Engine light came on stopped in at Autozone they hooked up machine and the result was Variable valve timing system What is that and where is it located?
There are two components to a Variable Valve Timing (VVT) system; if you had a Check Engine Light (CEL) come on and checked at Autozone they should be able to help you differentiate which component is failing.
The first is the Oil Control Valve (OCV) which is a solenoid attached to a spool valve. This takes an electrical signal from the Engine Control Module (ECM) and turns it into linear motion through a solenoid, which controls the spool valve, which is a fancy word for a differential hydraulic valve (meaning it generally has two outputs that it can supply full/0 pressure, full/full pressure, or 0/full pressure, or any range in between. If the ECM is the brain of your car, the OCV is the brain of your VVT.
The second component is the cam phaser (some times referred to as a cam adjuster). This is a fancy pulley attached to the end of the cam shaft in your car which allows the ECM to control the timing of your engine. Timing can either be advanced or retarded, meaning the valves in your engine (which let air and fuel into or out of your engine) open earlier or later than usual.
The OCV is typically much easier to replace because you can usually see it on the exterior of the engine (the solenoid sticks out from the head to keep the coils cool). Cam phasers them selves are a much more in depth repair; you have to remove the timing cover (and everything to get to it).
Very frequently the issue is not with the phasers themselves but with the timing chain/belt tensioners. While they are just as much of a pain to access as the phasers, they are usually a lot cheaper.
Hope this helps.
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