Hi can anyone help. So my car just decided it won’t rev past 3500rpm sometimes. It threw a code for vvt exhaust solenoid bank 1. Cleared it ran fine. Came back the next day. I pulled the one I thought was the exhaust side tested it cleaned it everything was fine. Now the cars doing it again but not throwing the code. Any ideas. And can anyone clarify which one is the exhaust side and which one is the intake side.

Bank 1 on the M56 engine is on the left (the side with the oil dipstick).
The exhaust VVT solenoids are the ones on the outside, the intake ones are closer to the valley.

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What code did you get, and which unit did you take out to clean?

P0014 and an update I removed and cleaned the outer one. Was ok then started acting up again. Removed and cleaned the inner one now car barely starts and throws the code every start and definitely won’t drive as soon as you raise it to 3000rpm it acts like it’s bouncing off the rev limiter

Change your oil. Reset the ECU (either 24hrs disconnected battery or do the pedal reset). This needs to be done when these codes are present. You may also have bad camshaft position sensors. Alternatively, you could also drive the car without the solenoids plugged in and see what happens when you do. Just a thought, but doing so may rule out anything mechanical.

You might want to test the resistance of the solenoids and make sure that they are working with a 12V signal. Download the EC manual for a 2012 M56 and use the troubleshooting guide. It's your best friend for diagnosising issues on this car.

Qxrtypes wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:18 pm

P0014 and an update I removed and cleaned the outer one. Was ok then started acting up again. Removed and cleaned the inner one now car barely starts and throws the code every start and definitely won’t drive as soon as you raise it to 3000rpm it acts like it’s bouncing off the rev limiter

FYI, code P0014 doesn't explicitly say that you need to replace your Bank 1 EVT valve; it merely indicates that there is a target vs. actual error in the B1 EVT system.
There are easier levels of troubleshooting you can attempt before resorting to removing the solenoids themselves. The simplest one I would do is to switch the sensors around...and do yourself a favor and stop erasing the code.

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All the EVT sensors and IVT sensors are the same, so I would mark all 4 of them, then start moving them around between the 2 intake positions and 2 exhaust positions.
Then scan the car for codes again.
If the code changes in accordance to the new location of the suspected sensor, then you know it's an issue with the sensor that was at Bank 1, EVT. Buy an OEM replacement and keep on trucking.
If the code stays the same despite the sensors moving around, then it is an issue outside of the VVT sensors. Further troubleshooting required.

Any update on this? After months of suspecting there was something wrong with my exhaust valves (my exhaust sounds very strange at certain RPM levels/ very inconsistent sounding) my solenoid or cam phaser went dead. I monitor my cam sensors and the bank 2 sensor is way off from the bank 1 sensor. It appears that Bank 2 is stuck and the cam phaser angle doesn't move quickly at all.

I ordered two new Solenoids and I'm hoping it's these and not the phaser/sprocket. My issue it's the passenger side exhaust solenoid and it's blocked by the alternator. We'll see what happens after I replace these and change the oil on the weekend.