OBD-II trouble code
P0268: Cylinder 3 Injector Circuit High
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 3 injector circuit high. The 2010 BMW M5 S85 stores this as a short to B+ and limits speed to 5000 rpm. The printed pair is one injector after the plug and harness are checked.
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 M5 plug-and-harness step or the G3/G8 circuit tests; the short to B+ and the module are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0268 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0268 Cylinder 3 Injector Circuit High. A VAG-group list prints 16652 P0268 as injector 3-N32, short-positive. That is a label. The service action comes from the manual that names the car.
The 2010 BMW M5 (E60) V10-5.0L S85 page files this as 2769 - P0268, electrical diagnosis of cylinder 3's fuel injector, saved in the DME. Fault memory requires driver information, terminal 15 on, and battery voltage above K_ED_PlusMin. The memory line says the driver info includes a short circuit to B+. The service action is ordered: check the plug and the wiring harness on the injection valve, then check the valve and replace as indicated. Rough idle, engine speed limited to 5000 rpm, power reduction, and the MIL after the engine runs twice are the effects that page prints. The warning-light line on that page says no. Do not start with a new valve. The plug and the harness are step 1.
The 2009 Pontiac G3 1.6L setting line agrees on the direction and disagrees on the test. There P0268 is the control circuit shorted to voltage. An open or a short to ground is P0267. On the 7.5–16 V Type A procedure, AllOEMManuals G3 L4-1.6L and gm.saturn.team 7725/145178, ignition is terminal 1 and control is terminal 2. Document 8100/175665 prints the opposite terminals, 11–16 volts, and Type B, so those pins are not every 2009 G3 connector. The feed lamp at terminal 1 has to light before J 34730-405 is judged. An always-off lamp is tested as a short to voltage or an open. An always-on lamp is the short-to-ground branch and is not this code. That 7.5–16 V Type A procedure enables with the engine running and commands open-loop fuel. The BMW 5000 rpm limit is not a G3 instruction.
The 2008 G8 3.6L page times the same direction: shorted to voltage for greater than 4 seconds or for a cumulative of 30 seconds. The open on that page is P0203. After the multi-way is disconnected, a test lamp from the control pin to ground should stay dark. If it lights, test for a short to voltage, and replace the ECM only if the wire tests normal. The 2.6–4.6 volt reading is a later step and a miss there is an open test. Coil resistance on the G8 page is 12–16 ohms. The G3 window remains 11–14 ohms at 10–32°C. Do not mix them, and do not mix either window with the M5, which prints no ohm limit on the 2769 page.
Common causes
- On the 2010 M5 S85, a short circuit to B+ in cylinder 3's injector driver info, fault 2769
- A short to B+ in that injection valve's plug or harness
- On the 7.5–16 V Type A G3 procedure, injector 3's control circuit shorted to voltage
- On the G8, a short to voltage held for greater than 4 seconds or a cumulative of 30 seconds
- The ECM or DME driver, after the harness on that chart tests normal
Symptoms
- P0268 stored
- On the 2010 M5 page, rough idle, speed limited to 5000 rpm, and power reduction
- MIL after the engine has run twice, which is that page's breakdown line
- An always-off G3 injector lamp after terminal 1 has lit
- A G8 control-pin lamp to ground that lights
Diagnostic steps
- 1.On a 2010 M5 S85, confirm terminal 15 is on and battery voltage is above K_ED_PlusMin before treating 2769 as current. Check the plug and the harness on cylinder 3's injection valve. Only then check the valve and replace it as indicated. The 5000 rpm limit is that page's effect, not a test limit you set with a tool.
- 2.On the 7.5–16 V Type A procedure, unplug injector 3 with the ignition off. Key on, ignition terminal 1 to ground must light. No light: repair the ignition feed. A dark feed lamp is not the short to voltage that sets this code. The G3 procedure files an open as P0267, and the G8 files an open as P0203.
- 3.On that procedure, J 34730-405 from control terminal 2 to ignition terminal 1, engine running. Always off: short to voltage, and an open as a separate result. Always on is P0267's short-to-ground branch. Stay off the belt and the fan.
- 4.On a G8, disconnect the multi-way, expect the P0201–P0206 opens, prove the supply lamp, then the control pin to ground. A lit lamp is the short-to-voltage test. ECM only if the wire is normal. 2.6–4.6 volts is the open check that follows.
- 5.Do not transfer the M5 5000 rpm sentence, the G3 11–14 ohm window, or the G8 12–16 ohm window onto a car the page does not name.
- 6.Depressurize before the valve comes out. The printed pair is one injector after the harness step. The plug, the harness, and the module are outside it.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, after the M5 plug-and-harness step or the G3/G8 circuit tests; the short to B+ and the module are outside this pair)
RepairPal lists fuel injector replacement at $768–$953 on the national page updated 3 September 2026 (labor $304–$446, parts $464–$507). The printed pair is that average for the valve the M5 replaces as indicated, or the injector the G3 and G8 replace when the circuits test normal. It is not an M5-only price, and the 2026 F-150 line at $1,130–$1,415 is outside it. A harness repair and a DME or ECM are outside it. Diagnosis is $125–$183 and is separate.
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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.