Fuel and air

P0282 — Cylinder 8 Injector Circuit Low

Severity: medium Drive with care, to a shop

What P0282 means

The engine control unit fires the cylinder 8 injector by switching its circuit to ground through an internal driver, and it monitors the voltage in that circuit. P0282 sets when the voltage is lower than expected, for example from a short to ground, a failed injector coil or a faulty driver. As a result, the cylinder may get the wrong amount of fuel or none at all.

Symptoms

  • Check Engine light on
  • Rough or unstable idle
  • Misfire on cylinder 8
  • Loss of power or hesitation when accelerating
  • Worse fuel economy
  • Engine vibration, especially at idle

Possible causes

  1. Failed cylinder 8 fuel injector (shorted or open coil)
  2. Open circuit or short to ground in the injector wiring
  3. Corroded or loose injector connector
  4. Failed injector driver inside the engine computer
  5. Poor ground or power supply to the injector circuit
  6. Wiring damaged by heat or rubbing against engine parts

How to diagnose

  1. Scan all codes and freeze frame data, and note any related misfire codes
  2. Inspect the cylinder 8 injector connector and wiring for chafing, melting or corrosion
  3. Measure injector coil resistance and compare it with the other injectors or the factory spec
  4. Check for power and a control signal at the injector connector with a multimeter or noid light
  5. Test the control wire for opens and shorts to ground back to the computer
  6. Swap the injector with another cylinder and see whether the fault follows it
  7. Review fuel trims and cylinder balance on a scan tool
  8. If the wiring and injector are good, inspect the computer connector and the driver itself

Common fixes

  • Clean or replace a corroded or loose injector connector
  • Repair or replace the damaged section of wiring
  • Replace the faulty cylinder 8 fuel injector
  • Repair or replace the engine computer if the driver has failed

Questions and answers

What does P0282 mean?

It means the engine computer sees too low a voltage in the cylinder 8 injector circuit. The usual culprits are the injector itself, a short in the wiring or a bad connector.

Can I drive with a P0282 code?

A short trip to a shop is usually possible, but with reduced power and rough running. Driving for long with misfires can damage the catalytic converter.

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

Swap the injector with a neighboring cylinder. If the code moves to that cylinder, the injector is bad. If it stays on cylinder 8, look at the wiring, connector or computer.

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.