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[Pjwlufc70]

My wife has a 2005 c4 hatchback, it has started having a major issue local garage have had it for 3 weeks now and gave the car back without problem fixed.

So my wife was driving it and the info screen came up with electrical circuit failure, then abs and then finally seatbelt/airbag, at which point the car stearing pulsed and then power stearing went. She stopped the car and then turned engine over ..... Nothing just a click ... Waited 15 mins car started no problem again 10 mins later same thing.

 

The garage have changed the alternator, battery & bsi unit and the same issue, but if you take the battery off and fully charge it, it will work no problems until battery drains. When engine is off there is no drain at all when switched off.

 

Has anyone had any similar issues and maybe know a solution...????

[Johndouglas]

All the Citroen models seem to be very susceptible to all manner of malfunctions when the battery voltage is anything other than good. My previous C5 always lost its power steering after starting on a weak battery. Power steering came back after charging the battery for a while then switching off and restarting. Have you checked the output of the alternator at the battery terminals with the engine running? You should have a reading of around 14.2 volts.

[mhedwig]

Get the battery tested it may have a weak cell

[paul.h]

It is possible the battery is faulty, is not the right size, the alternator drive belt is slipping, the alternator is faulty, the alternator is not the right one (if under powered it will not charge the battery enough), there is a wiring/connection fault. Did the garage fit new parts ?

[Pjwlufc70]

Would the battery really cause all the issues I've listed ... We have spent £600 on getting it repaired including a new battery ... Although the one halfords suggested was a 400 amp one that is less than the original ... ..

 

All parts were new ... I have the replaced parts and could see the bsi blown diodes...

If you all think it's battery I can get a heavy duty powerful one .... ..

[Johndouglas]

You should be using a 027 size 63Ah 630CCA battery. The battery suggested/fitted by Halford is probably suitable for the petrol engine model.

[Pjwlufc70]

You should be using a 027 size 63Ah 630CCA battery. The battery suggested/fitted by Halford is probably suitable for the petrol engine model.

My wife's car is a petrol model 1.6

 

 

 

Moderator - Sorry, assumed it was 1.6hdi

[Pjwlufc70]

Sorry I should add all the errors are warnings on screen and not the engine management light .... When connected to garage diagnostics machine no faults were found ... I'm at the point where if I can't find the issue I will scrap the car I've already spent £600 and the car is only with £1,000

[paul.h]

What length of trips is the car normally doing, are they just short ones with frequent starts and stops so the battery does not get charged back up after starting ?

 

I would do the battery voltage checks already mentioned before doing anything else. If you do not have a meter then a more than adequate one for car and household use can be bought for less than £10 such as this from Toolstation http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical/d190/Electrical+Test+Equipment/sd3348/Digital+Multi+Meter/p11867 Other places sell similar meters for around the same price.

 

Before starting the engine the battery voltage should be about 12.5 to 12.7 volts.

With the engine running the voltage should be about 14.4 volts quite soon after starting. If less and it is taking time to get there then the alternator may be undersized or there may be a wiring fault or earth connection fault. The alternator size ranges from 80 to 120 amps depending on the equipment on the car. We had a C5 owner who had electrical problems after fitting a lower powered alternator than needed and the problems went once the correct size was installed.

 

Battery faults are not likely to put the eml on, this is for faults that can affect the exhaust emissions. To pick up other faults would need a Citroen Lexia diagnostic tool as used by a Citroen dealer but Chinese copies are available for less than £100 to install on a lap top.

 

When doing a battery disconnection/reconnection do not do it too quickly since the bsi needs time to shut down and start up - there is a procedure in the C4 Technical section Common Problems pinned topic.

[Pjwlufc70]

What length of trips is the car normally doing, are they just short ones with frequent starts and stops so the battery does not get charged back up after starting ?

 

I would do the battery voltage checks already mentioned before doing anything else. If you do not have a meter then a more than adequate one for car and household use can be bought for less than £10 such as this from Toolstation http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical/d190/Electrical+Test+Equipment/sd3348/Digital+Multi+Meter/p11867 Other places sell similar meters for around the same price.

 

Before starting the engine the battery voltage should be about 12.5 to 12.7 volts.

With the engine running the voltage should be about 14.4 volts quite soon after starting. If less and it is taking time to get there then the alternator may be undersized or there may be a wiring fault or earth connection fault. The alternator size ranges from 80 to 120 amps depending on the equipment on the car. We had a C5 owner who had electrical problems after fitting a lower powered alternator than needed and the problems went once the correct size was installed.

 

Battery faults are not likely to put the eml on, this is for faults that can affect the exhaust emissions. To pick up other faults would need a Citroen Lexia diagnostic tool as used by a Citroen dealer but Chinese copies are available for less than £100 to install on a lap top.

 

When doing a battery disconnection/reconnection do not do it too quickly since the bsi needs time to shut down and start up - there is a procedure in the C4 Technical section Common Problems pinned topic.

The eml light doesn't come on that's the strange thing and I have had it connected to a proper diagnostic computer and there was no codes stored ... Will look into the other things

[paul.h]

The faults you have listed do not affect the exhaust emissions so will not put the eml on. The eml is only for faults that can affect the exhaust emissions so the car does not pollute the atmosphere too much. So things that alter the performance of the engine (engine management) have sensors that if outside of expected values will put the eml on, such as a camshaft sensor fault, the exhaust catalyst not working, the lambda sensors not working so that the fuel mixture is not set correctly, etc.

[Pjwlufc70]

Hi guys an update for you,

 

The car started fine today ...took it for a drive round the block 5/6 times again got the electrical circuit faulty error but now engine management light came on with p01113 code ... Really think I am going to have to garage the car .... But puzzled ... Seems it can be several things

[Johndouglas]

P0113 is related to the air intake temperature.  

[paul.h]

P1113 IAT Sensor Open/Short

P0113 Intake Air Temperature Circuit High Input 

 

I am not sure whether you meant either of the above since the codes are usually just 4 digits. Both of these though are the inlet air temp so and usually this is part of the air flow sensor (MAF) so you may need a new one of those to get the engine out of limp mode and running properly, regardless of the battery problems. However, looking at the parts diagrams, the 1.6 petrol TU5 engine does not appear to have a MAF, just a MAP so the inlet air temp does not seem to be measured. If not done already, delete the fault code and see if it comes back, also if your code reader does live data see what IAT it is giving to see if the value is about right - before starting the engine will be about the ambient temp around 10°C but will go up a bit to possibly around 30°C as the engine gets hot.

 

If your usual drives are just around the block, then this would not be enough to keep the battery charged up.