Powertrain, generic · Fuel and air metering (injector circuit)

P02C0 Cylinder 10 - Injector Restricted

Check engine lightOn
EmissionsRelevant
Drive cycleRequired
Limp modeNo

These codes belong to an individual-cylinder fuel correction: a diesel's cylinder balance control measures each cylinder's crankshaft acceleration and adjusts its injection quantity; on petrol engines a cylinder-selective mixture control does the same. CARB requires the system to report when such a correction has used up its range or one cylinder causes an imbalance. P02C0 means the module attributes the deviation of cylinder 10 to an injector delivering too little – deposits or a sticking nozzle needle. Cylinder 10 only exists on engines with ten or more cylinders. GM and Ford use other codes for this (P0263 ff, P219A ff); no manufacturer document describing this code with thresholds was found, so the description follows CARB and published patents.

Likely causes

Deposits or coking at the nozzle of cylinder 10
Nozzle needle sticking
Contaminated fuel or water
Injector circuit high-resistance
Compression loss mimicking low output

Symptoms

  • Check engine light on
  • Rough idle, vibration
  • Lack of power, higher consumption or smoke

Repair estimate

DifficultyMediumWorkshop job
Parts and labour€150–900
Time1–4 h

Typical range across vehicles; the real cost depends on what the testing finds.

Parts involved

fuel injector cylinder 10crankshaft position sensorengine control module

Related codes

P02BEP02BFP02C1P0290P02DFP0210

References: law.cornell.edu, patents.google.com, patents.google.com.