Spent 4 hours chasing a p0012 code on my 2017 5.0 and it was just a clogged variable cam timing oil control solenoid screen

After pulling the passenger valve cover three times and replacing the VCT solenoid I found a forum post about cleaning the oil screens on the solenoid ports and that fixed it in 20 minutes, has anyone else dealt with this phantom timing code that feels like a money pit?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.spencer1mo ago

Oil screen clogging is basically a rite of passage for the 5.0. Did the same thing on my 2015 except I bought two solenoids before I found the DIY post.

jamie_white1mo ago

Dixon.spencer, you nailed it with the rite of passage thing, but here's a weird one. 2018 F-150 with the 5.0 here, and my clog happened after I accidentally dumped half a bottle of glittery car wax into the oil filler neck. Nobody talks about how detailing stuff can mess up the screens worse than old oil.

charles_kelly431mo ago

Wax in the oil system probably does weird stuff nobody's tested yet.