P2290: Injector Control Pressure Too Low
Do not keep driving
Expect noticeable power loss, rough running and possibly a stall — and it will get worse rather than settle. Check the oil level and the last oil change first; on this kind of engine those are causes rather than housekeeping. Beyond that, ask specifically whether the high-pressure oil circuit has been tested for internal leaks before a pump is quoted. These systems leak internally with nothing visible on the ground, and that is a far cheaper repair than the pump it gets mistaken for.
What this code means
Injection control pressure is genuinely below what was commanded while the engine is running.
Because pressure is the force that injects, losing it costs power directly and progressively — the engine does not stop cleanly, it becomes weaker and rougher as pressure falls, and misfires as individual injectors stop reaching their firing threshold.
The causes divide into three groups and it is worth asking which was checked:
- Supply. Low oil level, or oil too degraded or too thick to move — the cheapest and most commonly overlooked, and covered at P2283.
- Leakage. The high-pressure oil circuit runs through connections that can leak internally without a drop reaching the ground. Stand-pipes, plugs and seals in the oil rails are a known failure point on these engines, and an internal leak means the pump is working correctly and the pressure is escaping.
- Generation. A worn high-pressure oil pump, or a regulator that cannot hold what the pump makes.
That middle group is the one people miss, because there is nothing to see. An engine losing injection pressure with no external leak is not evidence that the pump is at fault, and a pump is the most expensive of the three answers.
Likely causes
Start here
- Low engine oil level · easy
- Leak in the high-pressure oil circuit · specialist
- Faulty injection pressure regulator · moderate
Less common
- Worn high-pressure oil pump · specialist
- Incorrect oil grade or degraded oil · easy
- Air in the high-pressure oil circuit · moderate
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
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Community experience
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