Thank you, can you repost the link? I can’t see it.
Sorry bout that
I think the title of the video is EXTREMELY misleading
He doesn’t actually list a “silver bullet” fix, but rather has a long list of possible culprits
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Thank you! The dealership just called and said its the camshaft sprockets 
Are they going to guarantee that replacing the sprockets will fix the issue or are they just guessing again. What will they do if replacing the sprockets doesn’t work?
hmmm … If the camshaft sprockets are worn out, diy’er-me would inclined at the minimum to also replace the timing chain and the crankshaft sprocket. Is the plan to only replace the camshaft sprockets? If so, suggest to ask the shop pro’s how much extra it would cost to replace the entire timing chain kit, including a new chain, new sprockets all around, and new guides?
I have no car engine timing chain repair experience, but worn out bicycle sprockets pretty common thing, lots of experience for that. If I just replace a worn sprocket but not the chain, it usually still skips.
I will confirm with them Monday. They quoted me $3200 and thats with a $600 “discount” so I need to think about it. But if I go ahead with the work I will definitely test drive it before paying the $3200
Yeah good idea, i’ll try to talk to the technician on monday.
@jenni1011, if the vehicle is drivable, I think it would be worth the effort to do some research on finding a good independent mechanic. Check with friends and relatives, look on line, yelp, BBB etc. Select one or two of these and ask them what they recommend and how much the cost.
Any good shop should recommend a full diagnostic, which will cost you some money, but if they do the full diagnostic and not just a code check, that is following the steps outlined in the service manual or online service such as All-Data, then the diagnostic fee will be money well spent. I think this is what has been lacking at your dealership.
This is simply a good business practice, and car repair is a business transaction. You don’t need to know all about car repair, it is their job to explain what needs to be done and how they came to that conclusion in a way that you can understand. Before you pay for a diagnostic, they need to explain exactly what that diagnostic includes.
Diagnostics done correctly is like following a path with many forks. Each fork is a decision point where they determine which fork they will take. Because of this, no one can tell you exactly what each step will be, but they should at least say that they will follow the steps in the service manual or from All-Data or similar service. If they don’t do that, move on to the next shop.
BTW, while I can’t see the cam sprockets, I’m not seeing how they can be bad, that is something I have never heard of before. The only way I can see that they are the issue is if they have a tone ring on them and the tone ring is loose or damaged and the tone ring is somehow an integral part of the sprocket and can’t be replace separately.
Unfortunately, it isn’t driveable and I’d have to get it towed somewhere else. I’m not in the US so communication between the technician, receptionist and me is probably getting lost in translation. I’m going to try to talk to the technician directly to get a clearer picture of what all is wrong on Monday and how they determined that it was the sprockets.
And yeah the receptionist said that its the CVVT gear, that’s the same thing as the camshaft sprocket right? Should I ask them to send me a picture of it so that I can see the damage?
hmmm … well, it could be the camshaft sprockets. But it might be the variable valve timing actuator they are actually referring to. Car part terminology is often ill-defined & ambiguous, so not sure. Camshaft sprockets is not a very common repair by reports here, VVT actuators are the more common related failure item.
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CVVT is Continuous Variable Valve Timing. Different manufacturers have variations on how they accomplish this but it is not the sprocket, however it might be available only as an assembly that includes the sprocket. So many parts today are only available as assemblies not not as individual components.
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this could be the part in question
You seem to have one for the intake and another for the exhaust
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Within the camshaft sprocket is the camshaft actuator or “cam phaser”. If the actuator sticks and doesn’t return to the base position, this can cause the engine to stall.
The picture below is of a camshaft actuator with the sprocket removed to show the inside. Oil is pumped into the cam phaser to advance or retard the center hub.
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Thank you for the photos! That clears up some of my confusion aha
Maybe the pro’s here can offer up an opinion: If the replacement vvt actuator ass’y also includes a new camshaft sprocket, which hasn’t worn w/the existing chain, is there a need to also replace the timing chain and crankshaft sprocket so the chain and all the sprockets it rides on are new, unworn and match? Or to avoid replacing other stuff, what about installing the old sprocket on the new actuator? Maybe timing chain sprocket wear in car engines isn’t nearly the problem as in bicycles sprockets and chains, b/c the timing chain is lubed in mostly clean oil all the time, so the sprocket doesn’t wear much?
I just talked to the technician and he said that they would replace the actuators, timing chain, and tensioners. He told me that the engine timing is off and he determined that by opening the valve cover and looking at the timing marks at the top dead center position. He also said that with all the kilometers I have it might be better to replace the whole engine with a lower mileage one for around the same price
That often doesn’t work out well. It might be better to replace the whole car if you are financially able to swing it.
Oh no, why doesn’t it usually workout well? They told me they have an engine with 50,000 km they could replace it with for $4,500 or they could do the timing chain with new tensioner, other components etc for $3200.
I could replace the car with a $5,000 one but they all seem to be around the same milage as mine. Really dont know what to do.
If car is otherwise fairly well-maintained & in good condition, me, I’d just replace the parts that need replacing, grimace, bite the bullet and spend the $3200. Why? B/c you’ll take on some risks installing a replacement engine, even if it has a good warranty:
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Requires moving heavy and awkward objects in and out of the engine compartment. Something else might be damaged in the process, worse, you & mechanics won’t notice or know about the newly created problem.
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Modern cars are like rolling computers, having a lot of complicated electronic modules, all which insist on the proper software configuration, compatible with the engine, transmission, abs, etc. Might not be a problem if replacement engine comes from a car identical to yours, but if not expect some compatibility problems will take some time to resolve.