FIX P2004 / P2017 Intake Manifold Runner Control Stuck Open

bbkr · Sep 19, 2015

Hi

My check engine light popped with P2004/P2017 codes.
I drove to service station and they told me intake manifold engine is dead. New one + replacement = 220 USD.
So I decided to dissect the engine (curiosity), but in the end I fixed it. Here's the tutorial:

What is wrong?

The intake manifold provides air to cylinders. It has flaps that are closed when engine starts and open above 3000 RPM.

Here is the look from engine side.

And here is the position of manifold in the engine bay.

The flaps got stuck in open position and engine is getting too much air.

Tools needed.
8mm key, 10mm key, flat screwdriver, WD-40, pilers, string/zipties (optional).

Procedure

1. Take off battery cover and disconnect negative battery cable (10mm key) and secure it so it won't touch anything.

2. Pop engine cover by pulling it up. It sits on 4 pins.

3. Unscrew air pipe and disconnect it from air box.

4. Pop airbox by pulling it up. It sits on 3 pins.

5. Use zipties/strings to secure air pipe and air box in place, so they won't get in the way.

6. Now you will see the faulty engine. It's spring mechanism, engine and sensor in single package. Disconnect cable by unlocking it. You have to pull orange switch down (away from the engine) before you will be able to take off the plug.

7. Inspect plug for dirt or rust. Clean if needed.

8. Unscrew 2x10mm and 1x8mm screws and take engine out.

9. Check intake manifold flaps shaft. By using flat screwdriver you should be able to rotate it by 30 degrees. It must rotate freely, cannot be sticky or rattling.

10. Check the engine itself. In my case spring mechanism was jamming before full return.

11. To unlock it spray WD-40, let it soak in, catch axle with pilers and wobble. Repeat if spring is not returning to start position without jamming. Took me 20 minutes.

12. Put engine back on. There is some spring preload so you have to align engine axle with manifold shaft first and then turn it counter-clockwise about 30 degrees to align engine screws. Connect engine plug and secure it with orange switch. Put airbox on and connect it to air pipe. Connect battery. Put battery and engine covers on.

13. Turn car key to ignition position but do not start the engine.

14. Connect OBD2 scanner (I've used Movi software and USB ELM327 interface) and reset error codes.

15. (optional) Check intake manifold pressure on your OBD2 software. Should be constant on engine idle and should drop when engine is revved.

DONE!

Whole fix took me 1.5 hour and I don't have experience with cars at all.

bigtsr · Sep 19, 2015

Congratulations on your fix.
Thank you for posting the how to do it pictorial ,
it's via people posting their fixes that the knowledge
base is built and hopefully people who are familiar
the ForumZ search facility will be better equipped
to deal with their Caliber.

bbkr · Sep 19, 2015

I did a test drive after posting this tutorial. I could hear airflow pitch change above 3000RPM, so the flaps are definitely working again.
Error did not return.

lkms · Nov 24, 2015

Hey thanks for the post. I have a dodge journey and had the p2017 and p2004 pop up. I just removed the sensor from the intake manifold and mine was stuck like yours wasn't turning. So I sprayed wd40 on it and let it sit until it would turn by itself. I put everything back and reset the code with my obd. However, the engine light is still on. How long does it take for it to go away? I didn't remove the pin from the negative terminal of my battery. its hard to reach too and only possible with removing the wheel. ( my battery is under the left wheel, very stupid..)

bbkr · Nov 24, 2015

Spray a lot, turn spring as far as you can, release. Repeat many, many, many times until spring will work smoothly across whole range.
It's very hard to get WD-40 inside mechanism, soaking alone probably won't do it and won't unlock sensor.

Check engine light should disappear instantly after codes were cleared. If not - your sensor is still stuck.

You may also try to:
* Spray on engine shaft, maybe some WD-40 will leak in this way.
* Heat needle, make small hole in plastic somewhere and inject small amount of WD-40 directly.
* Cut those weird screws for flathead screwdriver, take everything apart, lubricate and put back together.

BTW: After 2 months since fix everything still works fine. Also in wet / cold weather.

lkms · Nov 25, 2015

Thanks for the reply my friend. I actually turned on the engine and tried clearing the code and it said cleared. But I realized I should clear it when its in the 'on' position. So I just cleared it and the engine light is gone now. So I'm gonna take it on the highway tonight to check it out under high rpms. The feel of the car feels good when i'm accelerating as of now unless i'm just tryna convince myself. Anyways thank you, if it does come back on again, gonna take it off once more and try to clean it thoroughly. I don't think its the runners itself because it does shift about 20-35 degrees. Again, thanks for the guide much appreciated.

dodge owner · Feb 25, 2016

Have a question for the forum. Over the last few days my check engine light came on. Scanned it and it came up with p2004. Brought it into my mechanic and he looked it over. Could not find too much and cleared with code which so far has stayed off. I had been having some rough idling and wanting to stall at lights about 6 weeks ago which improved after changing the air filter. After researching on the forum and seeing recommendations, I added one bottle of Seafoam gas treatment to my tank about 4 weeks ago. I asked at the mechanics whether the intake manifold being stuck open was part of the ongoing problem or whether the Seafoam treatment might have caused some problems. He tended to lean toward the gas treatment causing a problem and loosening up some carbon deposits that might have gotten the runner control stuck. What do you guys think. I thought I was helping with the gas treatment but don't want to repeat if it is going to cause more problems. Thanks for your advice!

Kevin89 · Apr 6, 2016

Saved me a lot of time and money. Thanks!

Misti2016 · Sep 5, 2016

I am a female with no mechanical experience what so ever, I followed your instructions without any questions and fixed my 08 Dodge Avenger. There are no longer any codes and my check engine light is off. Thank you so much for posting this. It saved me so much money.:smiley_thumbs_up:

Steve07RT · Apr 7, 2017

Thanks for this procedure. I also had the P0032 and P2010 codes on my 2007 CAliber R/T with 177,000 miles. I followed this procedure. I was able to turn the solenoid tab freely about 30 Degrees. Unfortunately I could not turn the intake manifold flap shaft more than 10 degrees. Do I need to do anything else as I try to turn this tab? Does this mean I have an internal manifold problem (jammed or broken)?

If it weren't for the CEL, I would have no clue something was wrong. The car runs smooth with great acceleration. Difficult to tell if gas mileage has gone down since I only use the car for around town (avg mileage says 22mpg)

theob88 · Apr 19, 2017

please delete post. I accidentally replied a couple of times in a row!

theob88 · Apr 19, 2017

please delete post. I accidentally replied a couple of times in a row!

theob88 · Apr 19, 2017

I couldn't get my solenoid to unstick so I had to buy a replacement runner control valve. My local shops wanted around $200 for a new one but I found one on Amazon for $114 CDN. Search for Dorman PN 911-902.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00H1JCXGC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As mentioned earlier, note that the valves on the manifold itself only rotate about 20 or 30 degrees (it might even be less than this) but the shaft on the solenoid turns closer to 60 degrees or so. I replaced this part a week ago and used my obd to reset the code and all is well

Steve07RT · Apr 19, 2017

I replaced the solenoid (since I got it from my local Parts Authority for $97) but now it seems the car is running worse. Now it's hesitating and no power when you try to hold it at 30 mph.

edit: guess I posted prematurely. I figured I'd go back over everything I did and found that the MAF sensor was not locked in place properly. So I fixed that. Then took the car for a test drive. It still balked a little until it warmed up, but then it ran smooth as ever:
Slow acceleration - GOOD,
steady 30 mph - GOOD,
under load up a hill slowly - GOOD.
Drove it for 45 minutes around town and on the highway. All seems well. I guess I'll have to drive it again when it's cold tomorrow morning to see if it's fixed when driving cold.

Steve07RT · Apr 19, 2017

I've driven the car now from cold to operating temp several times under every possible condition and it's running great. AVG city mpg is 24.2 and rising.
I can't imagine the manifold flapper is jammed. But I can't clear the P2010 and P0032 codes. I'm using a CEN-TECH pro CAN & ODBii scanner.

Is it possible I need the PCM flashed?

The Mechanic Michael · Aug 3, 2020

bbkr said:
Hi

My check engine light popped with P2004/P2017 codes.
I drove to service station and they told me intake manifold engine is dead. New one + replacement = 220 USD.
So I decided to dissect the engine (curiosity), but in the end I fixed it. Here's the tutorial:

What is wrong?

The intake manifold provides air to cylinders. It has flaps that are closed when engine starts and open above 3000 RPM.

Here is the look from engine side.

And here is the position of manifold in the engine bay.

The flaps got stuck in open position and engine is getting too much air.

Tools needed.
8mm key, 10mm key, flat screwdriver, WD-40, pilers, string/zipties (optional).

Procedure

1. Take off battery cover and disconnect negative battery cable (10mm key) and secure it so it won't touch anything.

2. Pop engine cover by pulling it up. It sits on 4 pins.

3. Unscrew air pipe and disconnect it from air box.

4. Pop airbox by pulling it up. It sits on 3 pins.

5. Use zipties/strings to secure air pipe and air box in place, so they won't get in the way.

6. Now you will see the faulty engine. It's spring mechanism, engine and sensor in single package. Disconnect cable by unlocking it. You have to pull orange switch down (away from the engine) before you will be able to take off the plug.

7. Inspect plug for dirt or rust. Clean if needed.

8. Unscrew 2x10mm and 1x8mm screws and take engine out.

9. Check intake manifold flaps shaft. By using flat screwdriver you should be able to rotate it by 30 degrees. It must rotate freely, cannot be sticky or rattling.

10. Check the engine itself. In my case spring mechanism was jamming before full return.

11. To unlock it spray WD-40, let it soak in, catch axle with pilers and wobble. Repeat if spring is not returning to start position without jamming. Took me 20 minutes.

12. Put engine back on. There is some spring preload so you have to align engine axle with manifold shaft first and then turn it counter-clockwise about 30 degrees to align engine screws. Connect engine plug and secure it with orange switch. Put airbox on and connect it to air pipe. Connect battery. Put battery and engine covers on.

13. Turn car key to ignition position but do not start the engine.

14. Connect OBD2 scanner (I've used Movi software and USB ELM327 interface) and reset error codes.

15. (optional) Check intake manifold pressure on your OBD2 software. Should be constant on engine idle and should drop when engine is revved.

DONE!

Whole fix took me 1.5 hour and I don't have experience with cars at all.

I had the same Issue I just bought a new old off Amazon and fix it I didn't try this solution.

VTJorge · Nov 25, 2020

bbkr said:
Hi

My check engine light popped with P2004/P2017 codes.
I drove to service station and they told me intake manifold engine is dead. New one + replacement = 220 USD.
So I decided to dissect the engine (curiosity), but in the end I fixed it. Here's the tutorial:

What is wrong?

The intake manifold provides air to cylinders. It has flaps that are closed when engine starts and open above 3000 RPM.

Here is the look from engine side.

And here is the position of manifold in the engine bay.

The flaps got stuck in open position and engine is getting too much air.

Tools needed.
8mm key, 10mm key, flat screwdriver, WD-40, pilers, string/zipties (optional).

Procedure

1. Take off battery cover and disconnect negative battery cable (10mm key) and secure it so it won't touch anything.

2. Pop engine cover by pulling it up. It sits on 4 pins.

3. Unscrew air pipe and disconnect it from air box.

4. Pop airbox by pulling it up. It sits on 3 pins.

5. Use zipties/strings to secure air pipe and air box in place, so they won't get in the way.

6. Now you will see the faulty engine. It's spring mechanism, engine and sensor in single package. Disconnect cable by unlocking it. You have to pull orange switch down (away from the engine) before you will be able to take off the plug.

7. Inspect plug for dirt or rust. Clean if needed.

8. Unscrew 2x10mm and 1x8mm screws and take engine out.

9. Check intake manifold flaps shaft. By using flat screwdriver you should be able to rotate it by 30 degrees. It must rotate freely, cannot be sticky or rattling.

10. Check the engine itself. In my case spring mechanism was jamming before full return.

11. To unlock it spray WD-40, let it soak in, catch axle with pilers and wobble. Repeat if spring is not returning to start position without jamming. Took me 20 minutes.

12. Put engine back on. There is some spring preload so you have to align engine axle with manifold shaft first and then turn it counter-clockwise about 30 degrees to align engine screws. Connect engine plug and secure it with orange switch. Put airbox on and connect it to air pipe. Connect battery. Put battery and engine covers on.

13. Turn car key to ignition position but do not start the engine.

14. Connect OBD2 scanner (I've used Movi software and USB ELM327 interface) and reset error codes.

15. (optional) Check intake manifold pressure on your OBD2 software. Should be constant on engine idle and should drop when engine is revved.

DONE!

Whole fix took me 1.5 hour and I don't have experience with cars at all.

Have a 08 Avenger, I replaced my intake manifold and the runner control valve, the replacement valve I got from the junk yard was trash and the one on my car was trash, I tried this and soaked both of them and tried them and no go. So I purchased one on Amazon and put that on, cleared the code and about 2 weeks later the code came back on. Anyone have any clue what the issue could be? Spent a day ripping that engine apart already and don't feel like doing it again. Not a big car guy but have alot of common sense so i can usually figure this shi out but this one is a mystery to me.

Allenm · Aug 2, 2021

Did you figure your problem out got mine torn down to the intake valves. Intake maifold has 3 bushings on the runner shaft worn out causing binding of the shaft intermittently. What did you find.

Caliber_H3R0 · Apr 23, 2023

I plan on buying a dodge caliber srt4. If it’s just that which I’ve replaced that part before without taking the engine out, then the car I’m gonna buy will be worth it

sunshineinsc · Aug 17, 2023

2010 Caliber - 67, 000 miles Intake Manifold Runner control Struck Open was fixed and code was cleared... then a few months later, my check engine light came on. Scan code P2004 appears again.. what's the next step?

672aq · Aug 17, 2023

From what I can tell, the manifold runner starts to stick. This causes the runner control (runner motor) to fail.

Once a new runner control is installed, that new part is able to force the manifold runner to open.

But eventually, the manifold runner gets so bad that the new control can't open it properly, and/or the new control also breaks because of the constant force needed to open the stuck runner.

The proper way (and pain in the neck way) is to replace the manifold control (again) and the intake manifold with runner (new).

There's a YouTube video on how to do this...

You may be able to remove the old manifold and clean it somehow - but if you're spending the time to take it off, it would probably be a good idea to spend a little more money to just replace the whole thing with new.

The runner control should come already attached to the new manifold.

FIX P2004 / P2017 Intake Manifold Runner Control Stuck Open

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