# Dreaded P0016 Code - Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation



## caper800 (Apr 24, 2017)

Hello all,

This is my first post as my son recently purchased a 2007 VW Rabbit with the 2.5L engine. I'm hoping that some of you knowledgeable folks can provide me with some direction. We purchased this car a few months back and when we purchased it the previous owner stated that he had the timing chains replaced when he put in the new 5-speed transmission. I'm not sure what specifically he replaced and in hindsight I would have asked more questions. Shortly after we purchased it it started throwing the P0016 code. From reading many forums in regards to this code usually this means that the timing is off, most likely the chain jumped a tooth. But the problem I have is the car runs fine with no noise from the chain and has plenty of power so I am hard pressed to believe the timing is off.

So far we have replaced both the crankshaft and camshaft sensors and the code is still there. All the coil packs were replaced by the previous owner as well.

My question is, what else could cause this code other than the timing being off, although that seems to be the most common reason? What should I check? Also, I have the OBDELEVEN scan tool so is there anything that I can do with this to narrow down my options? Is there a way to check the timing with it? I've played with the OBDELEVEN for a bit but am not an expert with it by any means. Any assistance you can provide would be appreciated!


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

caper800 said:


> My question is, what else could cause this code other than the timing being off, although that seems to be the most common reason?


Hello. Other than the off timing, a malfunctioning camshaft control valve N205 could cause that.


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## caper800 (Apr 24, 2017)

Ronny Bensys said:


> Hello. Other than the off timing, a malfunctioning camshaft control valve N205 could cause that.


Thanks for the reply, do you know if there is a way to test the n205 control valve? Is there a way to utilize obdeleven?

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

I found some helpful resources by searching google for 'test N205' but I think you'll need more than a multimeter and OBD tool for proper diagnosis.

N205 is an expensive part and it isn't a priority in the checklist of P0016. It controls variable valve timing and is particularly connected to cam timing. Replacing it blindly could be a waste of money.

Other than that you're left with a purely mechanical problem. I would seek for a mechanical repair from this point on given that both crankshaft and camshaft sensors were already replaced with no success.

I have no idea if you are good at mech but you might also be able to inspect tone rings of camshaft and crankshaft. I've read somewhere crankshaft tone ring can be inspected visually by removing the sensor and checking the ring using a good source of light.


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