P0268 means Cylinder 3 Injector Circuit High. The cylinder 3 injector circuit voltage is higher than expected, usually from an open circuit or a short to voltage. It is a generic OBD-II code, so the definition is the same on any make, but the most likely cause varies by engine; confirm with a scan tool and the service information for your vehicle before buying parts.
What P0268 means
Each fuel injector is a small solenoid that the engine computer switches on and off many times a second. The computer monitors every injector circuit for opens and shorts, and an injector circuit fault usually comes with a misfire on the same cylinder because that cylinder gets no fuel.
P0268 symptoms
- Misfire on cylinder 3, often with P0303
- Rough idle and shaking
- Loss of power
- Check engine light, possibly flashing
Common causes of P0268
- Open wiring or unplugged connector
- Open injector coil
- Short to voltage
- Fault in the computer’s injector driver (less common)
How to diagnose P0268
- Check the connector
- Measure injector resistance and compare with the other cylinders
- Check the control circuit for an open
- Swap the injector with a neighboring cylinder and see whether the code follows it
- Clear the code and confirm misfire counts stay at zero on a test drive
Can you drive with P0268?
Only briefly; a dead cylinder can overheat the catalytic converter, and a leaking injector can wash fuel into the oil.
P0268 tips
An open circuit or unplugged connector is the usual cause of a high reading; check the connector after any intake work.
Will P0268 clear itself?
If the fault stops, the computer turns off the check engine light by itself after several drive cycles without seeing it again, and the code stays in memory as history for a while. Clearing P0268 with a scan tool after a repair is fine, but if the cause is still there the code returns, sometimes within one drive. Disconnecting the battery also clears codes on most vehicles, but it erases learned fuel trims and idle settings as well.
Related codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| P0203 | Injector Circuit/Open – Cylinder 3 |
| P0303 | Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected |
| P0267 | Cylinder 3 Injector Circuit Low |
Guides that help
When it is more than a sensor
If an injector and its wiring test good but the cylinder still misfires, a compression test separates a fuel problem from a mechanical one; see engine replacement cost and our engines page if the engine is worn.
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