Problem Finally Solved 05 Tacoma Prerunner 4.0 (1GR Engine)

I had been battling for weeks on Code P0022 which is the VVT on the driver's side of the engine.
I removed it, cleaned it, inspected, tested it by powering it directly from a 12 battery and did a olms resistance test. It passed. It did have what appeared to be burnt oil on the tip but other than that, it appeared okay. Drove it three days and code reappeared. I then replaced the VVT with an OEM Toyota VVT at $172. Drove the truck for one week and code reappeared. Then I watched a You Tube video on replacing the VVT filters. I purchased new filters from my local dealer. The filters and new washers were @$20 per unit. The VVT filter on the driver's side is a real pain to replace. The battery must be completely removed, the skid plate removed, the belt released from the alternator and the "hot plug" (green) and the ground wire removed along with the harness attached by a 10mm bolt on the side of the battery box. Finally after removing all of this the VVT filter is on the side of the side of the engine block behind the alternator. It was completely sludged over. The right side was far less difficult to replace but it too had some sludge than the driver's side. So here's my "take-away" if you replace a VVT, only replace the one that is bad. Don't try to clean them. If you do replace a single VVT, I would strongly encourage you to replace the VVT filters on both sides of the engine.