VIN: VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
Hi everyone!
As I was taking my son to school and cruising down the highway, I had a sudden loss of power in the engine and warning messages came up on the display for a fault in the engine management system and a low oil pressure warning (oil is at a perfect level). Car wouldn't restart after that, so we were stranded by the highway and I had to get it towed back home to start digging into what actually happened.
At the point of malfunction I grabbed my cheap Temu ODB2 reader and found the following faults: P1160 (?), P1161 (?), P0011 (Timing over advanced), P0012 (Timing over retarded), P0341 (camshaft position sensor). I have later cleared the codes and now only P0341 shows up, but then again I haven't been able to run the engine, only crank it. I've ordered a Lexia 3 and will take delivery in the coming days, so that I can check the fault codes better.
The engine would crank and even sputter a few times now and then, but no real ignition. So I started by checking the fuel system and that has pressure, next I checked the spark plugs and they give a weak spark, but that doesn't really explain the sudden loss of power. So I started digging deeper and eventually discovered that the inlet camshaft is snapped off underneath the valve cover! I also found a heavy oil leak from the inlet valve cover at the spark plug side and the spark plug for cylinder nr. 4 (counting from left to right) was completely submerged in oil. Seeing this, I feared that the engine would have hydro-locked from the oil leak, but all four pistons seem to move fine and at the correct level for TDC. So apparently the camshaft bearings just decided to lock up the camshaft so it would snap? (Which actually might have saved the rest of the engine) snapped
So with this, I hope that the timing is still intact and all that's needed is a swap of the camshaft. However, even after removing the camshaft cover bolts, I can't get the cover to let go of the head, even after some "light" tapping around it, any advice on how to remove it?
Also, when it comes to the camshaft, will any EW10 camshaft be fine? Or does it have to be the specific camshaft from a EW10A / RFJ, as they're harder to source and more expensive.
This is the deepest I've ever been disassembling a car engine, but I feel confident in that I can repair this.
Iv'e been able to locate the following issues (some may be unrelated or existed for a while already);
- The inlet camshaft has been completely snapped off just after the first lobe, it still rotates with the belt (which looks surprisingly fresh, the previous owner must have changed it) and the belt seems to not be missing any teeth and with good tension. Hopefully timing is still OK.
- Low oil pressure warning would come on and off some days, repeatedly while driving, but this was rare and only happened every other week or so, so I took it as a clogged or faulty sensor. But perhaps not?
- Spark on all plugs are weak (orange/yellow), probably needs a new coil and plugs?
- Windows won't go down most times (this is new and came with the engine malfunction).
- A/C fan only works in the middle row (this has been going on for a while and the fans would sometimes work, but completely stopped working since a few weeks, possibly broken relay in the BSI?)
- Heater has never worked, related to the BSI or A/C fan not working?
Thanks in advance on any advice you can give me on this, I have a son with special needs and he's attending a special school for that, this car is my main way of transporting him there and I don't have the money to buy another car (unless I sell this one for scrap, which I really don't want to!)