change with M1 HM 5w-30 has that CEL and oil light out permanently without touching anything. Its a full synthetic, thick for its weight that has more cleaners than most, suggest you do that first, then start taking things apart. DO NOT use seafoam! Too much lubricant, can foul sensors in the oil. Lucas oil made things even thicker, the problem is oil flow, so dont use that either.. Kreen is very good for removing any varnish. The last 1k miles of the M1 HM run, put 12 ounces of Kreen in, change, run M1 HM again. Hope this helps, worked great for me
PS I also have a 02 I4 Camry. Did the same process, car runs amazing at 177k.
Last edited by leakyseals; 12-05-2011 at 07:37 AM.
PS. The info above was to resolve problems caused by serious neglect.
- Repeatedly not changing the oil on time while using cheap dino oil and filter.
- Not checking or topping off the oil during the interval, letting it run low.
- Not changing the coolant ever for 149k.
Your issues could be different.
Last edited by leakyseals; 12-05-2011 at 08:08 AM.
Gotcha! I will get the oil and change today. I am now thinking that the solenoid may have been the issue and now I have made a new problem with the lucas. What you said about oild flow makes good sense to me. If I am understanding correctly, the solenoid is what calls for the desired oil pressure and a defective solenoid, or "oil control valve", would cause the oil light to flicker. I can get in way over my head very quickly so if what I am posting sounds ignorant....it probably is. But I think I have it now. Thanks again!
Gotcha! I will get the oil and change today. I am now thinking that the solenoid may have been the issue and now I have made a new problem with the lucas. What you said about oild flow makes good sense to me. If I am understanding correctly, the solenoid is what calls for the desired oil pressure and a defective solenoid, or "oil control valve", would cause the oil light to flicker. I can get in way over my head very quickly so if what I am posting sounds ignorant....it probably is. But I think I have it now. Thanks again!
to explain this as easy as possible. Starts with oil pressure. The flickering red light is the indicator the engine is being starved. farther upstream is the oil control valve. That same lack of oil pressure is triggering the P1349. So I think you resolve the oil pressure issues, they both should go away.
On my 02 Camry I4 I use M1 HM 5w-30 with the Fram XG4386. This is a special filter, the only Fram any good. Its one of the best filter I've ever used. Works excellent for cleanups. Its gold can, wrapped in plastic. The 5qt M1 5w-30 and Fram XG4386 are available at walmart ($26.60, $8.97). expect some pretty dirty looking oil at about 1500. Thats normal. By 2k all should be well again. Change interval should be 5-6k for your car with that setup.
Last edited by leakyseals; 12-05-2011 at 11:57 AM.
Changed to oil last night. Car still runs a little rough after my 40 mile commute, but after all the oil stabilizer I put in it, it may take a while to clean out the passages in the actuator. Who knows....I will repost by the end of the week to give some results. I know it had more power and rev'd up alot more quickly. Thanks, Jason
Yeah, my first run took approx 500 miles to really feel the difference. Changed at 3k it was so dark. Each OC after I've gone 5,6,7k. Stays cleaner longer. Had never used a M1 product before last year in 30 years of driving. Now I will never use anything else. The M1 high mileage version your using is Mobil's full synthetic with extra cleaners, extra wear additives, and seal conditioners to help with old gaskets and seals. Looking forward to the status!
Well, after driving for a week and 400 miles later...the car still runs rough at idle. It will go to choke in the morning, and it runs fine, once it idles down to normal it runs rough. While driving, you cant tell anything is wrong, only at idle. I did pick up 1mpg with the oil recomendation minus lucas. I feel certian that the actuator is bad. Will it cause any engine damage if I keep driving it this way? As I said, you can only tell it runs bad at idle. Thanks,Jason
If theres no longer a flickering oil light, the P1349 hasn't come back, no CEL's, and any ticking has subsided oil pressure should be ok and the vvt should have adjusted. any other ticking could be the timing chain tensioner, but that also should go away over time. if it doesn't it may need to be replaced.
So if its just a rough idle after warmup at this point, no CEL you need to look at other things than the oil. On mine clearing up the sludge issues definately helped the rough idle, took 3 OC's with the M1 HM. But it could be a lot of other things, from spark plugs to coolant to TB cleaning. Maybe a lazy upstream AF/o2 or a vacuum leak, lot of things can cause a rough idle. On my 02 I've never actually resolved it 100%, but at 179k its better than a lot of other newer 4clys I've been in. Only time I notice it now is when i'm stopped in d, the fans, a/c are on. Idle gets too low, doesnt compensate for load. Other than that you can't tell its running. Must be something to do with the DBW TB.
When you say the actuator what exactly do you mean?
Last edited by leakyseals; 12-09-2011 at 06:42 PM.
P1349 is still there. I forgot to mention that. The cel is on. When I refer to the actuator I mean the part inside the head. It is a round piece and I think it is connected to a gear that connects to the timing chain. I have no ticking sounds at all just that light on and a pretty rough idle on warm up. I replaced the solenoid that goes on the backside of the head. From what I understand that is really the two components that make up the vvt system. Is that right?
Last edited by white rice; 12-09-2011 at 09:34 PM.
There are a few, the most common failure points are oil control valve/screen and the Cam Gear. Perhaps that's what you mean by actuator. Could be that, but the symptoms are a rattle on startup that goes away. The P1349 would indicate ongoing oil pressure issues. clogged OCV screen or faulty OCV.
IMO your options are wait and see if the oil can clean it up, or start spending money. Start with a new OCV screen and work your way to more expense like the OCV itself then the cam gear.
Also what are you using for an oil filter? I've seen a clogged oil filter or a high efficiency filter cause P1349 when oil flow/sludge buildup problems exist.
If the startup rattle started after using the XG and was not present with prior filters it would be suspect. the XG has worked well for me time after time on yours and several different cars, no anti-drainback issues. The startup rattle that goes away after a couple seconds is a symptom of a faulty Cam Gear. However the P1349 CEL leans towards oil flow/pressure issues, which can certainly cause some ticking at startup. I'm not 100% on this but I have seen in most cases a bad Cam Gear with no CEL codes. So I would still try to resolve the p1349 issue, and if the rattle persists, go after the Cam Gear. You put on a lot of miles, but its only been 5 days for the oil to clean. You can wait, or try cleaning the OCV and its screen, but they get brittle, just replace the screen. Take it from there.
If the OCV its self is faulty I would think the P1349 CEL would come on immediately when you start the car after a 15 min battery disconnect/ecm reset. If you try it, expect a possible rough running engine as the ecm recalibrates.
Last edited by leakyseals; 12-10-2011 at 07:21 AM.
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