2004 C5 Central Locking Problem When Car In Eco Mode

[tom_fun]

Hi there, I have googled the heck out of this but have been unable to find any similar issues so I come to the forum for some help!

 

A while ago I went to open my car and the remote wouldn't unlock it. I opened the car manually and when I completed my journey, out of habit I locked the car via the remote and it worked!

 

What I have noticed is that after the car has been started & switched off the remote will work perfectly until eco mode kicks in and then it won't work.

 

The same day this fault appeared the Air bag light decided to come on and has not gone off since. This led me to think it might be a fuse problem but after checking all the fuses (in the glove box & behind the battery) they all seem good and I am at a loss!

 

Can any body shed any light on this problem?

[Johndouglas]

C5s don't like having a battery which isn't healthy.   If your battery condition is weak, it seems that all sorts of electrical faults can appear.   What is the voltage of your battery first thing in the morning after you've opened the car but before you turn the starter?

 

PS- And also welcome to the forum.

[tom_fun]

Thanks for the help, I'm at work tonight and will check the voltage as luckily we have electricians on site so have them. I'll post back later when I have had time to measure it.

[tom_fun]

Right, here we go......

 

I drove my car for 45 mins to work and then parked up the car for 5 hours. I opened the bonnet when I parked up the car.

 

I tested the voltage 3 times.....

 

1) Before opening up the car after standing for 5hrs the voltage was 13.04

2) After opening the doors manually the voltage was 12.7

3) Whilst running the engine the voltage was 14.44

[Johndouglas]

Right! well that seems to rule out the weak battery.    Have you tried a BSI reset?   If not, give it a try.   The procedure is on the forum but in case you can't find it, here it is:-

 

Put the driver's window down, lift the bonnet and ensure all equipment is switched off.

Ensure all doors are closed and remove the key from the ignition.

Wait for 3 minutes, disconnect the vehicle battery and wait for a several minutes.

 

Reconnect the vehicle battery, wait a further 10 seconds (do not open doors.).

Switch on the side lights through the driver's window.

Switch on the ignition and check system's functionality.

Hold lock button on key down for 10 seconds.

Remove key open & close door test central locking system.

Start the engine and complete the system's check.

Reset the clock and date.

Failure to follow this procedure could result in incorrect operation of many BSI related items.

[tom_fun]

I read about that bsi trick on here a couple of weeks ago and tried it but no joy.

 

I'll give it another go today.

 

Cheers

[paul.h]

You might need to get the air bag fault read by a code reader since possibly there is a common cause affecting the air bag and locking. Have you also tried the spare remote in case the battery in it is flat ?

 

Whilst the air bag light is on the air bag system may not work when needed so could affect your insurance.

[tom_fun]

The BSI reset didn't work I'm afraid. The battery in the remote is new.

 

Will it have to go back to a dealer to get the air bag code read? That sounds expensive!

[paul.h]

You will need a code reader that does air bags, most low cost ones do not do this, only engine codes. Where are you, on one of the C5 sections there is a pinned topic of members who are able to help with diagnostic checks and you could try a message if any are not too far away. If you do go somewhere for a diagnostic check and the Citroen equipment is used (Lexia) it should also find the problem with the locking.

[MikeLane]

I reckon there's a suspect cell in the battery. It looks OK with no load and "switched off" but when systems are activated by opening doors the voltage drops. It might be worth checking the voltage with doors unlocked and lights on. A "good" battery should still read over 12 volts. As Paul says "unhealthy" batteries seem to give random errors.

I currently have a problem with the driver's door not unlocking after standing over night, with the "plip" - all the others do. As it always opens after driving around I think the solenoid is sticking a bit and needs a fully charged battery to operate so, sooooon(!), I'll take the door panel off to check.