Help needed please

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mongoose100
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Help needed please

Post by mongoose100 »

Hi all, hoping someone can shed some light for me...

A few nights ago, I came across some unmarked roadworks at motorway speed (110k), spotted at last minute and hit brakes for all they were worth before slamming into a few pot holes! After this event, the front Airbag light has began flashing every time I start the vehicle.

I've tried disconnecting the battery etc to no avail, so now stuck for ideas.

Said vehicle is a 2000 Citroen Xantia V6.

Any info greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance
Regan.

2001 Citroën C5 V6
1994 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD
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Re: Help needed please

Post by MikeT »

mongoose100 wrote:I've tried disconnecting the battery etc to no avail, so now stuck for ideas.
You were so close except, after disconnecting the battery and having a nice cup of tea (to let all the circuits fully discharge) you should have unplugged and replugged the underseat connectors (orange I think) as they're a known weakpoint.

If this cures the problem, it'll most likely happen again at a later date so a more permanent solution is to either fit better connectors or just solder the wires directly to each other.
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mongoose100
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Re: Help needed please

Post by mongoose100 »

Found some green ones, could these be them? 2 wire connectors under front edge of each front seat...
Regan.

2001 Citroën C5 V6
1994 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD
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Post by mongoose100 »

Ok, have cleaned contacts under seat, still nothing... Fully lost now
Regan.

2001 Citroën C5 V6
1994 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD
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quintet
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Post by quintet »

What spec' is your car, does it have electric/powered seats or pretensioners? if your car is the same as UK spec cars the wiring for your pretensioners should be orange & is a 2 way plug under the seat (the plug is usually brown). Maybe your pretensioner has gone off without you realising although it ought to really only go off after an impact (don't quote me on that, I'm not 100% sure :roll: ), have you compared the length of the stalk for the seatbelt buckle compared to the passenger one? if its shorter (ie the seatbelt buckle is visibly lower) then the pretensioner MIGHT have gone off.
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mongoose100
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Post by mongoose100 »

quintet wrote:What spec' is your car, does it have electric/powered seats or pretensioners? if your car is the same as UK spec cars the wiring for your pretensioners should be orange & is a 2 way plug under the seat (the plug is usually brown). Maybe your pretensioner has gone off without you realising although it ought to really only go off after an impact (don't quote me on that, I'm not 100% sure :roll: ), have you compared the length of the stalk for the seatbelt buckle compared to the passenger one? if its shorter (ie the seatbelt buckle is visibly lower) then the pretensioner MIGHT have gone off.
Wouldnt that make a bang tho?

Standard exclusive spec, elec. seats, unsure if they have pretentioners tho...

Just a thought, if I were to replace the little airbag box under centre console (have a spare) as a trial and error game, would I be likely to cause myself more headaches than its worth???
Regan.

2001 Citroën C5 V6
1994 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD
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Post by Deanxm »

All airbag cars have tensioners, i believe they are there to pull you back into the seat so you dont get the airbag punch you in the face as it deploys.

D
XM Prestige PRV6 92
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Mitsubishi L200 Trojan 14
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Service Citroen is awesome, it shows me pictures of all the parts i used to be able to buy............
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Post by quintet »

What sort of trim is around the seatbelt anchor? if it's easy enough to remove (or at least pull to the side) have a look for a 6 to 8" cylinder at the base of the seatbelt unit, if there is such a cylindrical/tube unit then it'll have pre-tensioners. In my experience regular steering wheel airbags go off with a hell of a bang (we've detonated them in the workshop) but pre-tensioners are some-what more lethargic in comparison. If your pre-tensioner has gone off then the tension cable will have retracted into the unit (thus pulling you into the seat, something not often noticed by the seat occupant due to the sudden deceleration experienced during heavy/sever braking) - thus making the seatbelt buckle appear lower in comparison to the passenger side, well unless you had a passenger in the vehicle at the time, in this case theirs would have also gone off.
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Post by addo »

It's quite possible the pretensioners have gone off. The latch stalks will appear "wrinkled".

Buy a Chinese Lexia anyway - they're cheap enough and you might make beer money diagnosing other peoples' cars.
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mongoose100
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Post by mongoose100 »

Have checked around seatbelt buckles, no apparent issues there that I can see...

Worth swapping the A/B ECU over incase its unhappy? Do they have a non volitile memory?

Regarding Lexia, whats to stop me burning a copy from somewhere and finding a OBD-II to USB connector??? Dont fancy supporting Chinese piracy but will if I have to I guess
Regan.

2001 Citroën C5 V6
1994 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD
Deanxm
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Post by Deanxm »

my guess is the pirate copies are made in the same factory as the originals :? :lol:

D
XM Prestige PRV6 92
Talbot Express Autotrail Chinook 89
Mitsubishi L200 Trojan 14
Xantia Activa 95, sold (missed)

Service Citroen is awesome, it shows me pictures of all the parts i used to be able to buy............
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Post by quintet »

If the pre-tensioner has gone off fitting a replacement ECU will just give you the same results ie airbag fault.
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mongoose100
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Post by mongoose100 »

Thank you all for your help, found the offending connector, was under the centre console, cleaned up and problems gone
Regan.

2001 Citroën C5 V6
1994 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD
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