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[terry paget]

Astra H 1.6 petrol manual hatchback
Yesterday I changed the cam belt on this car, took it for test run, all OK
Today I greased the aux belt pulley bearing. Moved the car out of the garage, no lights on. Moved it back into the garage, EML on.
Plugged in diagnoser; 2 faults;
P0011-66 Intake camshaft phasing mechanical reference position range performance
P0014-66 Exhaust camshaft phasing mechanical reference position range/performance

and in red, lower down
P0011-66 is repeated

Help!

[Viral_Jim]

Sounds suspiciously like the timing is now off. 

Given it was ok yesterday, did you retighten the tensioner correctly? I'm wondering if the tensioner slackened overnight? 

Someone smarter than me will no doubt be along shortly to give you a more intelligent answer.

[terry paget]

Sounds suspiciously like the timing is now off. 

Given it was ok yesterday, did you retighten the tensioner correctly? I'm wondering if the tensioner slackened overnight? 

Someone smarter than me will no doubt be along shortly to give you a more intelligent answer.

That's the first conclusion I came to. At least the engine still runs, so I have not wrecked it yet. I await more experienced counsel.

[terry paget]

The tightening for both tensioner and tensioner was 20Nm, then 120 degrees, then 15 degrees. I do not have an angle tightener gauge, but remember the 20Nm, then 120, the 15 by eye. They did not seem loose.

[dave the builder]

check the timing
the tensioner is spring loaded and self adjusting
unless you didn't get the tensioner's peg located in the block
did you check the timing marks before you put it all back together  after rotating the engine by hand ?

[terry paget]

check the timing
the tensioner is spring loaded and self adjusting
unless you didn't get the tensioner's peg located in the block
did you check the timing marks before you put it all back together  after rotating the engine by hand ?

Timing was set up correct, and still correct after 2 revolutions. I am confident the tensioner's peg was located at the back. I had trouble getting the belt on, as reported, since I could not lock the tensioner back, and had to call in SWMBO to hold the allen key while I heaved the belt on.
Car ran fine yesterday in test drive. Engine still runs without 'rattle'. I had an Omega 3.0 whose timing slipped 2 teeth, but it still ran, albeit with a clatter. I stripped it, changed cam belt and pulleys, and it ran for several more years, until daughter crashed it.

[terry paget]

Timing is still correct. Belt is still taut.

[dave the builder]

plugged all the sensors back in ?
I don't know why you struggled to get the belt on , taking the tension off with an allen key 
did you check the new belt against the old one ?
changed the oil ? oil level ok ? correct oil filter fitted ?
screen mesh on the VVT clean ?

[terry paget]

plugged all the sensors back in ?
I don't know why you struggled to get the belt on , taking the tension off with an allen key 
did you check the new belt against the old one ?
changed the oil ? oil level ok ? correct oil filter fitted ?
screen mesh on the VVT clean ?

I don't think I unplugged any sensors, apart from the MAF sensor. I disconnected the battery as Haynes instructed.
I did not compare belts, but it fitted well enough, and new belts are ofter a bit tight to fit. I changed the oil and filter last Sunday after buying the car.
I have not checked the screen mesh on the VVTs. I removed it on an earlier Astra, but it was not clogged and others on this Forum thought that unwise. Is it easy to check without removing it? Does the error code suggest that?

[terry paget]

To turn the camshafts to adjust the timing I inserted a torx bit in the shallow torx socket in the cap of what ws presumably the camshaft timing machinery. I hope I did not not damage it, it worked all right at the end of the operation, but the socket was shallow and required a little inward pressure to turn the cams.

[terry paget]

These torx sockets.

[dave the builder]

to rotate the cams into timed position ,you rotate the crankshaft ,which drives the cambelt to move the camshafts .

I don't know if you've effectively loaded up the VVT by turning the torx section of the sprockets 

is the crankshaft timing mark at 6 o'clock ?

there's a youtube video here
the music is VERY annoying 

[terry paget]

Cams as set

Crank as set
I could only turn the 2 cams together with the belt. To align them I had to use the Torx tool. If they had been bang on I could have simply locked them with the locking tool, but they were not so I adjusted them. That is surely the purpose of the Torx sockets in the end of the cams.

[terry paget]

I appreciate I might have applied too much pressure on the Tork sockets and damaged the internal machinery. But that does not fit with the test run after the cam belt fitment yesterday, with no problems. Nor does it seem likely that both cam motors would have failed simultaneously.

[Viral_Jim]

Terry, looking at your latest pics, it looks like the crank might be a tooth, or half a tooth out? I would have thought the timing mark should be bang on the 6-o'clock arrow, rather than 6.15ish as in your pic.

I'd be tempted to strip it down, rotate to TDC and put a steel rule across the cam sprockets to make sure the timing is bang on. After that I'd back off the torx bolt you used to rotate the cam and re-torque it.

Rather than using that to rotate the cam, I'd put an Allen key in the hole that's at 11o-clock on the left hand cam in your picture, and a screwdriver in the slot. Bracing one against the other should let you rotate the cam.

I know it's a right pain in the 'arris, but, barring some freak electronic failure, it has to be an issue with a component you've touched in the last 48hrs so I rather think retracing your steps is the only way to be sure.

As to why it's only shown up on the second start, that's got me beat!