OBD-II trouble code
P0286: Cylinder 9 Injector Circuit High
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 9 injector circuit high. A VAG-group list calls it a short to positive. The M5 page that was read for cylinder 9 is the low code. The printed pair is one injector if the chart replaces the valve.
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, only if this vehicle's chart replaces the valve after the harness test; a P0286 S85 page was not read, and the wiring is outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0286 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0286 Cylinder 9 Injector Circuit High. P0285 is cylinder 9 circuit low. A VAG-group list prints 16670 P0286 as injector 9-299, short to positive. The same list's previous line, 16669, is P0285 and a short circuit to ground, and it prints the same '9-299' text. The list is a label. It is not a voltage procedure, and '9-299' is not a part number established by a service manual that was read.
The 2010 BMW M5 S85 page that names cylinder 9 is 276F - P0285. Its memory line is a short circuit to ground, and its speed limit is 3500 rpm. That page was not a P0286 page. A search of the S85 chart titles that came back did not include a P0286 memory line, so this page does not assign 5000 rpm, a short to B+, or fault hex 276F to P0286. Those details stay on the codes whose pages printed them.
The 2009 G3 chart ends at P0271. The 2008 G8 chart ends at P0277. The 2007 E-350 6.0L FICM fault list is a V8 list, cylinders 1 through 8, and it does not name P0286. A short to ground setting a high code is that diesel's rule for the cylinders on that list, and it is not copied onto a V10 from a label that says short to positive.
Where an M5 page was actually read, the service order was the plug and the harness first, and the valve second, replaced as indicated. That order was read on 276F for P0285 and on the other S85 pages in this set. It was not read on a P0286 document. Confirm the step list in the S85 document for this code before a valve is bought. Cylinder 9's position comes from the numbering diagram.
Common causes
- On the VAG-group list, a short to positive on the injector that line labels 9-299
Symptoms
- P0286 stored
- P0285 stored beside it, which is the code the 2010 M5 page actually describes
- No rpm limit is stated here, because the P0286 effect line was not in the pages read
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Separate P0286 from P0285. The M5 page in hand for cylinder 9 is the ground code, 3500 rpm, hex 276F. Do not file this high code with that sentence.
- 2.Read the numbering diagram for cylinder 9. Do not assume a bank from the code number.
- 3.Open the injector-circuit chart for this vehicle. The G3, the G8, and the 6.0L FICM page do not list P0286.
- 4.On the M5 pages that were read, the plug and the harness come before the valve. Confirm that order on this code's own page before the valve is replaced. A P0286 S85 page was not among them.
- 5.Depressurize before a valve is removed. The printed pair is one injector when the chart reaches a valve. The wiring is outside it. If the chart never reaches a valve, the pair does not apply and the diagnosis line is the separate figure.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, only if this vehicle's chart replaces the valve after the harness test; a P0286 S85 page was not read, and the wiring is outside this pair)
RepairPal's national fuel-injector replacement, 3 September 2026, is $768–$953 (labor $304–$446, parts $464–$507). The printed pair is that job, and only when the chart for this vehicle says to replace the valve. No P0286 service action was in the M5 pages read, so the pair is not claimed as step 2 of a document that was not opened. Wiring is outside. Diagnosis is $125–$183 labor and is separate. The 2026 F-150 injector line, $1,130–$1,415, is outside the national pair. A search for an M5-specific injector total on that estimator did not return a separate line.
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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.