P0202 means Injector Circuit/Open – Cylinder 2. The computer has detected an open or faulty circuit for the cylinder 2 fuel injector. 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 P0202 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.
P0202 symptoms
- Misfire on cylinder 2, often with P0302
- Rough idle
- Loss of power
Common causes of P0202
- Failed injector coil
- Damaged wiring or connector
- Injector driver fault
How to diagnose P0202
- Check for a P0302 misfire
- Inspect the connector and wiring
- Compare injector resistance with the other cylinders
- Check the injector pulse with a noid light
Can you drive with P0202?
Short distances only; repair promptly.
P0202 tips
If several injector circuit codes set together, look for a shared cause such as an injector power fuse, a relay or a damaged harness section before replacing injectors. For a single cylinder, swapping the cylinder 2 injector with a neighbor and seeing whether the code moves to that cylinder is a quick test on engines where the injectors are easy to reach. Rodent damage to the harness under the intake or engine cover is another cause worth checking on vehicles that sit outdoors. After an injector replacement on a direct-injection engine, some vehicles need injector codes or a learn procedure entered with a scan tool.
Will P0202 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 P0202 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 |
|---|---|
| P0201 | Injector Circuit/Open – Cylinder 1 |
| P0302 | Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected |
| P0300 | Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected |
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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