Berlingo diesel fuel stop solenoid repair

[mace]

Hi folks,

I've done a fair amount of searching/reading, talking to local Citroen guys and general prodding on the vehicle, but I'm struggling to find a definitive solution for what seems to be a failed diesel fuel stop solenoid on a friends 2002 Berlingo Multispace with an 1868 cc engine.

To cut a very long story short, the van basically just wouldn't start one day about 9 months ago, and that was the last it ran until very recently. Went through, checked glowplugs etc and realised fairly quickly that there was no fuel reaching the injectors.

So, we dealt with the security shield and extracted the solenoid. Took off the rubber plunger, reassembled, and the van started up quite happily. So it was clearly the solenoid not opening that was the problem.

There appeared to be voltage at the 3 pin plug feeding the solenoid, although as I'm not quite sure which wire is the signalling wire, I wasn't sure whether it was at an appropriate level.

So, I opened the solenoid can itself up and put voltage across the solenoid terminals so confirmed that part is definitely good, which suggested the security gubbins in the can are the problem.

So, my reading suggests there are only two real options when it comes to repairing this.

Option one is to put in a new Delphi solenoid, ie. a like for like part. In theory this seems like the nicest option, however I've not been able to get a definitive answer from anyone as to whether I would have to get the van to a main dealer to get the new solenoid re-coded. With the cheapest solenoid I've found being around £100, and main dealer prices, this option begins to look expensive really quickly.

Option two is to put in a bog standard solenoid and run a switched live feed from somewhere. Here, opinions seem to differ as to whether the three pin plug has a switched live in it, or whether to take a feed from the reverse light feed (which apparently is nearby, although I'm not yet quite sure where!)

I basically need to get this van sorted and MOTable before the end of the year, as the friend lives out in the sticks and will be stuck for transport after that if it's not fixed, so would welcome opinions/suggestions on the best course of action for a long term, reliable fix which carries with it the least risk of complications.

Option one for instance makes me quite nervous about being at the whim of the nearest dealer which is ~ 40 miles away from the van, but if my concerns are unfounded (eg. if the new solenoid will automatically code itself up) then that is the quickest fix as I can pick one up before the end of the week locally, whereas I'd probably have to order the more basic type of solenoid online (Flag solenoids were discussed previously on the forums with a specific part number that is physically the right dimensions) so it's not going to arrive until next week.

Apologies for the length of the post, if more information is needed, please ask!

Thanks!

[Northern_Mike]

Does this help at all for a source for the solenoid?

http://ukdieselparts.com/stop-solenoids ... makes.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lists the Berlingo with that motor as compatible..

[spider]

You may need a weird solenoid to fit properly, if you search a bit there's others who have done this (check for 206's as well)

Regarding the wires, the three pin plug there's a signal from the transponder and an ignition live feed present, this is not used to turn the solenoid on / off but power the module inside which turns it on / off. To cut a long story short, the three pin plug one of the wires should be an ignition 12v feed, mine was on the 106. Wire this single wire to the stop solenoid.

If you cannot get a feed from there, try from the reverse lights switch as (1) its not far away and (2) it should in theory only power up in position 2 which is what you want.

[citronut]

as Andy says just fit a slandered stop solenoid and connect the switched live feed from the plug connector straight to the solenoid,
do away with the immobilisers electronics/PCB altogether,
if you call this company

http://www.fpuk.co.uk/main/indexfuelparts.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

they will probably be able to tell you which shut off valve to use, they are very helpful,

[mace]

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

I'm not entirely convinced that there is a switched feed in the plug - other stuff I've read on the forums suggests that if you intend to send the fuel pump away for overhaul, you should disconnect the battery shortly after stopping the vehicle so that the solenoid remains unlocked. That also kinda matches what I saw with a multimeter on the plug, but perhaps that means there is a suspect fuse - I'm sure I checked them all, but will have to recheck next time I get up there.

Assuming I'm not able to get a switched feed from the plug, where is the easiest place to access the reverse lights switch feed?

[citronut]

So, I opened the solenoid can itself up and put voltage across the solenoid terminals so confirmed that part is definitely good, which suggested the security gubbins in the can are the problem.

the actual stop solenoid usually only has 1 terminal,
are you sure it was the solenoid you were at and not the immobiliser unit you were putting the volt meter

can you post a photo of the parts you were checking for voltage

[mace]

So, I opened the solenoid can itself up and put voltage across the solenoid terminals so confirmed that part is definitely good, which suggested the security gubbins in the can are the problem.

the actual stop solenoid usually only has 1 terminal,
are you sure it was the solenoid you were at and not the immobiliser unit you were putting the volt meter

can you post a photo of the parts you were checking for voltage

Hi citronut,

A standard/simple stop solenoid has just one terminal, as you say, with the metal body being used to provide the ground feed.

The solenoid on the Berlingo has an immobiliser module built into it, and does not ground out through the body - instead, it takes its feed from the security module, which is powered from the wiring harness. In the attached photo, I've marked the two terminals for the solenoid coil with red dots, and it's these that I applied voltage onto to check that the solenoid itself is OK.

Interestingly though, it doesn't look to be fed by 12 volts continuously, as at this voltage the solenoid heats up fairly quickly. So, that means that it's either being fed 12 volts initially to open it, dropping to a 'hold' voltage, or it's only being fed a lower voltage continuously.

I digress though.. Plan is to replace this with a delphi 9108-073A which is a standard single terminal solenoid, so I just need to find an appropriate switched feed, either via the 3 pin wiring harness or from the reverse switch feed (which I need to find).

Berlingo stop solenoid innards

[mace]

the actual stop solenoid usually only has 1 terminal,
are you sure it was the solenoid you were at and not the immobiliser unit you were putting the volt meter

can you post a photo of the parts you were checking for voltage

I'm not quite sure whether we are talking at cross purposes, but in terms of checking for voltage, I disconnected the solenoid, and was testing voltage between the three pins in the plug from the wiring harness. I didn't find an obvious 12v switched feed in there, but will check again tomorrow. The wires are pretty thin though, and I do wonder if they're man enough to run a standard 12v solenoid.

[citronut]

ok thats made that a lot clearer as i have not as yet had the pleasure of this type of system/circuit,

can you not find a switched live in the under bonnet fuse box,

also on citroens with a slandered solenoid these only have a thin wire to feed them, and i dont think they have a trigering coil and a holding coil, but just the one coil

[mace]

I checked the three pin plug for the original solenoid, but this definitely has a 12 volt permanent feed as I thought, no switched feed, so I ended up going with the reverse light switch feed, just tapped into that and everything is working spot on now.

Thanks!