P0288 code: Cylinder 10 Injector Circuit Low
P0288 means cylinder 10 Injector Circuit Low. The code says where to look, not what failed — the fix depends on which cause your car actually has.
What P0288 means
You'll only encounter P0288 on engines with ten or more cylinders — V10s and V12s. It means the ECM measured voltage below the expected range on the cylinder 10 injector control circuit, the classic signature of a wire shorted to ground, an open circuit, or an injector coil that has shorted internally. Like every code in this series, it's a verdict on the electrical path rather than the fuel path: a clogged nozzle starves the cylinder without altering circuit voltage and would set a misfire code instead. On a ten- or twelve-cylinder engine you have plenty of identical circuits to compare against, which is the quickest route to a diagnosis — resistance-check cylinder 10's injector against a neighbor, then inspect its harness leg. Companions to expect are P0210 (cylinder 10 injector circuit) and P0310 (cylinder 10 misfire). Bank numbering varies by manufacturer on these engines, so locate cylinder 10 from your engine's diagram first.
P0288 symptoms
- Misfire on cylinder 10, often faint on a V10/V12
- Mild idle roughness or vibration at certain rpm
- Small but noticeable power loss under hard acceleration
- Check-engine light, flashing if the misfire is sustained
- Can store without symptoms when the fault is intermittent
What it costs to fix P0288
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 |
Expect the high side on V10/V12 engines: injectors are buried under intake hardware, access labor is slow, and direct-injection injectors for these engines cost more than average. The wiring-repair path stays cheap if the fault is found quickly.
The price swings on which cause it turns out to be — so confirm the cause before paying. Diagnose P0288 for my exact vehicle →
How to fix P0288
Moderate — doable at home with common tools and patience
- Check misfire counters before condemning anything
Cylinder 10 only exists on V10 and V12 engines, so confirm its spot from the numbering diagram, then open live data and watch its misfire counter (or Mode 6 results if your scanner shows them). A climbing count says the injector really has stopped firing; a clean count with P0288 stored suggests an intermittent fault you'll need heat or harness movement to reproduce.
- Ohm injector 10 and compare across the engine
Measure injector 10 at its terminals, then two healthy injectors with the same meter. High-impedance designs commonly sit somewhere in the 11–18 ohm range; what matters is consistency, so a value on 10 several ohms below the rest means shorted turns inside the coil. A matching value points you toward the wiring instead.
- Wiggle-test the harness leg to cylinder 10
With the engine idling, gently flex the injector loom along cylinder 10's run, paying attention to heat shields and the rear of the engine. A stumble, a jump in the misfire count, or the code resetting while you move a particular section pinpoints a grounded wire; open the loom there and repair it with soldered splices.
- Clamp a low-amp probe on the injector 10 circuit
For a mechanic with a lab scope, a low-amp current clamp on the control wire shows the injector's current ramp. A shorted winding draws current faster and peaks higher than a healthy neighbour, often before the ohmmeter shows anything obvious — a useful tiebreaker when the resistance results are borderline.
- Swap or replace injector 10, then retest
If the electrical tests point at the injector, swapping it with a neighbour on the same rail is a parts-free confirmation — the code should follow it. Replace it with a correctly matched injector and new seals; if the code returns with a known-good injector and wiring, the module's driver needs testing by a shop.
DIY or shop? Reading misfire counters, comparing resistances, and wiggle-testing the loom are all driveway jobs with a scanner and a meter. The current clamp is shop or advanced-DIY equipment, and you can skip it when the resistance result is clear. Pulling an injector on a V10 truck engine is usually manageable; on a V12 it can mean hours of disassembly. If the code keeps coming back with good parts in place, the module driver is the suspect, and that diagnosis belongs with a shop.
Tools for the DIY steps: Scan tool with misfire counters · Digital multimeter · Low-amp current clamp and lab scope · Fuel injector seal kit · Solder and heat-shrink tubing
Not sure which step applies to your car? Get the likely cause for your exact vehicle before buying anything for P0288.
Start a case with P0288 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 P0288?
Redline can’t determine from a symptom or code alone whether your car is safe to drive.
P0288: common questions
Which vehicles can even set P0288?
Only those with ten or more cylinders — V10 and V12 engines. Cylinder 10 doesn't exist on four-, six-, or eight-cylinder engines, so this code is inherently limited to large multi-cylinder powerplants.
What's the likely fix for P0288?
Statistically, a wiring or connector repair or a single injector. Test before buying: if cylinder 10's injector resistance matches its neighbors, the harness or connector is the suspect; if the reading is shorted or open, replace the injector. Avoid replacing parts before measuring.
Why does the code set only occasionally?
Intermittent circuit codes usually trace to connections that fail with heat, moisture, or vibration — a corroded pin or a chafed wire that grounds out over bumps. The fault is real even when the engine runs fine; it's just not present at every moment.
Is it safe to keep driving a V10 with one dead injector circuit?
Redline can't make that call from the code alone. The engine may keep running, but the catalytic converter on cylinder 10's bank is absorbing unburned fuel the whole time, so get the circuit repaired promptly. Hard use makes it worse, and a flashing light means stop driving.
Related trouble codes
Don’t have a scanner yet? A ~$25 Bluetooth adapter reads codes like P0288 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 P0288 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.