OBD-II trouble code
P0273: Cylinder 5 Injector Circuit Low
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 5 injector circuit low. The 2010 BMW M5 stores a short to ground and a 3500 rpm limit. An open on that engine's 2008 page is P0205. The printed pair is one injector.
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 2010 M5 harness step or the G8 circuit tests; the bank feed 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 P0273 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0273 Cylinder 5 Injector Circuit Low. The 2009 G3 chart does not include a cylinder 5. P0274 is the circuit-high code. A VAG-group list prints 16657 P0273 as injector 5-N83, short-circuit to ground.
The 2010 BMW M5 (E60) S85 page is 276B - P0273, electrical diagnosis of cylinder 5's fuel injector. Memory: driver info includes a short circuit to ground. Terminal 15 on, battery voltage above K_ED_PlusMin. Check the plug and the harness, then the valve, replaced as indicated. Effect: rough idle, speed limited to 3500 rpm, power reduction, MIL after the engine runs twice. A 2008 M5 page uses hex 276B for P0205 and the memory line 'open load', with the speed limit at 5000 rpm. A 2008 page also uses 276B for P0274 and a short to B+, again at 5000 rpm. Three uses of one hex. The year and the SAE code pick the fault. An open load is not this low code.
The 2008 Pontiac G8 3.6L chart does include cylinder 5. P0273 sets when the control circuit is shorted to ground for greater than 4 seconds or for a cumulative of 30 seconds. The open is P0205, on the same timing. The short to voltage is P0274. Engine speed greater than 80 rpm, ignition 10–18 volts, injector commanded on and off at least once. Disconnecting the multi-way sets P0201–P0206 and the note says to expect that. Supply lamp first. Control pin to B+ must stay dark; if it lights, short-to-ground test, ECM only if the wire is normal. Then 2.6–4.6 volts, and a miss is an open/high-resistance test. Coil test 12–16 ohms.
The 2007 LY7 procedure asks whether P0261, P0267, and P0273 are set at the same time. Yes means that bank's ignition feed is shorted to ground, not three injectors. The lamp to B+ on the injector side of the multi-way decides which half of the feed is shorted. A lit lamp is the injector side and the upper intake comes off for that repair. A dark lamp is the fuse side.
Common causes
- On the 2010 M5, a short circuit to ground on cylinder 5, fault 276B
- A short to ground in that injection valve's plug or harness
- On the G8, a short to ground for greater than 4 seconds or a cumulative of 30 seconds
- On the 2007 LY7 chart, the shared bank ignition feed shorted to ground
- The ECM driver, after the short-to-ground test of the control wire is normal
Symptoms
- P0273 stored
- On the 2010 M5 page, speed limited to 3500 rpm
- A G8 lamp from the control pin to B+ that lights
- P0205 stored when the fault is an open instead
- The LY7 trio P0261, P0267, and P0273
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Do not open a G3 manual for cylinder 5. That chart ends at cylinder 4.
- 2.On the 2010 M5, check the plug and harness before the valve. Do not apply the 2008 open-load page or the 2008 short-to-B+ page. Those are P0205 and P0274.
- 3.On the G8, ignition off, open the multi-way, expect P0201–P0206. Prove the supply lamp. Split an open fuse (feed shorted to ground) from a good fuse (feed open). Then the control pin to B+.
- 4.A lit control lamp is the short-to-ground test. The 2.6–4.6 volt step is next and is the open test. 12–16 ohms is the coil test, with no temperature window on that line.
- 5.If P0261, P0267, and P0273 are stored together on the LY7 chart, go to the bank feed. A lamp to B+ that lights is the injector side. A lamp that stays dark is the fuse side.
- 6.Depressurize before the injector is removed. The printed pair is one injector after the harness tests. The feed repair and the module are outside it.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, after the 2010 M5 harness step or the G8 circuit tests; the bank feed and the module are outside this pair)
National RepairPal injector replacement, updated 3 September 2026, is $768–$953 with labor $304–$446 and parts $464–$507. The printed pair is that job for one injector once the named chart reaches the valve. The LY7 feed repair, a fuse, and an ECM or DME are outside. Diagnosis is $125–$183 labor and is separate. The 2026 F-150 injector estimate of $1,130–$1,415 is another line, not this national pair.
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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.