Powertrain, shared range

P3487 Cylinder 11 Exhaust Valve Control Circuit Low

Check engine lightOn
EmissionsRelevant
Drive cycleNot required
Limp modeNo

P3487 would tell of a grounded control wire feeding a dedicated exhaust valve actuator on cylinder 11. No manufacturer documents this code publicly; cylinders 9 to 12 only exist on engines with nine or more, and J2012 keeps these codes for them. The closest real design is Mercedes' Active Cylinder Control on the CL 600 and S 600 V12 around 2000: it shut down one bank, and according to Wikipedia two solenoids uncoupled that bank's exhaust valves to keep pressure in the idle cylinders. That is one circuit per bank, not per cylinder. GM's V8 analogue flags a ground short below 0.5 ohm with the driver off. Grounded wiring could engage the actuator by itself and silence cylinder 11 when it is meant to fire. Siblings: P3485 (open), P3488 (high).

Likely causes

Actuator wire chafed through to engine ground
Actuator coil shorted to its housing
Moisture in the actuator connector bridging to ground

Symptoms

  • Check engine lamp on
  • Bank shut-off no longer offered
  • Possible misfire on cylinder 11 (P0311)

Repair estimate

DifficultyMediumDIY possible
Parts and labour€60–900
Time0.5–4 h

Typical range across vehicles; the real cost depends on what the testing finds.

Parts involved

cylinder deactivation solenoidwiring harnessecm

Related codes

P3485P3486P3488P3483P0311P3497

References: law.cornell.edu, en.wikipedia.org, motorweek.org, gsi.ext.gm.com.