Cam sensor signal cuts out intermittently.
P0344 — also written PO344, P 0344, 0344 — is the OBD-II code for camshaft position sensor intermittent. Same code, same fix: this page covers every spelling of it.
This is the 'Cam Sensor Intermittent' flutter, usually caused by a dodgy wiring loom or a sensor that's failing internally when it gets hot. We see this constantly on Vauxhall Astras and older Ford Focus diesels where the loom gets brittle.
P0344 is a sensors fault code, typically costing £80–£400 to put right in a UK garage.
What P0344 actually feels like to drive
- The car 'hiccups' or jars violently for a split second while cruising at 60mph.
- Refinement goes out the window—starts fine one day, takes 10 seconds of cranking the next.
- Sudden 'Limp Home' mode with the traction control light popping on for no apparent reason.
- The rev counter drops to zero and bounces back up instantly while driving.
- Engine dies completely when slowing down for a roundabout but restarts immediately.
What causes P0344?
- Loose connector
- Wiring fault
- Sensor failure
UK vehicles that throw P0344 most often
- Vauxhall Astra J 1.4 Turbo (A14NET) 2009-2015
- Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi (DV6) 2011-2015 - Wiring loom rub issues
- BMW 3 Series (E90/E92) N43/N47 engines - Sensor heat soak
- Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTi (A20DTH) 2008-2017
- Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDi - High mileage connector wear
- Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi (K9K) - Cam/Crank synchronisation faults
How P0344 is fixed
- Connector clean
- Sensor swap
The P0344 misdiagnosis that wastes money
I see folks flushing money down the drain by slapping a cheap £15 eBay sensor on the car and calling it a day. Usually, that just makes it worse or throws a P0340 on top. In my bay, it's rarely the sensor itself if it's intermittent—it's almost always the wiring loom rubbing against the cylinder head or a loose pin in the multi-plug. People also overlook the timing belt; if the tensioner is slack, the belt flutters, causing the sensor to lose its rhythm. Clean the connector before you buy anything.
What a UK garage should charge for P0344
A diagnostic plug-in should cost you £50 to £80 at a decent indie. If it’s just the sensor, a quality Bosch or Delphi unit is about £40-£70 from the factor, plus an hour's labour (£60-£90). However, if the connector is melted or the pins are backed out, you’re looking at a loom repair kit which can push the bill closer to £250. Main dealers will try to sell you a whole new engine wiring harness for upwards of £800—don't fall for it, we can graft in a new plug for a fraction of that.
P0344 repair cost in the UK
Most P0344 repairs land between £80–£400 including parts and labour. The spread is wide because the cheap fix (a sensor, a hose, a leak) and the expensive fix (a major component) throw the same code — which is why a proper diagnosis before parts are bought saves the most money.
Bob's tip on P0344
If you take this to a garage, don't let them just read the code and swap the part. Ask them to "scope the signal" while wiggling the wiring loom. An oscilloscope shows the actual waveform—if it’s dropping out when they touch the wires, you’ve got a loom fault, not a sensor fault. Also, check your oil level. On VVT engines like the Vauxhall 1.4 turbos, low oil or the wrong viscosity (they need Dexos 2) can make the cam phasers jitter, which the sensor interprets as a signal interruption. Don't let them charge you for a sensor until they've checked the plug for green corrosion.
Can you drive with P0344?
Drivable.
Urgency: medium.