'96 Xantia SX No headlights/foglights/crazy electrics

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 11 Nov 2005, 20:10

Can anyone help or recommend a Citroen dealer who won't rip me off? It all started when we sent the car to the shop to get new spheres. The spheres were changed and somehow the battery died while it was there. We bought a new battery and had it installed by the garage, and since then have had numerous problems ... the alarm would go off all the time, the keypad would not accept the code, and now, you don't need to enter the code to start it most of the time. Since that happened, none of the headlights or foglights work! When you start the car and turn on the headlight switch, the check engine light comes on, but not the lights ... the indicators, the reversing lights and the brake lights work, but not the headlights. We took to a local Citroen garage and they hooked it up to a diagnostic tester and there were no error codes. What I really need is for all the lights to work as they should--I don't care if the alarm or immobiliser ever works again! ANY suggestions or diagnosis would be welcome, or a name of a dealer near Newmarket, Suffolk that could tell me what's wrong, without charging me an arm and a leg!

Post by **Peter.N.** » 11 Nov 2005, 20:45

Make sure all the leads to the + terminal of the battery are connected.

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 12 Nov 2005, 07:35

Thanks for the reply, but we've done that and also had a diagnostic check done at a local Citroen garage, and they couldn't find anything wrong. We've checked all the fuses and the only time the headlight and foglight fuses get power is when the alarm is going off. We've tried enery combination we could think of, like unhooking the alarm ECU under the passenger seat and trying to reset the alarm etc., to no avail. Also, the service engine light comes on intermittently, about every fifth time we start the car. When it's on, it't on steady until we turn the headlight switch, and then service light flashes. Are there some hidden relays somewere to control the lights that are not connected to the alarm system?

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 12 Nov 2005, 09:06

You almost certainly have a faulty earth somewhere.
Follow the negative battery lead, and clean the termination at the 'far' end, together with all the other earth connections.
If that doesn't fix it, a bit of detective work will find the fault. Check the 'on load' voltage from the ignition switch - these are notoriously unreliable as they age.
If you have time, it will be far better to do this yourself, as it's the sort of job that can take ages, and which garages dislike, so it's likely to cost a lot to have done. If you do decide to have it done by someone else, use an automotive electrician, who will have the equipment, skills and experience to sort it out much faster than most garages.

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 12 Nov 2005, 11:23

Thanks for the reply--we can definitely clean any earth connectors we can find, but all we have to test electrics with is a little test light--I wouldn't know how to use any other tester ... probably better left to the electric shop, if I can find one who's willing to help. I brought the car to Horner Bros, a reputable car electrics shop, and they wouldn't touch it! We'll have a go at the cleaning today and post the results. Thanks again, any suggestions are helpful!

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 12 Nov 2005, 15:49

There are a good few earthings under the battery, and they are sometimes affected by spillage from the battery.
The negative battery terminal has 3 wires attached to it, and the gorillas

may have pulled one loose.

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 12 Nov 2005, 17:13

Hello again ... we spent about 2 hours tracing earth wires and cleaning them. We also took the battery out of the tray to get a better look under there, to see if anything was amiss, and all looked okay. The only thing we discovered when we turned the light switch on, was a faint hissing/crackling noise coming from a group of wires located under/running along the bottom of the radiator. The wires were protected by a shroud and when we unclipped them and prised open the shroud, a bunch of water ran out. We inspected a bit closer, but didn't see any burnt or chaffed wires. We are letting it dry out overnight to see if we still hear the noise .... Perhaps we're getter closer to the trouble!

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 14 Nov 2005, 19:00

Still nothing ... we dried everything out as well as we could, but still no lights. I suppose we'll have to pay dealer prices for them to sort it out. Thanks for all your inputs--I really appreciated the suggestions!

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 14 Nov 2005, 19:05

Let us know what they come up with, please
Hopefully it's quick and cheap

c7rlf · Post by **c7rlf** » 14 Nov 2005, 19:28

Clumsy removal of the battery has caused strange electrics before for me...........

When the battery is out give the individual earth wires a pull, When i wiggled the wires as a bunch everything seemed ok but probing one by one eventually I found one I had crushed.

Sorry but I can't remember the problems it caused, check the earth that goes to the gearbox

RStacey · Post by **RStacey** » 14 Nov 2005, 21:26

Had a similar problem last year but with differant electrical items - I went through all the earth checks etc but finally traced the problem to the wiring in the loom under the radiator - the problem was cracked insulation which had allowed water in to the main power cables running from the under bonnet fuse box - it was difficult to see as the insulation looked largly intact but the copper core had corroded away inside the insulation
I suggest you have a very close look at the larger white and brown cables in the loom and look for a greeny/blue deposit on the insulation - I found 4 with this problem

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 15 Nov 2005, 05:20

Good Morning--I'll send my husband out there as soon as it's light to inspect those wires closely--I'll let you know what I find! Thanks.

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 15 Nov 2005, 19:09

RStacy, you are a genious!!!! We looked at the wires in that loom, dried them out and they looked okay, but obviouly, they werent. My husband started to gently pull the wires one by one, and wouldn't you know, one came right off in his hand! He repaired it and now were fully functional again--all the lights work! Your expert advice saved us loads of dosh ... I can't thank you enough. Thanks as well to all the others who took time to help--I really appreciate it.

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 15 Nov 2005, 20:28

A - ha, Citroën have done it again - transposed a fault from one model to another! The fault you have discovered is very common on the LHD XM's over here in Sweden - the reason - the requirement for automatic dip beam on Swedish specification cars. The importer made the unwise decision to solve this problem by clipping up said cable loom and splicing in an extra feed to the dip beam headlights . . . you've guessed it . . . right under the radiator! Guess how long that splice lasts with all the salt they spread on the roads over here! and the exposure of theh other cables makes them rot as well.

Some people (companies ) never learn . .

//NiSk

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 16 Nov 2005, 05:44

While were at it, we'll check out all the other wires in that loom as well ... the shroud seems odd, the opening is on the top so if water gets in, it can't get out. Would it be wise to spray or smear the wires with something before putting things back together?

French Car Forum

'96 Xantia SX No headlights/foglights/crazy electrics

'96 Xantia SX No headlights/foglights/crazy electrics

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems

'96 Xantia SX Electrical Problems