Engine Died During 3 Point Turn?

[MariaMB]

Hi all I'm new to this club as I've only owned a citroen for 3 weeks. I purchased a 2006 1.6 diesel xsara picasso with a faulty dash display. It was completely blank and it turns out the guy who sold it to me unplugged it to hide the abs, break fluid and engine lights. The diagnostic computer couldn't even communicate with the car. It drove fine and sounded ok but a few nights ago during a 3 point turn it cut out and wouldn't start back up. It wouldn't even turn over, just did one click every time I turned the key. It's now in the garage and I've been told it's either the timing belt or the engine has seized. This just doesn't sound right can it really just die like this??

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

 

What is the one click - is this the sound from the starter motor solenoid as you turn the key in the ignition switch ?

 

How many miles has the car done - the timing belts are typically replaced at around 100k miles or 10 years on Citroens and this info will be in the Warranty and Maintenance Guide.

 

If the starter motor is not turning the engine over then the battery may be flat - check its voltage with a meter, should be about 12.5 volts before the engine is running and then about 14.4 volts.

 

If the engine stopped because the timing belt has broken then it is possible the pistons may have hit the valves and it may not be possible to turn the engine.

 

If it stopped due to a fuse failure (we had this on a 2005 2.0 hdi Picasso), then fuse replacement would be easy.

 

For a diagnostic check you would be better using a Citroen dealer who would have the correct equipment.

 

If it stopped due to a sensor failure then something like the crankshaft sensor would prevent the car starting but would still let the engine turn over on the starter motor.

[MariaMB]

Hi thanks for the reply. Yes the click sounds like it comes from the engine. The car has done just under 140000. I went down to the garage the other day and had a look under the bonnet. The timing belt didn't appear to be snapped and the car is in ecomode. I keep worrying that it is just the battery but I'm being fobbed off. The car is parked on the street so I can easily access it, do you think I should get the key and test the battery myself??

[paul.h]

I would definately test the battery, only takes a few minutes and does not cost anything. You could use the spare key.

 

Eco mode is a Citroen/Peugeot thing that switches off things such as the interior lights and radio to stop the battery going flat. It will be in the car handbook. After turning off the engine, it can take up to about 15 to 30 minutes (depending on how well charged the battery is) to come on if any of these things are in use or the doors are opened a lot. It will reset once the engine is running again. It could also be a reason why the diagnostic equipment will not communicate with the car but I am not sure.

 

If you are not happy with the garage I would take it somewhere else. If you are in the AA/RAC or similar, they would do this for you and they are likely to tell you what is wrong with the car when they see/check it.

 

If you do not have a handbook, these can be read/saved/printed from the service.citroen site http://service.citroen.com/ddb/

[MariaMB]

The car wouldn't communicate before it broke down. God knows why but yea I'll go and check the battery. I don't have a spare key tho so I'll just get it off them and tell them what I'm doing cos they don't seem to be doing anything. Thanks for all your help xx

[coastline taxis]

check your fuses as the com port is fused. most cases we have are a blown fuse. put car the car in 4th gear with the key out and handbrake off and rock the car back and forth while looking at the fan belt. if it moves then the engines not seized. sounds like a simple earth problem

[C5-Nigel]

Hi, I had a similar problem with my C5 when I first bought it,

it would cut out and I couldn't restart it, after some asking around

I was told that the modern HDi diesel engine requires a very high fuel pressure

and if the pressure doesn't come up to spec they wont start.

 

a good battery allows the fuel pump to turn at enough speed to generate this high fuel pressure.

 

as it turned out my battery was becoming to weak to turn the pump at the required speed to raise the fuel pressure

enough.

 

Im not saying that this is your particular problem but it might be.

 

if you have been doing small journeys in the dark for about a week lights on radio on it just might be possible

that the battery has drained itself.

 

if your thinking of charging the battery it might be better to do it off the vehicle as this can damage fuses these days.

[MikeLane]

If the clock is from the starter solenoid then there's some voltage in the battery but maybe not enough as Paul says.

I'd want to know why the guy you bought it from disconnected the dash to hide the abs, break fluid and engine lights. I assume it's been reconnected so there may be a fault there if the battery keeps discharging.

Check the voltage whilst it's connected and see whether it goes higher with one of the terminals disconnected. (I've had a battery that read 12.3 volts off-load but dropped to just over 10 (one dead or high resistance cell!) when on load (engine off but headlights on).

Also, if it's always (as soon as you stop the engine) in Ecomode, the alternator may be worn or wearing out and not fully charging.

Best of luck!

[paul.h]

This topic started 2½ years ago and the OP has not been back since then to tell us what happened to the car, so no point in spending any more time trying to help.