P2441
Secondary Air Injection System Switching Valve Stuck Closed (Bank 1)
- Severity
- Low
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The secondary air injection switching valve on bank 1 is stuck closed. The pump may be running perfectly, but its air cannot reach the exhaust, so the system does nothing. Unlike a valve stuck open, this causes no running problem - it simply means higher emissions for the first minute of each journey.
Possible causes
- CommonCarbon blocking the valve
- CommonFailed valve solenoid or diaphragm
- CommonNo vacuum reaching a vacuum-operated valve - split hose or failed solenoid
- PossibleCorroded valve seized shut
- PossibleWiring or connector fault, so the valve is never commanded
What you might notice
- Check engine light on
- Failed emissions test
- Pump running on a cold start but no change in exhaust note
- Usually no symptom the driver notices
What to check, in order
- Test from a genuinely cold start.
- Confirm the valve is being commanded electrically before condemning it - a valve that is never told to open behaves exactly like one that is stuck.
- On a vacuum-operated valve, apply vacuum directly with a hand pump and watch it move. If it opens and holds vacuum, the valve is fine and the fault is upstream.
- Remove and inspect the valve for carbon and corrosion.
- Check the air passages into the exhaust manifold while the valve is off.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx