Hello. I've searched this forum and other sites and I cannot find a workable solution. I have a 2002 ES300 which is showing a P1350, "Manufacturer Control", code along with the VSC and TRAC OFF lights. I did some research and changed out the bank 2 camshaft position sensor as recommended (what a pain!), using a new Denso part (the second time), and cleared the code. The car drives perfectly, but the code keeps reappearing, sometimes within 10 or so minutes, sometimes after a couple days.
Has anyone experienced this or had any success addressing it? I am not a mechanic, but I would prefer to save the $60-$100 and several hours of my time to be told what the problem "might be", not including actual repair and parts cost. I appreciated any assistance. Thanks.

 

Hello,

Why was it such a pain for you? This sensor is in a relatively accessible spot. Sorry for being obvious, but are you sure that you replaced the right sensor?

You can try testing the sensor by unplugging it, connecting a multimeter with the 2 AC V setting and checking its output voltage - it should really fluctuate as the engine cranks. It is not really an exact method though, but it will work if you just want to know if your sensor works at all. For a more precise method I would better recommend using something like a scope to see the exact voltage output graph. You can probably rent one of those at the local parts store (?).. If that won't work, you would probably want to check if the reluctor gear is in good condition and it has no backlash or something.




Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Thanks for the info and diagram. I mistyped.

The first time I looked into the issue, I was told by a mechanic acquaintance (who was unavailable to do the work at the time), "bank 2", near the front and easily accessible.

After replacing the front sensor, resetting the errors, starting the car, and getting the same error code, I asked about it and was told, "Oh, yeah. I meant bank 1, in the back." The pain was in removing the air box and its pieces and contorting myself to reach around the back of the engine blindly. (On the plus side, there are now two new sensors, I suppose.)

As much as I don't look forward to disassembling everything again, I will try to test out the sensor to verify it is good.

Another thought: Could there be an issue with the wiring harness that plugs into the sensor that would show this error code, or is that unheard of?

Also, if the sensor were bad, would I experience some sort of engine roughness or other indication?

Thanks again.

 

Sorry. Another question: Looking up the parts online (just in case), there are choices for 'left' and 'right,' not 'front' and 'back'. From which direction are they referring?

Thanks for helping this marginally mechanically inclined non-mechanic.

 

Whew, it took me a long time to reply, sorry for the delay..

I decided to to do a bit of a research on this topic and was able to find quite a lot of information about those sensors. First of all, it turned out that those two sensors are called VVT sensors, since they detect the position of the shaft, but not the pulley, and as I understood, they differ from each other - Bank 1 sensor has 3 contacts instead of 2 on the Bank 2.

Basically that is what held me for so long, it's all is really misleading. But thankfully I was able to find a Service Manual for your car, which has all the procedures to diagnose your issue (look for page 05-157).

Also, it would actually be easier to check the resistance of the sensors instead of voltage - there should be 835-1400 Ohms when the engine is cold, and 1060-1645 Ohms when the engine is hot..


Diagnosing Steps


Wiring Diagram for ECU and Connectors


Crank Sensor WD

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Thanks a ton! This is fantastic. I will print this out and get to work on it as soon as I can.

So it looks like I should determine left/right ~ front/back ~ bank 1/bank 2 by counting the sensor contacts, just to be sure.

Again, thank you for the documents and all the effort. I greatly appreciate it.

 

Bank 2 is the one that does not have the First Cylinder (has cylinders 2, 4, 6), so in this case, Bank 2 is toward the radiator, and as I understood, has only 2 contacts.
Bank 1 is the opposite - it is the one that has the First Cylinder (has cylinders 1, 3, 5), so in this case, Bank 1 is toward the firewall, and as I understood, has all 3 contacts.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Update: I opened up the car to check the position sensor (in the front of the car). Upon unplugging the wiring harness, oil spilled out from the connection. (?!)
After cleaning the connection and replacing the sensor with what was apparently OEM (it went in a lot tougher/tighter than the one that was in there), and reassembling, it appears that all is well.
I suppose the lesson is to always use original, quality replacement parts whenever possible.

 

You know for sure when something is off when oil pours out of your connection..

If you didn't have to drive it in there with a hammer, it is actually a good thing.

You learned it the "easy" way. Some people have to scrape their engines off of the pavement because they used some crappy replacement parts..

So, in conclusion, did it fix the issue? Do you still have the code?

 

A few days later, the code has not returned. All appears to be good (for now). Thanks again for the assistance.