OBD-II trouble code
P0023: 'B' Camshaft Position Actuator Circuit (Bank 2)
The PCM detected an electrical fault in the exhaust-camshaft VVT solenoid circuit on bank 2. 'B' designates the exhaust cam — the one that controls when the exhaust valves open relative to crankshaft position.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Variable Valve Timing
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $80 – $750
- DIY difficulty
- Intermediate DIY
Browse every code in P0001–P0099, or start from the full code library.
What does P0023 mean?
P0023 is the bank-2 mirror of P0013, and the most important thing to understand first is what 'B' means. On dual-VVT engines (the common layout on modern V6s and V8s with variable timing on both cams), 'A' refers to the intake camshaft and 'B' refers to the exhaust camshaft. So P0023 is an electrical-circuit fault on the bank-2 exhaust VVT solenoid — not the intake side.
That distinction matters for diagnosis. On dual-VVT engines the intake and exhaust solenoids are separate parts with their own connectors and harness routing, but where each one physically sits varies by engine family. Pulling the wrong one wastes time and risks introducing a vacuum leak through a disturbed gasket. Before opening up tools, confirm which solenoid is the 'B' (exhaust) one on your specific engine — often the one closer to the exhaust manifold side of the head, but verify against a service-manual diagram rather than guessing.
The failure modes for P0023 are nearly identical to the intake-side code (P0020): failed solenoid winding, damaged wiring, corroded connector, sludged oil clogging the filter screen, or in rare cases a PCM driver issue. Where the exhaust solenoid does sit closer to the exhaust manifold than its intake counterpart, its harness lives in more heat, so heat-related wiring damage is worth checking early on this code — but confirm the actual routing on your engine rather than assuming it.
Common causes
- Sludged or overdue engine oil clogging the solenoid filter screen — looks electrical to the PCM but is mechanical, and it is the cheapest thing to rule out
- Corroded, oil-fouled or partially seated connector pins at the exhaust solenoid
- Heat-damaged wiring or connector near the exhaust manifold side of the head
- Failed bank-2 exhaust VVT solenoid — open or shorted winding
- Severe low oil pressure preventing the actuator from responding at all
- Aftermarket exhaust work or headers that damaged the harness routing
- Recent battery replacement or wiring service that left a connector partially seated
- Open or shorted PCM driver circuit for the bank-2 exhaust solenoid (rare)
Symptoms
- Check Engine Light on, often without an obvious driveability complaint
- Slight loss of throttle response, especially in the mid-RPM range where exhaust cam adjustment has the biggest effect
- Reduced fuel economy because the PCM falls back to a default exhaust-cam map
- On some platforms, a minor change in idle smoothness or exhaust note
- Stored freeze-frame showing the fault set at moderate load or under deceleration
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Verify which solenoid is 'B' (exhaust) on your specific engine using a service-manual diagram. Don't guess based on which is more accessible.
- 2.Check engine oil level and condition before reaching for a meter. A sludged filter screen in the solenoid starves the phaser of the oil it needs to move, and the PCM reports the missing response as a circuit fault — so fresh oil and a clean screen are the cheapest outcome to rule out, and the one this page's own cost figures put at the bottom of the range.
- 3.Pull freeze-frame data — note RPM, load, and coolant temp at the moment of fault. Faults under heavy heat soak suggest wiring damage; faults at idle suggest electrical or solenoid winding issues.
- 4.Disconnect the bank-2 exhaust VVT solenoid and measure resistance across the terminals. Compare against spec (typically 6-14 ohms). Out of range condemns the solenoid.
- 5.With the connector unplugged and the key on, probe the harness-side terminals. On the common arrangement the solenoid takes a switched battery feed and the PCM pulses the ground side, so battery voltage should be present on the feed pin — but some platforms drive both sides from the module, so check the wiring diagram before calling a missing feed a fault. If the feed is genuinely absent, work upstream through the harness; heat damage near the exhaust manifold is a typical failure point.
- 6.Inspect the connector pins for corrosion, oil contamination, or backed-out pins. Even a marginally seated pin will set this code intermittently.
- 7.If the solenoid passes resistance and the harness has voltage, scope the PCM's command signal at idle. A dead or noisy signal points to a PCM driver issue (rare but real).
- 8.Clear the code, drive a full warm-up cycle plus a short freeway run, and recheck.
Repair cost
$80 – $750
If an oil change and a clean solenoid screen resolve it, you are at the bottom of this range. Solenoid is typically $50-180; the rest is labor. Bank-2 exhaust access is often the worst combination — back of the engine, hot side — which can push labor above the bank-1 equivalent. Wiring repairs are highly variable: a single damaged pin is a 30-minute job, but heat-damaged harness sections can run $200-500 if a section needs to be re-loomed.
Estimate your repair
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DIY vs shop
This is an intermediate DIY job. It usually involves diagnostic steps, specialty parts, and some careful work in tight spaces. If you have the tools and a service manual or trustworthy video for your specific vehicle, it is achievable in a weekend. Otherwise, a competent independent shop will be faster.