What the codes are telling you
P0016 and P0017 are camshaft-to-crankshaft correlation codes. The engine is saying the camshafts are not sitting where the computer expects them to be, either over the whole range or only at certain revs.
On these engines the variable timing sprocket on each camshaft is locked and advanced by engine oil pressure through a control solenoid. When the solenoid sticks, or the sprocket's internal lock pin wears, the cam drifts and the code appears.
Because it is oil-pressure driven, low oil level, degraded oil or the wrong oil specification can produce the exact same codes. That is always the first thing ruled out — not the last.
The M272 balance shaft: the expensive one
Early M272 engines used a balance shaft gear that is softer than it should be. As the teeth wear, timing drifts. The tell-tale pattern is a hard warm start, a rough idle, a check engine light, and a general flatness in the low end — sometimes with codes, sometimes with barely any.
This matters because the repair is large: the front cover and timing sets are involved, and on some installations the engine comes out. It is the difference between a $1,500 job and a $5,000 one, and it is exactly the diagnosis a shop that only clears codes will miss.
The order we work in
Read the codes and freeze frames, then check live cam retard values against spec at idle and on part throttle.
Verify oil level, condition and specification. If the oil is wrong or old, the codes are not a parts problem yet.
Swap the two camshaft adjuster solenoids bank for bank and see whether the code moves with the solenoid. A code that follows the part is a cheap answer.
Only then do we verify the timing mechanically with the locking tools. Guessing here is how people buy parts they didn't need.
On an M272 with the warm-start-and-rough-idle pattern, we inspect the balance shaft before quoting anything large, so you know which of the two repairs you are paying for.
Indicative cost
Control solenoid: $180–$450. Camshaft adjuster sprocket: $900–$2,000 per bank. Balance shaft repair: $3,500–$6,500, and the reason we confirm it before anyone starts work.
Be careful of anyone who clears the light, drives it around the block and calls it fixed. Correlation codes come back, and the underlying wear is still there.
Questions owners ask about this
- Will a top-end oil additive fix the rattle and the codes?
- No. Additives can quiet a noise for a while by thickening the oil, which is exactly why they are dangerous here — they mask the sound of wear that is continuing.
- Is it safe to keep driving with these codes?
- Short trips, yes, and we would still want it looked at soon. A cam that has drifted badly enough to trigger a correlation code is running outside its design window, and if it drifts further you can strand the engine. Don't road-trip it.
- Was this ever covered by a warranty extension?
- On some model years and markets the manufacturer extended coverage for particular camshaft and balance shaft faults. If you can give us the VIN we can check whether your car was ever in that window before you spend anything.