p1135 code drama

[wesinatl]

hello - my yearly battle with sensors is in full swing. 2001, 3.5, 220k, rwd.

as usual everything was working fine and then my car realized that it is almost time to get my emissions done so it set the CEL. Initially codes were P0140, P1135 (Nov 7). I reset those codes and filled up with some nice premium gas. CEL comes on again with P0325 and P1135 on Nov 13. Realized I needed an oil change, Did that, reset codes, drive. Nov 16 we get P0325, P1140, and P0140. Hmmmm. This car runs with no issues. No knocking Pinging stuttering, loss of power, etc. I decide to swap the crankshaft sensors (top right and left of front of engine near solenoids, nissan seems to throw crank and cam around synonymously ). reset codes, drive and the codes moves to the other side (P1145). Must be the sensor right? Put in a new to me sensor I had laying around from the junk yard. Reset codes and it works...for a while. New CEL later that day:P0325, P1135, P0140. Now it is pointing back at the solenoid. Did I mention my bank 2 solenoid is only a couple years old? What next?

[VStar650CL]

Let's take this a piece at a time, because you have multiple problems. FYI, there's no confusion at all about the sensors, the two cam sensors are on top (where the cams are) and the single crank sensor is on the bottom (where the crankshaft is:

P0140: Rear O2 sensor on Bank 1 (righthand). This is probably a bad sensor and probably has nothing to do with your other issues. It will seem to come and go randomly if you clear it, simply because it takes time for the ECM to evaluate it, unlike most other components.
P0325: Knock Sensor. On older Nissan products this code is common even when nothing is wrong with the knocks. It won't turn on the MIL and can pretty much be ignored.
P1135: IVT Oil Control Bank 2 (lefthand). This code almost always means a hydraulic problem, not electrical. The most common causes are sludge in the timing cover oil passages or a bad timing cover o-ring.
P1140: Cam Sensor Bank 1 (righthand). This code usually means a bad sensor, but given that you almost certainly have a hydraulic issue in the timing cover, it could be the ECM blaming a phaser problem on the sensor. Since you have a hydraulic condition, swapping the sensors doesn't necessarily prove anything, it could still be a bad sensor or sensor ground.

Short of yanking the cover, my suggestion would be to blow some motor flush down the IVT passages with both solenoids pulled. That will either make the problem better (if it's sludge) or worse (if it's an o-ring), but if it's the latter your timing cover has to come off anyway. You don't want to do a wholesale engine flush because with 220K miles, you'll probably end up with every seal in the engine leaking.

[wesinatl]

Nice work Vstar. My local Nissan dealer has a job for you. It sounds like step 1 is pulling both Solenoids and cleaning everything i can with some motor flush.
Is that like Seafoam? Do you have a preferred brand?
Why is it worse if its an o ring?
if i were replace the sensors is it best to replace the pair and OEM only?
What is the sensor on the front, center of the engine? Is that not a cam sensor as well?
I changed the oil every 5k in this rig religiously. Rear main seal leaks currently and I am pretty sure the upper oil pan as well. But not too much. Car is only driven short distances and last year didn't even drive 5k miles which might contribute to its maladies. She doesnt get out to run much.

[VStar650CL]

Sea Foam will work, or anything else that will cut sludge. An o-ring is worse because you can't "clean out" a leaky one, it means removing the front cover to replace it. Bad news is, if you're good about OC's then it probably is an o-ring and not sludge. Good news is, that will give you a good op to replace the chains and guides and make the front end stuff like new.

Yah, sorry, I forgot the early VQ's are a weird hybrid from earlier engines that used a CAS on the front of the head. That third sensor is basically a counterfeit CAS. It runs off the cam and not the crank, but they may be calling it a crank sensor. My memory isn't great for that crap and I didn't look it up. Anyway, the two identical ones are the sensors that control the cam phasers.

FYI, I already work for a Nissan dealer and I'm happy, so those guys can't have me.

[wesinatl]

Pulled the offending bank 2 (drivers) solenoid and it was clean as a whistle. No gunk. Tested voltage from car, good at 12, tested for working solenoid and it made a small sound so i guess it works. Not sure how big a thunk it should make if it works, also tested ohms at 7.8. The other side gave 8.6. Is that a potential issue? Btw it seems every time i disconnect a harness the little keeper tab breaks. Plastic is getting brittle.

[VStar650CL]

Pulled the offending bank 2 (drivers) solenoid and it was clean as a whistle. No gunk. Tested voltage from car, good at 12, tested for working solenoid and it made a small sound so i guess it works. Not sure how big a thunk it should make if it works, also tested ohms at 7.8. The other side gave 8.6. Is that a potential issue?

They only make a small click, and that ohm range is pretty normal. Sounds like you have a leaky o-ring.

Btw it seems every time i disconnect a harness the little keeper tab breaks. Plastic is getting brittle.

My grandma called it "age-atism". Plastic gets it too. You should see what we go through to keep some old Z's and 240's running, a lot of those connectors are near-impossible to get. One thing that will help is spraying them with WD40 when taking them loose, then applying some di-grease to the contacts and seals before re-insertion. When they stick and break, it's not just the plastic being embrittled, it's also from crud underneath the release pawl and "stiction" in the seals. Cleaning and lubrication will make them last longer and reduce the chances of breakage. Fortunately, the IVT connector shells on your ride should be pretty easy to find in a JY, in better shape from a later model. Unpinning them isn't difficult, it's similar to the way it's done here. You'll just need a set of fine picks:

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[wesinatl]

When you say O ring do you mean the gasket that would surround the entire timing cover? I really don't to take that off. Definitely can't do the engine flush, but I think you are right that it would leak like crazy afterward. It already has plenty of tiny leaks. I need to pass emissions and get one more year out of this car. Hmmmm.

[wesinatl]

That funk was inside my oil filler neck.

[VStar650CL]

That's water sludge. You may have a bum head gasket.

[VStar650CL]

These are the o-rings. The one in the small cover (15056M) can be changed without yanking the whole thing, but that isn't the one that usually fails.

[VStar650CL]

PS - The cover "gasket" isn't an actual gasket, it's "gray death" sealant. The Nissan p/n should be 999MP-1217HP, but Permatex Ultra Gray is cheaper and equivalent.

[Soliyou]

I am having a similar situation with my 01 qx4. A p1135 that comes when cruising at 55mph in warm weather. I tried swiping sensors, cleaning the solenoids, but it comes back. I guess it is oil pressure related. But I don’t have other typical low oil pressure issues!!

[wesinatl]

No thread stealing! Please follow along as the next piece will interest you. Changed oil and i did remove the drivers side cam cover. There is a lot of nasty in my engine. O rings seemed fine. Scraped the funk from the cover. Also dropped my leaking oil pan and resealed it. Filled her up, and took a test drive. Check codes when i got back and no more 1135. I now have p1136 (plus the knock and o2 sensor).

[VStar650CL]

I am having a similar situation with my 01 qx4. A p1135 that comes when cruising at 55mph in warm weather. I tried swiping sensors, cleaning the solenoids, but it comes back. I guess it is oil pressure related. But I don’t have other typical low oil pressure issues!!

You won't see any low pressure on a gauge when an o-ring pops. The things that are being pressure-deprived by the popped ring are all in or under the front cover; solenoids, phasers, tensioners. Pressure gets measured at the pump outlet just past the filter, and the loss of pressure there will be minimal. When the oil reaches the front cover, the popped ring is simply letting it shoot out sideways into the cover and pan instead of going where it needs to go. The only danger aside from codes is if the bad ring completely disintegrates, then the tensioners can suffer complete pressure loss and allow the timing chains to jump.

[wesinatl]

Btw VStar- i likely do have a bum head gasket. I have been seeing that water sludge for over a couple years. The car needs new head gaskets and new valve cover gaskets, maybe an upper oil pan gaskets and definitely a main seal and likely that front end rebuild. What time can you be here? We can work on the p2647 on my 07 pilot when we are done.

[VStar650CL]

No thread stealing

Thread-stealing is a myth. You can't steal electrons, and even if you could, they'd lose potential, head for ground and become useless.

Check codes when i got back and no more 1135. I now have p1136

The P1136 is an electrical code, not hydraulic. Check fuse #16 and make sure you didn't pop it. Otherwise, did you maybe dink the IVT connector when doing the work?

FYI, a P1136 will cause the ECM to quit utilizing the IVT's, so it could mask a P1135 that still exists. The ECM won't check the phaser angles if it isn't using the phasers.

What time can you be here? We can work on the p2647 on my 07 pilot when we are done.

The last time I did any meaningful "side work", Obama was still president. Bring the vehicle and a bottle of single-malt Scotch, I'll happily supervise from the comfort of a lawn chair.

[Soliyou]

I am having a similar situation with my 01 qx4. A p1135 that comes when cruising at 55mph in warm weather. I tried swiping sensors, cleaning the solenoids, but it comes back. I guess it is oil pressure related. But I don’t have other typical low oil pressure issues!!

You won't see any low pressure on a gauge when an o-ring pops. The things that are being pressure-deprived by the popped ring are all in or under the front cover; solenoids, phasers, tensioners. Pressure gets measured at the pump outlet just past the filter, and the loss of pressure there will be minimal. When the oil reaches the front cover, the popped ring is simply letting it shoot out sideways into the cover and pan instead of going where it needs to go. The only danger aside from codes is if the bad ring completely disintegrates, then the tensioners can suffer complete pressure loss and allow the timing chains to jump.

Yeah, I see your point. I also found a note from the previous owner in the glove box that recommends using 5w-40 in the summer. My issue is that I am not confident I can get the front cover off and back on without causing more damage haha! Also with age, each connector, bolt, and nut will give a good fight. I did numerous brake jobs, u-joints, part swaps, but never opened engine guts.

[Soliyou]

Btw VStar- i likely do have a bum head gasket. I have been seeing that water sludge for over a couple years. The car needs new head gaskets and new valve cover gaskets, maybe an upper oil pan gaskets and definitely a main seal and likely that front end rebuild. What time can you be here? We can work on the p2647 on my 07 pilot when we are done.

I’ve had some cars develop this milky residue in cold days. I would say if you are not losing coolant and coolant looks green and clean, then I would leave the head gasket alone. Also there is a cheap tester that can be used to detect combustion gases in the coolant. I am sure Vstar knows better though!

[Soliyou]

No thread stealing! Please follow along as the next piece will interest you. Changed oil and i did remove the drivers side cam cover. There is a lot of nasty in my engine. O rings seemed fine. Scraped the funk from the cover. Also dropped my leaking oil pan and resealed it. Filled her up, and took a test drive. Check codes when i got back and no more 1135. I now have p1136 (plus the knock and o2 sensor).

I didn’t remove the cover, but through the sensor holes, I saw a lot of goo on the timing sprockets. I cleaned the grooves on the phasers and the prongs on the sprockets for both sensors to be more active. That seemed to delay the code from coming back for couple of days, but eventually it pops back

[VStar650CL]

I’ve had some cars develop this milky residue in cold days. I would say if you are not losing coolant and coolant looks green and clean, then I would leave the head gasket alone. Also there is a cheap tester that can be used to detect combustion gases in the coolant. I am sure Vstar knows better though!

No, you're quite correct, a gas tester is definitely the way to go. The chemicals won't lie. Even a small amount of blowby in the coolant will cause a detectable color change, so even tiny leaks won't escape it. Vanilla sludge can occur from humidity over a long period, especially if the PCV valve and hoses have been neglected, so it should certainly be verified before throwing head gaskets at it.

One more thing with the blowby tests, your camera CCD won't lie either. To find very small leaks, take "before and after" pics in identical lighting conditions. Even a small color shift will become noticeable side-by-side.

[wesinatl]

I double checked everything. Cleared codes and have been driving the car to work yesterday and today which is about 50 miles round trip and I ran over to the REI at lunch. No codes yet. What is the drive cycle for codes to start appearing again?

[VStar650CL]

For a P1135 there's no drive cycle, it occurs when the ECM tries to change the cam angles and the phasers don't follow the solenoids properly. Maybe cleaning out the back of the top cover did the trick.

[Soliyou]

Cleaning the sprocket and phaser grooves caused it to run longer before the code comes back. Also cold temperatures delay the code.

By the way, contrary to the claim that this code does not affect performance, it actually does. I find the engine to have weak low-end torque and eager to down shift on slight inclines when the engine light is on.

[VStar650CL]

Cleaning the sprocket and phaser grooves caused it to run longer before the code comes back. Also cold temperatures delay the code.

By the way, contrary to the claim that this code does not affect performance, it actually does. I find the engine to have weak low-end torque and eager to down shift on slight inclines when the engine light is on.

That's correct, simply because the IVT's won't work after a code gets thrown. The ECM leaves the cams at zero position and runs like a conventional engine without the benefits of Miller-cycling. This won't just affect performance, it will also pollute quite a bit more with the cam phasing disabled, especially nitrous oxides.

[wesinatl]

Maybe thats why we get the o2 sensor code as well? So far my code has not come back and shes been at least 150 miles.

[VStar650CL]

Maybe thats why we get the o2 sensor code as well? So far my code has not come back and shes been at least 150 miles.

That's a roger, the ehgine relies on the Miller cycle for efficient combustion. Take it away and it can make it look to the ECM like the cat or the downstream sensor has a problem.

[wesinatl]

Passed emissions so am i good to go for another year. Thanks for your help.