What does it mean?
P3443 is a Powertrain (engine, transmission, fuel system) fault code. It indicates: Cylinder 6 Deactivation/Intake Valve Control Circuit Low . This is a standardised OBD-II code. The technical definition is the same regardless of the make or model of vehicle, although specific causes and symptoms can vary between vehicles.
Symptoms
- MIL (check engine lamp) on and often resetting straight after being cleared
- Cylinder deactivation locked out, so fuel consumption increases
- Rough idle and vibration that gets worse when the system attempts to switch
- Ticking or knocking noise from the top of the engine
- Cylinder 6 misfire noticeable at low rpm
- Reduced power or limp mode on some vehicles
Likely causes
- Chafed control wire grounding against the cylinder head, a bracket or a loom clip
- Solenoid winding shorted internally to its own body
- Oil or coolant in the connector bridging the control pin to ground
- Harness pinched under a cover, manifold or mount after earlier work on the engine
- PCM (powertrain control module) output driver shorted on and holding the circuit low
- Poorly executed splice or additional wiring tapped into this circuit
How to fix it
- Check whether other cylinders on the same bank have low-circuit codes, which suggests shared harness damage
- Unplug the cylinder 6 solenoid and see whether the code changes to an open circuit fault
- With solenoid and module both disconnected, measure resistance from the control wire to engine ground
- Inspect the harness where it crosses metal edges, clips and brackets for rub-through and crush marks
- Compare the solenoid winding resistance with a known-good unit on the same engine
- Repair or reroute the damaged wiring, or replace an internally shorted solenoid
- Clear the code, exercise the output with a scan tool and road test to confirm the circuit is stable