2008 C4 PICASSO 1.6 HDI ISSUES

[johnsonr380]

Afternoon, just dine a 3 hour journey in my C4 Picasso. Couple of warnings began to flash, being a distance away from home it's making me a bit nervous fir the drive back. Advice would be great.

1) PDF chance of blockage warning? I take it I'm gonna need this replacing? Can I clean it? Is it a simple diy job? Would it be okay to drive 3 hours back home? I'm still in the UK

2) engine overheating stop warning, we did stop at the next services. The air con has also stopped working, any advice if this points to something in particular?

Thanks, I'm still in the UK but travelled upto Witley Bay for the week, if here's a dealer nearby I'll have a go of fixing it here if they're essential before the drive back. Oh and if it's easier enough fir an average diner

Thanks in advance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[GiveMeABreak]

If your radiator fan has stopped working, it will obviously casue an over heating problem - this will be made worse as the air conditioning condenser pumps out considerable heat on top of this. If the fan is not working it can't dissipate the heat from the air conditioning system either and will cause the AC to malfunction. Your first problem may also be realted to the over-heating problem. I would suggest that you try and get the fan looked at as soon as possible - it may be a simple corroded wire - but you don't want to be stuck in traffic with the car overheating for sure. The problem will be exacerbated at idle or slow speeds as you will not be getting cooling of the airflow at speed.

I would get it seen to sooner rather than risk a 3 hour drive like this.

[johnsonr380]

Hi cheers mate, thanks for the advice. I'm not wanting to risk it to be honest. I've got a few bits and bobs,tool wise with me. Is there any way I can test or check the fan, is it likely to be a relay of some sort.

If I could narrow it down I might try fixing it myself but depends how hard it is.

There's a dealership 3 miles away from the camp site where I am so part won't be an issue. It's just the fault finding I'll probably struggle with

[GiveMeABreak]

Do you have your VIN handy? Post it or PM it to me and I'll be able to check the right diagram for your vehicle.
Have you checked the coolant?
Do you know if the fan was actually working or not when it was overheating?

[johnsonr380]

Hi mate, we're in the caravan and the cars parked a bit of a distance, of you don't mind checking I'll post it first thing in the morning. We had to pull over mid way here, bonnet up and the fan was on then.

If I can't sort it I'll try find a reputable garage nearby here. Thanks for your help mate much appreciated

[johnsonr380]

Sorry re the coolant it's literally just had a service about 250 miles ago. I take it you mean levels etc.

[GiveMeABreak]

OK - I think this is a 2 speed fan unit - There is also a fuse (F12) at the fuse box by the battery outlet that is linked to the 2 speed cooling fan control unit. - But if the fan is / was working I think your best bet is to get it to the local garage if you can. The next things would be to check the thermostat and water pump. Best of luck - I'll post back a couple of parts diagrams when you get the VIN if you haven't sorted it.

Re levels - Yes - you would be surprised - people don't always do the check because it's just been serviced - but it never hurts to visually check the levels yourself - in case anything has happened as a consequence of the service.

[johnsonr380]

Mate great help, I'll check levels and fuses anyway to rule it out and post vin in morning. Thanks for taking the time to give some guidance mate

[Paul-R]

Did the car have any work done on it during servicing which would cause the cooling system to need bleeding? Anything such as replacement water pump, thermostat, temperature sender, etc?

[johnsonr380]

Hi mate forget to get bloody vin, although fuse looked okay. Coolant doesn't look like it'd been changed slight brown in colour and over the max point?

Would changing the coolant make a difference if it's not below minimum, I know it'll need doing soon but in terms of the over heating and ac issue would it make a difference ?

I'll send the vin over in a bit. Cheers

[GiveMeABreak]

The coolant should be between the min and max levels. I believe the newer coolant Citroen uses is clear in colour - the fact that yours is brown may indicate rust - meaning that the rust inhibitor has broken down - so I would check when this was last refilled. If the system has been topped up with water frequently - then the mixture could be diluted with the extra water and the levels of coolant will be weaker - with less protection. It shouldn't be the direct cause of the over-heating issue though.

I think you could get the garage to check the temperature sensor (top of the radiator - large hose, follow back and the temperature sensor should be visible - but without a VIN I can't be more specific as some engines have a coolant thermostatic valve unit there too. The mechanic should be able to locate it pretty easily though. Your AC should have some thermal protection to shut off if it's not being cooled. I would turn it off from inside the cabin until you get the problem diagnosed - as that will just create extra heat problems.

[johnsonr380]

Hi mate sent over the vin yesterday dunno if you've received it.

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi mate sent over the vin yesterday dunno if you've received it.

No - not received anything in my Private Message inbox - click my avatar, then there is a link 'Send Private Message'. then I should get it.

[ekjdm14]

Re. the coolant, if it was in fact replaced/topped up at the service I wonder if it's possible that 2 incompatible types were mixed. I seem to recall OAT and Glycol when mixed turn into a nasty jelly substance...

That said, I'd get the temperature sensor checked too. Also another quick check, when you've been driving for a few miles and the engine is up to temperature (but not overheated!) pop the bonnet and check that both top & bottom hose and the radiator itself are equally hot. If theres a significant difference between either hose or the rad itself, it could be the thermostat stuck closed.

Hope you can make some progress without haemorrhaging too much cash.

[GiveMeABreak]

Ok - here are some parts of the Radiator Fan, Hoses & Temp sensor location:

Fan and Switches

Hoses

Temp Sensor

I've sent the draining and filling PDFs and the Cooling system details directly to you. The only thing with this temp sensor is that it seems to be part of a kit (part 'B' the sensor is part of the kit '2'!
Anyway - at least you or the mech near the campsite may find these useful along with the other documents for troubleshooting.