OBD-II trouble code
P0291: Cylinder 11 Injector Circuit Low
SAE J2012 APR2002: cylinder 11 injector circuit low. A VAG-group list calls injector 11-N301 a short-circuit to ground. No M5 page for this code was read. 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, when this vehicle's chart replaces the valve after the harness test; no cylinder 11 M5 page was read, and wiring is outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0291 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0291 Cylinder 11 Injector Circuit Low. P0292 is cylinder 11 circuit high. P0293 is cylinder 11 contribution/balance. A VAG-group list prints 16675 P0291 as injector 11-N301, short-circuit to ground. The following line, 16676, is the same N301 and a short to positive, filed as P0292. The designator is shared. The fault text is what changes.
No BMW M5 S85 page for cylinder 11 was in the charts that were opened. The 3500 rpm short-to-ground lines that were read belong to specific pages: 276F is cylinder 9, P0285, and 2770 is cylinder 10, P0288. Neither page mentions cylinder 11, so neither rpm figure and neither hex is moved here. The G3 chart has four injectors. The G8 chart has six. The 6.0L FICM fault list is an eight-cylinder current test and does not name cylinder 11. 19-NA-232's last contribution code is P0284. None of those is a cylinder 11 circuit test.
The M5 pages that were read check the plug and the wiring harness before they check the valve. That order is cited as the order on those pages, not as a page that names P0291. The chart for the vehicle on the hoist decides the order here. Cylinder 11 is the injector the numbering diagram calls 11, which on a V12 is not 'the back one' unless that diagram says so.
Common causes
- On the VAG-group list, a short circuit to ground on injector 11-N301
Symptoms
- P0291 stored
- P0292 stored if the VAG list's short-to-positive line is the one that fits
- No speed limit is printed on this page
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Read the numbering diagram and identify injector 11 before any connector is opened.
- 2.Use this vehicle's circuit-low test. Do not apply G3 terminal 1, the G8 multi-way, or the 6.0L current split.
- 3.Do not copy 276F or 2770. Those are P0285 and P0288.
- 4.A short to positive on the VAG list is the next code, P0292, same N301 designator. Write down which fault text you actually have.
- 5.The opened M5 pages put the plug and harness ahead of the valve. Confirm that sequence in the chart that names P0291. Depressurize before a valve is removed. The printed pair is one injector when that chart reaches the valve.
Repair cost
$768 – $953 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, when this vehicle's chart replaces the valve after the harness test; no cylinder 11 M5 page was read, and wiring is outside this pair)
RepairPal lists a national fuel-injector replacement of $768–$953 on the page updated 3 September 2026, labor $304–$446 and parts $464–$507. The printed pair is that job if, and only if, the chart in use says to replace the valve. No S85 page naming P0291 was read, so the pair is not attributed to 276F or 2770. Wiring is outside. Diagnosis is $125–$183, separate. The 2026 Tucson line at $456–$604 is not the national figure.
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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.