How To Quiet Cam Phaser Noise [2 Ways to Solve]

Has your engine become so noisy to the point that it’s unbearable? The noise is mostly a rattling or ticking sound. Well, it is your cam phaser that is defective.

A defective cam phaser is very harmful to your vehicle. It can cause various problems. Including lowering your vehicle’s overall performance.

To avoid this you need to fix your cam phaser.

So how to quiet the cam phaser noise?

Well, there are two ways you can quiet your cam phaser noise. One is a temporary solution. This includes oil treatment for your cam phaser. The other one is more of a permanent solution. This one is replacing your cam phaser. These two methods are the most effective to solve your issue.

We’ve elaborated on these in this article. So stick with us till the end. We’re sure it’ll help you.

Let’s dive in.

Cam Phaser Problems and Its Fix

If your vehicle’s cam phaser is damaged, it will waste a lot of gas. The cam phaser consumes more gasoline because of its lack of speed. It is a symptom of a bad cam phaser.

Besides, when you have a rusty cam phaser, you’ll experience engine light flashing. The ECU switches to limp mode when the cam phaser fails. This results in your vehicle’s check engine light to flicker.

Other than that, the engine’s horsepower is reduced due to a faulty cam phaser. For example, the engine will not accelerate above 30-40 RPM.

Basically, a bad cam phaser will damage the engine.

So, you should fix your cam phaser problem as soon as possible. Otherwise, it’ll cause significant permanent damage to your engine.

Now how do fix the cam phaser noise? There are two ways you can treat your defective cam phaser. One is a temporary solution and the other is a permanent solution.

Have a look.

Temporary Solution: Oil Treatment

The oil treatment is a useful option for reducing cam phaser wear.

Using an environmentally friendly oil treatment on your cam phaser, the noise will reduce significantly. Even though it won’t eliminate cam phaser noise, oil treatment is effective as a short-term cure.

Here is our recommendation for the best oils cam phaser noise. Have a look.

COMP Cams 159 Engine Break-In Oil Additive

If you are going for this solution then these are our oil recommendations. These are the best ones in the market.

Now let’s go through the step-by-step process of how to provide oil treatment.

Step 1: Park the Vehicle and Drain the Old Oil

First, you need to make sure that your vehicle is parked. For safety measures, you can put wood blocks or bricks on the back wheels. So, the vehicle doesn’t move.

Then use a jack lifter to lift your vehicle. After you’ve lifted your vehicle you need to remove the drain plug.

To remove the drain plug you need a ratchet wrench. After you’ve removed the plug, wait for the oil to drain out completely.

You can use an oil collecting pan or a tray to avoid the oil from spilling all over the place.

It should take about 5-10 mins for the oil to drain out completely.

Lastly, attach the drain plug again and remove the woodblocks and the jack.

Step 2: Apply the Oil Treatment

After you’ve drained out the oil, you need to apply new oil. Use our recommended oil for better results.

For this, first, you need to open the hood of your vehicle. Then open the engine oil cap.

After that, you need to take an oil funnel. Use the oil funnel and pour the oil into the engine. It is recommended to use a new oil filter.

You should make sure that the oil is pure. Without any additives.

After that wait for a few minutes and check the oil level using a dipstick.

Step 3: Check if the Noise is Reduced

After you’ve poured in the oi it’s time for you to check if it worked.

To do that first, you need to start the engine. Then wait for some time and observe if the noise is reduced.

If not then try using the oil treatment again.

This should make the noise quieter.

Permanent Solution: Replace the Cam Phaser

Now if the previous step is not working it means the cam phaser is damaged beyond repair.

In this case, you need to move on to a permanent solution. This means you should replace the cam phaser.

Let’s have a look at the step-by-step process of how you can replace a cam phaser.

Step 1: Take Out the Airbox and the Valve Covers

First, you need to locate the airbox and take it out along with the air snorkel. Also, be sure to remove the harness.

After that, you need to tug the dipstick tube and detach the valve covers. You also need to remove the 8mm bolts.

Step 2: Remove the 3 Rocker Arms

Now you need to twist the crankshaft and put it in a 12’O O’clock position. Then you can remove the 3 rocker arms.

Then, for the number one intake, tug on the middle rocker arm. For the number four-cylinder, you may also draw two intakes.

Then tug on the number five intake rocker arms using two intake rocker arms. Make sure you extract one exhaust on the left side, number eight.

Step 3: Take Out the Cam Sensor

Use a drill bit, and untie the 15mm bolt. It’d be connected to the phaser which holds the cam to make it easier to find.

After that, remove the cam sensor and twist the crank to 6 o’clock.

Step 4: Replace the Phaser

First set the timing chain wedge in the correct position. Mark the timing chain so that you can accurately install a new one.

Remove the 15mm bolt and cam phaser after that.

Replace the old one with the new one in the marked spot. Next, make sure the new 15mm bolt is securely fastened.

Replace the timing chain, cam sensor, and other parts in the same order as they were removed.

In this way, you can replace a cam phaser.

FAQs

How much does a cam phaser repair cost by professionals?

Cam phaser repair costs around $800-$2500. Fixing a cam phaser is not cheap. Especially when you get it done by professionals. If you do it yourself, you can save a lot of money.

Is it possible for a cam phaser to cause a misfire?

Yes, a cam phaser can cause misfires. Especially, a defective cam phaser causes the variable valve timing to be slightly off This results in harsh idling or misfiring.

What do cam phaser lockouts do?

Cam phaser failures can be reduced by cam lockouts. You will be able to save money as a result of this.

Endnote

Hopefully, by now you know how to quiet a cam phaser noise.

A bonus tip for you is to go for regular servicing of your vehicle engine. This will prevent the cam phaser from wearing out soon.

That’ll be all. Thank you for sticking around.

Author

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Mark Williams

Founder and Author at Theautomobily

Mark Williams is the founder and author of Theautomobily located in Tucson, AZ. As a Mechanical Engineer,He has 15 years of experience in the automobile industry. Mark's deep understanding of various types of vehicles such as UTVs, ATVs, cars, Trucks, and lawnmowers which allows him to provide valuable insights and information.