Help - Camshaft Position Sensor + Engine speed sensor B5.5 V6 2003 Passat

[Guest]

Hi all,

I have a 2003 b5.5 Passat with 140,000k's on it. Engine is a BBG V6 2.8L 30v. Its misfiring and has erratic power when accelerating as a result.

Had a mechanic run the fault codes and we got:

1) 17755 P1347 Camshaft Position Sensor 2-G163 Engine Speed Sensor - G28: Incorrect Allocation.
2) 17748 P1340 Camshaft Position Sensor - G40 engine speed sensor - G28: Incorrect Allocation.

No recent changes to the car. It seems highly unlikely that both sensors have failed at the same time.. I have done research on these codes and found results from other engines like the 1.8T or VR6 where it was timing related.

I was wondering if anyone has come across this situation for our engines? Before i start ordering parts.

[sports racer]

I'm not a big fan of non VW mechanics when it comes to Passats. I recently picked up a cheap B5 wagon with (supposedly) a blown head gasket and low on power. The owner just wanted to get rid of the car because he was told it would be expensive to fix. It turned out to be a faulty MAF ($40 part).

My mechanic mate knows his Passats and did the troubleshooting on my car. He says the MAF fails regularly and causes all sorts of fault codes so start with checking that there is voltage going through yours. Also, check the tensioner for the timing belt is nice and tight. It could have slipped a tooth on the belt.

Cheers

Paul

[Unkonwn_User]

Thanks for your reply, my mechanic just ran the codes today and didn't look too much into it he was busy today. Usually good with VW's.

I ruled out MAF when i was troubleshooting the misfiring, disconnecting the MAF makes no difference to the drive. I did clean it regardless. Also checked the sparks / leads, they are fine.

My research seems to be pointing to your second suggestion which falls outside of my wrench experience Ill have to see if i can find any DIY on checking the tensioner or drop it off at the mechanic.

[Umai Naa!!]

I'd probably check the mechanical timing. Huge potential for timing belt to slip on these.

[Snail Style]

Haha because nobody likes to change the hydraulic tensioner on 10 year old cars. As the other guys said, there is a good chance the mechanical timing itself is out. Check the belt side, and if that is all good then check the cam chains also.

Wouldn't be driving it until it has been checked, if you have gotten away with it somehow only jumping one out on both cams then id also be buying a lotto ticket.

[sports racer]

Any update?

[Unkonwn_User]

Any update?

Sorry gentlemen I was in NZ for a holiday. I've still been driving the poor thing... been a bit lazy to get it checked.

Will report back once i get a mechanic to check:

* Timing belt tensioner / timing / chains.

[Unkonwn_User]

Alright, finally got the car checked by my mechanic. His feedback below:

* The timing has been checked and is fine, has not slipped.

* He has cleared the codes and is consistently getting a misfire on cylinder 2 when revving in neutral. No longer getting the Camshaft Position Sensor.

* He tells me he has checked the leads and they are within spec.

* He is happy with the injectors and says the car is getting fuel. (I've also run injector cleaner through the car during troubleshooting with no change).

* Once the code is cleared, there is no misfire until you start revving the engine.

He is recommending we get a new coil pack. From my understanding of the "Waste spark" ignition coil in these Passats will be firing 2 spark plugs (i.e 2 and 4) in this scenario. However we are only misfiring on cylinder 2.

Any ideas? I spent hours searching forums yesterday and Injectors / Leads were the main culprits. Wanted to get some opinions before we start throwing expensive parts at it.

[AnmanIndustries]

How about some outside perspective. No idea about this engine though.

You havent specified if your checked the spark plugs them selves.

Normally in this case with my older nissan engines we run a crank angle test and then a spark test by seeing if a spark arks onto the chassis from a lose coil pack. Most of the older coil packs I use have a bit of .. conductive material I dont know what it is at the end of them. Often they crack or disintegrate. If the coil packs are ehem, double sided, then one may not be conducting properly on one side. A soft spark will cause a misfire.

[Unkonwn_User]

Morning guys,

We are chasing a Ignition Coil for my car which is a 2003 with a 2.8 V6 BBG Engine code. I have found one from a 2001 b5.5 v6 2.8 wreck car, however my mechanic is saying that it might not be compatible (hes not a VW guru).

The question is, can an ignition coil be used from a 2001 model b5.5 V6 on a 2003 model b5.5 V6???

Any help or experience appreciated, I would buy an aftermarket ignition coil which go for around $300 however we are not even sure if that will fix the issue.

Part number on the 2001 is 078-905-104 BREMI 11866
Waiting for my mechanic to confirm the part number off my car 2003.

[sports racer]

Give Matt at Camden GTI a call. He knows these cars. 02 4627 3072

[Unkonwn_User]

For the sake of anyone experiencing similar issues (constant misfiring, hesitation and no power especially going up hills in higher gears) with the 2.8 V6 Passat in future:

1) The following fault codes were being thrown.

* 17755 P1347 Camshaft Position Sensor 2-G163 Engine Speed Sensor - G28: Incorrect Allocation.
* 17748 P1340 Camshaft Position Sensor - G40 engine speed sensor - G28: Incorrect Allocation.
* Once cleared and revved the car was throwing a fault code for a misfire on cylinder 2 only, this kept coming back when free reving.

Check the spark lead wires by spraying them with some water using a mist bottle (think hair salon). If the wires are cracked from age you might be able to see some visible electrical discharges.

Check the spark plugs, if its a single spark plug like mine was you can try swapping it around with another spark plug to see if the misfire code follows the plug.

Check the injectors (i didn't have to do this).

If nothing else is showing any signs, change the Ignition Coil Pack. This fixed my car, i used part number 078-905-104 BREMI 11866 off of a 1999 Passat in my 2003 Passat after checking with VW that the parts are identical. An Auto Electrician was telling me I must use one from a 2003 only, however VW said that the exact same part would be shipped for multiple cars A6 / Skoda etc.

P.s the part is $1200 from VW lol.......... I got one off a wreck, easy job just be careful of the plug wires they will be very brittle if still original.