P0015-camshaft position sensor questions (2)
 

Hi,

I received the code a few days ago and have 2 questions.


1) does having these "bad" sensors/magnets in my car affect performance?

2) does anyone have a link where I can buy them cheaper than AutoZone? They want like $56 a piece for these and I need 4.


Thanks all!

Kyle.

I assume you are in the USA (please update your forum profile so we will know for certain). If so, you can get all four (same part for each of the four camshafts) from parts.com for about $100 total.

Thanks Rodney. Not sure what happened to my location. I live in Moore, OK, home of F5 tornados.
Kyle.

I see it on your profile now. :) We have tornadoes down here, too, though so far none in my part of town. Stay safe!

Rodney, do you have a link for these sensors? Parts.com shows them at $156.

Thanks!

Here you go:

https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuse...kshft%20sensor

They show they're for. 3.5 Hybrid S400 but I guess it's the same parts as my 07 CLK 550?

If so, thanks a bunch. I'll order it 4 of those!

I'm not sure why it shows that. I pulled it up by part number using a MY2007 CLK550 as the search vehicle.

I think you are showing the "crankshaft magnet" rather than the "Camshaft sensor" which is $156

https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuse...OSITION-SENSOR

fwiw, I had a P0015 Camshaft sensor code on my BMW, that wasn't always lighting the CEL. Changing from supermarket 93 octane gas to Shell 93 octane gas made it go away, surprisingly. It was as if the supermarket 93 was a lesser octane and the ECU was over-retarding the timing to cope and triggering the code.

Now to complicate it, I have a suspect solenoid that controls the camshaft timing. It was replaced but there is still an "odd" feel to the driving, but there are no codes (either OBD or BMW), so I am not convinced it is truly fixed.

You may want to try switching gas stations - possible free fix?

The "Camshaft Solenoids" a.k.a. "magnets" are part number A2720510177, which is this:

https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuse...kshft%20sensor

I am not sure why parts.com describes it as a "crankshaft sensor", but that part number is correct and is what fails causing the P0015 error described in Scenario #2 of the M272/M273 engine TSB.

The other part that $156 is the camshaft position sensor. Those are not involved in the engine TSB and would likely not be the cause of a P0015 error.

Ok Rodney, help please! I replace 3 of the magnets in record time. The last magnet seems impossible. It's the drivers side, closest to the center of the car. How can it be done? Some sort of coolant (tranny?) device is in the way. Please help sir.

Kyle.

Is it maybe the power steering reservoir? That needs to be removed for access on the M273 engine:

http://benzbits.com/m273/PowerSteeringReservoir.pdf

Ok here's a pic of the area. The black tube thingy is in the way. It looks like you can unbolt it from the head but it doesn't appear that it'd give any "play" to reach that last magnet.

To the right of the magnet, you can see one of the bolts. No problem getting to it. However, to the left of the magnet harness, you can see where the black coolant tube bolts to the engine. So getting to the magnet bolt on that side is the issue.

Oh, that's the coolant pipe for the oil cooler. It has hose clamps on either end - just remove it to gain access. You may need to drain a few pints from the radiator to keep from leaking any coolant.

Ok, I got the last/4th magnet replaced. I loosened the coolant pipe and removed the camshaft sensor to gain access to the magnet. I put everything back together but...

The Check Engine light is still on. Do I need someone to clear the code? I only drove a few houses down and came back. Does it take longer driving to clear the code?

Thanks again,
Kyle

It takes a few (5 or so) start/drive/stop cycles to clear the MIL. Or, if you have and OBDII scanner, it should have a reset function.

After a week of driving, the check engine light still exists. I guess I need to get the code pulled and talk the Autozone guy into clearing the codes/light.

Magnet Replacement
 

I just received my set of 4 magnets because I was also getting the P0015 code on my 2006 350 cab. I think I've found every thread on this issue in the forum and am ready to tackle them tomorrow. I have the T8 external Torx wrench, the 1/4" 12 point box wrench and a toolbox of everything else I could possibly think of that I might need. I've never removed the engine cover before, but the posts here are unanimous in just pulling up the front first, and then pulling up the back. It takes quite a bit of force, and the worry of breaking something exists, but eventually it will release, and you're good to go.

The 1/4" 12 point box wrench is a trick for removing the #4 magnet bolts without having to remove the oil cooler tank, camshaft sensor or hose (Sorry Klonsbury). Apparently the clearance is too close to accomodate the Torx, and the 1/4" wrench fits the #8 torx nut head like a glove.

After that, I need to replace the ambient temperature sensor. On my car, it's located next to the driving light and is only accesible by removing the wheel well covers inside the passenger side wheel well. Sounds doable.

It's been a long time since I've done my own repairs, but these seem rather routine. Certainly nothing as involved and insane as having my friend Randy holding my ankles so he could pull me out from under the car on the creeper after I let the transmission from my Porsche 914 drop onto my chest to replace the clutch.

I wasn't able to find adequate CLK pictures of the magnet replacement on the forums, just the C class 272 engines, but I'll take pics and post later. I'll try and get a decent sets of pictures of the inside of the front after the wheel well covers are removed for the ambient sensor replacement since those don't seem to exist either.

The Question: Is there a way of determining which one of the 4 is no good short of changing one at a time and waiting for the CEL to go away? I'd rather spend $80 and not $320 but will if I have to and if it's the best option.
2007 C230 Sport 51k miles Original part # 0232103050 visually confirmed. Replacement Bosch part # 0232103114 according to part sites. Retail $80 to $156 each. Thanks.

Mike, if you are talking about the camshaft solenoids (a.k.a magnets) related to Scenario 2 of the M272/M23 engine TSB, then this is what you need:

https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuse...kshft%20sensor

That should cost you right around $100 for all four delivered. All four should be replaced because chances are if one fails, they all will.

Rodney, I appreciate you getting back to me so soon. For clarity you're suggesting I replace the camshaft solenoids magnets (the link you suggest from above) as opposed to the camshaft position sensors shown here as [5]: https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuse...SHAFT%2DSENSOR
These were suggested by another and sell for $156 at parts.com and $80 at FCP Euro. I like the $100 solution although the labor will be much more intense as they are blocked by other parts that must be moved first. I just want to make sure I'm replacing the correct parts and not changing parts as trial and error.
My scenario is: Code P0015 Stating "Camshaft Position Timing Over-Retarded". The light has come and gone and come back again in the last two weeks. I didn't notice a change in performance.

Thank you for your patience and attention,

Mike

I do know that I just had to replace the camshaft position sensor on my father's 2003 SL500 (same as a CLK 500 engine and tranny). The issue caused the vehicle to sometimes not be able to start.

I brought it in to a MB tech I know (who does the work through at the stealership but charges me reasonable prices off their books).

He said it was a pain to get to and change, so while the part was only $50 (his cost), he tacked on another $150 for labor. So for $200 I didn't think it was too bad.

Scenario 2 of the M272/M273 engine (http://benzbits.com/BalanceShaftTSB.pdf) deals with bad camshaft solenoids. Symptoms are the following DTCs (genric OBDII equivalent in parenthesis):

0059 (P0014), 0060 (P0015), 0063 (P0024), 0064 (P0025), 0271 (P0011), 0272 (P0012), 0275 (P0021), and 0276 (P0022)

You have code P0015 which is in the set of DTCs covered by Scenario 2. The indicated solution is to "Diagnose each DTC as per Star Diagnosis. If it is determined the solenoid is faulty, replace with solenoid A272 051 01 77..."

That part number is what I linked to at parts.com for $22. Camshaft position sensor failure would likely result in different error codes.

Rodney, Thanks for the followup and TSB pdf. I found some female box end Torx wrenches on Amazon that should make the job easier. On the drivers side the magnets are behind the power steering fluid reservior, but with the box wrench I should be able to reach, there seems to be enough room.