What it means
Cold-start injector drive line stuck low — short to ground. Wiring faults of this kind typically come from chafing, water ingress at connector seals, or pin push-back — a wiggle test on the harness while the code is active often confirms the location.
At a glance
- Usually lights the check-engine light
- Affects emissions; the car can fail an emissions test
How it works
The cold-start fuel injection control circuit carries the module's drive signal to an auxiliary injector or related output used during very cold starts on some engines. The module detects the circuit held at an abnormally low electrical level, commonly because the signal wire is shorted to ground.
Common causes
Most likely first.
- Short to ground
- Connector pins corroded - high contact resistance
- Harness chafing through insulation
Symptoms
- Check engine light on
- Hard starting when the engine is cold
- Rough running just after a cold start
How to diagnose it
- Record freeze-frame data and check whether the fault appeared during a cold-start command or persists continuously.
- Inspect the cold-start injector connector and nearby harness for moisture, corrosion, chafing, or a pin touching ground.
- With the circuit isolated as directed by the manufacturer's procedure, check the control wire for an unintended path to ground.
- Wiggle the harness while monitoring the circuit or code status to identify an intermittent short caused by chafing or a loose terminal.
- If the harness is clear, test the injector and module output circuit according to the manufacturer's specification to distinguish a wiring short from a component fault.
Common fixes
- Repair chafed insulation where the cold-start control wire is contacting ground.
- Clean or replace corroded terminals and restore a secure connector seal.
- Reseat or repair a pin pushed back in the injector or module connector.
- Replace a faulty cold-start injector or repair the module output only if circuit testing identifies it as the cause.
Can I keep driving?
Cold starting may be difficult and the engine may run roughly just after starting, while warm operation can remain normal. Limit repeated cold-start attempts to avoid draining the battery or stressing the starter.
A code shows where the control module detected a fault, not always which part failed. Check the causes in order and confirm with a test before replacing parts. Have several codes? Check them together
This is a generic code: it means the same on every make. The car’s maker may add more detail in its own service information.