The customer complaint was that the Transporter, equipped with a CXGA engine, would start well from cold, and ran well with no apparent issues. But if the engine was stopped, it would not restart until a 15-minute time has passed.

No hard codes were present, but a pending P0341 in EOBD was noticed. The customer had already replaced the cam position sensor due to this code appearing on a regular basis, but it would take several drive cycles for the code to reappear. On checking the timing belt to confirm a timing issue, no misalignment was present.

A scope analysis of the cam and crank signals was performed, and the trace was compared to a known good signal for this engine code. We could see the issue was a timing misalignment. A deeper investigation was required, even though the timing marks and tools fitted correctly.

When replacing a timing belt on these engines, it is advisable to remove the crankshaft sprocket and inspect the crankshaft and sprocket mating area for wear and replace if any wear is evident.

After the repair the engine started much faster from cold and no longer had the hot start issue.

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