P230CCylinder 3 Air-Fuel Ratio Imbalance - Adjustment At Limit During Balance
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- P230C is the balance-limit code for cylinder 3. On three-cylinder engines this is the last cylinder of the row; on fours and larger engines it sits further inside. The engine control trims the fuel of each cylinder separately to even out mixture differences, and P230C means the trim for cylinder 3 is used up. No manufacturer documents this exact code publicly and the NHTSA index lists no bulletin for it. Comparable data come from VW, whose 2014 Beetle table derives the plain imbalance codes from a per-cylinder fuel correction found by deliberate leaning, and from Mercedes, whose M260/M264 bulletins blame a leaking valve seat when cylinder 3 shows irregular mixture formation. A compression and leak-down test on cylinder 3 is worth doing before injectors are swapped.
- What you may notice
- Check engine light on
- Rough idle, possibly misfire on cylinder 3
- Higher fuel consumption or exhaust smell
- Likely causes
- LikelyInjector of cylinder 3 delivering too much or too little (deposits, wear)
- PossibleAir leak at the intake port or injector seal of cylinder 3
- PossibleValve of cylinder 3 not sealing (worn seat or guide), low compression
- RarePoor contact at the connector of injector 3
- Inspection (ITP)
- Matters for the ITP. While the check-engine light is on, the car fails the emissions check.
- Repair
- Medium · Usually a job for a workshop.Typical cost: €0 – €1,500
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.