OBD-II Code · Fuel & Air
P0286
Cylinder 9 Injector Circuit High
Severity
high
Left alone, this one tends to take other parts with it.
Can you drive it
Not for long
Driving on this one risks further damage. Get it to a shop rather than carrying on with it.
Indicative cost (USD)
$60–$1,100
Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
V10-only · cyl 9 injector open.
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
- Misfire cyl 9
- Check engine light
Likely causes
- Open windingMost common
- Harness damage
Read the full diagnostic procedureP0286 indicates the cylinder 9 injector driver is reading high, meaning open circuit on the driver-side wire, broken winding, or a disconnected/corro…
P0286 indicates the cylinder 9 injector driver is reading high, meaning open circuit on the driver-side wire, broken winding, or a disconnected/corroded connector.
Cheapest test
swap injector 9 with a neighbor; if the code follows the injector, the winding is open. Ohm test: PFI 11 to 17 ohms (Ford 6.8L Triton, Viper 8.3L), GDI-style 1.5 to 4 ohms (BMW S85). Key-on engine-off, the feed pin should read battery voltage; the driver pin should rise to within 1V of battery through the coil when injector is connected. With injector disconnected and key on, driver pin should read 0V if PCM driver is healthy. Caveat: on the Ford 6.8L 2V Triton, the cylinder 9 injector connector is buried under the upper intake plenum on most chassis configurations and the wire harness must be inspected from the connector all the way back to the firewall pass-through; spark plug blowouts on cylinder 9 are common and can sever the injector harness.
Vehicle-specific patterns1999 to 2010 Ford E-350/E-450 and F-Super Duty 6.8L V10 Triton sees P0286 most often from harness damage after a cylinder 9 spark plug blowout, repai…
- 1999to 2010 Ford E-350/E-450 and F-Super Duty 6.8L V10 Triton sees P0286 most often from harness damage after a cylinder 9 spark plug blowout, repaired by helicoil or Time-Sert plus harness repair;
- 2006to 2010 BMW M5/M6 S85 V10 has weak injector solder joints inside the connector body;
- 2003to 2010 Dodge Viper 8.3L V10 SRT-10 has cracked Bosch injector connectors from underhood heat cycling.
Estimated repair$60 to $1,100.
Look up another code
P0286 — frequently asked
What does a P0286 code mean?
V10-only · cyl 9 injector open.
What causes a P0286 code?
Common causes: Open winding; Harness damage.
What are the symptoms of a P0286 code?
Typical symptoms: Misfire cyl 9; Check engine light.
Is it safe to drive with a P0286 code?
Not for long. Driving on this one risks further damage. Get it to a shop rather than carrying on with it. Estimated repair: $60-$1,100.
How do I diagnose a P0286 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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