P0267 code: Cylinder 3 Injector Circuit Low
P0267 means cylinder 3 Injector Circuit Low. The code says where to look, not what failed — the fix depends on which cause your car actually has.
What P0267 means
This code is about wiring and electronics, not fuel quality: the ECM saw voltage on the cylinder 3 injector control circuit drop below the expected range. That usually means a short to ground in the harness, an open circuit, or an injector whose internal coil has shorted. A mechanically clogged injector will not set this code — it starves the cylinder of fuel but leaves the electrical circuit intact. Because P0267 names cylinder 3 specifically, you can compare that injector and its wiring directly against a known-good cylinder, which makes diagnosis relatively straightforward. It pairs with P0203 (cylinder 3 injector circuit) and P0303 (cylinder 3 misfire), and seeing those together is normal. One caution before turning wrenches: manufacturers number cylinders differently, so confirm which one is cylinder 3 on your engine's layout.
P0267 symptoms
- Misfire or dropout on cylinder 3
- Rough, uneven idle and vibration
- Reduced power and hesitation under load
- Check-engine light, flashing if the misfire is active
- May store with no symptoms if the fault is fleeting
What it costs to fix P0267
Typical range: $60–$450 · about ~0.5–2 hrs of labor
| If the cause is… | Part | Labor |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel injector (single) | $50–$300 | ~0.5–2 hrs |
| Wiring/connector repair | $5–$50 | ~0.5–2 hrs |
Most of the cost is finding the fault; the wire or connector repair itself is cheap. A replacement injector is the bigger expense, and both parts and labor rise on V-type engines with buried injectors and on direct-injection systems.
The price swings on which cause it turns out to be — so confirm the cause before paying. Diagnose P0267 for my exact vehicle →
How to fix P0267
Moderate — doable at home with common tools and patience
- Find cylinder 3 on your layout
On an inline four, cylinder 3 is third from the timing end, next to cylinder 4; on a three-cylinder it's the last one, and on V engines it could be on either bank. Getting this right matters because the injector 3 branch is short and easy to confuse with its neighbours when everything is packed under the intake.
- Listen to injector 3 at idle
A stethoscope or long screwdriver on injector 3 should pick up the same crisp ticking as the others. Silence on a circuit-low code is telling: an injector whose control wire is grounded stays energized rather than clicking, while a shorted winding may tick weakly or go quiet if the module disables that driver.
- Split the harness to find a short
Where the injector harness has an inline connector between the module and the rail, disconnect the battery and module, separate that connector, and test the cylinder 3 control wire to ground on each side. Whichever half still shows continuity holds the chafe, which halves the length of harness you need to unwrap.
- Compare injector 3's resistance with the rest
Measure all the injectors you can reach, not just number 3. On a typical high-impedance set the readings land in a tight group somewhere in the 11–18 ohm range; one that sits well under the group has shorted turns and will keep tripping the low code however good the wiring is.
- Fit a matched injector and confirm the fix
Replace injector 3 with a part matching the originals' flow rating and connector, using new seals lubricated as the seal kit specifies. Clear the codes, let the engine reach full temperature, and drive long enough for the injector and misfire monitors to run before calling it fixed.
DIY or shop? On most four-cylinder engines this is a realistic home repair: the listening test, harness split and resistance checks need only a meter, and swapping a port injector is a couple of hours with care around fuel. It becomes shop work when the harness has to be unwrapped deep into the main loom, when the intake manifold must come off for access, or on direct-injection engines where the injectors sit in the head and need special seals and installation tools.
Tools for the DIY steps: Mechanic's stethoscope or long screwdriver · Digital multimeter · Wiring diagram for your engine · Socket set · Injector seal kit
Not sure which step applies to your car? Get the likely cause for your exact vehicle before buying anything for P0267.
Start a case with P0267 and your car. Redline weighs these causes against what your car shows, and names the check that would settle it before you buy parts.
Can I drive with P0267?
Redline can’t determine from a symptom or code alone whether your car is safe to drive.
P0267: common questions
What does P0267 actually mean?
The engine computer measured lower-than-expected voltage on the cylinder 3 injector's control circuit. In practice that means a short to ground, a damaged wire, or an injector coil that has failed electrically — the injector isn't being driven the way the ECM intends.
Injector or wiring — which should I check first?
Start with the cheap check: unplug the cylinder 3 injector connector and measure the injector's resistance. If it matches the other cylinders, move on to the harness and connector. If it reads near zero or open, the injector itself has failed.
Can I still drive the car with P0267?
A code by itself can't decide that. What it does tell you: a misfiring cylinder is actively feeding raw fuel to the catalytic converter. Treat it as urgent-ish: repair within days, and pull over if the light flashes or the engine shakes hard.
Why is P0303 stored along with P0267?
P0303 reports the misfire on cylinder 3; P0267 explains why — the injector circuit isn't working. When a circuit code and a misfire code share a cylinder, diagnose the electrical fault first, since fixing it usually resolves both.
Related trouble codes
Don’t have a scanner yet? A ~$25 Bluetooth adapter reads codes like P0267 from your phone. See our guide to the best OBD2 Bluetooth adapters. Run a repair shop? See Redline for shops.
Generic OBD-II reference. Manufacturer-specific behavior varies. Confirm with a scan tool and, for safety-related codes, a professional inspection. Cost ranges are reference ranges, not quotes.
Seeing P0267 on your car?
Every problem becomes a Case. Tell Redline what the car is doing: it shows what the evidence supports, what’s still missing, and what to check next, before you approve a repair.
“Inner pad ~1 mm. Outer pad 3 mm.”
Next: check the slide pins move freely before buying parts.