Eco Mode, Not Starting, Immobiliser Fault - Possible Fix

[paul.h]

This is from the July 2017 Car Mechanics help pages.

 

A petrol Peugeot 206 1.4 petrol was left with the ignition on, engine not running for 30 minutes which flattened the battery. It went in to eco mode, would turn over but not start, the fuel pump could be heard when trying to start. It appeared to have immobilised the ignition since no spark from the coil pack.

 

Car Mechanics replied based on on-line comments that Peugeots can get stuck in eco mode and not start. A 307 hdi was being cleaned for about an hour with doors open and when trying to start again would not start and came up eco mode. The AA were called out and after about 10 minutes got the car going - the technician said Peugeots can sometimes be a pig to get out of eco mode. The trick is to run a thick wire from the battery positive terminal directly to the starter motor and force the car to turn over with the ignition turned on. This forces the car to start and come out of economy mode. He advised leaving the car running for half an hour or so to let the battery charge and for everything to reset itself. He advised not to leave the car doors open or the radio on while the engine is not running. So next time your Pug sulks in economy mode, try kicking the starter motor with 12 volts.

 

In the September 2017 Car Mechanics letters pages, there is a follow up from Jim Lowrence.

I thought it worth mentioning that with some PSA vehicles, specifically those with a Siemens injection system, the method you described to jump-start the vehicle won't work under certain circumstances. Siemens systems are a bit 'delicate' when it comes to low battery voltages. I've seen and heard of quite a few instances where the low battery voltage has caused the BSI to forget it's parameter settings and the key code - it's particularly common on the 307. If this were the case, the car would not start even by jumping the starter motor as the immobiliser would prevent the injectors from opening up.

The firstthing I check on non-starting Peugeots/Citroens is that the car recognises the key by opening the driver's door while the key is in the ignition. If the car beeps, then the key is recognised and you should be able to jump the starter. If the car doesn't beep, then the BSI has lost the key code and the car won't start until the key has been recoded to the BSI.

I hope you find this useful.