Diagnosing P0300 code & Camshaft Retard Offset Adjustment Using Torque App

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Richamos1

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This post may help you if you have the dreaded P0300 code on our Vortec engines.

First you need the info to add the PID in the Torque App here are screenshots of the info you need to enter:

0b471ab4dfc85f0acbab3659e9b1144e.jpg

71b8741ef65daab44c3ab8d9d8728bba.jpg

The part you don't see at the bottom is the OK button to save the PID. Once you save it by hitting OK, go to the main screen and select Realtime Info and swipe left or right til you find room to add 2 gauges. Hold your finger over the screen til you see Item Options menu and select Add Display. Next select Digital Display and scroll through the sensor options til you find and select Cam Retard Offset. Now move that display to the top or bottom so the rpm display you add will fit on the same screen. Same instructions apply for rpm except you select Engine RPM. When you're done it should look like this:

01b34f6c1824a496b63f7b3245fe0ba4.jpg

As long as you entered the info correctly setting up the PID your data should make sense. At 1000rpm my retard offset read 1.0 and I noticed when coasting at highway speed the CMP Retard data flatlined and the CEL flashed at the same time. Time to check out my distributor!

Hope this helps

Richamos

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Richamos1

Richamos1

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This post may help you if you have the dreaded P0300 code on our Vortec engines.

First you need the info to add the PID in the Torque App here are screenshots of the info you need to enter:

0b471ab4dfc85f0acbab3659e9b1144e.jpg

71b8741ef65daab44c3ab8d9d8728bba.jpg

The part you don't see at the bottom is the OK button to save the PID. Once you save it by hitting OK, go to the main screen and select Realtime Info and swipe left or right til you find room to add 2 gauges. Hold your finger over the screen til you see Item Options menu and select Add Display. Next select Digital Display and scroll through the sensor options til you find and select Cam Retard Offset. Now move that display to the top or bottom so the rpm display you add will fit on the same screen. Same instructions apply for rpm except you select Engine RPM. When you're done it should look like this:

01b34f6c1824a496b63f7b3245fe0ba4.jpg

As long as you entered the info correctly setting up the PID your data should make sense. At 1000rpm my retard offset read 1.0 and I noticed when coasting at highway speed the CMP Retard data flatlined and the CEL flashed at the same time. Time to check out my distributor!

Hope this helps

Richamos

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Sorry here's the second pic for the PID info

0241fdcfd9616f8731ae2fbe824aac30.jpg

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drakon543

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Successfully replaced 3 faulty distributors on the vortecs within a year so far without the use of a scan tool. First one was my tahoe when i first bought it. Second was a pain because the owner had removed the original distributor before contacting me. Last was back to my tahoe recently as the first time i chose a cheap cardone reman distributor the first time.
 
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Richamos1

Richamos1

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Successfully replaced 3 faulty distributors on the vortecs within a year so far without the use of a scan tool. First one was my tahoe when i first bought it. Second was a pain because the owner had removed the original distributor before contacting me. Last was back to my tahoe recently as the first time i chose a cheap cardone reman distributor the first time.
You've been successful by not getting the P1345 code, but there's no guarantee it's dead on accurate. The retard can be as much as 17 degrees off before the code will set.

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Richamos1

Richamos1

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what documentation says 17°?
My apologies to the group about throwing out that 17 degree number. No GM procedures or manuals state this number. I took that info from another forum site. The point of my post was to state the importance of properly setting the offset.

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drakon543

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The first time i dropped it in i ended up dead on 0. Buddy was playing around with his snap on toy he got. The going idea ive been told and read is it has to be between + or - 2 from 0 or you get p1345.
 

SunlitComet

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that is absolutely correct. no matter what speed your engine is at it can always read the difference and can pick up on a hold down working loose and the dizzy drifting. When it sets it off is determined by per-requisites programmed in the the operating system.
 
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Richamos1

Richamos1

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The strange thing about mine is I am reading between .9 and 1.2 but very steady the value stays consistent, but when the CEL flashes the offset reading drops out completely. I'm guessing the value is outside of the parameters set when I programmed the PID.
 

SunlitComet

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if it is flashing that is an active misfire and could be caused by i number of issues. when that happens some data is unreliable. could be random sensor failures or cable leakage and so forth.
 

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