Can I drive with P0202?

Briefly and gently. A dead cylinder pumps unburned air (and any leaking fuel) through the exhaust and stresses the catalytic converter.

Injector or wiring — fastest check?

Resistance-match injector 2 against a neighbor, then swap them. Ten minutes, no parts bought blind.

Why is it "circuit/open" and not "clogged"?

P0202 is electrical — the ECU can't complete the injector circuit. A clogged injector flows badly but still measures electrically fine.

Fuel / Electrical · Generic OBD-II

P0202 — Cylinder 2 Injector Circuit/Open

The ECU sees an open circuit on cylinder 2's fuel injector — that cylinder isn't getting fuel commands, so expect a dead-cylinder misfire.

By iCarsoft Engineering Team Updated July 2, 2026 Checked against SAE J2012

Quick reference

Severity

High

Safe to drive

Caution

System

Fuel / Electrical

Code type

Generic

Repair level

DIY-Moderate

Typical cost

$80–$600

A swap test costs nothing and answers half the diagnosis: move injector 2 to another cylinder and see if the code follows.

What triggers it

Common causes, most likely first

Failed injector coil (open winding)

The injector's solenoid winding has gone open-circuit — no click, no fuel.

Very common

Wiring damage to injector 2

A broken feed or control wire between harness and injector.

Common

Corroded/loose connector

Oil-soaked or backed-out pins at the injector plug.

Common

ECU driver failure

The injector driver stage inside the ECU — rare, diagnosed by elimination.

Rare

How it shows up

Symptoms you'll notice

Persistent misfire on cylinder 2 — usually with P0302 alongside.
Rough idle and vibration — one cylinder doing nothing.
Power loss — proportional to losing a cylinder.
Check Engine light — may flash under load.

How to pinpoint it

Diagnostic steps

Confirm with companion codes

P0202 + P0302 together = cylinder 2 electrical fuel fault, not a general misfire chase.Tool: any scan tool

Measure injector resistance

Compare cylinder 2 against its neighbors (typically 10–16 Ω high-impedance). Open = replace.Tool: multimeter

Check the connector and wiring

Inspect pins, wiggle-test, and verify supply voltage at the plug with key on.Tool: visual + multimeter

Swap injectors between cylinders

If the code follows the injector, it's the part; if it stays on cylinder 2, it's wiring or driver.Tool: hand tools

Run an injector actuation test

Command injector 2 and listen/measure — verifies the whole circuit end to end.Tool: bidirectional test

What the fix costs

Repair & cost

Fuel injector

$80–300

Access varies a lot by engine

Wiring/connector repair

$80–250

Pin and loom work

Diagnosis

$100–150

One shop hour

Estimates are indicative and vary by region, vehicle and parts choice. Confirm the actual cause with live data before buying parts.

Diagnose it yourself

The right iCarsoft tool for P0202

iCarsoft CR Pro S

CR Pro S commands individual injectors on demand and shows per-cylinder misfire counters — the swap-test companion that proves the circuit end to end without guesswork.

Full-system scanLive data graphingBi-directional testsService resets

View iCarsoft CR Pro S Compare tools

Coming soon

Analyze your exact vehicle with the AI Co-Pilot

Enter your make, model and what you're seeing — the iCarsoft AI assistant will rank the likely causes for your car and suggest the next test.

Try the AI Co-Pilot

Quick answers

P0202 FAQ

Can I drive with P0202?: Briefly and gently. A dead cylinder pumps unburned air (and any leaking fuel) through the exhaust and stresses the catalytic converter.
Injector or wiring — fastest check?: Resistance-match injector 2 against a neighbor, then swap them. Ten minutes, no parts bought blind.
Why is it "circuit/open" and not "clogged"?: P0202 is electrical — the ECU can't complete the injector circuit. A clogged injector flows badly but still measures electrically fine.

P0202 — Cylinder 2 Injector Circuit/Open