OBD-II Code
P2336
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)
$0–$4,500+
From this code's diagnostic notes. Varies by vehicle, diagnosis, parts, and local labor. This is not a repair quote.
$0 (fuel grade) to $4,500+ (engine internal).
P2336 is a generic OBD-II code meaning the knock sensor detected cylinder 1 knock activity above the calibration threshold — the PCM monitors the piezoelectric knock sensor (0-5V signal range, AC waveform centered around a 2.5V bias) and band-pass filters it for the knock frequency band specific to the engine's bore (typically 5-15 kHz).
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 procedureP2336 is a generic OBD-II code meaning the knock sensor detected cylinder 1 knock activity above the calibration threshold — the PCM monitors the pie…
P2336 is a generic OBD-II code meaning the knock sensor detected cylinder 1 knock activity above the calibration threshold — the PCM monitors the piezoelectric knock sensor (0-5V signal range, AC waveform centered around a 2.5V bias) and band-pass filters it for the knock frequency band specific to the engine's bore (typically 5-15 kHz). When the filtered signal amplitude exceeds threshold during cylinder 1's combustion window, the PCM accumulates a knock count and, if the rate of events crosses calibration, sets P2336. This is a real knock event, not a sensor circuit fault (P0327/P0332 are sensor circuit codes).
Cheapest-first ladder
- Pull live data and verify the knock-retard PID — if the PCM has pulled 4-8 degrees of timing from cylinder 1 specifically, the knock is real and current. Check fuel grade first: a customer who switched from 91 to 87 octane on a tuned or premium-required engine will throw P2336 within a tank ($0 fix, swap fuel).
- Inspect for lean conditions on cylinder 1 — a clogged or dribbling injector, a vacuum leak at the cylinder 1 intake runner, or low fuel pressure all cause cylinder-1-specific lean burn that knocks. Smoke-test the intake.
- Pull the spark plug on cylinder 1 and read it for pre-ignition signs (melted electrode tip, aluminum splatter, ceramic crack) — pre-ignition means heat soak or carbon glow plug effect, often from carbon buildup on the piston crown of direct-injection engines.
- Pull the knock sensor and verify torque spec — knock sensors are torque-critical (typically 15-20 ft-lb on most platforms); over-torqued or under-torqued sensors produce false amplitude readings that look like real knock to the PCM.
- Verify EGR isn't stuck closed on EGR-equipped engines — loss of EGR raises cylinder temps and induces knock under load. Expensive-misdiagnosis caveat: don't tear into the engine for piston/ring inspection on a P2336 without first ruling out carbon buildup on direct-injection intake valves — a walnut-blast service on a 2010+ DI engine ($300-450) often clears chronic cylinder-1 knock that mimics mechanical damage, because carbon flakes acting as hot-spots are the actual cause.
Vehicle-specific patternsany direct-injection or turbocharged engine is P2336-prone — Ford EcoBoost 2.0/2.3/3.5L throws P2336 from carbon-fouled intake valves (no port-inject…
any direct-injection or turbocharged engine is P2336-prone — Ford EcoBoost 2.0/2.3/3.5L throws P2336 from carbon-fouled intake valves (no port-injection wash), from low-octane fuel on tuned vehicles, and from the well-known LPFP/HPFP fuel-pressure dropouts under boost. GM LSx and LT-series V8 (5.3L/6.0L/6.2L) sees P2336 from AFM/DFM lifter collapse on the deactivated cylinders, from carbon-induced pre-ignition on DI variants (LT1/LT4), and from worn knock-sensor harnesses under the intake. VW/Audi 2.0T TSI (EA888) throws P2336 from carbon buildup and from the well-documented HPFP cam-follower wear that drops fuel pressure under load. Subaru EJ25/FA20 sees P2336 from rod-bearing pre-failure (P2336 + tick at idle is the warning shot). Hyundai/Kia Theta II 2.0T and Lambda 3.3T GDI throw P2336 from carbon and from the recall-related rod-bearing failures that prompted the GDI engine warranty extensions.
Estimated repair$0 (fuel grade) to $4,500+ (engine internal).
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