OBD-II trouble code
P0275: Cylinder 5 Contribution/Balance
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 5 contribution/balance. The cylinders-1-through-4 balance sheet does not include this cylinder. The printed pair is one injector after the L5P crank is even.
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 19-NA-232 crank is even; the LWN induction leak and a compression repair are outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0275 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0275 Cylinder 5 Contribution/Balance. P0273 is circuit low and P0274 is circuit high. A VAG-group list prints 16659 P0275 as a fuel-injection quantity deviation on cylinder 5. It does not give a rate limit.
SB-10030789-2893 monitors balancing rates for cylinders 1 through 4. Cylinder 5 is outside that sentence. Do not judge cylinder 5 on a step that stops at cylinder 4, and do not borrow that sheet's 'do not replace on the rate alone' warning as if the sheet had measured this cylinder. The warning is real for the cylinders it names.
19-NA-232, NHTSA MC-10168238, does list P0275. The trucks are 2017–2020 Silverado and Sierra with the L5D and L5P, plus the cab-chassis years in the header, and the misfire codes beside it are P0300 through P0308. Causes named: fuel injector, electrical issue, loss of cylinder compression. Pull the fuel-pump control module B+ fuse from the underhood block, connect the scope across the battery, crank two to three seconds, and look at the downward spikes. The bulletin's passing picture is an even set of spikes. A short spike is the compression path. Reinstall the fuse. Clear codes that the missing fuse stored.
17-NA-194, NHTSA MC-10166641, lists P0275 on 2016–2020 Colorado, Canyon, Express, and Savana with the LWN. The cause it names is an induction-system leak, tested with Charge Air Cooler Diagnosis, the full-system air leak test. LBT-149 records Duramax balance rates for cylinders 1–8, which does include cylinder 5, at +4 mm³ to −4 mm³ in Neutral or Park and +6 mm³ to −6 mm³ in Drive, coolant above 82°C (180°F), idle longer than 30 seconds, parking brake set. If any DTC other than P0300–P0308 is set, that reprint says to go to the vehicle DTC list first. Those millimetres are not printed in 19-NA-232.
Common causes
- On a 19-NA-232 L5D or L5P, loss of cylinder compression
- A fuel injector or an electrical fault on that bulletin after the battery-voltage dips match
- On a 17-NA-194 LWN, an induction-system leak
- A Duramax cylinder 5 quantity outside +4 mm³ to −4 mm³ in Park, or outside +6 mm³ to −6 mm³ in Drive
Symptoms
- P0275 stored
- P0300 through P0308 on a truck 19-NA-232 covers
- An LWN storing another code from the 17-NA-194 list
- A Duramax balance rate that changes between Neutral and Drive
- P0274 stored, which is the circuit-high page
Diagnostic steps
- 1.If P0273 or P0274 is stored, finish that circuit test before treating the contribution code.
- 2.Do not run SB-10030789's cylinder 1–4 balance step as the test for cylinder 5.
- 3.On a listed L5D or L5P, remove the FPCM B+ fuse, crank two to three seconds, save the trace, refit the fuse, clear the codes the open fuse set. Compare downward spikes. A weak spike goes to mechanical diagnosis.
- 4.On a listed LWN, run the full-system charge-air leak test. The bulletin's cause is an induction leak.
- 5.On the Duramax LBT-149 describes, record cylinders 1–8 in Drive with the brake held, then again in Neutral. Keep the +6/−6 mm³ window on Drive and the +4/−4 mm³ window on Park or Neutral. Other DTCs besides P0300–P0308 send you to the DTC list first.
- 6.Depressurize before an injector is opened. The printed pair is one injector after compression is not low. The charge-air repair is outside it.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, after the 19-NA-232 crank is even; the LWN induction leak and a compression repair are outside this pair)
The printed pair is RepairPal's national fuel-injector replacement of 3 September 2026, $768–$953, labor $304–$446 and parts $464–$507, for the injector that remains after 19-NA-232 rules compression out. The charge-air job and a compression repair were searched and are not priced on this page. Diagnosis is $125–$183, separate. LBT-149 does not publish a price. The 2026 F-150 injector line, $1,130–$1,415, is outside the 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.