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How-To: Intake manifold Tuning Valve fix (P2076)

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fix howto intake manifold p2076 tuning valve
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99K views 47 replies 16 participants last post by  Blasirl  
#1 · (Edited)
Here to fine tune my original DIY post on fixing the P2076 intake manifold tuning valve issues.

Symptom: CEL is illuminated with code P2076 - intake manifold tuning valve position sensor or switch circuit range / performance

Problem: The lever connecting the tuning motor to the intake manifold has fallen off.

Fix: Remove tuning motor / lever and drill holes to secure with a bolt

What you will need:

Tools:
  • 1/4 ratchet
  • About 6” worth of 1/4 extensions
  • T27 1/4 drive socket
  • 1/4 drill bit
  • Cut-off wheel
  • 10mm wrench
  • 10mm socket
  • Blue locktite

Parts:
  • (1) 1/4 bolt
  • (1) 1/4 lock washer
  • (2) 1/4 washer
  • (1) 1/4 nut

Time: approximately 1 hour

Repair difficulty 2 / 5

For those not familiar with where this arm is located:

This is bolted onto the end of the intake manifold on driver side

- Remove the lever from the top part of manifold, it will just pop off. The bottom part has probably already fallen off but if it has not it will also just pop off like the top

- Remove 3 T27 bolts, the bottom most is the most difficult of the 3

- Push the IMT motor towards the back of the engine and then pull it up and unplug the electrical connector and then you can pull the IMT motor out

- Drill a 1/4” hole into the bottom part of the lever, this is the side that has the knob. I cut the knob off and then drilled from the backside

- On top of the motor arm there is a part where is starts to round off, use the cutoff wheel to cut off the backside to make room for a nut and lock washer. I used a razor blade to cut a line to better show where to cut off

- put 2 washers onto the 1/4” bolt and slide them through the lever and into the IMT motor arm and attach lock washer and nut to secure.

- add blue locktite so the nut doesnt come off over time

- tighten so the bolt is snug but still allows the lever to move. If you over tighten the you will get a code for performance valve is stuck open. - P2070

- reverse the steps 1-3 to reinstall IMT motor with lever assembly

Ive been driving with this repair to my cruze for about 10k miles to ensure it does work and the code has not come back since.

Edit: Have been driving with this fix for 2+ years with no issues and still holding strong!
 

Attachments

#2 · (Edited)
Looks good. Is this a How-To post or are you still working on it? I can change the title and add it to the rest if it is done. Where is the other post you are referring to?

NM - found it. Do you want them merged or delete the other?

[h=1]P2076 - Performance Tuning Valve[/h]
 
#6 ·
Thanks doug,

To be honest I just scanned my car for codes and investigated the intake and found the lever had fallen off.

Did my research to try and buy that part new but dealer doesn’t sell without the intake manifold.

I think this will be the best repair until dealer or someone else decides to start selling without the intake manifold.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Maqcro1 said:
Thanks doug,

To be honest I just scanned my car for codes and investigated the intake and found the lever had fallen off.

Did my research to try and buy that part new but dealer doesn’t sell without the intake manifold.

I think this will be the best repair until dealer or someone else decides to start selling without the intake manifold.
Click to expand...
In this message , the poster, itrustno1 , claims he was able to purchase the motor with connecting rod online here , $103, which is about 100 bucks more than I want to pay for a fix
Image


I've also seen posts here about fixes that involved replacing the connecting rod with junk yard parts off other Cruzes, or from Chevy Sonics which also use the 1.8 liter LUW engine.

That said, the way I see it, getting a new copy of the same old ball-and-socket design still has the same failure potential - it will happen again.

So having an improved connection - such as a ¼-20 screw - makes for a much more durable repair than simply replacing the failed unit with a new copy of the old design. (Sounds like Fiat window cranks and Takata air bags
Image
)

In my case, I drilled it and put a zip tie thru the ball-and-socket joint. It's been holding up for a couple months now - fingers crossed it stays together. That said, if it goes, I'll implement your fix next time.

I agree, it's a reasonable expectation that someone - GM, maybe Dorman - should kit up an improved motor and connecting rod setup, and sell it as a replacement rather than having to replace the entire intake. SMH.

Doug

.
 
#11 ·
My son's cruze is suffering this issue, however It looks as if I could pop the arm back in place. When I tried to do so it looks as if the motor crank (bottom) has rotated to a position that I cannot make the rod go back into the socket.
Is removing the bottom motor going to essentially reset that rotation so that the arm will function correctly?
 
#12 ·
Turn the key on for a moment (without starting the car), then watch the crank. It should return to somewhere in the range 12 to ~5 o-clock (as viewed looking from the driver's side fender), where you can then snap the rod back onto it. Then turn the key off and put it back together.

When mine has gone wonky, I've found the crank over-rotated, beyond 5 o-clock, to 7 or 8. It should stay between 12 and ~5 o-clock. I have assumed the over-rotation occurs after the rod pops out and the computer is trying to find the location of the tuning valve.

(There's a sensor that detects the valve's position, and, when the rod has popped out, the sensor value is static while the computer is trying to turn the crank. Presumably, the computer gets a bit confused when it doesn't see the sensor value change and in turn ends up over-rotating the crank.)

HTH.

Doug

.
 
S
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Maqcro1 said:
Here to fine tune my original DIY post on fixing the P2076 intake manifold tuning valve issues.

Symptom: CEL is illuminated with code P2076 - intake manifold tuning valve position sensor or switch circuit range / performance

Problem: The lever connecting the tuning motor to the intake manifold has fallen off.
Click to expand...
You can purchase a new linkage (arm) on ebay, takes 5 minutes to install, no tools required.

Blasirl said:
Looks good. Is this a How-To post or are you still working on it? I can change the title and add it to the rest if it is done. Where is the other post you are referring to?

NM - found it. Do you want them merged or delete the other?
Click to expand...
You can purchase a new linkage (arm) on ebay, takes 5 minutes to install, no tools required.

plano-doug said:
In this message , the poster, itrustno1 , claims he was able to purchase the motor with connecting rod online here , $103, which is about 100 bucks more than I want to pay for a fix
Doug

.
Click to expand...
You can purchase a new linkage (arm) on ebay, takes 5 minutes to install, no tools required.

Maqcro1 said:
Here to fine tune my original DIY post on fixing the P2076 intake manifold tuning valve issues.
Click to expand...
You can purchase a new linkage (arm) on ebay, takes 5 minutes to install, no tools required.
 
#16 ·
Maqcro1 said:
Here to fine tune my original DIY post on fixing the P2076 intake manifold tuning valve issues.

Symptom: CEL is illuminated with code P2076 - intake manifold tuning valve position sensor or switch circuit range / performance

Problem: The lever connecting the tuning motor to the intake manifold has fallen off.

Fix: Remove tuning motor / lever and drill holes to secure with a bolt

What you will need:

Tools:
  • 1/4 ratchet
  • About 6” worth of 1/4 extensions
  • T27 1/4 drive socket
  • 1/4 drill bit
  • Cut-off wheel
  • 10mm wrench
  • 10mm socket

Parts:
  • (1) 1/4 bolt
  • (1) 1/4 lock washer
  • (2) 1/4 washer
  • (1) 1/4 nut

Time: approximately 30 minutes

Repair difficulty 1.5 / 5

For those not familiar with where this arm is located:

This is bolted onto the end of the intake manifold on driver side

- Remove the lever from the top part of manifold, it will just pop off. The bottom part has probably already fallen off but if it has not it will also just pop off like the top

- Remove 3 T27 bolts, the bottom most is the most difficult of the 3

- Push the IMT motor towards the back of the engine and then pull it up and unplug the electrical connector and then you can pull the IMT motor out

- Drill a 1/4” hole into the bottom part of the lever, this is the side that has the knob. I cut the knob off and then drilled from the backside

- On top of the motor arm there is a part where is starts to round off, use the cutoff wheel to cut off the backside to make room for a nut and lock washer. I used a razor blade to cut a line to better show where to cut off

- put 2 washers onto the 1/4” bolt and slide them through the lever and into the IMT motor arm and attach lock washer and nut to secure.

- add blue locktite so the nut doesnt come off over time

- tighten so the bolt is snug but still allows the lever to move. If you over tighten the you will get a code for performance valve is stuck open.

- reverse the steps 1-3 to reinstall IMT motor with lever assembly

Ive been driving with this repair to my cruze for about 10k miles to ensure it does work and the code has not come back since.

If you just want to buy the modified part from me PM me your email and I can get one made up for you.
Click to expand...
Blasirl said:
Mine is not broken. I was interested in having the OP create a How-To for future reference.
Click to expand...
I would like to get the modified part , my email is taking82670@gmail.com
 
#18 ·
I have a Sonic with the same issues. I have a mechanic I trusted (though I wonder now) who I spent a ton of money on a check engine light before he finally just told me that I needed to buy a separate part of replace the whole intake manifold.

So I purchased the part (from the guy on eBay and Amazon who sells them with metal ball bearings to replace the plastic to make it a much more permanent fix) and dropped the car off at the mechanic. After two days I picked it up and the work was not done because as he put on the invoice "Unable to install the lever due to a frozen motor control." He said on the phone with me that it was frozen and needed to be replaced but the repairs I see for this here and online don't mention that this "control motor" needs to work, it just needs to be moved out of the way so the new lever can be installed.

Can anyone tell me if it's worth going to another mechanic or will I get told the same thing?
 
#19 ·
This is the one that I bought for $12.95.

www.ebay.com

Chevrolet Sonic Cruze Chevy 1.8L intake Manifold Tuning Valve Runner Arm NEW OEM | eBay

55570283 Chevrolet Sonic Cruze Chevy 1.8L intake Manifold Tuning Valve Runner Arm P2076 Code Repair - YouTube. The plastic material used in the construction is the main source of the problem. Our Premium repair kit is the.
www.ebay.com

The repair costs less than a dollar but takes time and tools that I don't have. I purchased the above part thinking that anyone - even I - could just swap out the old lever with the new one and that since this one has a metal ball bearing it would actually last. How on earth was my mechanic unable to do this even if the control motor is frozen?
 
#22 ·
NYCNative said:
This is the one that I bought for $12.95.

[/URL]

The repair costs less than a dollar but takes time and tools that I don't have. I purchased the above part thinking that anyone - even I - could just swap out the old lever with the new one and that since this one has a metal ball bearing it would actually last. How on earth was my mechanic unable to do this even if the control motor is frozen?
Click to expand...
The problem is with the connection from the lever to the motor.
NYCNative said:
This is the one that I bought for $12.95.

www.ebay.com

Chevrolet Sonic Cruze Chevy 1.8L intake Manifold Tuning Valve Runner Arm NEW OEM | eBay

55570283 Chevrolet Sonic Cruze Chevy 1.8L intake Manifold Tuning Valve Runner Arm P2076 Code Repair - YouTube. The plastic material used in the construction is the main source of the problem. Our Premium repair kit is the.
www.ebay.com

The repair costs less than a dollar but takes time and tools that I don't have. I purchased the above part thinking that anyone - even I - could just swap out the old lever with the new one and that since this one has a metal ball bearing it would actually last. How on earth was my mechanic unable to do this even if the control motor is frozen?
Click to expand...

I find it hard to believe the motor is frozen is place. Have him idle the car for a few minutes and the motor should move. If the motor is somehow not working you can pickup a used from from a junkyard for about $10. If he says no to that he’s probably trying to get money out of you ( replace the entire intake manifold ) which is unnecessary.

not 100% that the metal ball will be a permanent fix. The reason for the fix I posted was because the hole on IMT motor got lose over time not the lever.
 
C
#20 ·
Thank you VERY much Maqcro1!!!!

Results of your DIY fix:
288993


Bought my Cruze for 1k. Original owner's father pointed out associated code and lever when I first purchased the vehicle. I have to replace the cruddy plastic thermostat housing and water pump, so while I had the housing and hoses off I decided to tackle this as well. I remembered your post from crawling around on here after driving the vehicle back home, so I pulled it back up and went straight to work!

Looking forward to reassembling once parts come in.

Appreciate your awesomeness, thank you!!!!
 
#21 ·
CruzeDrew said:
Thank you VERY much Maqcro1!!!!

Results of your DIY fix:
View attachment 288993

Bought my Cruze for 1k. Original owner's father pointed out associated code and lever when I first purchased the vehicle. I have to replace the cruddy plastic thermostat housing and water pump, so while I had the housing and hoses off I decided to tackle this as well. I remembered your post from crawling around on here after driving the vehicle back home, so I pulled it back up and went straight to work!

Looking forward to reassembling once parts come in.

Appreciate your awesomeness, thank you!!!!
Click to expand...
glad to see another using the guide. Mine has been holding up great. The motor should move the lever open and close when idling. Just watch it to make sure it moves, if not then loosen a little.
 
A
#31 ·
From what I've gathered you cannot buy the motor separately, I found a few Cruzes and Sonics at a local junkyard however the intake manifold has already been pulled :( You can find them on eBay for the same price. I personally don't feel like spending $350 on an entire intake manifold assembly just because the tuning valve.
 
#32 ·
Yeah, I mean, the car runs fine and has even with the motor frozen and the check engine light. Sure, it may run a little rougher than is ideal, maybe I'm losing a tiny bit of power or wasting some gas but I cannot quantify those things. My only practical issue is that I cannot operate my remote starter with the check engine light on which is kinda lame especially in the winter but that's pretty much it.

My biggest concern is that I want to trade it in at some point and there's no way I am getting top value for it with the check engine light issue and I do not want to trade it in with negative equity so this is really costing me from trading it for a newer car as soon as I would like.

I owe about $3,200 on it which would be close to what I can get in trade if it was in perfect shape. This is a glaring imperfection for trade-in purposes. Fortunately despite all of these issues, I still have put 125,000 miles on it and I still feel confident that it will reliably get me to and from work. I'll just need to put even more miles on it before then.
 
T
#33 ·
Hello everyone, I've been lurking this thread for some time now. I bought the replacement piece from eBay and it fits fine. my question is.... my motor seems to be making a full 360 instead of bouncing around from 12-6. I'm able to align two ball joints and pop the arm on BUT because of this 360 motion instead of up and down the linkage ends up binding on itself.... has anyone else noticed this? when the linkage is off is it suppose to swing right around?
 
#37 ·
Maqcro1 said:
Here to fine tune my original DIY post on fixing the P2076 intake manifold tuning valve issues.

Symptom: CEL is illuminated with code P2076 - intake manifold tuning valve position sensor or switch circuit range / performance

Problem: The lever connecting the tuning motor to the intake manifold has fallen off.

Fix: Remove tuning motor / lever and drill holes to secure with a bolt

What you will need:

Tools:
  • 1/4 ratchet
  • About 6” worth of 1/4 extensions
  • T27 1/4 drive socket
  • 1/4 drill bit
  • Cut-off wheel
  • 10mm wrench
  • 10mm socket
  • Blue locktite

Parts:
  • (1) 1/4 bolt
  • (1) 1/4 lock washer
  • (2) 1/4 washer
  • (1) 1/4 nut

Time: approximately 1 hour

Repair difficulty 2 / 5

For those not familiar with where this arm is located:

This is bolted onto the end of the intake manifold on driver side

- Remove the lever from the top part of manifold, it will just pop off. The bottom part has probably already fallen off but if it has not it will also just pop off like the top

- Remove 3 T27 bolts, the bottom most is the most difficult of the 3

- Push the IMT motor towards the back of the engine and then pull it up and unplug the electrical connector and then you can pull the IMT motor out

- Drill a 1/4” hole into the bottom part of the lever, this is the side that has the knob. I cut the knob off and then drilled from the backside

- On top of the motor arm there is a part where is starts to round off, use the cutoff wheel to cut off the backside to make room for a nut and lock washer. I used a razor blade to cut a line to better show where to cut off

- put 2 washers onto the 1/4” bolt and slide them through the lever and into the IMT motor arm and attach lock washer and nut to secure.

- add blue locktite so the nut doesnt come off over time

- tighten so the bolt is snug but still allows the lever to move. If you over tighten the you will get a code for performance valve is stuck open. - P2070

- reverse the steps 1-3 to reinstall IMT motor with lever assembly

Ive been driving with this repair to my cruze for about 10k miles to ensure it does work and the code has not come back since.

Edit: Have been driving with this fix for 2+ years with no issues and still holding strong!
Click to expand...
Is it okay to follow all of this but use 3/4 everything instead?
 
#42 · (Edited)
I have seen people use just the new arm with the existing motor and still fail. Seems like the plastic wears down over time. It’s the motor side that fails not that arm.

but I am interested in buying the combo motor / arm to see if the motor side also has a metal sleeve now.

edit: never mind. $238 is too much
 
#45 ·
Maqcro1 said:
Here to fine tune my original DIY post on fixing the P2076 intake manifold tuning valve issues. Symptom: CEL is illuminated with code P2076 - intake manifold tuning valve position sensor or switch circuit range / performance Problem: The lever connecting the tuning motor to the intake manifold has fallen off. Fix: Remove tuning motor / lever and drill holes to secure with a bolt What you will need: Tools:
  • 1/4 ratchet
  • About 6” worth of 1/4 extensions
  • T27 1/4 drive socket
  • 1/4 drill bit
  • Cut-off wheel
  • 10mm wrench
  • 10mm socket
  • Blue locktite
Parts:
  • (1) 1/4 bolt
  • (1) 1/4 lock washer
  • (2) 1/4 washer
  • (1) 1/4 nut
Time: approximately 1 hour Repair difficulty 2 / 5 For those not familiar with where this arm is located: This is bolted onto the end of the intake manifold on driver side - Remove the lever from the top part of manifold, it will just pop off. The bottom part has probably already fallen off but if it has not it will also just pop off like the top - Remove 3 T27 bolts, the bottom most is the most difficult of the 3 - Push the IMT motor towards the back of the engine and then pull it up and unplug the electrical connector and then you can pull the IMT motor out - Drill a 1/4” hole into the bottom part of the lever, this is the side that has the knob. I cut the knob off and then drilled from the backside - On top of the motor arm there is a part where is starts to round off, use the cutoff wheel to cut off the backside to make room for a nut and lock washer. I used a razor blade to cut a line to better show where to cut off - put 2 washers onto the 1/4” bolt and slide them through the lever and into the IMT motor arm and attach lock washer and nut to secure. - add blue locktite so the nut doesnt come off over time - tighten so the bolt is snug but still allows the lever to move. If you over tighten the you will get a code for performance valve is stuck open. - P2070 - reverse the steps 1-3 to reinstall IMT motor with lever assembly Ive been driving with this repair to my cruze for about 10k miles to ensure it does work and the code has not come back since. Edit: Have been driving with this fix for 2+ years with no issues and still holding strong!
Click to expand...
Hi how do I unplug the electrical connector? I cant seem to get it off. I have the replacement motor that I bought from dorman. The old motor is just hanging at the moment. Any help would be appreciated. Please!!!!!!
 
#46 ·
Marisa said:
Hi how do I unplug the electrical connector? I cant seem to get it off. I have the replacement motor that I bought from dorman. The old motor is just hanging at the moment. Any help would be appreciated. Please!!!!!!
Click to expand...
yes, there is a release tab on the back side of the connector.
 
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#47 ·
So I had a bad PCV vale getting lots of codes and running rough.
One of the codes was related to the Intake Manifold Tuning system.

After replacing the valve cover and clearing codes everything seems good and no codes.

But monitoring the Intake Manifold Tuning system with my scantool it appears to be reading as stuck closed (long runners).
I can see the system commanding it to open (turning solenoid ON)at high RPM under load, but the state still says closed.

Attached is the info I found in the manual on cardiag https://cardiagn.com/2010-2016-chevrolet-cruze-service-repair-manual-wiring-diagrams/

This part was odd
The intake manifold tuning solenoid valve solenoid is normally closed
which will not allow vacuum to pass through it. When the engine speed and load are increased above a
calibrated threshold, the ECM provides a ground to the intake manifold tuning solenoid valve, energizing the
intake manifold tuning solenoid valve and allowing a vacuum from the intake manifold tuning valve vacuum
tank to be applied to the intake manifold tuning actuator valve. The intake manifold tuning actuator valve then
opens the intake manifold tuning valve in the intake manifold for desired performance. The variable intake
manifold system consists of the following components:
  • The intake manifold tuning solenoid valve
  • The intake manifold tuning valve vacuum reservoir
  • The intake manifold tuning vacuum actuator
  • The intake manifold tuning valve
  • An intake manifold
Click to expand...
See attached excerpts.

Here's a video I took which shows the system is able to move the valve.

Around 24 seconds in you can see it move, this was right after a cold start. It just doesn't seem to be detecting it.
However I didn't have the tool attached nor able to monitor while taking video.

So does any one have a tool and know what PID in need from the data to verify the ECU sees in open and close?
 
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