Xsara Stopped Running And Hasn't Started Since.

[Guest sean_x]

Hi,

 

My 1996 Picasso Xsara 1.6 petrol Exclusive stopped running 2 days ago after idleing for 1 minute, and has not started since.

It was very cold, about -6 degs C, so the front demister was on full, and the rear screen heater was on too.

When the engine stopped no warning lights came on. Trying the starter again and it would turn over 2 or 3 times and fire only once then stop completely. All info on the dash would go off - black, and then come back with 'immobiliser fault' warning, then the headlights would flash once and low fuel warning beep and flash (although there's half a tank of petrol in there).

Other attempts to start it have all resulted with the same 2-3 turns of the engine, one fire, then everything dead, a flash of the headlights and occasionally the windscreen wipers would swipe once.

I'm just a little confused with all of this. Anyway, I popped off every connection and fuse under the bonnet and dash which I could find, checked them for corrosion (they are all like new) refitted them, all to no avail.

Then I took the coil off the key barrel to make sure the immobiliser was still in the equation, and the starter would turn the engine for as long as I would keep the key turned, then when offering the coil up to the key, the engine would fire for a couple of cycles instead of one (probably due to the cylinders being rich) and then it would shut down again.

Does this tell me the immobiliser has a fault, its not recognising the key and cutting the fuel (is that how the immobilisers work?), or a faulty fuel pump? There are fuel pump noises emmiting from the fuel tank by the way.

 

And as a last ditch effort, does anyone have a reccomendation for a garage or autoelectrician in the Gateshead area who has successfully delt with these Picasso problems?

 

Thanks,

Sean