OBD-II trouble code
P1693: Companion Module DTC / Oil Control Valve (Manufacturer Specific)
P1693 is a manufacturer-specific code and its meaning depends entirely on who built the vehicle. On Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram it is a flag meaning the real fault is stored as a different code in another module. On Toyota it is a variable valve timing oil control valve fault. On VW group vehicles it is a malfunction indicator lamp circuit fault.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- PCM / Electronics
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $100 – $1,200
- DIY difficulty
- Intermediate DIY
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What does P1693 mean?
P1693 sits in the P1xxx range, which the standard leaves to manufacturers to define as they wish. The result is that this one number means genuinely different things on different vehicles, and the first step in diagnosing it is establishing who made yours. Looking up a single definition and acting on it is how people waste money on this code.
On Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, P1693 is not a fault at all. It is a flag. These vehicles run more than one powertrain controller, and each one can see whether the other has stored a trouble code. P1693 means a diagnostic trouble code has been set in the companion module — so if you read P1693 from the engine controller, the actual fault is a different code living in the transmission or injection controller, and the other way round. Sources describing this behaviour are consistent that it essentially never appears on its own, and that chasing P1693 itself is chasing a notification rather than a problem. The real work is reading the other module.
That has an awkward practical consequence. A basic code reader that only talks to one controller will show you P1693 and nothing else, leaving you with a code that explicitly says the information you need is somewhere you did not look. If P1693 appears to be the only code stored, that is usually a limitation of the tool rather than a fact about the vehicle, and a scan tool that can address both modules is the fix.
On Toyota the same number is an oil control valve fault — specifically a closing malfunction in the variable valve timing system, set when the engine computer commands the valve off and camshaft timing does not return to its base position. That is a real mechanical and hydraulic fault with a real repair, and it has nothing whatever to do with companion modules.
On Volkswagen group vehicles — VW, Audi, SEAT, Skoda — the number has been documented as a short to positive in the malfunction indicator lamp control circuit. The fault is in the warning lamp's own driver circuit.
One warning about what you will find searching for this code. Several large code-lookup sites give P1693 as a turbocharger control circuit malfunction, and some attach charging-system causes such as the alternator or battery to it. We could not trace either to any primary source, the attributions conflict with each other, and they have the appearance of templated content generated to fill a page. Do not start buying parts on the strength of a definition that no manufacturer document supports. Verify against service information for your actual vehicle.
Finally, do not confuse P1693 with its Chrysler neighbours. P1694 means a fault in the companion module — no bus messages being received from the transmission controller — and P1698 means no bus messages from the engine controller. Those describe a communication failure between modules, which is a different problem from one module reporting that the other has codes stored.
Common causes
- Chrysler group: a diagnostic trouble code stored in the companion powertrain module, which is the actual fault and carries its own code
- Chrysler group: an apparent lone P1693 caused by a scan tool that can only read one of the two modules
- Toyota: variable valve timing oil control valve stuck, clogged, or electrically failed
- Toyota: sludge or debris restricting the oil control valve screen, or low oil pressure to the valve
- Toyota: camshaft timing gear or VVT actuator fault preventing a return to base timing
- VW group: short to positive in the malfunction indicator lamp control circuit
- VW group: damaged wiring or a failed lamp driver in the instrument cluster circuit
- Any make: wiring or connector damage at the module or component named by the make-specific definition
Symptoms
- Check engine light with no other obvious complaint, on Chrysler group vehicles
- A second, more specific code stored in the other module that explains the actual symptoms
- Only one code visible because the scan tool reads only one module
- Toyota: rough idle, reduced power, poor fuel economy, or a VVT-related driveability complaint
- VW group: malfunction indicator lamp behaving incorrectly, staying on, or failing to light
- Symptoms that match the companion code rather than anything this code describes
- Vehicle usually still drives, depending entirely on what the underlying fault is
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Establish the make before anything else, because the definition changes completely between manufacturers. Do not apply a Chrysler interpretation to a Toyota or the reverse.
- 2.On Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram: scan BOTH powertrain modules with a tool capable of addressing each one, and record every code from each. The companion code is the fault and P1693 is only the notification. If your tool can reach just one module, borrow or hire one that can rather than concluding P1693 is alone.
- 3.On Chrysler group: diagnose and repair the companion code using its own procedure, then clear both modules and recheck. P1693 normally clears with the underlying fault, so there is no separate repair for it.
- 4.On Chrysler group: if a module cannot be communicated with at all, that is a different problem — check that module's power feeds and grounds before suspecting the module itself, and note that no-communication conditions have their own codes, P1694 and P1698.
- 5.On Toyota: treat this as a variable valve timing oil control valve fault. Check the engine oil level and condition first, because low or sludged oil is the cheapest explanation for a valve that will not return to base timing and the most commonly overlooked one.
- 6.On Toyota: inspect the oil control valve filter screen for debris, and check the valve's electrical circuit — measure valve resistance only with the connector unplugged and the ignition off, and compare against the specification for that engine.
- 7.On Toyota: verify valve operation with a bidirectional scan tool where available, and watch actual against commanded camshaft timing in live data. Work on the engine cold when reaching the valve, since it sits where hot oil and hot components are, and keep clear of belts and the fan if the engine must run.
- 8.On VW group: check the malfunction indicator lamp control circuit for a short to positive, with the circuit de-energised for resistance testing and powered only for voltage testing. An ohmmeter must never be placed across a live circuit.
- 9.On any make, confirm the definition against factory service information for the specific vehicle, model year, and engine before ordering parts. The widely published turbocharger and charging-system definitions for this code are not supported by any primary source we could find.
Repair cost
$100 – $1,200
On Chrysler group vehicles this code has no cost of its own — it is a flag, and the bill is whatever the companion code costs to fix, which could be anything from a connector repair to a transmission issue. Budget for proper diagnosis with a tool that reads both modules, typically $100-$200, and then price the real code. On Toyota, an oil control valve is commonly $150-$450 installed, and the cheapest outcome is an oil and filter change where sludge was restricting the valve. A VVT actuator or timing component repair is substantially more. On VW group vehicles a lamp circuit wiring repair is generally $100-$400 depending on access. We could not find published cost data for this code specifically, which is unsurprising for a manufacturer-defined code with several meanings, so these are ranges for the underlying repairs rather than for P1693 itself.
Estimate your repair
Run the numbers for your vehicle
Open the Repair Cost Estimator with module communication / can bus diagnosis preselected. Adjust labor rate and vehicle category to fit your situation.
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.