Key Fobs Not Working. Alarm Goes Off. Cant Get Car Started ?

[charlesmachmer]

Hi, recently returned from a 10 day holiday. Neither key fobs will open doors as normal. Can manually open door by inserting key in lock. Then alarm goes off and i cannot get alarm to stop. Car will not start. Nothing happens when I put keys in ignition and try and start. No lights etc - just alarm ? What is the problem ? How do i fix ?

Any suggestions appreciated - pretty sure this must have happenned to someone before. Cant find anything similar on forum ? regards. C. 2010 C5 1.6.

Edited January 20, 2017 by charlesmachmer

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Does the engine turn over when trying to start it ?

 

I am not sure what is wrong but possibly the car battery needs charging, maybe one of the maxi fuses has blown and possibly the keys need initialising to the car - this will be in the handbook under key fob battery replacement and may be something like put the key in the ignition, turn the key so the dash lights up and then hold down the fob door lock button until the doors lock. You could also try a bsi reset http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/15093-bsi-reset/  If none of this works and the immobilser is not recognising the keys then you may be best using a Citroen dealer to sort it.

[charlesmachmer]

Hi Paul, thanks very much for your reply. The engine does not turn over - the alarm sounds and will not go off ? (does this mean that there is power in the battery). I went to get spare key fob - same thing. The fob produces absolutely no response - neither fob. I can unlock the door manually using key. The alarm goes off. Key in ignition does nothing - no lights, no turn over, no turning off alarm = totally unresponsive using both key fobs. seems strange that both key fobs not working ? Called Citroen dealer earlier this afternoon - not very helpful, just was advised to get car to them, which is not easy. Cannot even lower the window as nothing works (apart from the alarm). I may try disconnecting the battery tomorrow, when daylight, and try resetting the keys as you suggest.

[paul.h]

The alarm may have its own battery as a back up. The alarm going off if the door is unlocked using a key is normal (our C3 would do this) but will stop once the engine is started. It seems as if it could be the car battery, possibly it went flat or maybe it has become disconnected. If you have a meter check its voltage, should be about 12.5 to 12.7 volts without the engine running, much less and it needs charging or replacing.

 

We had a Xsara Picasso that went dead when a maxi fuse failed so if your battery is ok then you need to look at fuses and also if there is a fused link on the battery.

 

Do any of the car lights work such as the indicators ?

[Randombloke]

Worth also checking the integrity of the main +ve and -ve battery cables to the rest of the system and to earth. I'll guess that the battery is tired. 

[charlesmachmer]

Hi Guys, thanks for your replies,.....really appreciated. Have tried a number of 'fixes' this morning - nothing happening. Thinking about the circumstances, I am hoping it is the battery. Away to get a new battery and see how i get on. The car has run perfectly since I got it, some 5 years ago. I think I last changed the battery about 1 year into ownership and it has been pretty cold up here lately (west lothian, central scotland) - was well below freezing last night and still not far above zero at the moment. Fingers crossed it is just battery - will update, cheers.

[charlesmachmer]

Fitted new battery. I went for Yuasa 096 Black Lifetime Guarantee in the hope of avoiding future battery issues.  (http://www.yuasa.co.uk/2015/10/halfords-launches-the-new-yuasa-black-lifetime-guarantee-range/). Problem solved. Also changed key fob batteries in both keys. Problem sorted. Thanks very much for your help & information. Gave me some focus and glad it was the obvious, but never though so at the time. Everything fine & dandy. Cheers.

[paul.h]

Nice to know it was not an expensive fix and chances are it was due a new battery anyway, just had to do it a year or 2 sooner than you may have expected.

 

If you need a battery charger Lidl have an offer at the moment of a smart type for £13.99. Got one this week and tried it on a caravan battery. Charges at 3.8 amps to 14 volts, then drops down to 0.8 and then 0.1 amps to bring it up to 14.4 volts to give a full charge. It displays the voltage whilst doing it and once fully charged it stops but can be left on and will charge again if the voltage drops. It says to disconnect the battery so can not be left connected to the car like a trickle charger CEK.

[Rookie2]

I have a couple of spare cars that are parked up for prolonged periods. I went to a local camping centre and bought a couple of those solar charging panels that lie on the dashboard. They work great, just sit there trickle charging the battery, never failed to start even after leaving a month or more.

Really inexpensive chargers and very handy if going on hols and leaving car behind etc.

[charlesmachmer]

I like the idea of the solar chargers. I have an old 1994 Chevrolet Astro Van that I take on extended camping trips - would be ideal when away & no power - thanks for the tip.

[MikeLane]

Recently I didn't move my C5 (2005) for 4 or 5 days and noticed that the voltage indicator was really down the negative side. The temp had rarely exceeded zero during those days and batteries don't like the cold! Luckily it started and now shows "normal".

As long as you can open the door with a key it may be worth disconnecting the battery if the car's not going to be used for a few days,  Like Paul H I believe the alarm has its own battery. My Xantia did.

[Rookie2]

I don't know the technical in's and out's of it, but I do know that if I charge a battery up and leave it on the cold concrete floor of my workshop, it goes flat very quickly. For that reason, when i remove a battery from a vehicle, I always put something as an insulator between the steel of the battery tray and the battery itself.

 

Renault cars are delivered with an insulating sleeve that fits around the battery and some cars actually have a padded jacket around the battery. Because Citroen's are so sensitive to a drop in battery voltage (and all the problems that can have on the hyper sensitive ecu's) I think it is sensible to keep that battery wrapped up, especially in winter.

 

Just a thought.

[MikeLane]

That's a very good idea. However, I'm not sure whether there's room for a jacket but I'll have a decko!

 

(BTW I check my battery about every 6 months and, if necessary, top it up with distilled water. (It's usually quite easy to open the caps on each cell.)

Edited January 24, 2017 by MikeLane