Coming back from Sam's Club today, my CEL came on. Car seems to run fine, starts fine, etc... I plugged in my OBDII reader when I got home & got trouble code:

P0013 - Powertrain
"B" Camshaft Position - Actuator Circuit (Bank 1)

Troublecodes dot net says this is a circuit malfunction, not a sensor malfunction, meaning a problem exists somewhere between (& possibly including) the ECM & the VVT exhaust Solenoid.

I can get an AC Delco exhaust Solenoid part # 12679100 from amazon $43 & have it Monday (my next day off), or I could purchase a set (intake & exhaust Solenoid) from carparts dot com of unknown brand for $4 more & get in about a week... but what are the chances that changing out the Solenoid will actually fix the problem?

 

Well, it actually usually is the coils in the solenoid went bad. You would do yourself a favor by getting both at the same time.
Everytime a computer is suggested as a culprit put the thought out of your mind. I can think of 2 times in the last 13 years that a computer was actually the problem.

 

Just do yourself a favor and replace them both.

 

Yes both , AC Delco not some off shore brand

 

P0011 or P0014 is sometimes cause by gunk, so I can understand replacing both solenoid valves; if one’s gummed up or corroded, the other one might be too. But a P0013, if it is caused by the solenoid valve, is likely either an opener are short on the coil. I don’t think it’s very likely that they would be expected to fail at anywhere near the same time.

I bet all the “I replaced one and then a week later the other one failed“ stories involved P0011 or P0014.

And so what if the other one fails a week later? It’s not like there’s a lot work saved by doing them at the same time.

 

I ordered both from Amazon, should be here in a couple hours. If it doesn't fix the code, then I'll just have to take it to my local mechanic.

 

I did get the AC Delco intake & exhaust Solenoids, they arrived about an hour before sundown - took me 3x as long to figure out how to remove the retaining locks as it did to swap them out LOL. Trouble code is now gone!

Really odd thing though, my "remote start" stopped working. I used it same day before trouble code came up & it worked fine. But it didn't work yesterday morning when I tried to start it before going to work early. The lights flashed as if it was about to start, but no sound & no start from the car ??? Worked fine with the key. Not something I'm really worried about... unless we get some sub freezing days here in Florida.

 

Was the hood latched? Doors locked? Codes cleared?

 

The flash acknowledges the message was received. The RS is supposed to not work if you have a CEL. Or maybe it depends on which code. Not sure. But definitely never worked when I had VVT codes.

If it won’t RS after the repair and clearing the codes and driving it for awhile, scan for codes again. Maybe you damaged the connector trying to figure out how to disconnect it. Maybe the new part you used to replace the good one is bad, lol.

 

That actually makes some sense. I just tried it & it started!