Fuel and air

P020B — Cylinder 2 Injection Timing Malfunction

Severity: medium Drive with care, to a shop

What P020B means

P020B means the engine control module detected abnormal injection timing or injector operation on cylinder 2. The module fires each injector at a calculated moment based on crankshaft and camshaft sensor signals and monitors the injector circuit. When actual operation does not match what was commanded, it stores the code and turns on the check engine light.

Symptoms

  • Check engine light on
  • Rough idle or misfire
  • Reduced power and sluggish acceleration
  • Worse fuel economy
  • Hesitation or jerking under load
  • Hard starting or unstable idle

Possible causes

  1. Faulty cylinder 2 fuel injector (electrical or mechanical)
  2. Damaged wiring or poor connection at the injector connector
  3. Failed injector driver circuit in the engine control module
  4. Faulty crankshaft or camshaft position sensor
  5. Fuel supply problem such as low pressure or a clogged filter
  6. Intake air leak upsetting the air-fuel mixture
  7. Timing component problem, such as a stretched chain or jumped belt

How to diagnose

  1. Scan all codes and freeze frame data, and note any misfire or position sensor codes.
  2. Inspect the cylinder 2 injector connector and wiring for corrosion, chafing, opens or shorts to ground.
  3. Measure injector coil resistance and compare it with the spec and with other cylinders.
  4. Check power and control signal at the injector connector with a scope or noid light.
  5. Review fuel trims and cylinder balance in live data.
  6. Test fuel pressure and check the filter and pump.
  7. Check the crank and cam sensors and their signals, and verify timing marks and correlation.
  8. Swap the injector with a neighboring cylinder: if the fault follows, the injector is bad.

Common fixes

  • Replace or bench-test and service the cylinder 2 injector
  • Repair the injector wiring harness and connector
  • Replace a faulty crankshaft or camshaft position sensor
  • Fix the air leak or fuel pressure problem
  • Reflash or replace the control module if the driver fault is confirmed

Questions and answers

What does P020B mean?

The engine computer found a problem with injection timing or operation on cylinder 2. Most often it is the injector itself or its wiring.

Can I drive with P020B?

Only briefly and gently, such as to a shop. Misfires can damage the catalytic converter, and if the check engine light flashes you should not keep driving.

How do I tell a bad injector from a wiring problem?

Measure the injector coil resistance and test the wiring to the module. You can also swap the injector with a neighbor and see whether the fault moves to that cylinder.

This is general information about the code. The meaning can differ between makes and models: a scan tool and the repair manual for your car will show the exact cause.