OBD-II Code
P0333
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–$900
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
P0333 means the Knock Sensor 2 circuit on Bank 2 is reading high — the signal voltage is pinned above the PCM's maximum threshold (typically over 4.5 V or saturated at the 5 V reference).
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 procedureP0333 means the Knock Sensor 2 circuit on Bank 2 is reading high — the signal voltage is pinned above the PCM's maximum threshold (typically over 4.5…
P0333 means the Knock Sensor 2 circuit on Bank 2 is reading high — the signal voltage is pinned above the PCM's maximum threshold (typically over 4.5 V or saturated at the 5 V reference).
This is a circuit-high code
shorted-to-power harness, internally shorted sensor, or a wiring fault that's pulling the signal line up to the reference voltage. Cheapest-first ladder: scan live data and watch the bank-2 knock counter at idle — a healthy system reads near 0 counts at idle and only ticks up under hard load; a pinned-high counter at idle (50 to 200 counts) means the PCM is reading constant noise as detonation. Backprobe the bank-2 signal wire with a DMM set to DC volts at key-on-engine-off — should read between 0 and 2.5 V (most systems use a 2.5 V DC bias on the signal line with the AC piezo signal riding on top); a reading above 4.5 V DC means the signal is shorted to the 5 V reference or to battery voltage. Unplug the sensor and recheck the voltage at the PCM connector — if it stays pinned high, the short is in the harness, not the sensor. Resistance-check the signal wire to chassis ground (should be over 1 megohm) and to battery positive (should be open circuit, infinite resistance); a short to power somewhere in the harness drops the resistance below 10 kohm. Expensive misdiagnosis caveat: on GM LSx platforms, a P0333 that appears immediately after intake gasket service is almost always a pinched harness under the intake manifold — the technician pinched the knock-sensor pigtail between the intake and the head when reinstalling; pop the intake back off and inspect before condemning either the sensor or the PCM.
Vehicle-specific patterns1999-2013 GM LSx V8 5.3/6.0/6.2L (Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade, Camaro, Corvette) throws P0333 from under-intake harness pinch points…
- 1999-2013GM LSx V8 5.3/6.0/6.2L (Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade, Camaro, Corvette) throws P0333 from under-intake harness pinch points and from coolant intrusion creating an internal short in the connector pigtail; the GM-style pigtail repair kit addresses both.
- 2004-2010Ford 4.6/5.4L Triton (F-150, Expedition, Mustang GT) throws P0333 from melted insulation on the rear-of-head bank-2 sensor wiring where it crosses the exhaust manifold.
- 2007-2015Toyota 2GR-FE 3.5L V6 (Camry V6, Avalon, RAV4 V6, Sienna, Lexus ES350/RX350) throws P0333 from valley harness shorted to the intake plenum mounting boss.
- 2005-2012Nissan VQ35DE (350Z, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder) throws P0333 from a harness chafe where the knock pigtail rubs against an intake bolt and shorts to power.
Estimated repair$150 to $900.
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