P1330

What it means

On Volkswagen, P1330 means the engine control unit has reached the limit of its knock control authority on cylinder 6. It has pulled ignition timing back as far as it is allowed to stop knock on that cylinder, and knock was still being detected. This only applies to engines with at least six cylinders, and the exact cause varies by engine.

Symptoms

• Engine management light on
• Noticeable loss of power or flat acceleration under load
• Pinking or rattling noise under load on a warm engine
• Rougher running or poorer fuel economy
• Possible hesitation when accelerating hard

Possible causes

• Poor fuel quality or fuel with too low an octane rating for the enginelikely
• Carbon build-up in the combustion chamber or on the intake valves of cylinder 6 raising the knock tendencylikely
• Worn or incorrect spark plug, or a weak coil on cylinder 6possible
• Knock sensor, its wiring or its connector faulty or loose, giving false knock signals or mechanical noise pick-uppossible
• Lean mixture on that bank from an air leak, a fuel delivery problem or a faulty injectorpossible
• Engine running too hot due to a cooling system fault, or a loose component causing mechanical noise near the sensorpossible
• Internal engine wear or damage on cylinder 6, such as piston or bearing noiserare

How to diagnose

1. Read all stored fault codes and freeze frame data, noting engine temperature, load and rpm when the code set, and check for misfire, fuel trim or lambda codes
2. Ask what fuel has been used recently and whether the code appeared after refuelling
3. Inspect the knock sensor wiring and connector for damage, corrosion or chafing, and check the sensor mounting torque
4. Inspect the spark plugs and coils, particularly cylinder 6, and compare with the other cylinders
5. Check live data for ignition timing retard per cylinder, fuel trims and coolant temperature to find lean running or overheating
6. Check for intake air leaks and test fuel pressure and injector operation on cylinder 6, following the procedure for the specific engine
7. Listen for mechanical noise with a stethoscope and consider a borescope inspection of cylinder 6 for carbon deposits or damage
8. Check the cooling system operation and thermostat behaviour if temperatures are high

How to fix

• Drain and replace poor or incorrect fuel with the correct grade specified for the engine
• Replace worn spark plugs and any weak ignition coil, using the specified parts for the engine
• Repair or replace the knock sensor, wiring or connector, and refit the sensor to the correct torque
• Fix any intake air leak or fuel delivery fault, and replace a faulty injector
• Remove carbon deposits using a procedure suited to the engine design
• Repair any cooling system fault and, if internal engine damage is found, rebuild or repair the engine

Can I keep driving?

This code for other makes

• P1330LexusIgniter Circuit Malfunction No 7

Nearby codes

• P1329VolkswagenCylinder 5 Knock Control Limit Attained
• P1331VolkswagenCylinder 7 Knock Control Limit Attained