Wiring Issue– A great place to start would be with the wiring itself. Often the issue will be a loose or damaged wiring connector, or corrosion of the wiring harness leading to/from the OCV. The good news is that there aren’t a whole lot of things to check to properly diagnose P0013. Poor Performance– The camshaft will no longer be optimized for engine speed and load, which means mileage may suffer, as well as power.Difficulty Starting– If the camshaft profile has been greatly affected by the short/open in the oil control valve, it’ll have a harder time starting.Here are some of the most common symptoms of P0013: This means that even with the same vehicle, the symptoms can be totally different.Īs stated above, the symptoms of P0013 often depend on where the camshaft is located in its timing cycle. When P0013 is thrown, it may leave the camshaft in question in a position that may be on the power side, the economy side, or anywhere in-between. The oil control valve uses the motor oil in the engine as hydraulic fluid to facilitate this adjustment in cam position.
Bank “1” is the side of the engine that contains cylinder 1. This allows it to have a more aggressive camshaft profile when the engine is under heavy load, and a tamer profile when cruising for improved fuel mileage. The Sonic uses the Oil Control Valves to adjust camshaft timing and facilitate variable valve timing. Below we’ll outline the major symptoms and causes of P0013, as well as the most common fixes. It only affects vehicles with Variable Valve Timing. It is generic, which means that it has the same meaning for the Chevy Sonic, as it would any other vehicle.
P0013 is a somewhat frequent OBDII trouble code.