P0017 Code on a Buick: Crankshaft–Exhaust Camshaft Position Correlation, Bank 1 (Buick Guide)

P0017 is GM's "Crankshaft Position – Camshaft Position Correlation, Bank 1 Sensor B," which newer GM documents call "Crankshaft Position – Exhaust Camshaft Position Not Plausible." Sensor B is the exhaust camshaft, so P0017 means the bank 1 exhaust cam signal is arriving at the wrong crankshaft angle. On a Buick, where you go next depends on the engine. On an Enclave or LaCrosse 3.6L it is usually timing chain stretch. On an Encore 1.4T, GM has a bulletin for an exhaust cam reluctor that sits out of phase and causes hard starting. On a Rainier 4.2L inline-six, GM lists six separate causes. The surprise across all three: GM documents several ways to get P0017 on an engine whose chain is perfectly fine.

What Does P0017 Mean on a Buick?

The engine computer compares pulses from the crankshaft reluctor with pulses from the exhaust camshaft reluctor on bank 1. A chain links them, so each cam pulse should arrive at a fixed crank angle. GM's 2015 monitor tables for the 3.6L describe P0017 failing when exhaust cam pulses arrive more than about 10 crank degrees early or 13 degrees late, two failed tests out of three, as a two-trip code. GM's notes for the Rainier's inline engines put the limit at 16.31 degrees out of sequence.

GM runs this test with the exhaust phaser in its parked position. So P0017 is a check of the engine's base timing — chain, sprockets and reluctor wheels — rather than of the phaser's control. A phaser that will not park can still move the reading, which is why a stuck actuator shows up on the cause list.

It is a correlation code, not a sensor code. Both sensors can be working perfectly and still disagree with where the timing should be. GM's P0017 test does not even run while a crank sensor code (P0335, P0336) or exhaust cam sensor code (P0365, P0366) is active.

Sensor B and the Bank Layout on a Buick

On a Buick 3.6L V6, bank 1 is the bank with cylinder 1 — the right bank viewed from the flywheel end. In the transverse Enclave, LaCrosse and Regal GS, that puts bank 1 at the rear, toward the firewall. Every four-cylinder Buick (Encore, Encore GX, Verano, Regal, LaCrosse 2.4L) and the Rainier inline-six has only bank 1, so on those engines P0017 simply means "exhaust cam."

Enclave and LaCrosse 3.6L: Chain Stretch, Then the Crank Reluctor

On the first-generation 3.6L in the 2008–2017 Enclave and the LaCrosse, P0017 usually appears with P0008, P0016, P0018 or P0019. GM's bulletin 12-06-01-009F lists the 2007–2012 LaCrosse, 2008–2012 Enclave and 2007 Allure for stretched timing chains setting exactly those codes.

The key GM instruction: install the timing chain kit, but do not replace the idler sprockets, camshaft actuator gears, crankshaft gear or guides unless a guide is worn through into its base material. GM's labor allowance for the chain kit runs 9.5 hours on a FWD Enclave, 9.7 hours AWD and 9.2 hours on a 2010–2012 LaCrosse. The bulletin also calls for an Oil Life Monitor calibration update — GM tied the wear to oil change intervals — and its Special Coverage 11340C covered chains on the 2009 Enclave for 10 years or 120,000 miles, a term that has now passed for practical purposes.

If the chains and tensioners are tight, GM's PIP3423 points to the crankshaft reluctor, which is pressed onto the back of the crank and can move. A borescope through the crank sensor hole should show 25–26 mm from the machined crank throw to the reluctor gap. A slipped reluctor means a crankshaft — and a chain kit installed first is money spent with the code still there.

On the 2020 Enclave with the LFY, GM's 20-NA-085 covers the bank 2 codes P0018 and P0019 — a guide insert left off on some engines built between 1/2/2019 and 3/1/2020 — not P0017. It is still worth knowing if a 2020 Enclave sets P0017 alongside them.

Encore 1.4T: The Exhaust Cam Reluctor

This is the Buick-specific story most P0017 pages miss. GM bulletin 21-NA-268 (and the PI that preceded it, PIP5598D) covers a crank-no-start or extended crank with P0014, P0017, P0365 and/or P0366, caused by the exhaust camshaft reluctor being out of phase. GM lists the Buick Encore with the LE2 1.4L — 2016–2019 in the bulletin, 2016–2021 in the PI. Other Encores of those years carry the LUV or LUJ 1.4L, so confirm your engine code before assuming it applies.

GM's check is mechanical:

1. Run the published "Engine Cranks But Does Not Run" diagnosis first.
2. Remove the cam cover and inspect the vacuum pump drive lugs for damage.
3. Rotate the exhaust camshaft until the 2D matrix mark on the cam hex is at 12 o'clock, then check that the small tang on the reluctor ring lines up with it.
4. If the reluctor is out of position or the vacuum pump lugs are broken, GM replaces the exhaust camshaft and vacuum pump, and broken lug pieces must be found and removed.

Neither a cam sensor nor a timing chain fixes that condition. The repair is a camshaft.

Regal, Verano, LaCrosse 2.4L and Encore GX

2.0T and 2.4L Ecotec. GM's PIP4548F — "MIL On With DTC P0016 And/Or P0017 Setting On A Properly Timed Engine Or Crank No Start" — names the 2011–2016 Regal, 2010–2016 LaCrosse and 2013–2016 Verano. The cam reluctor is pressed on without a key and can spin after an overheat. On the LE5 GM gives a reference check: with the #4 exhaust valves at full lift, the exhaust reluctor should sit flush and parallel with the cover gasket surface; GM notes other engine codes need comparison with a known-good engine. The fix is a camshaft. GM's PIP4716F also lists P0017 with a 2–5 second startup rattle on the 2010 LaCrosse 2.4L, traced to cam actuators that are not parking and debris in the solenoid screens.

Encore GX 1.3T. On the 2020 Encore GX, 20-NA-151 covers P0017 with an unstable idle from cam actuator valve solenoid bolts sticking when the oil is hot; both bolts are replaced. On the 2025 model, PIP6082 covers debris in the cam actuators, with GM's guide that cam variance should normally be under 3 degrees.

Rainier 4.2L Inline-Six

The 2004–2007 Rainier's 4.2L LL8 has its own GM roundup, PIP4945B, written because so many documents covered P0017 on GM's inline truck engines. GM lists six causes:

• Engine timed incorrectly — a cam one tooth off, or the crank gear off (checked with a straight edge on the cam flats at #1 TDC)
• A loose crank timing gear: worn key or keyway, or a loose crank bolt
• Excessive crankshaft end play
• A restricted cam actuator solenoid or missing screens
• A sticking cam actuator
• Low oil pressure or contaminated oil

A companion document, PIP4913A (2006–2009 Rainier), adds that an intermittently sticking exhaust actuator from poor oil maintenance can set P0017, sometimes with a stall, and that the actuator cannot be taken apart and cleaned. Correct the oil condition first.

Symptoms of P0017 on a Buick

• Check engine light, sometimes with no running complaint
• Extended crank or crank-no-start (Encore 1.4T reluctor, 2.0T/2.4L spun reluctor)
• Cold-start rattle (3.6L chains, 2.4L actuators not parking)
• Rough or unstable idle (Encore GX, Rainier)
• Occasional stall that restarts (Rainier sticking actuator)
• P0014, P0365 or P0366 alongside it on the Encore; P0008, P0016, P0018, P0019 on the 3.6L

Causes and How to Confirm Each

How Is P0017 Diagnosed on a Buick?

1. Identify the engine code. LE2, LUV and LUJ Encores, LLT and LGX V6s, and the LL8 inline-six all have different GM documents.
2. Record all cam and crank codes. P0365/P0366 with P0017 on an Encore points toward the reluctor; a P0008/P0016–P0019 cluster on a V6 points toward chains.
3. Check the oil level, age and condition. Every engine here has an oil-related cause on GM's list.
4. Read cam/crank variation data with a GM-capable scan tool against the service limit.
5. Listen at cold start for chain or actuator rattle.
6. Do the engine-specific mechanical check: reluctor tang on the Encore, reluctor position on the 2.0T/2.4L, crank reluctor on the 3.6L, timing and end play on the Rainier.
7. Only then order a chain kit, and on the 3.6L follow GM's parts guidance.
8. After the repair, shorten the oil interval and confirm the Oil Life Monitor update on the 3.6L.

Parts and Cost

GM Documents That Name P0017 on Buick Models

Have a dealer check your VIN against current bulletins and coverages rather than relying on any article, including this one.

What Other P0017 Pages Get Wrong

• "Replace the exhaust cam sensor." A failed sensor usually sets P0365 or P0366, and GM's P0017 test does not run while those are active.
• Calling Sensor B the intake cam. On GM DOHC engines, B is exhaust.
• "P0017 on an Encore is a timing chain." GM's documented Encore LE2 cause is an exhaust cam reluctor out of phase; the repair is a camshaft and vacuum pump.
• Replacing every guide and sprocket on a 3.6L. GM's bulletin says not to unless they are worn through.
• Skipping the oil. GM's 3.6L fix includes an oil life update, and its Rainier and 2.4L documents both name oil debris.

For the Chevrolet side of this code, see our P0017 guide for Chevy engines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is P0017 serious on a Buick?

Often, yes. On a 3.6L it usually means chain wear that keeps getting worse; on an Encore LE2 it can mean a reluctor problem that leads to no-starts. Diagnose it rather than clearing it.

Why does my Buick Encore crank a long time and show P0017?

GM's 21-NA-268 covers exactly that on the Encore with the LE2 1.4L: an exhaust cam reluctor out of phase, often with P0014, P0365 or P0366. Check your engine code — other Encores use the LUV or LUJ.

Does P0017 on an Enclave mean timing chains?

It is the most likely cause on the 2008–2012 Enclave, especially with other correlation codes. GM's PIP3423 also covers a slipped crank reluctor with the same codes and tight chains, so confirm before buying a kit.

What is the difference between P0016 and P0017?

P0016 is the bank 1 intake camshaft; P0017 is the bank 1 exhaust camshaft. Both compare the cam to the crank with the phaser parked.

Can low oil cause P0017?

Yes, indirectly. GM lists low oil pressure and contaminated oil as P0017 causes on the Rainier, debris in solenoid screens on the 2.4L, and tied 3.6L chain wear to oil change intervals.

Can I clear P0017 and keep driving?

It will come back if the cause is mechanical. Clearing it only helps to confirm a repair has worked.