Brewmyown

This post will be "lengthy" but I hope it may help someone with the same issues.

A couple months ago (cant remember exactly) the check engine light came on and my scanner read codes P0440, P0441 and P0446. All codes pointed to an emission problem within the gas tank venting, evap canister, etc. I hopped online to search for possible solutions and many people said it happened after overfilling / topping off their tank. I fill my tank with as much fuel as i could fit in there and I've never had an issue with this but I did recently run through some deep water in a storm so i thought if the evap tank did take in some moisture i would just wait and see if it dried out. I waited a week, cleared the codes and a few days later they returned. Since this was only an emission issue and didn't seam to affect performance I would wait till I had time to properly diagnose it. At the time i thought it may be as simple as a gas cap but I didn't want to run out and pay $27 for a Lexus gas cap.

Fast forward a couple months. I was still driving with the light on for the emission codes and on my way to get my daughter from the airport for the holidays while cruising down the highway at about 75 mph the chime, red exclamation point and the VSC light all came on! There didn't seem to be any performance issues so I picked her up and on my way home stopped at Lexus and grabbed a gas cap. I've read that the VSC light comes on for some strange reasons and a bad (or loose) gas cap was one of them.

I got home, cleared the codes, changed the cap and thought all was fine. I did some running around all weekend and the codes never came back. On my way into work the next morning The check engine light, VSC, red warning light all came on in the exact spot on the highway and at the same speed as happened on the previous Saturday. I got home from work, hooked up the scanner and all the emission codes were gone so the gas cap fixed those but the P1346 "VVT Sensor / Camshaft Circuit Range / Performance Problem (bank 1) and P1349 "VVT System Malfunction codes came back.

I researched the issue and determined it was the OCV (Oil Control Valve) on the bank 1 (drivers) side. Found the Lexus list price at $145.00, the Toyota price at $125.00 and I found one from a Lexus dealer in Phoenix through Amazon for $72.00. I installed it, cleared the codes and so far so good!!!

ancdmd

Congratulations you just saved yourself about $4,000 in needless repairs from the Lexus dealer. Don't ask me what kind of service they would have performed, just be assured that whatever it is would have cost you at least $4,000!

Brewmyown

There are too many shops or dealer service centers that just throw parts at a car until they find what fixes it. Like you said, I'm sure they wouldn't have started with a gas cap to solve the emission codes. They would have replaced a few expensive parts before solving it with a gas cap. My neighbor took his car to what he thought was a trustworthy mechanic until one day he showed me an estimate for over $4,000 worth of items his mechanic said needed replacement on his 2003 BMW. I know they are a business and they need to make money to survive but one item was $79 to change a $3.00 bulb for the Angle eyes / halos. If it took me 10 minutes, it was a long time. That as well as valve cover gaskets that weren't leaking $400, Headlight bulb $185, Front and rear pads and rotors $1,200, Stabilizer bushings (which showed no signs of wear) $340, etc., etc. Needless to say after I pointed out the things they were out and out lying about, with my help he does most of the car repairs himself that he wouldn't have ever thought about doing before.

I'm fortunate that I've been working on my own (and friends) cars as a hobby since i was young and have a pretty good understanding of how things work. I'm not afraid to tackle anything when it comes to cars, computers, etc. A lot of things look intimating when it comes to cars but like anything else, pay attention to detail and follow instructions and its not as difficult as it seems.

Tom57

You had two separate issues - gas cap and OCV. Be prepared for P1354 to show up on MIL - passenger side OCV. The OCVs tend to fail together. Since they control variable valve timing, after one is replaced for one bank of 4 cylinders, the other OCV can't keep up with the new one for the other 4 cylinders.

joser4444

Hey guys.this is a desperate Lexus owner that has done just about everything in my power to fix this problem and can not get rid of this code, I found a cracked hosed and replaced it after doing that I disconnect the battery for about one minute and days later the check engine came back on but now with only one code P0441. if there's anyone that can help I really would appreciated

Arcturus

This is for the evap system. Check the rubber seal on the gas cap first and if it looks bad replace it. If not it could be any number of things in the system. See the link below.

http://www.samarins.com/diagnose/p0441.html

I'm sure someone here could post the troubleshooting procedure for it here if needed (rkw77080).

rkw77080

As you wish...