Xantia TD fuel warning problem

[fatherjack2002]

Hi, i have a S2 Xantia 1.9 TD as my "duty dog" car , while traveling home the car started losing power and the engine fault light ( on top left of instrument lights) came on , immediatly after this the fuel warning light came on , the car appeared to go into limp mode and wouldnt go any faster than 35mph, i managed to make it to a garage and fueled up , after that it was all go again !
is the engine fault light and limp mode rigged up to the "reserve" on the tank, or is there something else at fault here ? ,i've had xants for a number of years now and never experienced this before
Cheers Paul................

[CitroJim]

Nope, that's just a warning of low fuel pressure you have there Paul. What I'd suspect is there's muck in your tank and the fuel level has run low enough for pump to suck up a bit of debris that has either partially blocked the tank pick-up strainer or plugged the fuel filter or both...

If you were to read the pump ECU with a Lexia you'd most likely find a timing motion fault recorded and this is because there's insufficient fuel pressure available because of a choked filter to correctly operate the pump timing device which uses the pressurised fuel as a hydraulic medium to operate it.

You may need to replace your fuel filter or clean your tank strainer to restore normal operation.

[fatherjack2002]

Cheers Jim, the fuel filter i can do, how do you do the tank strainer & where is it located ? as you know i do have limited DIY skills lol .
What is concerning is that this happens BEFORE the low fuel warning light comes on , is there still the reserve gallon (ish) of fuel there, or am i going to be in an immediate run out of fuel situation ?
Thanks Paul...

[Xaccers]

Lift up the seat behind the drivers chair, use a flat screwdriver to pop off the rubber cover.
You'll see the fuel lines, fit a cable tie around each one to make it harder for them to slip down the side of the fuel tank when you remove their clips.
Undo the large white threaded ring with ridges around the outside, use a bit of wood and a hammer on the ridges if it is tight but be gentle!
Pull out the sender, pop out the mesh and clean.
If you do it when the tank is near empty you can look inside and scoop out any more grit you can see.
Use new good jubilee clips to reattach the fuel lines when the sender is back in place.

[CitroJim]

The tank strainer is got at by lifting the rear seat and taking out the big bung under the carpet on the driver's side. then you'll see the fuel pipes and gauge wires going into a circular affair which is fixed to the tank by a big threaded ring. Undo the threaded ring - which can be very tight - and lift the device and up comes the pickup strainer and the fuel gauge sender and float..

This is a picture of how bad they can get:



Picture courtesy of DickieG

Someone a while back showed a picture and dimensions of a wooden spanner to undo the threaded ring but just who escapes me now.

Hopefully it won't come to that Paul but I'd replace your fuel filter ASAP and then if all is OK I'd then do a range check to ensure you have some reserve when the light comes on.

By that way, all that crap in the tank is a normal happening; mainly it's caused by microbiological organisms living in the water that invariably accompanies even the cleanest diesel...

Edit - Xac's beaten me to it

[Xaccers]

Ah missed it was a S2, not sure if the mesh can come off.

[CitroJim]

Ah missed it was a S2, not sure if the mesh can come off.

It's all very similar except the fuel lines have push and clip connectors which need to have their coloured buttons depressed to remove.

[Hell Razor5543]

What would you use to clean the fuel pickup? Gracie is not showing any signs of this problem, but I would like to know if it ever happens.

[CitroJim]

I'd scrape off the worst, soak it in brake cleaner or similar and then blow it with an airline until it was sparkling...

Do it with the fuel level low in the tank otherwise it can be a bit messy!