What are the common causes of P230C?

A cylinder 3 fuel injector that cannot balance its air-fuel ratio. A worn spark plug or coil on cylinder 3. Low compression on cylinder 3. A vacuum leak at cylinder 3.

Run a cylinder balance test and read cylinder 3 contribution. Swap the cylinder 3 injector with a known good cylinder and retest. Inspect the cylinder 3 spark plug and coil. Run a compression test on cylinder 3. Repair the cylinder 3 fault found and rerun the balance test. Clear the code and retest.

P230C

Cylinder 3 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance - Adjustment At Limit During Balance

System: Ignition and misfire (P code)
Lamp: Check Engine Light
Category: Powertrain - Ignition

What it means

P230C means Cylinder 3 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance - Adjustment At Limit During Balance.

Check these first

A cylinder 3 fuel injector that cannot balance its air-fuel ratio
A worn spark plug or coil on cylinder 3
Low compression on cylinder 3
A vacuum leak at cylinder 3

What to do next

Run a cylinder balance test and read cylinder 3 contribution
Swap the cylinder 3 injector with a known good cylinder and retest
Inspect the cylinder 3 spark plug and coil
Run a compression test on cylinder 3
Repair the cylinder 3 fault found and rerun the balance test
Clear the code and retest

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Updated

Generic SAE J2012 definition. Last updated 2026-10-10.