How severe is this DTC?
I would say rather severe. In the field, we refer to a lack of fuel in the burned mixture as a “lean” condition. When your engine is idling, you risk causing extreme damage to the engine in the short and long term. With this in mind, always follow your engine maintenance. There needs to be some diligence here, so let’s keep our engines running smoothly and efficiently. After all, they carry our weight to transport us daily.
What are some of the symptoms of the code?
Symptoms of a P217D fault code may include:
- Irregular engine performance
- Misfire
- Reduced fuel economy
- Irregular idle
- Excessive smoke
- Engine noise(s)
- Lack of power
- Inability to climb steep hills
- Reduced throttle response
What are some common causes of the code?
Causes of this P217D fuel injector group supply voltage code may include:
- Faulty or damaged fuel injector(s)
- Damaged wiring harness
- Internal wiring malfunction
- Internal ECM issue
- Connector problem
What are the troubleshooting steps for P217D?
Basic Step #1
The first recommended step is to locate the “group” of sensors that the manufacturer refers to. With this information, you can then find the physical location of the injector(s) and their circuits. This may involve removing many covers and/or engine components to visually access them (if possible). Be sure to inspect the wiring harness for broken wires. Any worn insulation should be properly repaired with heat shrink tubing to prevent further and/or future issues.
Basic Step #2
Sometimes water and/or fluids can become “trapped” in the valleys where the injectors are installed. This increases the chances of the sensor connectors, among other electrical connections, corroding at a faster rate than normal. Ensure everything is as expected and that the connector tabs seal the connection properly. Feel free to use an electrical contact cleaner to make everything connect and disconnect smoothly, not to mention the increased electrical connectivity in the connections with the use of this product.
Basic Step #3
Check the circuit integrity by following the troubleshooting steps provided by your specific vehicle’s service manual. One example is to disconnect the supply voltage circuit from the ECM and the fuel injector, then using your multimeter, determine whether the wires are in good working condition or not.
A test I like to perform to quickly determine if there is an open in a particular wire that would help with the P217D code is to do a “continuity test.” Set your multimeter to RESISTANCE (also known as ohm, impedance, etc.), touch one end to one end of the circuit and the other end to the other end. Any value higher than desired may indicate a problem in the circuit. Any issue here will need to be determined by tracing the particular wire you are diagnosing…