Fault codeP2080

MODERATE

Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit Range/Performance (Bank 1 Sensor 1)

What this code means

Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit Range/Performance (Bank 1 Sensor 1).

“Bank 1” is the side of the engine that holds cylinder number 1; “Bank 2” only exists on V and flat engines. An in-line engine has a single bank.

P2080 is a generic code: it means the same thing on every make. P2080 belongs to family P20xx — Fuel, air and emission controls. Its page explains how to read a code and groups all its codes by part.

Type of fault

The signal stays within its electrical limits, but its value is not plausible: it does not match what the control unit expects given the other sensors. The sensor may be drifting with age, but it may also be faithfully measuring a real mechanical problem — a leak, a blockage, an air leak. Replacing the sensor without checking does not always clear the fault.

Exhaust gas temperature sensor

Exhaust temperature sensors, often several on a diesel, measure the heat of the gases before the turbo, the catalytic converter or the particulate filter. The control unit uses them to protect the turbo and to manage the particulate filter regenerations.

What you notice

Often nothing; sometimes limp mode, or particulate filter regenerations that no longer happen.

How to check it

These sensors live in extreme heat and their wire often breaks near the exhaust. Check the connector and the wiring, then the sensor's resistance, comparing it with an identical sensor if there is one. Engine cold and stopped, every exhaust temperature should read about the same as the outside temperature.

Watch it live in Klaro

With an OBD2 adapter plugged in, these live readings show the part at work, when your car reports them:

Exhaust gas temperature, bank 1 sensor 1
Exhaust gas temperature, bank 1 sensor 2
DPF inlet temperature, bank 1

What to do

Have it checked this week. The car remains usable, but the fault will not clear itself and will fail the roadworthiness test.

Clearing a code switches the light off but repairs nothing: if the fault remains, the code comes back. Clearing a fault code yourself →

How to read this code

PPowertrain
2standardised code
0Fuel, air and emission controls
80P2080