What are the common causes of P0290?

A weak or clogged cylinder 10 fuel injector. Low compression in cylinder 10. A worn or fouled spark plug or coil on cylinder 10. A faulty camshaft or crankshaft position sensor. Low fuel pressure affecting all cylinders.

Run an injector balance test and compare cylinder 10 to the others. Do a compression and leak down test on cylinder 10. Inspect the cylinder 10 plug and coil for wear. Check the camshaft and crankshaft position sensor signals. Replace injector 10 if it is weak or clogged. Clear the code and retest.

P0290

Cylinder 10 Contribution/Balance

System: Injector circuits (P code)
Lamp: Check Engine Light
Category: Powertrain - Fuel/Air Metering

What it means

P0290 means Cylinder 10 Contribution/Balance.

Check these first

A weak or clogged cylinder 10 fuel injector
Low compression in cylinder 10
A worn or fouled spark plug or coil on cylinder 10
A faulty camshaft or crankshaft position sensor
Low fuel pressure affecting all cylinders

What to do next

Run an injector balance test and compare cylinder 10 to the others
Do a compression and leak down test on cylinder 10
Inspect the cylinder 10 plug and coil for wear
Check the camshaft and crankshaft position sensor signals
Replace injector 10 if it is weak or clogged
Clear the code and retest

Look up another code

Code or symptom

Enter a full code or a symptom. Press / to search. How to read a code

Type a code above, or start from a symptom or a common code.

Updated

Generic SAE J2012 definition. Last updated 2026-10-10.