Service Indicator on & code P0340

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AndyJohnson22
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Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:15 pm

Service Indicator on & code P0340

Postby AndyJohnson22 » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:58 am

My 2004 Megane II 1.6 16v VVT seemed to have settled down since I bought it a year ago, when out of nowhere the SERVICE and orange engine light came on & stayed ON!

Not being a lover of Renault garages I determined to sort this out myself, so got out my ODB2 code reader and found a single recorded code "P0340 - Camshaft position sensor malfunction..."

The dreaded VVT systems had struck - as seems so common.

I squirted some switch cleaner on the contacts for the sensor & VVT solenoid & Reset the fault & hoped... 2 days later the same fault appeared, cleared again but re-appeared next morning - this appears to have turned into a hard fault.

So what now??
o Take it to a Renault garage (as only they have the information to fix this) & write them a blank cheque?
o Change the Camshaft position sensor as the first step, reset the fault & hope?
o Change the VVT Solenoid as some (other!) forums have suggested that this is often the real culprit?
o Get used to seeing 2 orange lights on the dash?

The last option was based on the observation that the fuel consumption seems no different now than it was before, performance seems the same - in fact the only change in behaviour has been frequent stalling just after starting, which clears soon after.

So, do I learn to live with it or try to fix it?

On one (other!) forum I saw someone with a similar problem & the recommendation was to (get Renault to) re-program the Injection Computer. The theory was that the early software (i.e. mine) was too fussy about the tolerances allowed in the signals from sensors as they aged/slowly or other bits wore slightly and the new software was more tolerant of this. I also noted that several other Renault users (victims?) with my problem had replaced the camshaft sensor & the VVT solenoid (& even the VVT unit itself £££!) all with no effect.

Ideally I would try replacing the sensor & solenoid with known good ones as a first attempt. These are very easy units to replace - even I could do it! Problem is the cost of the parts & if they don't fix the problem then this is totally wasted money.

ANYONE GOT AN UNWANTED CAMSHAFT POSN SENSOR OR VVT SOLENOID FOR SALE!!

Asking Renault to re-program the injection computer involves a leap of faith & more £££ I’m not ready for just now.

So where would you suggest I start?

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WebCode
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Re: Service Indicator on & code P0340

Postby WebCode » Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:21 pm

Replace the TDC sensor AND the Connector/loom for DTC P0340.. Note the new sensor and connector are light blue in colour.. Cost is around £70 for the parts from your dealer..

The De-phaser (VVT) solenoid is an on/off device.. If the solenoid is opening when 12v is applied then it is OK.. The ECU does NOT monitor the Solenoid so a DTC will not be generated..
EX Renault Dealer Technician & MOT Tester, Not a Monkey!

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AndyJohnson22
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Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:15 pm

Re: Service Indicator on & code P0340

Postby AndyJohnson22 » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:07 pm

WebCode wrote:Replace the TDC sensor AND the Connector/loom for DTC P0340.. Note the new sensor and connector are light blue in colour.. Cost is around £70 for the parts from your dealer..

The De-phaser (VVT) solenoid is an on/off device.. If the solenoid is opening when 12v is applied then it is OK.. The ECU does NOT monitor the Solenoid so a DTC will not be generated..


I'm not saying you are wrong - but I am puzzled why replacing the crankshaft posn sensor will clear an error code refering to the Camshaft posn sensor? Wouldn't a faulty TDC sensor also cause occaisional bad starting, misfires etc - which I don't have (yet)?

Obviously, you must know a lot more than me about this engine, & I hesitate to question you.

Would removing & cleaning the (tip of) the TDC sensor be a better (& cheaper) next step for me to take? Seems an easy job.

PS - more info - one evening after parking & turning off the engine I got out and heard a faint buzzing from under the bonet. Closer inspection showed it seemed to be comming from the VVT solenoid! Only caught it doing this once though. I've read of this happening on a forum (somewhere) to someone else & it ran down their battery! Is this connected to my original problem?
Last edited by AndyJohnson22 on Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

markren2004
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Location: Leeds

Re: Service Indicator on & code P0340

Postby markren2004 » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:13 pm

camshaft position sensor is NOT the VVT soleniod sensor...the camshaft sensor is at the other end of the engine sitting right next to the last coil.
see my post on replacing it.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7573

AndyJohnson22
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:15 pm

Re: Service Indicator on & code P0340

Postby AndyJohnson22 » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:15 pm

markren2004 wrote:camshaft position sensor is NOT the VVT soleniod sensor...the camshaft sensor is at the other end of the engine sitting right next to the last coil.
see my post on replacing it.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7573


Yeah! I had worked that out! Your thread was an interesting read though!

markren2004
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Joined: Thu May 10, 2007 4:49 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: Service Indicator on & code P0340

Postby markren2004 » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:49 pm

my experience with sensors are that checking the connection and cleaning the tip can sometimes sort out a issue.
so you could try just cleaning it...i'd already got my new one when i took the old one out..so I just did the replacement..but i thought at the time a good clean it might have been ok ?


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