P2090
"B" Camshaft Position Actuator Control Circuit Low (Bank 1)
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The "B" camshaft position actuator control circuit on bank 1 is reading low - typically shorted to earth or an open circuit. This actuator rotates the camshaft slightly relative to the crankshaft, changing valve timing to suit engine speed and load. With it stuck the engine still runs, but it loses either low-speed torque or top-end power depending on where it stopped.
Possible causes
- CommonFailed camshaft position actuator solenoid
- CommonCorroded or oil-contaminated connector
- CommonWiring damage in a hot part of the engine bay
- CommonOil control valve blocked with debris - these are fed by engine oil
- CommonLow, dirty or wrong-viscosity engine oil
- RareFailed control module driver
What you might notice
- Rough idle
- Loss of power
- Worse fuel economy
- Rattle from the timing area on start-up
- Check engine light on
What to check, in order
- Check the engine oil level, condition and viscosity first. These actuators are driven by oil pressure through a small solenoid valve, so oil that is low, dirty or the wrong grade causes more faults here than wiring does.
- Inspect the connector for oil contamination and corrosion.
- Measure the solenoid winding resistance against specification.
- Remove and inspect the oil control valve for debris in its filter screen. Cleaning is often the whole repair.
- Read all codes. Camshaft position sensor codes alongside these point at timing rather than at the actuator circuit.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx
Fuel, air metering and auxiliary emission controls
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