Wet Fuse Box

[Stuart h]

My wife has got a citroen c3 she loves the car to bits so much so she has spent a fortune on it with a full engine rebuild new gearbox new clutch I could go on all day BUT now she has got a problem with a fuse box some how it has got wet I was told to dry it and get all new fuses but now the battery keeps draning over night dose someone have any ideas what I could try or do next plz

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Is the car a C3 or a C4 since you have posted in the C4 section ?

 

What year is the car and which engine does it have ? Is this the engine fuse box ? Is the fuse box lid a good fit and all the box/lid in tact to prevent water getting in ?

 

You may not believe this but it has been reported that water can work its way from the windscreen washer bottle through the washer pump wiring back to the engine fuse box - so if this is the problem you may need to replace the washer pump and wiring.

 

I would check the battery voltage to see if it is in good condition since winter is the time they usually fail and first thing in the morning they may not start the car - you should have about 12.5 to 12.7 volts before starting the car and about 14.4 volts once running. Maybe disconnect the battery after its last run of the day and then leave overnight and then check its voltage again before connecting back up - it should still be about 12.5 volts if ok. If not, a new battery may be needed or it may need charging.

 

If the battery is draining due to a short in the fuse box it may still have some water in it or maybe there is some damage that is causing a short. If it is not the fuse box you could remove each fuse in turn and use a meter in its place to check for a current drain to see which circuit is the problem.

 

 

Do not be too quick to disconnect the battery, thisis from the C3 Common Problems topic:

20. Odd electrical problems caused by wrong battery disconnection procedure.

If you need to disconnect the battery and not do a BSI reset procedure, I have found the following has not given me any problems on a 2004 and 2007 C5 and a 2003 C3:

- remove the ignition key from the car

- open the bonnet

- wait a few minutes for the BSI to shut down

- disconnect the battery negative terminal

 

When reconnecting

- ignition key out of the car

- reconnect the battery

- wait a few minutes

- insert the key in the ignition and wait a minute

- turn the key to the first position and wait a minute

- turn the key so the dash lights come on and wait a minute

- start the engine

- take the windows down and up to reset the anti pinch

- reset the clock (and radio on the C3).

[Rookie2]

Hi Stuart and welcome

 

Something else worth checking is the windscreen scuttle drain holes.

Directly below the windscreen (where the wipers are housed) is the "Scuttle"

This scuttle should have a drain hole at each end of it to let the water safely drain to the ground.

These drain holes usually have a rubber tube on them which becomes blocked or restricted by leaves and debris.

If you have a heavy downpour, the amount of rain entering the scuttle can be more than a semi blocked hole can handle. This results in the flood of rain filling and overflowing the scuttle panel and running directly onto the fuse box (amongst other things).

Given time, the rain water may eventually drain away normally from the drain holes so that when you come to look at it, it looks quite normal.

 

Get a hose pipe and try filling the scuttle with water, the water should drain away immediately. If you see the water level start to rise in the scuttle then it is a safe bet the drains are blocked.

 

edit

 

Heres a goo write up I have found on the problems Citroen have

 

http://www.citroenpeugeotspecialists.co.uk/news/common-faults-citroens/

[paul.h]

3 common problems in the link

- C4 Picasso wiring looms getting water ingress due to the scuttle not draining - you can hear water moving about as a warning.

- C3 Picasso fuse box getting water ingress needing a new engine fuse box and some wiring to replace the rotted wires. I think this fuse box is not that expensive.

- 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engined cars, engine fan not stopping caused by not replacing the spark plugs often enough.

 

I will do a separate topic on the fan one since you would never guess old spark plugs would affect the fan.

[Rookie2]

I've never thought of it before, however, I wonder if it would be a good idea to shrink wrap the fuse boxes on those models to keep the rain out ?

 

 

Shrink wrap is dirt cheap and the only other tool needed is a decent hair dryer, in fact, I might give that a go on my C3, though, fingers crossed, I havent had the water problem yet.