Eco And Battery Light Flashing

[cwrtcoed]

Hi

I am new to the forum so hi to everyone, i bought a c3 1.4 hdi 16v 2003 model, it came with a fault which doesnt start. Symptoms were as it went up a hill it started holding back after 2,000 rpm, it then went to citroen and they diagnosed two codes P1206 and P1163.The advised to run a seperate fuel supply to the engine to check if the fuel pump pressure was defective, but this was costly. The previous owner had two mobile mechanics to try and sort the problem out by setting up an independant fuel supply but they said the fuel appears to be coming out ok but the car now wont start.

The maf sensor has been changed, but i believe the battery is not that good so im going to change that tomorrow. I saw a topic on resetting the ecu by removing live on battery then reconnect, side lights on etc. But the only problem i have is that when i try to put the key back into the ignition the key wont turn unless i click the central locking on and off, open the door and presto the key turns, but by then the system of reset is gone. I have followed the fuel lines for inlet and return,but because im new to citroens im trying to work out the fuel direction and return, im sure the code P1163 relates to fuel pressure. I opened the injectors and diesel does dribble out but very slowly. Is it suppose to be like this? the eco mode is on and the battery light flashing. I have checked other sites where people have had same problems but no one has updated to say what the problem was and did they fix it.

 

any help much appreciated

[paul.h]

I did a google search on P1163 and a Honest John posting at the top of the search results had this in it for something similar. P1206 also came up with things but I guess you have tried google yourself.

 

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Teflonpete. My C3 all ok for the past week and a half. Originally after remapping the ecu they said as I was driving nearly 170 miles it would give the ecu time to remap the injectors. that worked for a few days. Took it back a week last monday they remapped the injectors then carried out the correct road test, not just a blip on the trottle in the garage like most garages would do. Apparently according to the procedure the car needs driving at 30mph for so long then 70 mph for so long then back to an idle. mine seems perfect after that. let us know how yu get on

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Sat 17 Oct 2009 16:04 Citroen C3 ECU failure - JamesQB

miniman and teflonpete, it's interesting to see more people again suffering this annoying problem. I've heard of ECU remaps solving the problem, but often not for good, which makes the fault even more confusing.

 

I recently conducted a back-leakage test on my injectors and one of them is leaking a huge amount compared to the others, 400ml compared to 75ml on the lowest injector. Unfortunately this would indicate I do need at least one new injector, although it really should be all 4 since the back-leakage varies considerably between each injector.

 

What a cost it's going to be if I do that, for a car worth probably less than 2K now!

 

miniman, is your C3 still going well without the starting problem and ensuing clouds of white smoke since the remap?

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Sat 17 Oct 2009 16:15 Citroen C3 ECU failure - Armitage Shanks {p}

There is a firm called Reman (Remanufacture?) who repair all sorts of car electronics including ECUs. It is possible to have injectors refurbed for a lot less than the cost of new ones, and with a warranty.

Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 17/10/2009 at 16:17

 

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Tue 20 Oct 2009 22:40 Citroen C3 ECU failure - Miniman

James QB, Yep the car still running perfect after 3 weeks or so. Can i stop holding my breath and just blame all the other mechanics who have not completed the procedure by taking it for the prescribed test drive

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Sun 25 Oct 2009 00:38 Citroen C3 ECU failure - Alan-FC

Sorry about not closing this one off! I was so relieved that the garage eventually sorted it out. Give them their due, they got there and I felt were as helpful as they could possibly be. They did not bill me for anything, which was very good of them.

 

The problem as it turned out was a faulty vacuum valve that sits behind the engine, between the engine and the bulkhead, sounds simple but what a torture getting there. Things seemed to progress with Citroen after I got the press involved, who were fantastic.

 

I just could not accept that a 3 year old car with 60k miles serviced by the book, was

unrepairable!

 

The car has been running brilliantly since then and has clocked up 88K miles.

 

Thanks for all your help and inputs.

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Mon 9 Nov 2009 16:06 Citroen C3 ECU failure - smokey citroen

Had exactly the same problem with intermittent starting and loads of white smoke. Eventually after changing glow plugs, temperature sensor, valves, the problem was sorted by very helpful BT fleet engineers and it was the glow plug relay timer. This cost £25 and I now have a "reliable"C3 after eight months.

 

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Eco mode and battery light flashing just means that something electrical such as the inside lights or the radio have been on for more than about 15 minutes after the engine has been turned off. There is a system called eco mode that switches off the electrics until the engine has been run again. I think most Citroens do this to save the battery going flat.

 

I do not understand the key not turning the ignition switch since this is just a mechanical device with a steering lock - if it will not turn then maybe the steering wheel needs to be waggled to release the lock. The power steering is electrical so maybe this has something to do with it.

[cwrtcoed]

thanks, i have checked all the fuel flows and all appears to be flowing nicely from the pump through to the inlet feeds to the injectors. I put a new battery on becasue the old one was losing charge fast, the engine is trying to start it sort of chugs for 4 to 5 seconds then dies off. I will try checking the glow plugs first with a multimeter, i have also been told to check the crankshaft sensor, would this stop it from starting? I did run a multimeter to two of the injectors plugs which gave a reading of 2.5v on both, not sure if this is right but if both are the same then im presuming its ok. However, if i take out the injectors one by one leave the power to it and crank the engine over should i be able to see the flow of fuel coming out,from this i can eliminate the bad ones.

[paul.h]

Failure of the crank position sensor could prevent it starting since the car would not know the engine is turning. Also I think its failure does not give a fault code. I have not had one fail but have read that when on their way out, as they get hot they can cause cutting out of the engine but allow a restart once cooled down. I think the cam shaft position sensor may be similar.

 

I do not know enough about diesel diagnostics to help on the injectors and fuel flows. Have you tried priming the fuel system before starting in case of an air leak letting the fuel drain back to the tank ?