OBD-II trouble code
P0027: Exhaust Valve Control Solenoid Circuit Range/Performance (Bank 1)
SAE J2012: exhaust valve control solenoid circuit range/performance, bank 1. The 2006 Subaru Legacy H4SO criteria file that defines P0026 and P0028 does not contain P0027. No Ford, GM, Hyundai, or VW procedure was found that lists P0027 and starts with an oil change, an EGR test, or a phaser. Use the exhaust oil-control test this engine actually prints.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Ignition / Engine Timing
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $180 – $870 (variable valve timing control solenoid replacement)
- DIY difficulty
- Intermediate DIY
Browse every code in P0001–P0099, or start from the full code library.
What does P0027 mean?
The SAE title names the exhaust valve-control solenoid on bank 1, and it names a range/performance result: the signal or the response is in span and does not match the condition. It does not say the exhaust phaser runs hotter than the intake phaser, it does not say missed oil changes show up here first, and it does not attach the code to an emissions failure. Those claims were not found in a manufacturer procedure for this number.
The 2006 Legacy GD(H4SO U5) criteria move from P0026 to P0028 and skip P0027, so the Subaru valve-lift duty test is not an exhaust-solenoid procedure. Hyundai TSB 09-EM-002 lists P0014 and P0015 among other cam codes and does not list P0027. Ford's 2009 gasoline PCED puts oil and timing language on the performance codes it does list. It is not a source for a P0027 step that was not in the book. Until you have this engine's chart open, the honest statement is that the solenoid, the command, and the result are whatever that chart measures.
Bank 1 is the bank with cylinder 1. The exhaust cam on that bank is the one the diagram marks. SAE's A/B footnote is a different axis from intake versus exhaust. Do not decide the solenoid by standing in front of the car and picking the manifold that looks hotter.
Common causes
- A connector or a wire at the bank 1 exhaust valve-control solenoid, checked before the timing cover comes off
- The exhaust oil-control solenoid failing the command-versus-result test in this engine's chart
- A chart for P0014 or P0015 used in place of a P0027 procedure this engine does not share
- Oil condition treated as the cause without a procedure that says so for this code
- A phaser or a chain replaced from a general VVT story rather than from this pinpoint
- The intake solenoid, P0026, diagnosed under the exhaust code
Symptoms
- Check engine light with P0027
- The bank 1 exhaust cam stuck near its rest angle, when this engine's data shows the solenoid is not moving it
- A performance code on the exhaust cam, P0014 or P0015, only if this calibration stores those as well
- No Subaru valve-lift switch to watch, because the Legacy H4SO file does not define P0027
- The solenoid on the exhaust cam of the bank that contains cylinder 1
- A repair history of oil-control-valve cleanings that this code's missing procedures do not call for
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Find P0027 in this engine's service information. If the section has no such test, do not substitute the 2006 Legacy P0026 duty limits or Hyundai 09-EM-002. Those documents do not list this code.
- 2.Identify the bank 1 exhaust oil-control solenoid on the diagram. Unplug it with the ignition off and inspect the connector and the harness where it can rub.
- 3.Run the command-versus-result check the chart prints. That may be a duty cycle, a cam-angle error, or a switch. Use the one that is written. Record it, or have a passenger read it on a road check.
- 4.Measure the coil only against a spec this procedure prints. No resistance is stated here, because none was found that belongs to this code across engines.
- 5.Follow the chart's next part. If it names the solenoid, replace that solenoid. If it names the phaser or the chain, that is a different job and a different RepairPal average, and it is not assumed from the SAE title.
- 6.Do not add an EGR or a NOx step. None was found in a P0027 procedure. Clear the code and rerun the test the chart enables.
Repair cost
$180 – $870 (variable valve timing control solenoid replacement)
Scoped to the solenoid, because that is the part the SAE title names and the part RepairPal prices as a VVT control solenoid. National average $469–$594, updated 3 September 2026. Examples: 2010 Ford Fusion $179–$239, 2015 Porsche Cayman $687–$870. The printed pair rounds those. No P0027 procedure was found that prices a phaser or a chain as the required repair. RepairPal's actuator average is $1,094–$1,425 and the timing-chain average is $2,120–$2,764. Both stay outside this pair unless this engine's chart reaches them. Oil at $160–$188 is not a documented first step for P0027.
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Related repairs
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.