P2190
System Too Rich at Idle Bank 2
Fuel & air metering
Generic OBD-II
Medium
What it means
P2190 means that at idle, bank 2 (the cylinder bank away from cylinder 1) is running with too much fuel for the air entering the engine — the ECM has trimmed fuel to its limit and the mixture is still rich. Common causes are high fuel pressure, leaking injectors, or a MAF/O2 sensor misreporting. Left unaddressed, the extra fuel can foul plugs and damage the catalytic converter.
Medium
Can I keep driving? Drivable short-term, but a persistently rich mixture wastes fuel, fouls plugs, and can overheat the catalytic converter over time; repair it before that happens.
Common symptoms
What you'll notice
- Check-engine light on
- Rough or unstable idle
- Poor fuel economy and a strong fuel smell
- Sooty exhaust or fouled spark plugs
Common causes
Most likely first
- Incorrect fuel pressure (regulator or pump delivering too much)Likely
- Leaking or dripping fuel injectors on bank 2Common
- Faulty mass air flow (MAF) sensor under-reading airflowCommon
- Faulty upstream oxygen sensor on bank 2 skewing fuel trimLess often
- Incorrect PCV connection or engine-mechanical issue affecting the mixtureLess often
How to diagnose & fix
Work through it in order
- Read freeze-frame and live fuel-trim data to confirm the rich condition at idle on bank 2.
- Check fuel pressure against spec; a high reading points to the regulator or return system.
- Inspect and clean the MAF sensor, then compare its airflow reading to expected values.
- Test the bank 2 upstream O2 sensor's response; a lazy or biased sensor can drive over-fueling.
- Look for leaking injectors and confirm PCV routing before clearing and re-testing.
FAQ
Quick answers
Is it safe to drive with P2190?+
For short trips yes, but a sustained rich mixture can foul the plugs and damage the catalytic converter, so don't delay the repair.
Can I just clear P2190?+
You can, but until the over-fueling cause is fixed the bank 2 fuel trims will drift rich again and reset the code.
Related codes
Often seen with P2190
Read & clear P2190 yourself
Scan your car, confirm the code, and clear it once it's fixed — with OBD DashX on your phone.
✓ Verified name — SAE J2012 / ISO 15031-6Guidance reviewed by OBD DashX