P0289 code: Cylinder 10 Injector Circuit High
P0289 means cylinder 10 Injector Circuit High. The code says where to look, not what failed — the fix depends on which cause your car actually has.
What P0289 means
P0289, the high-side twin of P0288, sets when the ECM sees voltage above its expected window on the cylinder 10 injector control circuit — a code possible only on V10 and V12 engines, since smaller engines have no cylinder 10. High readings arise from a short to battery voltage in the harness, or from resistance added by a corroded connector, degraded terminal, or an injector winding that has failed open. The circuit monitor knows nothing of fuel flow, so this is decisively not a clogged-injector code; the fix will be electrical. Diagnosis leans on comparison: with so many identical injector circuits available, resistance-checking cylinder 10's injector against any neighbor and inspecting its connector usually reveals the fault fast. P0210 (circuit) and P0310 (misfire) are the related codes for this cylinder. Confirm cylinder 10's physical location from your engine's numbering diagram — V-engine conventions differ by manufacturer.
P0289 symptoms
- Cylinder 10 misfire, frequently subtle on these engines
- Loss of trademark V10/V12 smoothness
- Modest power and economy reduction
- Check-engine light; flashing indicates active misfire
- Intermittent faults may store the code without symptoms
What it costs to fix P0289
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 |
V10/V12 packaging drives labor toward the top of the range — intake removal is common just to reach the injectors — and direct-injection injectors for these engines exceed typical parts prices. A connector or wiring repair remains the cheap outcome.
The price swings on which cause it turns out to be — so confirm the cause before paying. Diagnose P0289 for my exact vehicle →
How to fix P0289
Moderate — doable at home with common tools and patience
- Look for rodent or water damage near cylinder 10
Ten- and twelve-cylinder engines carry long injector looms that make tempting nesting material, and a blocked cowl drain can drip water onto connectors at the back of the engine. Inspect cylinder 10's harness and plug for chewed insulation, nest debris, or water sitting in the connector — either can open or corrode the circuit.
- Measure voltage at both ends of the control wire
On a typical port-injected design, with the injector plugged in and its feed live, back-probe the cylinder 10 control wire at the injector and then at the module; both should show near battery voltage fed through the winding. Voltage at the injector but not the module means the wire is open between them; neither means an open winding or a missing feed.
- Check terminal fit at injector 10
Unplug the connector and test each harness socket with a matching terminal; it should grip with clear drag. Look for fretting — dull, darkened contact faces worn by micro-movement — which adds resistance the module can read as a high circuit. Replace a worn terminal rather than just cleaning it.
- Isolate a short to voltage section by section
If the control wire still shows voltage with both the injector and the module unplugged, it is touching a powered circuit. Open the loom a section at a time, rechecking after each, until the voltage disappears; on long ten- and twelve-cylinder harnesses this beats tearing into the whole loom at once.
- Replace injector 10 if the winding has opened
An OL reading across injector 10's terminals, or one far above the other injectors, means it has failed open internally. Relieve fuel pressure, expect to remove the rail or plenum on many layouts, and fit new seals. Clear the code and drive long enough to reach the conditions recorded in the freeze frame.
DIY or shop? This one rewards patience more than equipment: a meter, back-probe pins, and the wiring diagram will usually locate an open or a corroded terminal, and repairing rodent damage is basic soldering. The work moves to a shop if the short to voltage hides inside a long sheathed harness, if reaching injector 10 means pulling the intake on a crowded V12, or if the engine is direct-injected and its high-voltage injector circuits should only be tested to the service manual.
Tools for the DIY steps: Digital multimeter · Back-probe pins · Wiring diagram for your engine · Connector terminal kit · Inspection light
Not sure which step applies to your car? Get the likely cause for your exact vehicle before buying anything for P0289.
Start a case with P0289 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 P0289?
Redline can’t determine from a symptom or code alone whether your car is safe to drive.
P0289: common questions
What tells the ECM to set P0289 instead of P0288?
The direction of the voltage error. P0289 sets when the cylinder 10 injector circuit reads high — open circuit, corrosion resistance, or a short to battery voltage. P0288 sets when it reads low — short to ground or a shorted injector coil.
Is the injector necessarily dead?
No. High-side circuit codes very often trace to the connector or harness rather than the injector. Measure the injector's resistance before condemning it: only an open or clearly out-of-spec reading justifies replacement, which matters on engines where injector access is laborious.
How quickly should I address this?
Within days if you can. The engine tolerates one erratic cylinder, but the catalytic converters on a V10 or V12 are numerous and expensive, and unburned fuel is their enemy. A flashing check-engine light upgrades the urgency to immediate.
Why does my scanner also show P0310?
P0310 is the misfire code for cylinder 10 — the downstream effect of the injector circuit fault. When a circuit code and misfire code share a cylinder, the electrical fault is almost always the root cause, so repair it first and the misfire should cease.
Related trouble codes
Don’t have a scanner yet? A ~$25 Bluetooth adapter reads codes like P0289 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 P0289 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.