OBD-II Code · Powertrain
P0344
Camshaft Position Sensor "A" Intermittent (Bank 1)
Severity
high
Left alone, this one tends to take other parts with it.
Can you drive it
Not for long
Driving on this one risks further damage. Get it to a shop rather than carrying on with it.
Indicative cost (USD)
$100–$500
Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
CMP signal intermittent.
How a shop works this
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed.
Note every code that is set, not just this one.
Codes that appear together usually narrow the cause faster than any one of them read alone.
Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under.
Cold or warm, idle or load, road speed and engine speed. A fault that only appears cold is a different fault from one that only appears under load, even with the same code on the scanner.
Confirm the fault is current rather than history.
Clear the code and see whether it returns under those same conditions. A code that does not come back may have been logged during a repair, a flat battery, or a bad connection that has since been disturbed.
Then work the likely-causes list in the order shown.
That order is what a shop checks first for this code — wiring and connections before the component they run to, because a connector costs nothing to inspect and is a common answer.
If the code comes back after a repair, the underlying fault is still there. That is the point to bring in a scanner with live data and freeze-frame, or a shop that has one.
Common symptoms
- Intermittent stall
- Check engine light
Likely causes
- Loose connectorMost common
- Sensor mount loose
- Wiring rub
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0344 is the intermittent Bank 1 CMP code — the signal disappears or goes invalid briefly under specific conditions and recovers, exactly parallel to…
P0344 is the intermittent Bank 1 CMP code — the signal disappears or goes invalid briefly under specific conditions and recovers, exactly parallel to P0339 on the crank side. The customer complaint is usually a momentary stumble at a specific RPM/temperature window, a slow hot-restart, or a check engine light that comes on and goes off with no obvious driveability symptom.
Cheapest-first ladder
- data-log CMP signal at high sample rate during a road test replicating the conditions — log cam phaser commanded vs actual angle alongside, because P0344 paired with sluggish phaser response means the underlying problem is oil delivery, not the sensor.
- Wiggle-test the harness from sensor to ECM with the engine running, paying special attention to the area where the loom crosses the cam cover or transitions from rigid plastic conduit to flexible harness.
- Heat-gun the sensor and connector to trigger heat-soak failures.
- Inspect cam-cover gaskets for weeping oil into the CMP connector — wet contacts cause intermittent low/high signal flickering.
- Verify the sensor mounting bolt has not loosened and let the sensor walk in its bore (changes the air gap dynamically with engine flex).
Vehicle-specific patternsVW/Audi 2.0T EA888 P0344 is the early warning sign of timing chain stretch before the harder P0016/P0017 cam-correlation codes set in — do the chain…
VW/Audi 2.0T EA888 P0344 is the early warning sign of timing chain stretch before the harder P0016/P0017 cam-correlation codes set in — do the chain job at P0344 stage and save the engine; let it progress and the chain can skip and bend valves. Honda K24 sees P0344 from Hall-IC heat aging where the sensor reads fine cold but goes intermittent above 200F coolant temp. GM 3.6L LY7 throws P0344 as the OCV screen progressively clogs and oil delivery to the cam phaser becomes inconsistent under load. Chrysler 3.6 Pentastar P0344 typically clears with an OCV screen service plus an oil change to fresh viscosity-correct oil.
Estimated repair$80 to $2500.
Look up another code
P0344 — frequently asked
What does a P0344 code mean?
CMP signal intermittent.
What causes a P0344 code?
Common causes: Loose connector; Sensor mount loose; Wiring rub.
What are the symptoms of a P0344 code?
Typical symptoms: Intermittent stall; Check engine light.
Is it safe to drive with a P0344 code?
Not for long. Driving on this one risks further damage. Get it to a shop rather than carrying on with it. Estimated repair: $100-$500.
How do I diagnose a P0344 code?
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed. 1. Note every code that is set, not just this one. 2. Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under. 3. Confirm the fault is current rather than history. 4. Then work the likely-causes list in the order shown.
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