OBD-II trouble code
P0262: Cylinder 1 Injector Circuit High
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 1 injector circuit high. On the 2009 Pontiac G3 the ECM calls this a short to voltage. The printed pair is one injector, after the wire is cleared.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Fuel Injectors
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, after the 2009 G3 circuit tests pass; a short to voltage and the ECM are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0262 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0262 Cylinder 1 Injector Circuit High. Circuit high is measured with the injector connected. On the 2009 Pontiac G3 chart the detecting condition is specific: the ECM detects the injector control circuit shorted to voltage. An open on that car sets P0261, not P0262. The fault table matches that split. Injector 1 control shorted to voltage sets P0262 and P0300. Short to ground and open set P0261 and P0300.
The driver is still the low side. Ignition voltage feeds the injector, and the ECM grounds terminal 1. A short to voltage on that control wire holds the low side up, which is why the G3's always-off lamp is the branch that mentions a short to voltage. The same sentence also says 'or an open'. The descriptor for P0262 does not include the open. Test both, and do not rename an open as P0262 or a short to voltage as P0261.
The lamp steps are shared with the low code and have to be kept in order. Ignition off, unplug cylinder 1. Ignition on, terminal 2 to ground must light a test lamp. No light is the ignition feed, a short to ground or an open, and a fuse if it blew. That dark feed lamp is not the circuit-high result. Then J 34730-405 between terminal 1 and terminal 2, engine running, should flash. Always off: test the control circuit for a short to voltage or an open; if the circuit tests normal, replace the ECM. Always on: test for a short to ground, then the ECM if the wire is normal. An always-on lamp is the short-to-ground picture, which this descriptor does not name. Do not replace the injector for an always-on lamp.
Resistance remains 11–14 ohms, terminals 2 and 1, ignition off, unplugged, coolant 10–32°C (50–90°F). A coil inside that window does not clear a short to voltage in the harness. The short is a wiring result. The injector is replaced when the circuits test normal, or when the ohms are outside 11–14 in the temperature window.
Nothing in the G3 page says cylinder 1 sits under a water pump. That location claim is not used here. The LY7 bank chart is a different connector and is not this terminal 1.
Common causes
- Cylinder 1's control wire shorted to voltage, which is the G3 descriptor for P0262 and sets P0300 with it
- An always-off injector test lamp, which the G3 then tests as a short to voltage or an open
- The ECM, only after that control wire tests normal
- An injector outside 11–14 ohms at 10–32°C, which is the component test and not the short
- A dark test lamp on terminal 2, which is the ignition feed and not P0262's control-wire result
- An always-on lamp treated as this code, which the chart sends to a short-to-ground test and to P0261's descriptor
Symptoms
- P0262 stored
- P0300 stored with it on the G3 short-to-voltage row
- J 34730-405 dark while the engine runs, after terminal 2 has already lit a lamp
- 11–14 ohms at the injector while the harness short to voltage is still present
- Open-loop fuel, which the G3 commands when this Type B code sets
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Separate P0262 from P0261 before the lamp test. On the G3, high is shorted to voltage. Low is open or shorted to ground.
- 2.Ignition off, unplug cylinder 1. Ignition on. Terminal 2 to ground must light. If it does not, repair the feed for a short to ground or an open. Stop there for the feed. It is not the control short.
- 3.Ignition off. J 34730-405 between terminal 1 and terminal 2. Engine running, expect a flash. Stay off the belt and the fan.
- 4.Always off: test the control wire for a short to voltage and, separately, for an open, with both ends disconnected and the ignition off for the resistance work. Replace the ECM only if those circuit tests are normal. Always on: that is the short-to-ground branch, not this descriptor.
- 5.Ohms only after the circuits are cleared, or as the component test the G3 places at the end: 11–14 ohms, 10–32°C, ignition off, unplugged. A coil in spec does not repair a shorted harness.
- 6.Depressurize before the injector is removed. Disconnect the battery for fuel work. The $768–$953 pair is the injector, not the wire and not the ECM.
- 7.Verify engine running, inside the 11–16 volt enable, with P0262 not returning.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, after the 2009 G3 circuit tests pass; a short to voltage and the ECM are outside this pair)
RepairPal's fuel injector replacement, updated 3 September 2026, is $768–$953 (labor $304–$446, parts $464–$507). The printed pair is that national average for the injector replaced when the circuits test normal or the coil is outside 11–14 ohms. A short to voltage in the control wire and an ECM are outside the pair. Other vehicle lines on the estimator are outside it. Diagnosis is $125–$183 labor and is separate. RepairPal says the replacement removes the intake on the engines it covers and is not a DIY repair.
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DIY vs shop
Leave this one to a qualified shop. The barrier here is high-pressure fuel components, where residual pressure remains after shutdown and escaping fuel can penetrate skin. DIY attempts often produce a more expensive problem than the original code.