ECOTEC CAM ACTUATOR POSITION ERROR P0010, P0011, P0012 P0013, P0014 & P0015 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FIX

Is your LNF, LE5, or L61 throwing a check engine light for the following codes?
P0010 - "A" Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit (Bank 1)
P0011 - "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1)
P0012 - "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Retarded (Bank 1)
P0013 - "B" Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit (Bank 1)
P0014 - "B" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1)
P0015 - "B" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Retarded (Bank 1)

If so, relax….it's not a difficult problem to fix, but it is definitely not one that you will want to ignore. Continuing to drive the car with either of these conditions present will result in reduced fuel mileage, decreased performance, and possibly engine misfires that could be damaging to the components in your engine.

So what's the good news? For starters, the parts that you need to replace to fix this issue are very easy to replace. Despite the somewhat ominous name for the errors, changing out the Cam Actuators (also known as Control Valve Solenoids) is no more difficult that changing out a spark plug (in fact, it might even be easier).

The pricing on the replacement parts can vary depending on where you purchase them from, but generally speaking each Cam Actuator is around $35 to $65 each depending on where you buy it from. You will want to note that there are two different part numbers for the Cam Actuators, as one is designed to go towards the front of the engine to control the Intake cam phasing, and the other is designed to go toward the back of the engine to control the Exhaust cam phasing.

Some people will just go ahead and only replace the one part that is giving them the trouble codes, but we recommend replacing both of them at the same time. Often, these parts can be starting to fail without any codes being present, which cause an undesired loss of performance and fuel economy.

Part Numbers (Verify For Your Particular Vehicle, as Part Numbers have changed over the years):
Intake Cam Actuator: 12655420
Exhaust Cam Actuator: 12655421

You will notice that at the front of the Valve Cover on the top of the Engine, right next to Cylinder #1 there are two parts that look somewhat like a cross between a spark plug and a fuel injector. The Valve cover will even be stamped with a handy identifier next to each one in case you forget. The first one will be next to the stamp labeled "INT" (Short Code for Intake), the other one will be next to the stamp labeled "EXT" (Short Code for Exhaust).

To remove these parts disconnect the battery first, then simply unplug the wiring harness from the Cam Actuators, and make note of which plug went to the Intake Actuator and which plug went to the Exhaust actuator. If you feel more comfortable, simply take one out at a time to eliminate confusion. After you have unplugged them from the harness, you will need to loosen and remove the bolt that is holding them into place. That is the only thing holding these actuators in place. If needed, you can apply a tiny amount of force to help dislodge the actuator if it is a little bit stuck, but don't be forceful.

Before adding the new Cam Actuator, take a small amount of clean engine oil and rub it onto the part of the actuator that goes into the engine and slide it into place. Re-insert the bolt and tighten it down, then plug the harness back in. After replacing both, reconnect the battery and you should be good to go.

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