Hello all

I've been playing with SDD (that dongle has paid for itself already, having re-calibrated the seat module and now pulled the codes which have illuminated the MIL) and I have the following :



Having done as much research as possible I have been outside testing the VVT solenoid and comparing my results with the one in Bank 2. Most notably, Bank 2 solenoid shows approximately 7 ohms across the coil whereas Bank 1 shows 26 ohms. Also when I connect a 9v battery to the terminals of the solenoid in Bank 2 I can hear a loud clack but no such clack can be heard when performing the same test on Bank 1 solenoid. I think this is fairly conclusive that the VVT solenoid in Bank 1 is toast, but I wanted to make absolutely sure I am not missing anything else before I spend about £150 on a new one (plus the seal, and a cam cover gasket).

Also, has anyone here changed one before? The manual seems to have about 3 steps and it looks really simple once the brackets etc. are out of the way, but is there anything else I haven't accounted for in the above?

Thanks in advance,
Simon

 

Replaced both of mine. Fairly straightforward. Getting everything out of the way, bracket and wiring and hoses, etc is what takes the most time.

 

Thanks to MoparDude for the response. Finally found the time to have a crack at this and although time consuming, wasn't too bad at all. Given my opinion that one of the worst things in life is a forum thread with no conclusion I thought I'd spell it all out for anyone else faced with this issue.

The search engine won't pick up the codes I was getting from the above image, so to assist with that they were

P0077-00 Intake valve control - circuit high (bank 1)
and
P0026-77 Intake valve control solenoid - circuit range/performance (bank 1)

I had no symptoms to speak of other than a MIL on the dashboard. After the repair I felt as though the throttle response was improved a little, though that could have been a placebo effect of having no MIL, a job well done and the sun shining whilst I drove my Jaguar around on a Sunday afternoon...

I sent an inquiry to Ashwood Jag Parts and Neill could not have been more helpful. He responded within 2 hours despite it being after 10pm when I contacted them. I wanted to confirm the parts I'd need and he responded with the following list, should anyone need it :

VVT Solenoid (1x AJ810570),
VVT Solenoid Seal (1x AJ82856),
Spark plug boss seals (4x AJ86874)
R/H cam cover gasket (1x AJ812399)
2 small (3x12mm) beads of virtually any oil-proof RTV sealant

He also sent me the location for the RTV sealant and the torque sequence for the valve cover, which I've attached below should anyone need them.

It was a bit fiddly in places but entirely doable by the home mechanic with basic tools so don't be afraid to tackle this one.

 

Well as with most things, it turns out not to be that straightforward.

Went for a short drive today. When I first started the car I had a rattle for less than a second, then everything appeared normal. Once the car warmed up to operating temperature I could hear a tapping sound but only when driving at fixed speeds or gently accelerating. Taking my foot off the throttle or accelerating harder made the noise go away. This has only happened since replacing the faulty VVT solenoid, so I unplugged it and the noise no longer happens so it's clearly something to do with that. Does anyone have any idea what it could be? I've attached a link to a video below, you can hear the noise a few seconds after the black car pulls out in front of me.

 

If it never made that noise before you worked on it, it's going to have to do with what you did to it. No matter what someone guesses it is, you're going to have to go back in there and poke around, so you might as well just get to it and check everything three times. Basically, you're going to be doing the whole job again, but you'll also be looking for anything out of place and for any abnormal wear EVERYWHERE you can see with a mirror. If you see anything slightly suspect, take a picture and post it and we can go from there. If you see something obvious when you open it up, fix it, put it back together and try again. The first thing you see wrong is most likely it.

Good luck. This is part of the learning process.

 

Did you install a genuine part or a non genuine part ( the VVT ) The company you ordered the parts from also sell non genuine parts.

 

Thanks, hope there is something obvious but to be honest after I removed the valve cover it was a simple case of old solenoid out, new solenoid in. Can't believe I've directly caused this but rather unearthed an existing problem by fixing a long standing one - unless it's the solenoid itself. Disconnecting the solenoid coupling removes the problem so it must be something the solenoid is doing. Would it be worth going as far as taking the VVT unit off the front of the camshaft and inspecting the internals?

It was a non genuine part. It will be an expensive experiment to buy a genuine one on the off chance it's that which causes the noise, but do you think it could be that simple?

 

If disconnecting it causes the sound to stop, it’s pretty obvious that your non-OEM part is the problem.

 

Thanks, but it's not obvious to me. If disconnecting it causes it to stop routing oil elsewhere, is it possible that wherever the oil is being routed to could lead to something else being the problem? The old solenoid was showing high resistance, but is it possible the oil control part of the old one was seized / seizing when I bought the car meaning it wasn't operating properly and masking an underlying issue? I'm here asking because it's not obvious, I'm willing to learn and to try though.

I had hoped that someone somewhere may have heard the noise before and may have some experience in what it ended up being before I tear it all apart again, or buy replacement parts for replacement parts. Quite happy to learn from the mistake if non-OEM means shoddy or broken straight from the box but some insight before I go down that route would be much appreciated.

If not then I'll have to bite the bullet and buy an original one, and be sure to report back on the results so that others can benefit.

 

if you have a phaser problem just buy a used cam.

it's up to you to diagnose it. https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.../brand/jaguar/

 

Mine made a sound like that. Came and went. Seems I could get it to go away by making sure oil was at 'Max' mark on dipstick, but always came back. Finally got a MIL hinting at passenger side VVT Solenoid, don't recall the DTC. I replaced both using OE brand Standard Motor Products, about $108USD/ea from Rock Auto IIRC. Noise and MIL went away.

I always try to use OEM, and in this instance I did, but I make sure it's at least quality aftermarket in cases where I do not.

 

Interesting, thank you. The consensus seems to be the solenoid, which although irritating would also be a bit of a relief. I'm aware others have already said it but I really wanted to get some input across the board and make sure I'm not wasting more time and money first, and to read that yours made a sound like that is further proof.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to respond, this is by no means closed so any more input would be just as valuable but I'll look to get a genuine part on order and report back either way when I get time to fit it.

 

Well I took the plunge and ordered a genuine part from Ashwood Jag Parts. Got the job done again, it was a lot quicker to do second time around, and drove around for a couple of weeks (oh no what a chore). Replicated one of my previous journeys to make absolutely sure there was no doubt in the testing... and no strange noises. Despite appearing to be a simple piece of hardware which passed all the bench tests, evidently there is some truth in the adage that often the simplest solution is the correct one. Quite frankly I'm relieved not to be delving any deeper into the engine to find the problem and I can chalk it up to experience. My thanks to everyone who offered help and advice on this one. This was the first time in my life I've bought a genuine part, never had an issue with aftermarket parts in 26 years of driving but never too old to learn.

I have to say the help I've had from Neill at Ashwood Jag Parts has been excellent, he was similarly cynical at the new solenoid being the issue but was happy to hear the genuine one worked and is refunding me the cost of the aftermarket one and the return postage with a smile. I don't know if it's a thing on the forum to mark threads as [Resolved] but if so, quite happy for that to happen.

 

I was going to say get a OE solenoid valve but its already done - you DONT want Chinese junk for critical Engine components - remember these engines are precision machined with fine tolerances and the ECUs and sensors are tailored as such - cheap parts wont cut the mustard for MAF sensors, O2 sensors, Solenoid valves or anything inside the engine, also spark plugs and coil packs and anything related to the fuel supply.

False economy, just don't.

 

Yes, it was done 3 years ago now. I don't believe the first one I bought was Chinese but I can't find the make in my emails. I recall it was a surprise to Neill at Ashwoodjagparts.co.uk as they'd never had a return of anything with that particular branding. But I'll certainly be favouring genuine in the future. In fact, I went genuine on all the gaskets for my recent valley hose replacement job based on this vvt saga.