OBD-II Code
P0275
Severity
Not yet reviewed
Nobody on our side has assessed this code yet, so we are not going to guess at how serious it is.
Can you drive it
We cannot say
Treat it as unknown until a shop reads it with live data. If the check-engine light is FLASHING, stop driving as soon as it is safe to — that means an active misfire, whatever the code.
Indicative cost (USD)
$150–$4,500
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
$150 (single coil/glow plug + injector clean) to $4,500 (full injector set on a 6.0L Powerstroke).
P0275 means the ECM is running cylinder-balance monitoring and has determined that cylinder 5 is contributing less torque (or in some calibrations, more torque) than the average of the other cylinders by more than the manufacturer's threshold — typically a deviation of more than 5 mm3/stroke on the per-cylinder injector trim values that the ECM continuously adjusts to equalize crankshaft acceleration between firing events.
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 follow the diagnostic notes further down this page, in the order they are written.
They are written in the order a shop works this code, cheapest checks first. Where they name a component, inspect its wiring and connector before replacing it.
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
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0275 means the ECM is running cylinder-balance monitoring and has determined that cylinder 5 is contributing less torque (or in some calibrations, m…
P0275 means the ECM is running cylinder-balance monitoring and has determined that cylinder 5 is contributing less torque (or in some calibrations, more torque) than the average of the other cylinders by more than the manufacturer's threshold — typically a deviation of more than 5 mm3/stroke on the per-cylinder injector trim values that the ECM continuously adjusts to equalize crankshaft acceleration between firing events. Normal cylinder balance trims sit between -3 and +3 mm3/stroke at idle; anything past +/- 5 mm3 for a sustained period sets the code.
Cheapest-first ladder
- scan live injector balance / cylinder contribution data — most modern OE scan tools and many enhanced aftermarket tools (Snap-On, Autel MaxiSys, Texa) display per-cylinder fuel correction in real time.
- A cylinder reading +6 to +10 mm3 is being commanded extra fuel to keep up, meaning it's mechanically weak (low compression, valve issue, injector flowing low).
- A cylinder reading -6 to -10 mm3 is being pulled back because it's making more torque than expected, meaning a stuck-open injector or a fuel-volume leak past a seal.
- Next: dead-cylinder cutout test, then a wet/dry compression check on cylinder 5 (looking for less than 85% of the highest cylinder), then an injector flow test or click-test current waveform on a scope.
- Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: don't replace the injector before verifying compression — on direct-injection and diesel engines, a worn or stuck valve will mimic an injector contribution fault exactly, and you'll burn $300-$800 on an injector that doesn't fix the code.
Vehicle-specific patterns2003-2007 Ford 6.0L Powerstroke (F-250/350, Excursion) throws P0275 constantly when injector stiction sets in around 100k miles — the spool valves in…
- 2003-2007Ford 6.0L Powerstroke (F-250/350, Excursion) throws P0275 constantly when injector stiction sets in around 100k miles — the spool valves in the HEUI injectors stick from cold-start cycles and one cylinder contributes erratically; the fix is a $1,500-$3,500 injector set, often combined with an oil cooler / EGR cooler service.
- 2001-2004Chevy/GMC Duramax LB7 6.6L has a well-documented injector failure on the rear cylinders specifically (cylinder 5 and 7 on the left bank) — GM extended the warranty to 200k miles on LB7 injectors and the fix is replacing all 8.
- 2011-2016RAM 2500/3500 with the 6.7L Cummins commonly throws P0275 from a failed CP3/CP4 pump putting metal contamination through the rail and damaging individual injectors.
- 2008-2014BMW N63 4.4L twin-turbo V8 throws P0275 from index-code mismatch after injector swaps without recoding, or from carbon-fouled intake valves causing uneven airflow on the right bank where cylinder 5 lives.
Estimated repair$150 (single coil/glow plug + injector clean) to $4,500 (full injector set on a 6.0L Powerstroke).
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