OBD-II Code · Sensors
P0183
Fuel Temperature Sensor "A" Circuit High
Severity
low
Lowest on our scale. Fix it when convenient.
Can you drive it
Only if running normally
A short trip to a shop may be reasonable if the light is steady and the car runs normally. Stop safely for a flashing light, severe shaking, overheating, loss of power, or another urgent warning. The code alone cannot confirm safety.
Indicative cost (USD)
$80–$300
Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
Fuel temperature sensor reading abnormally high.
How a shop works this
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed.
Note every code that is set, not just this one.
Codes that appear together usually narrow the cause faster than any one of them read alone.
Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under.
Cold or warm, idle or load, road speed and engine speed. A fault that only appears cold is a different fault from one that only appears under load, even with the same code on the scanner.
Confirm the fault is current rather than history.
Clear the code and see whether it returns under those same conditions. A code that does not come back may have been logged during a repair, a flat battery, or a bad connection that has since been disturbed.
Then work the likely-causes list in the order shown.
That order is what a shop checks first for this code — wiring and connections before the component they run to, because a connector costs nothing to inspect and is a common answer.
If the code comes back after a repair, the underlying fault is still there. That is the point to bring in a scanner with live data and freeze-frame, or a shop that has one.
Common symptoms
- Check engine light
Likely causes
- Failed sensorMost common
- Short to power
- Wiring fault
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0183 means the ECM is seeing the Fuel Temperature Sensor A signal pinned above its high-input threshold — on a typical 5V-reference circuit the sens…
P0183 means the ECM is seeing the Fuel Temperature Sensor A signal pinned above its high-input threshold — on a typical 5V-reference circuit the sensor sweeps roughly 4.5V cold (low temp, high resistance NTC thermistor) down to about 0.5V hot (high temp, low resistance), and the code sets when the ECU reads a value stuck near rail voltage (~4.7-5.0V) for longer than the calibration window allows. That's almost always an electrical fault, not a fuel-temperature problem: the sensor is open-circuit or its signal wire is broken/disconnected, not actually reading scorching fuel.
Shop-floor diagnostic ladder, cheapest first
- unplug the sensor connector and look for green corrosion, fuel saturation, or pushed-back pins — diesel fuel migration through harness sheathing is the #1 cause on trucks past 150k miles, $0 to clean and re-pin.
- Back-probe the signal wire with a DVOM key-on/engine-off and confirm 5V reference and good ground at the sensor connector; if reference is missing, the harness or ECM driver is at fault, not the sensor.
- Ohm the sensor cold (should read roughly 2.5-3.5 kOhm at 70F on most Bosch/Denso NTC fuel temp sensors, dropping to ~300-500 ohm at 175F) — an open reading confirms the sensor.
- Live-data the fuel temp PID with the engine warm: a healthy sensor reports somewhere between 90F and 180F at the supply rail; a stuck-high voltage shows up as -40F or similar minimum-rail value. Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: don't condemn the high-pressure injection pump or chase a fueling problem on a P0183 alone — the ECU uses fuel-temp to compensate injection quantity, but the code itself almost never originates inside the pump. Replacing a CP3 or CP4 pump because of a P0183 is a $3,000+ mistake.
Vehicle-specific patterns2003-2007 Ford 6.0L Powerstroke and 2008-2010 6.4L Powerstroke commonly throw P0183 from the fuel temp sensor mounted in the secondary fuel filter ho…
- 2003-2007Ford 6.0L Powerstroke and 2008-2010 6.4L Powerstroke commonly throw P0183 from the fuel temp sensor mounted in the secondary fuel filter housing on top of the engine — the connector sits under the heat shield and gets cooked by EGR cooler radiant heat; the pins corrode and the sensor reads open. Cheap $35 sensor + harness pigtail repair clears it.
- 2001-2010GM Duramax LB7/LLY/LBZ/LMM throws P0183 from the fuel temp sensor integrated into the fuel filter head bracket — water-in-fuel intrusion corrodes the pins long before the sensor element itself fails.
- 2003-2018RAM Cummins 5.9L and 6.7L throws P0183 from chafed harness near the CP3 pump where the loom rubs the bracket; check for bare copper before quoting a sensor.
- 2009-2015VW TDI 2.0L CR (CBEA/CJAA) throws P0183 from the in-tank fuel temp sender on the lift-pump module — fuel-saturated connector is the usual culprit.
- 2007-2018Mercedes Sprinter OM642 3.0L V6 diesel throws P0183 from the fuel temp sensor in the rail-pressure regulator harness, often after a fuel filter change where the tech bumped the connector.
Estimated repair$75 to $400.
Look up another code
P0183 — frequently asked
What does a P0183 code mean?
Fuel temperature sensor reading abnormally high.
What causes a P0183 code?
Common causes: Failed sensor; Short to power; Wiring fault.
What are the symptoms of a P0183 code?
Typical symptoms: Check engine light.
Is it safe to drive with a P0183 code?
Only if running normally. A short trip to a shop may be reasonable if the light is steady and the car runs normally. Stop safely for a flashing light, severe shaking, overheating, loss of power, or another urgent warning. The code alone cannot confirm safety. Estimated repair: $80-$300.
How do I diagnose a P0183 code?
Work from evidence to part, not the other way round. A code names a circuit or a symptom; it does not name the part that failed. 1. Note every code that is set, not just this one. 2. Read the freeze frame — the conditions the fault was recorded under. 3. Confirm the fault is current rather than history. 4. Then work the likely-causes list in the order shown.
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