2008 Scion Xd, p0011 code, 1.8L 4-cylinder engine (2ZR-FE) featuring DOHC 16-valve dual VVT-i
I’ll give the circumstances of the code and then the background after. I started my car, took my foot off the clutch forgetting I parked in gear so the engine stalled. CEL came on and it has been on ever since that incident. I checked the oil and it was at the bottom of the threshold range so I took it to get the oil topped off. Eyeballing it, the jiffy lube guy thought it needed 1.5 quarts of oil (not sure if that’s exactly what he used) and while he was there I had him scan the codes and it had a confirmed p0011 and a pending p0303(cylinder 3 misfire).
I use synthetic oil, not even half the miles needed for an oil change (infrequent city driver) and my last oil change was Aug 2025 so I don’t think an oil change would be a viable trouble shoot.
CEL is still on, performance seems the same for city driving, but did take it on the highway and it seemed sluggish accelerating in higher gears(maybe I was just afraid to gun it with the CEL). No knocking or concussive sounds from the engine, everything seems fine.
QUESTION: Could the car be sluggish because I havnt turned off the code and the car has throttled the VVT because it’s in limp mode? I read that somewhere. I’m thinking of buying a cheap scanner to clear the code and check if the light comes back on.
BACKGROUND: I had this code back in December, changed the solenoid, reset the light by unplugging the battery and the light has stayed off for 5 months and performance seemed good. Hypothetically solenoid should be good ($120 part from autozone)
A mechanic trip right now would put me in a financially rough spot so I’m trying to diy as far as I can get. Just wondering if resetting the code is a good/dumb next step and if the sensor should be the next step after that. Just looking for any knowledgeable advice. Thank you!