OBD-II trouble code
P0253: Injection Pump Fuel Metering Control "A" Low (Cam/Rotor/Injector)
SAE J2012 APR2002: metering control A low. On the reprinted Chrysler shorts, less than 10 ohms is a fail. The printed pair is diagnosis only, because those steps repair a wire.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Fuel & Air
- Severity
- High severity
- Drivable
- No — stop driving until repaired
- Repair cost range
- $125 – $183 (check engine light diagnosis and testing, labor only; the diesel injection pump is outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Advanced DIY
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0253 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0253 Injection Pump Fuel Metering Control "A" Low (Cam/Rotor/Injector). Circuit low is measured with the control connected. Section 3.3 is the low characteristic at the module pin. P0254 is the high row. P0251 is the malfunction row whose reprints carry the lamp test.
Those P0251 reprints still contain the short checks that a low reading has to survive, and the direction is easy to reverse. After the ignition is off and the module is disconnected, an open-circuit measurement that is less than 10 ohms is a pass. A short-to-ground measurement that is less than 10 ohms is a fail: repair the short. The same 'less than 10 ohms means repair' direction is used for a short between the two actuator wires and for a short to another circuit. Voltage greater than 1 volt to battery negative is the external-voltage fail, which is the high-side electrical result, not this low row's short to ground.
An unplugged actuator pin that sits near zero is not the short-to-ground proof. The reprints measure resistance to battery negative for that short, with the module already disconnected on the earlier open-circuit step. Leaving the module connected lets the driver sit in the reading. Circuit IDs are not stable across reprints: K604/K65 in two of them, K181/K31 in another. Use the VIN chart's IDs.
No RepairPal line prices 'repair the K604 short'. The diesel pump average of $2,630–$4,034 was searched and is the part one P0251 reprint replaces on a lamp flash, not the wire these short steps repair. Diagnosis labor is the printed pair. Do not open a high-pressure fitting. Depressurize before a low-pressure connection is opened.
Common causes
- An open in the injection-pump fuel metering control A wire
- A short to ground in that wire
- A short between the actuator driver and the return
- A failed fuel metering control actuator
Symptoms
- P0253 stored
- A resistance to ground under 10 ohms on the driver the VIN chart names
- An open-circuit reading that is not under 10 ohms, which is the other fail
- P0254 stored if the wire is shorted to voltage instead
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Keep the actuator connected for the measurement the code is defined on. Unplugging is the isolation step, not the definition.
- 2.Ignition off, module disconnected, for the resistance work. Identify the driver and the return from the VIN diagram, not from a single forum's K-number.
- 3.Open circuit, each wire, end to end: less than 10 ohms continues; otherwise repair that open.
- 4.Short to ground: less than 10 ohms to battery negative repairs the short. Do not use the open-circuit pass sentence here.
- 5.Short between the two wires, and short to any other circuit at the module: less than 10 ohms is the fail on the reprints that state it that way.
- 6.Leave 'greater than 1 volt' on the external-voltage steps. That comparison is not the low-row short.
- 7.Do not replace the pump from this page. The $2,630–$4,034 average was searched and belongs to a disputed P0251 lamp step. Do not open high-pressure fuel. Depressurize a low-pressure fitting before it is opened.
- 8.Verify with the chart's powertrain verification, ignition on, engine off, in the bay.
Repair cost
$125 – $183 (check engine light diagnosis and testing, labor only; the diesel injection pump is outside this pair)
RepairPal's check engine light diagnosis and testing, updated 3 September 2026, is $125–$183 labor. The printed pair is that figure. The short-to-ground repair in the Chrysler reprints is a wire, and no parts-and-labor total for that wire was found. Diesel injection pump replacement is $2,630–$4,034 nationally, with a Ram 3500 line of $3,384–$7,376 and other year lines on that page. It was searched and is outside the pair. A fuel filter at $258–$322 was searched and is not ordered by the short steps.
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DIY vs shop
This is an advanced DIY job. It typically requires specialty tools, scan-tool access, lifting equipment, or careful sequencing to avoid causing new failures. Plan for extended downtime and have a backup vehicle. Most owners are better served by a shop that has done this repair before.