Faulty Battery, Fuse Box And Ecu

[BR4IND3AD]

I've been having problems with the pneumatic suspension on my grand c4 Picasso and took it to my local specialist for diagnosis. At the start of the test the test the car went into eco mode within seconds of the ignition being switched on and the technician informed me that I had a faulty battery. The machine flagged up faults with the ecu and fuse box minutes later as well as the problem with the suspension. He then went on to tell me how much a compressor would be (as that was the cause of the suspension problem) and said that the battery being replaced may stop the other faults showing as they might have been caused by low voltage.

 

He went on to say that, should the ecu definitely be at fault, the car would need to be taken to Citroën as ecus aren't just a quick one for one swap and Neen things like chassis numbers programmed into them. Something Citroën make very difficult for anyone other than them to do.

 

Has anyone else experienced anything like this and had similar results from replacing the battery?

[paul.h]

When it went in to eco mode the engine can not have been running and for it to happen immediately then maybe the doors or something else had been used for a while. If the engine had just been stopped and eco mode had come on then possibly it is due a new battery or the existing one needs a good charge - has the car been used for a lot of short trips ?

 

To test the battery you can use a meter to check its voltage, should be about 12.5 volts before starting the engine - if much less then it needs charging or replacing. A voltage drop test would be better and can be done by a car accessory shop that sells batteries. If the battery is more than about 5 years old it may be due for replacement anyway. A low voltage is a common cause of apparent faults on cars these days, including Citroens, so I would not worry about the ecu for now until the battery is sorted.

[BR4IND3AD]

Thanks Paul, the battery came with the car a year ago when I bought it. Not sure how old it was so probably due a replacement. The people who are sorting out the compressor are also doing me a new battery and four new tyres too so hopefully that will sort it out. I do a combination of short and long trips with the one to and from work being very short but on the day in question I had driven for at least five miles and the diagnostic computer the technician used had flagged up a fault with the battery

[paul.h]

I would class 5 miles as a short trip if the battery is already down a bit and would not be enough to charge it up.