OBD-II trouble code
P0230: Fuel Pump Primary Circuit
SAE J2012 APR2002: fuel pump primary circuit. The 1999 Ford PCED watches the relay-coil side, and it moves that description to the fuel shutoff valve on natural gas. The printed pair is a fuel-pump relay, not the pump.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Fuel & Air Metering
- Severity
- High severity
- Drivable
- No — stop driving until repaired
- Repair cost range
- $90 – $110 (fuel pump relay replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026; the in-tank pump and a PCM are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Intermediate DIY
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0230 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0230 Fuel Pump Primary Circuit. P0231, P0232, and P0233 are the secondary circuit, low, high, and intermittent. Primary is the control side. Secondary is the feed the pump motor sees. The SAE row does not say the pump motor has failed.
The 1999 Ford PCED section 4, P0230, says the PCM monitors the fuel-pump circuit output. The test fails if, with the output commanded on (grounded), excessive current draw is detected, or if, with the output commanded off, voltage is not detected. The PCM expects to see VPWR coming through the fuel-pump relay coil to that circuit. An open or a short to ground can be detected only with the pump commanded off. A short to power can be detected only with the pump commanded on. KOEO and KOER self-tests cycle the command on and off. The cause list in that cell is an open or shorted fuel-pump circuit, an open VPWR circuit to the relay, a damaged relay, or a damaged PCM. The in-tank pump is not on that list.
The same cell says that for natural-gas applications the description applies to the fuel shutoff valve circuit. That sentence is the natural-gas note. It is not a gasoline pump test, and it is not P0215.
RepairPal's fuel pump relay page, updated 3 September 2026, says a click from applying power and ground to the coil is only the first half of the test. The second half is resistance across the relay compared with the data on the relay or in the service manual. It also says the ignition may provide a switched ground or a switched battery feed, and the test has to know which. It says not to rebuild a relay. That page's average is $89–$108, labor $41–$61 and parts about $48. That is the printed pair. RepairPal's fuel-pump replacement, $1,344–$1,513, is the pump motor and is outside the pair.
A primary circuit that cannot close the relay leaves the engine without pump power. Do not keep driving it. Depressurize before any fuel fitting is opened. The relay test itself does not open the rail.
Common causes
- A damaged fuel-pump relay, which the 1999 Ford list and the RepairPal relay job both include
- An open VPWR feed to the relay coil, which the Ford list separates from the relay
- An open or a short in the fuel-pump control circuit, detected in the key state the Ford note requires
- A short to power on that control circuit, which the Ford note says is visible only with the pump commanded on
- A damaged PCM, which is on the Ford list and is not the relay price
- The natural-gas fuel shutoff valve, only on the applications that PCED sentence names
- An in-tank pump, which is not on the Ford P0230 cause list
Symptoms
- P0230 stored
- No pump power when the primary circuit cannot close the relay
- The Ford FPF PID reading YES while the fault is present, which that aide uses as 'fault currently present'
- A relay that clicks and still fails the resistance check RepairPal describes
- A natural-gas shutoff complaint on the applications the PCED note names
- A pump replacement quoted for a code whose Ford causes stop at the relay, the coil feed, the control wire, and the PCM
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Do not keep driving. A primary fault can remove pump power.
- 2.Read P0231 and P0232 as the secondary codes. Stay on the relay-coil circuit for P0230 unless this chart says otherwise.
- 3.On a 1999-PCED Ford, command the pump off to see an open or a short to ground, and command it on to see a short to power. KOEO and KOER cycle that command. Confirm whether this application is the natural-gas shutoff-valve case before using a gasoline relay.
- 4.Pull the relay. RepairPal's test is coil power and ground, correct polarity, then resistance compared with the relay or the manual. Identify switched ground versus switched battery feed before calling a pin dead. Do not open the relay case to repair it.
- 5.Relay out: check the coil feed for an open, and the control wire for an open, a short to ground, and a short to voltage. Continuity is ignition off, both ends disconnected. The short-to-voltage check is the powered one, in the command state the Ford note requires.
- 6.The PCM is the Ford cause that remains after the relay, the VPWR feed, and the control wire test good. It is not in the relay price.
- 7.Do not replace the in-tank pump from this code alone. Depressurize only if a fuel fitting actually has to come apart.
- 8.Verify with the pump commanded on and off, the way the self-test cycles it, and with the FPF PID or this chart's equivalent.
Repair cost
$90 – $110 (fuel pump relay replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026; the in-tank pump and a PCM are outside this pair)
RepairPal's fuel pump relay replacement, updated 3 September 2026, averages $89–$108 (labor $41–$61, parts about $48), rounded to $90–$110. RepairPal's fuel pump replacement averages $1,344–$1,513 and is outside the pair. The 1999 Ford PCED cause list for P0230 does not name the pump motor. A damaged PCM on that list is not in the pair. Check-engine diagnosis is $125–$183 and is separate. The natural-gas fuel shutoff valve, where that PCED note applies, is not this relay average.
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DIY vs shop
This is an intermediate DIY job. It usually involves diagnostic steps, specialty parts, and some careful work in tight spaces. If you have the tools and a service manual or trustworthy video for your specific vehicle, it is achievable in a weekend. Otherwise, a competent independent shop will be faster.