Engine Diagrams

Misfire code finder: which cylinder is P0301 to P0308?

P0301 to P0308 each name one cylinder: P0301 is a misfire on cylinder 1, P0304 on cylinder 4, and so on. The code gives the cylinder number, not its place in the firing order, so you need the engine's numbering to find it.

The code numbers

CodeMeaning
P0300Random or multiple-cylinder misfire detected (no single cylinder)
P0301Cylinder 1 misfire detected
P0302Cylinder 2 misfire detected
P0303Cylinder 3 misfire detected
P0304Cylinder 4 misfire detected
P0305Cylinder 5 misfire detected
P0306Cylinder 6 misfire detected
P0307Cylinder 7 misfire detected
P0308Cylinder 8 misfire detected

These definitions are standardised for all OBD-II vehicles in SAE J2012, so P0304 means cylinder 4 on every make. What differs between makes is where cylinder 4 is.

Every cylinder on every engine

Chevy 350 / small-block V8

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0302The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0303The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0304The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0305The third cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0306The third cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0307The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0308The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)

GM LS (5.3, 6.0, LS1, LS3)

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0302The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0303The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0304The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0305The third cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0306The third cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0307The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0308The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)

Ford 302 / 5.0 (standard and HO)

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 1, right bank)
P0302The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 1, right bank)
P0303The third cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 1, right bank)
P0304The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 1, right bank)
P0305The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 2, left bank)
P0306The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 2, left bank)
P0307The third cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 2, left bank)
P0308The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 2, left bank)

Ford 3.5 EcoBoost (F-150 vs Explorer) · F-150, Expedition, Transit

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0302The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0303The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0304The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)
P0305The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)
P0306The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)

Ford 3.5 EcoBoost (F-150 vs Explorer) · Taurus SHO, Flex, Explorer Sport, MKS/MKT

CodeCylinder location
P0301The cylinder at the passenger-side end of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1, RH bank)
P0302The middle cylinder of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1, RH bank)
P0303The cylinder at the driver-side end of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1, RH bank)
P0304The cylinder at the passenger-side end of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2, LH bank)
P0305The middle cylinder of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2, LH bank)
P0306The cylinder at the driver-side end of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2, LH bank)

Chrysler 5.7 and 6.4 Hemi

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0302The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0303The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0304The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0305The third cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0306The third cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0307The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0308The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)

Ford 4.6 / 5.4 modular V8

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0302The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0303The third cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0304The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 1, RH bank)
P0305The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)
P0306The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)
P0307The third cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)
P0308The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 2, LH bank)

Chevy 4.3 V6 (Vortec 4300)

CodeCylinder location
P0301The front cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0302The front cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0303The second cylinder from the front on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0304The second cylinder from the front on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)
P0305The rear cylinder on the driver side (bank 1, left bank)
P0306The rear cylinder on the passenger side (bank 2, right bank)

Honda J35 V6 (Accord, Pilot, Odyssey)

CodeCylinder location
P0301The cylinder at the passenger-side end of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1)
P0302The middle cylinder of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1)
P0303The cylinder at the driver-side end of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1)
P0304The cylinder at the passenger-side end of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2)
P0305The middle cylinder of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2)
P0306The cylinder at the driver-side end of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2)

Toyota 3.5 V6 2GR-FE (Camry, Highlander, Sienna)

CodeCylinder location
P0301The cylinder at the passenger-side end of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1)
P0302The cylinder at the passenger-side end of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2)
P0303The middle cylinder of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1)
P0304The middle cylinder of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2)
P0305The cylinder at the driver-side end of the rear bank, against the firewall (bank 1)
P0306The cylinder at the driver-side end of the front bank, nearest the radiator (bank 2)

How to use it

  1. Read the stored codes with an OBD-II scanner and note every P030X code.
  2. Pick your engine above and enter the code.
  3. Find that cylinder on the engine: bank, side of the car and position from the belt end.
  4. Check the coil, plug and injector of that cylinder; on coil-per-cylinder engines, moving the coil to another cylinder and re-reading the codes shows whether the fault follows the coil.

Questions

Does P0304 mean the fourth cylinder to fire?

No. It means cylinder number 4 as the maker numbers the engine. On a Chevy V8 cylinder 4 is the second cylinder on the passenger side; on a Ford V8 it is the rear cylinder on the passenger side.

What does P0300 mean?

A random or multiple-cylinder misfire. The engine computer saw misfires it could not pin to one cylinder, or on several cylinders.

Is cylinder 1 always on the driver side?

No. GM and Chrysler V8s put cylinder 1 at the front of the driver side; Ford V8s and the Ford 3.5 EcoBoost put it on the passenger side. Sideways (front-drive) V6s put it on the rear bank.

Sources

Last reviewed 15 November 2026 · How the data is sourced and checked