Failing Variocam Actuator?

[986lp]

This regards a 2002 Boxster S with 105,000 miles. I purchased the car at ~101,000 miles and at that time I replaced the IMSB, Variocam pads, and the three chain tensioners. Cam deviations now sit at -2.39 for Bank 1 and 0.64 for Bank 2. The idle is still a little rough. I chased down all vacuum leaks and fuel trims seem ok: Bank 1 FRA 1.02% RKAT -0.28 Bank 2 FRA 1.02% RKAT -0.28.

I did notice something odd in the running data though, the "Actual angle for camshaft" reading for Bank 1 seems to hunt or oscillate.

What could be causing this? I've swapped cam sensors on the banks and still same result. Could the Variocam actuator be leaking oil pressure causing its position to flutter like this? It's the same when running the engine at higher RPM and the Variocam switches over. Appreciate everyone's thoughts!

[The Radium King]

i think the hunting is normal, which is why you use the deviation (vs the actual cam position) to determine if an issue ...

but hey, my opinion is worth what you pay for it ...

[997_986]

Which diagnostic system do you use? I recently looked into a similar issue and was able to activate the actuator on each bank using Durametric. At the same time, you can view the misfires in the individual cylinders, which is also very informative. The problem with the solenoid valve is that it must only be removed vertically to ensure the spring sits correctly when refitting. I’m not sure if that’s really necessary.

Btw, the deviation on bank 1: is that in a normal range?

[986lp]

The data came from a Durametric. It’s not reporting any misfires in the live data that I’ve been able to catch. -2.39 is an acceptable deviation value for bank 1; I believe the acceptable range is ± 6 degrees. If anything the 0.64 bank 2 value is funky because deviation values are usually negative.

[The Radium King]

iirc deviation is determined by comparing the output from the crank position sensor (which measures off the flywheel) and the cam position sensor which is a hall effect sensor that measures off a wheel on the cam. given the cam wheel is relatively small, the cam position sensor is very sensitive to where it is positioned. as such you take your starting deviation number with a grain of salt and what you really monitor is the amount and rate of change in your deviation over time; the deviation reading was designed to monitor wear in the system.

i don't think either 0.6 or -2.4 is enough to indicate timing is off (i think 12 degrees is one tooth ...).

[997_986]

What I’d at least check now would be the spark plugs, the coils (including their connectors!), the MAF and the fuel injectors. The latter can be deactivated individually via Durametric, allowing you to compare the results with the others.
A vacuum leak is, of course, the obvious suspect, you mentioned that you chased down all of them, but have you carried out a smoke test?