did you replace both camshaft vanos sprockets have found on water damaged engine they can corrode inside and stick,
also when you put head h=back together and the vvt steppa motor is not installed where does the vvt concentric shaft start to have spring loaded pressure,,, ie correct point is its on the hook shaped bump stop and has spring pressure from all the valve train pushing it back to the bump stop,,, if its 10mm off the stop then i would say spring fingers on the vvt upper follower's are damaged by the heat or are not in correct groove in the upper cam follower post as such,,, the very tips of theses springs must only locate to the cut at rear of follower,,,, when they get so hot the spring seems to expand and the drop out on cooked engines i had this my self on a few of them over the years and the very first time i had it it really did stop me in my tracks for a while trying to work it out ,,,
the way the system works is on first cold start up ecu is in default where vvt is not activated until the 02 sensors cut in on closed loop,, as soon as this happens they wont run right and sound terrible like a diesel ,,
if remove rocker cover and rotate engine and listen to the valve train,, you should hear no clicks no movement noises that are clicky from inlet vvt assembly if the system is right,,, also look at the followers to the valve followers they all should be straight and pushed forward evenly,,, like said pull the vvt motor out and see if it returns to bump stop by its self is a good sign things are not right,,
also when you put head h=back together and the vvt steppa motor is not installed where does the vvt concentric shaft start to have spring loaded pressure,,, ie correct point is its on the hook shaped bump stop and has spring pressure from all the valve train pushing it back to the bump stop,,, if its 10mm off the stop then i would say spring fingers on the vvt upper follower's are damaged by the heat or are not in correct groove in the upper cam follower post as such,,, the very tips of theses springs must only locate to the cut at rear of follower,,,, when they get so hot the spring seems to expand and the drop out on cooked engines i had this my self on a few of them over the years and the very first time i had it it really did stop me in my tracks for a while trying to work it out ,,,
the way the system works is on first cold start up ecu is in default where vvt is not activated until the 02 sensors cut in on closed loop,, as soon as this happens they wont run right and sound terrible like a diesel ,,
if remove rocker cover and rotate engine and listen to the valve train,, you should hear no clicks no movement noises that are clicky from inlet vvt assembly if the system is right,,, also look at the followers to the valve followers they all should be straight and pushed forward evenly,,, like said pull the vvt motor out and see if it returns to bump stop by its self is a good sign things are not right,,
