CarScan
PID 5D°

Fuel injection timing

Fuel injection timing — how far before top dead centre the unit starts delivering fuel. It drifts on poor fuel, with clogged injectors and with a tired crankshaft sensor. Do not confuse it with ignition timing advance (PID 0E): that one is about the spark, this one about delivery; a diesel has no ignition timing at all but does have injection timing.

What is normal

A steady departure from the commanded value means injectors, rail pressure or the crankshaft sensor.

These figures hold for most cars, but the maker has the last word: some engines run hotter or idle higher by design.

How it feels behind the wheel

The same fault shows itself in different ways. Each sign below says what to look at in the live data.

How to see it

In CarScan: the Live data tab, «Start polling». The app asks the car several times per second, draws a graph and remembers the highest and lowest value of the trip.

What the app does