As far as your trip goes, I've been told that "major engine damage is potentially possible if the vehicle is operated with this condition". It has been suggested to me that any vehicle operation be held to an absolute minimum until a cause if found and the appropriate repairs made.

P0012: You're showing more than 5 degrees retarded from the ECU expected value on the intake lobe (the electronic one).

I'm told by our dealership techs that if you have the Techstream/TIS analyzers, you have a shot at determining the exact cause. Otherwise, you can either make an appointment with a dealer and take it in, purchase one of the (expensive) specialized testers and try to determine cause yourself, or "shotgun" a fix.

Sometimes they say it can be fixed by replacing the motor and sprocket, numbers 130A0-38010 and 13050-38021 respectively. They used to be available individually, be lately I've heard they now come as a set.

Also, a Toyota/Lexus dealer service guide/manual suggests "removing the electric motor and checking the sprocket for smooth movement internally".

In addition, from other (non-Toyota) sources, I have been given other possible causes, which include:

• bad variable valve timing
• bad oil control valve
• Variable Valve Timing harness open/shorted
• low or dirty engine oil
• oil control valve harness circuit open/shorted
• and last but not least, a damaged ECM.

If it means anything, from the sources I've contacted, I'm told that this is a rarely encountered code/condition, so feedback as to the effective fix would be appreciated.

Also, and this is just my opinion, this is one of those faults that needs to be handled by a dealer.

Good Luck.