Toyota head scratcher...finally sorted!

AzureAuto

Hi all,
Had five mins at tea to share with you the newest nightmare in my garage, in the hope that anybody who gets caught out in future might be saved the heartache ive been experiencing the past day!

Recently transplanted a 1.0 engine from a breakers 2004 Toyota Yaris into a customers 1999 Yaris, which he had run dry of oil and seized.

Straightforward enough, started the car and she ran fine, idling smoothly enough, but with an engine managment light lit. Tooke her for a spn to warm her up and get a feel for her; serous chain clatter around 3000 rpm, and a little hesitant to get up to speed.

Plugged the scanner in and got code 'P0340 Camshaft Position 'A'/VVT sensor circuit Fault B1'.

Thus begins the nightmare.

Had a spare camshaft position sensor, switched that. Still the same. Compared resistance readings for the two sensors, fairly similar, but within spec. Checked wiring to sensor for continuity, grand.

I then convince myself its the timing of the chain at fault. Can se evidence of the cover having been removed previous (kicking myself for not checking it when the engine was out and accessible!)

Couple of hours later and the timing chain, guides and hydraulic tensioner are removed and on the bench being inspected. Not a dickie wrong with them!

Had cup of tea and 2 smokes.

Put chain back on, then got my logical head screwed back on.

Checked the reluctor pick up at then end of the inlet camshaft for signs of wear! Noticed the lugs looked a little...short compared to the ones from the busted engine.

And then, like in the end of the Usual Suspects, it all made sense...

The lugs from the newer 2004 engine were shorter, either that or there must have been a longer sensor (which had been infuriatingly removed by the breakers and the air gap between pick up and sensor was a mile wide. The car must have been running in a LOS, substituting the reading from the camshaft sensor with a pre-mapped figure.

Removed the lugs from the old engine with a thin drift and reinserted them into the new engine, checking for a 1.0mm air gap with feeler guage.

Put back together, happy days, car runs like new.

I could kick myslef sometimes. All i had to do was scope the voltages from the sensor and I would have seen that this was the problem.

Sorry to rant:(

Brabus

Great post, congrats for getting it sorted.
I'm learning something new every day!!:)

crosshair1

Good on ya to find that
What scope do you use?

johnos1984

I love days like that.

Its helps me to appreciate all the other days so much more