Check engine light, P0344 and P0340

J

JGil

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Philadelphia PA, USA
Hi all, I’m new here...
I have 05’ sport, 4.0, 6-speed....w/ 146k-mil
Owned it since May 2017...
I absolutely love theTJ... rides excellent, strong and quite comfortable as compared to my 93’ YJ, 2.5, 5-speed....
Early on had check eng light, replaced both the crank and camshaft sensors... Ran Jeep rest of spring, summer and fall...with no issues at all...
Late fall light comes back on and samecodes as b4...(crank and camshaft sensors)...
After reading this forum... I realized that temps below 45deg is the issue... hard starting and bucking after 24k RPMs....
Took it to the Stealership so they could do the t.s.b. update to PCM... they said it was already updated but needs new Crankshaft sensor.... Had it installed, they told me all is good.... the very next morning same exact issues...
Dropped it off that afternoon... dealership had it for 4days and then said they did an update to PCM... and that all good now...
Picked it up , no ch eng light.....
Next morning light on again and same issues... Dropped it of again... 6 days later they say needs new camshaft sensor.. ordered another sensor and same issues after the next day...
Now dealership says I need new PCM..
I mailed my PCM to a company that rebuilds them.... they told me that the pcm test out fine... they even left pcm in freezer overnight and retested and they say they cannot get it to fail or duplicate my issues...
Yes all sensors are New and directly from the Stealership...
Also just replaced OPDA with crown and factory sensor the week b4 I sent the PCM out ....
 
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The codes are... p0344 and p0340....
The company that tested my PCM suggested that it maybe an issue with the engine retarding too much when cold...
I thought this is what the PCM would adjust or control....
I’m really at a loss..???
Maybe I just have to move to a warmer climate.?!!?
 
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My code also had to do with intermittent cam/crank sensor connection, but it still ran perfectly. Ignored it for a while, then when I started having it looked at the Jeep was in the shop every 3 days for 4 months as we tried different things over and over again, including changing out sensors multiple times, and re-programming the PCM. No luck. One day trying to diagnose it the code went away and never came back.

We suspect it was a loose connection on the PCM in my case, but apparently a common issue is the connector from the wiring harness to the cam/crank sensors themselves. When you swap the sensor you're only changing one half of the connector. If the other side is bad it will cause intermittent voltage issues. These can pop up randomly, or possibly in your case, in the cold when the connectors contract. Hard to say for sure but worth taking a look at.

And yes, you should move to a warmer climate. Warmer weather = more top down time.
 
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I will check the wiring harness to both sensors...
I will also put some type of electric grease at the terminals and some how clean the terminals....
As far as moving to a warmer climate....That’s actually on my list for the next couple of years...
 
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JGil said:
Hi all, I’m new here...
I have 05’ sport, 4.0, 6-speed....w/ 146k-mil
Owned it since May 2017...
I absolutely love theTJ... rides excellent, strong and quite comfortable as compared to my 93’ YJ, 2.5, 5-speed....
Early on had check eng light, replaced both the crank and camshaft sensors... Ran Jeep rest of spring, summer and fall...with no issues at all...
Late fall light comes back on and samecodes as b4...(crank and camshaft sensors)...
After reading this forum... I realized that temps below 45deg is the issue... hard starting and bucking after 24k RPMs....
Took it to the Stealership so they could do the t.s.b. update to PCM... they said it was already updated but needs new Crankshaft sensor.... Had it installed, they told me all is good.... the very next morning same exact issues...
Dropped it off that afternoon... dealership had it for 4days and then said they did an update to PCM... and that all good now...
Picked it up , no ch eng light.....
Next morning light on again and same issues... Dropped it of again... 6 days later they say needs new camshaft sensor.. ordered another sensor and same issues after the next day...
Now dealership says I need new PCM..
I mailed my PCM to a company that rebuilds them.... they told me that the pcm test out fine... they even left pcm in freezer overnight and retested and they say they cannot get it to fail or duplicate my issues...
Yes all sensors are New and directly from the Stealership...
Also just replaced OPDA with crown and factory sensor the week b4 I sent the PCM out ....
Click to expand...
 
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Believe it or not I just fixed mine today and it sounds identical to the issues that I was having on my 06. The problem with mine after 3 months of being in limp mode was a wire that was rubbed in half. It is a design flaw in my opinion. Try looking on the passenger side of the valve cover on the rear of the engine. There is a large group of wires that are real close to the valve cover in this area. Check there. I had 1 wire that was causing all of these faults. Spliced in a 3 inch piece of wire that was the same gauge and all of my faults went away. I was at my wits end with these issues. Shazam, all faults are cleared. Btw, you may want to use your old camshaft sensor. Had issues with the one that came with my opda. Good luck and I hope this helps.
 
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Hi @Pinstripe,
Thanks for your response.
I haven’t had an opportunity to check the wiring as was also suggested by @Skully...
I hope to maybe get to it this Sunday...

As an update since I last spoke to @Skully,
I installed my pcm and now the chk light stays on no matter what the outside air temps may be... However, now the Jeep starts and runs perfectly with no bucking at all...
Should I check wiring by voltage with battery connected or batt off and checking continuity through the wiring.??
So work schedule and weather permitting,
I hope to have a couple of hours on Sunday to see if I can find any wiring issues...
I will let you know what I find...
 
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put a multimeter on battery while running and it should be around 14 volts. if not, trace wiring from the back of the alternator towards the firewall, while watching volt meter, all the while slowly jiggling the wires. if the voltage goes up, there may possibly be a shorted field circuit. that circuit also controls voltage to the camshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor, which is p0344 and p0340 fault code. good luck.
another thing you can try that will indicate a ground fault is to take a set of jumper cables and connect one end to negative battery terminal and the other end to the body of the alternator. if your voltage goes up this would indicate a ground fault. let us know if this does anything for you.
 
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Pinstripe said:
Believe it or not I just fixed mine today and it sounds identical to the issues that I was having on my 06. The problem with mine after 3 months of being in limp mode was a wire that was rubbed in half. It is a design flaw in my opinion. Try looking on the passenger side of the valve cover on the rear of the engine. There is a large group of wires that are real close to the valve cover in this area. Check there. I had 1 wire that was causing all of these faults. Spliced in a 3 inch piece of wire that was the same gauge and all of my faults went away. I was at my wits end with these issues. Shazam, all faults are cleared. Btw, you may want to use your old camshaft sensor. Had issues with the one that came with my opda. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks. Is it easy to put a sheath over so they don't rub? I'm going to check it out on my 05 when I get a chance to see if I can prevent this problem!
 
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@JGill, were you ever able to fix your problem? My 05 Rubi LJ is doing exactly the same thing. wont go over 2400 rmp. So far, I have replaced Crank Sensor, Spark Plugs, Coil Pack, Cam Sensor, and OPDA, all with MOPAR parts. Only code now is P0344, but still wont go above 2400 rpm.
 
Matt Robillard said:
@JGill, were you ever able to fix your problem? My 05 Rubi LJ is doing exactly the same thing. wont go over 2400 rmp. So far, I have replaced Crank Sensor, Spark Plugs, Coil Pack, Cam Sensor, and OPDA, all with MOPAR parts. Only code now is P0344, but still wont go above 2400 rpm.
Click to expand...
Hi Matt,
Yes, just last week I had the timing chain and gears replaced. Now Jeep runs perfect.
After many months of trying everything under the sun....
The problem was a “Correlation issue between the Cam and Crankshaft sensors.”
I think the code was P0016..?
What that means is they are not communicating with each other and not on the same wavelength, meaning Timing....
Mechanic set the timing mark to top dead center but Jeep would still run the same as your car.
Turns out that the timing chain was stretched out causing a slip in the two gears throwing off the timing by a few degrees....
Now, your issue could very well be that the two sensors are not communicating.
However it might be a wiring issue causing them not to communicate.
So check the wiring physically and with a meter on Ohms or Continuity to verify that all is good with the wiring.

2 Weeks ago I started a thread “ how much does it cost to replace a timing chain?”
There you can read on this specific issue...

Yes, it’s true that “Normally” a 4.0L motors timing chain should out last the motor itself.
But, that was my issue.

I hope this helps you.
I feel your pain and it is quite frustrating not having your Jeep run properly...
I wish you luck.

Let us know how you make out....
 
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Matt Robillard said:
@JGill, were you ever able to fix your problem? My 05 Rubi LJ is doing exactly the same thing. wont go over 2400 rmp. So far, I have replaced Crank Sensor, Spark Plugs, Coil Pack, Cam Sensor, and OPDA, all with MOPAR parts. Only code now is P0344, but still wont go above 2400 rpm.
Click to expand...
When you replaced the OPDA did you keep the factory Cam Position Sensor, or did you use the one that came w/ the OPDA. My issue turned out to be the aftermarket Camshaft Position Sensor that came w/ the Crown OPDA. I switched it to the factory one and that cleared everything up.
 
Jay MacLeay said:
When you replaced the OPDA did you keep the factory Cam Position Sensor, or did you use the one that came w/ the OPDA. My issue turned out to be the aftermarket Camshaft Position Sensor that came w/ the Crown OPDA. I switched it to the factory one and that cleared everything up.
Click to expand...

So before I replaced OPDA, I found that the cam sensor I had in there was cracked down the side. I replaced it with a spare one that we had around the shop, which was a MOPAR sensor. Today, after inspecting the entire harness for damaged wires, I tried swapping in a brand new MOPAR sensor. NO CHANGE. So now the new to me MOPAR sensor is back in there. Still maxes out at 2400 RPMs, and still throwing P0344 code. Could my problem be that the gear on the old OPDA was wearing on the corresponding gear on the camshaft?
 
JGill- Thank you for this information. I just got back from a trip to home Depot in my 05 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon when out of the blue it was doing the same thing you described. Check engine light with the same code and bucking just like you described. I was worried as hell thinking something major was wrong. Also the temperature just dropped here near Philly down below 30 degrees. First time since I bought the Jeep this past summer.

At least I know where to start trouble shooting.
 
KMarks said:
JGill- Thank you for this information. I just got back from a trip to home Depot in my 05 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon when out of the blue it was doing the same thing you described. Check engine light with the same code and bucking just like you described. I was worried as hell thinking something major was wrong. Also the temperature just dropped here near Philly down below 30 degrees. First time since I bought the Jeep this past summer.

At least I know where to start trouble shooting.
Click to expand...
So, I finally got around to replacing the OPDA. I took the advice of those who said to use the existing sensor with the new assembly. The test drive after install failed miserably. The same symptoms associated with bucking after 2500 RPMs were still there. So, I decided to replace the old sensor with the new one that came with the new OPDA. After that, the test drive was much better - the problem was gone. In order to clear the check engine light and codes (P0344/P0340) I disconnected the battery for about an hour. Not sure if I needed to leave it disconnected for that long. Anyway, upon reconnecting the battery and starting the engine, the check engine light was gone.

I've been driving it for about a week now and still seems to be fine.
 
I have a 2006 with the 4.0 manual. I had the same issue start in December with the same codes. P03344 and P0340, brought it to a shop who replaces the crank and cam position sensor and reset the timing. Issue seemed to be resolved for a short while, mainly due to warmer temps I think though. Issue started again during the cold mornings. Took it to the dealership and they found an SD to reflash the PCM. Next morning same issue, I'm bringing it back to the dealer end of the week. Sounds like I should direct them to look at the connections on the PCM, and replace the oil pump drive assembly.

I feel if I leave it up the dealer or another shop they will keep replacing items searching for the solution and charging me in the process.
 
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