check engine light code p0012

[WDBMX5]

i was driving to work in my 20002 LS miata and my check engine light came on...i went to auto zone and the code came up being p0012. it says it can be 1 of 4 things:
1. timing over retard_ right side
2. variable cam timing actuator stuck in retard position
3. oil passages plugged
4. timing belt jumped

the engine isnt running rough and the oil was changed possible right before i bought the car....
now the big catch is after i got to work and the car was off for about 15 minutes when i got in and restarted it the check engine light stayed off, and when i got back in it 5 hrs later to go home it still stayed off...

now when i was at auto zone and when they checed for the code they didnt reset it....

question is...should i be worried about it and if so what would it be or just wait till the check engine comes on agian then worry/panic??

[atank]

P0012 DTC will result in one of the following: hard starting, poor idle, or stalling are you experiencing any of those ??
Looks like Mazda put a Service Bulletin out about this:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tsb/sb01-025-06-1648.pdf

[WDBMX5]

not that i know of....i had the ac on yesterday and when i shut it off the check engine light came on.....

[atank]

So its running fine, just throwing the code? Maybe you just need to refer to the Service Bulletin.

[JLBMX5]

Most likely the dealership you purchased put whatever cheap oil they had and recommended oil might be to heavy. Do an oil change put in some 5w-30 synthetic and see what happens.

[WDBMX5]

is that what is recommended to run in a 2002 miata?? any certain type of oil filter i should be getting?? and any certain oil brand name??

[JLBMX5]

I use Mobil 1 synthetic. It comes with a filter. I have no clue what the recommended oil is. I was looking last night at your code and some people have said switching to a lighter oil helps. That why 5w-30. If you do go to advanced auto. Once you get it all rung up tell them you have a coupon at home for 5 bucks off a 25.00 purchase. Usually they will say OK and give you the 5 bucks off.

[isocuda]

Manual for the 03 states 4 quarts (w/filter) 5w30 and 10w30 viscosity oils. Also keep in mind that the "extended performance" aligns with the required certs better then the "high mileage" mix as far as M1 goes. If you run yours hard you'll want to go with the higher of the two typically.

Look at the temp coverage for both. If changing viscosity solves the problem, you're likely just covering up the actual cause.

I have the same code currently. I'm going to run emulsifier (LC-20) before changing the oil. During the drain I'll take apart what I can easily get to to clear things out, test wiring, and find signs of sludge. (86k on engine)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a211/isocuda/miataoil.png

I remember going through all this crap in 07 with my 1st gen and the HLA's. :P

[joe morreale]

When I got that code I started to use Rotella T-6 oil. The code left and has never come back. That was 8 years ago.