Diagnostic Code P1345: Powertrain DTC

What Does P1345 Mean?

Some vehicles are designed with a coil-on-plug ignition trigger. Others use one coil for two plugs, while still others have slightly different designs. Trouble code P1345 also depends on the camshaft timing.

Regardless of your vehicle, you have a crankshaft sensor and camshaft sensor. These two sensors communicate with your engine control module to determine the position of your crankshaft relative to the top dead center of the first cylinder compression stroke and camshaft lobes.

The entire system is designed to avoid misfires and create precision timing for your fuel injection system. When your camshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor are out of alignment, it signals trouble code P1345. More often than not, this is simply a sensor issue. However, true misalignment is a dangerous condition that needs to be repaired quickly. Either way, it’s important to inspect your ignition system to find the solution that will clear your code and restore your driving performance.

Common Symptoms

So, what does the code P1345 mean? For most vehicles, you’ll experience a range of performance issues. These are just a few symptoms that can occur when your crankshaft and camshaft are out of alignment:

• Hard starts
• Engine stalling
• Rough idle
• Misfires over 1,500 RPM

These performance issues could lead to serious engine damage, so it’s important to find the cause and perform the necessary repairs as quickly as possible. Without resolving the issue, you could cause significant damage to your engine.

Even if the issue is electrical, your vehicle needs your crankshaft and camshaft sensors to deliver the precise amount of fuel. Improper fuel injection will cause these performance issues regardless of the source.

Causes

While this trouble code always deals with this specific ignition issue, each manufacturer has a slightly different set of sensors to help you locate the issue. Each one indicates the same issue, but attempts to provide clarification to shorten your time spent troubleshooting. Consult your service manual and relevant technical service bulletins to help pinpoint the cause.

The most common cause with this error code is an electrical issue. The two sensors and all related electrical wiring and connectors are likely to be damaged and cause the error. However, there are other causes. Don’t discount serious damage that may have occurred, but inspect each area to find any potential damage to your vehicle.

Older vehicles may have a timing chain that jumped a tooth. Even less likely, though still possible, is that your camshaft or crankshaft is damaged. It’s important to inspect each of these areas, but typically you’ll only need to repair wiring or replace a sensor in order to restore your vehicle.

Repair Solutions

After you’ve consulted your specific make and model vehicle’s technical service bulletins, it’s time to inspect your wiring. Visually inspect it for any loose, frayed or damaged wires. Be sure to check connectors that may be loose or damaged. Next, use a voltmeter to ensure the sensors are working properly.

After you’ve inspected and cleared or replaced your camshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor, take a look at your timing chain, crankshaft and camshaft. While rare, any damage to these components is essential to repair immediately. Once you’ve gone through these repair solutions, test your vehicle to determine whether you’ve found the solution to your OBD-II scanner error code P1345 problem.