09 Citroen C2 1.4 Electrical Issues

[Ryal]

Hello!

New to the forum and hoping someone here will be more knowledgeable than myself.

My partner purchased a Citroen C2 1.4 Diesel (2009) the other day for a price of £550.

Unfortunately we were suckered by the seller (dealer masquerading as a private individual, that's another story) and took it to the garage today to get the codes read, and they're of the conclusion that the car is no good for anything and needs to be scrapped (they suggested a new ABS is only the first step). I'll explain below, but I hope you can find some sympathy with the sob story of someone who didn't perform enough due diligence and that there's a possible good situation to be made out of the bad. (perhaps wishful thinking )

Mechanically it drives absolutely fine, no issues at all. It's a Cat D car but no information as to when this occurred and no visible damage besides a few minor scrapes and scratches).

The centre console computer states that the electrical circuit, abs system, antipollution, airbag, seatbelt, and braking system is faulty. On the driver dashboard, the battery light, check engine light, ABS light, airbag, and engine service light is on. Speedometer doesn't work, and the mileage has been clocked (96k displayed, 155k is the real mileage)

Lights, electric windows, etc. work fine.

Now, I'd read on an old C2 forum (that seems to be dead with activity) that it's possible this could simply be resolved (or at least the major issues) by replacing the ABS ECU. Is this correct?

If anyone can provide any advice to what I mentioned above regarding the ECU, if it's worth trying; or whether it should be scrapped outright, please let me know your thoughts.


Thanks.

[GiveMeABreak]

There's a lot going on there and no, my first thoughts are not to start replacing parts without a proper diagnosis with a Lexia. You'll need to get some better understanding of what is going on before spending money out on parts.

You've got far more going on there than an ABS ECU fault as that wouldn't affect the dashboard display or the Airbag issues. There are communication faults with the various other systems (these are multiplexed vehicles) so further fault finding would really be a must if you are considering restoring this - but without you or us knowing what butchery has been performed (and seeing as it has also been 'clocked') to get rid of it / pass it on, your garage may well be right.

[wheeler]

Firstly what makes you think its been clocked? The diag tool will be reading the mileage from the BSI which counts in kilometres, the instrument panel then converts it to display in miles.
96k miles = 155k KM
It would seem the main problem is the ABS system failure, replacing the ABS ecu may solve the problem but before doing that you really want to check if the abs unit is getting all its supplies & earths. Has this been done or is the garage just making a guess?

[Ryal]

There's a lot going on there and no, my first thoughts are not to start replacing parts without a proper diagnosis with a Lexia. You'll need to get some better understanding of what is going on before spending money out on parts.

You've got far more going on there than an ABS ECU fault as that wouldn't affect the dashboard display or the Airbag issues. There are communication faults with the various other systems (these are multiplexed vehicles) so further fault finding would really be a must if you are considering restoring this - but without you or us knowing what butchery has been performed (and seeing as it has also been 'clocked') to get rid of it / pass it on, your garage may well be right.

I feared this may be the case regarding multiple parts as the causation. I think you're right about getting a diagnosis with a Lexia device as the next step. Thanks for also fixing the images that I'd added.

Firstly what makes you think its been clocked? The diag tool will be reading the mileage from the BSI which counts in kilometres, the instrument panel then converts it to display in miles.
It would seem the main problem is the ABS system failure, replacing the ABS ecu may solve the problem but before doing that you really want to check if the abs unit is getting all its supplies & earths. Has this been done or is the garage just making a guess?

My mistake about assuming it had been clocked - the conversion from KM to miles produces an accurate result. So it appears to be genuine in that regard! I was entirely unaware of that.

The garage just gave a quick diagnosis (they aren't a specialist in a particular brand) with their computer as we'd simply enquired whether it would be economical to fix.

I don't mind spending the same as the purchase price to get it fixed, as I think overall it's a nice little car (barring the electronical issues), so I'm enthused to at least try and explore more; unless it was of opinion that it's not worth trying.


Much appreciated for both of the replies.

[ozvtr]

While there are a few apparently unrelated faults, I would start with the ABS ECU it seems to be the major one.

The ABS/ESP unit sits just in front of the near side front wheel arch and as such is exposed to salt spray from salted roads. Consequently corrosion damage to the electrical connector is common. The connector is "protected" by a vinyl bag but this does not stop the salt eventually getting in.
The ECU is part of the hydraulic block that has all the brake lines coming and going from it.
To gain access and inspect the ABS ECU connector: jack up the front of the car and support it, remove the near side road wheel, remove the inner wheel arch liner. Remove the cable tie on the ABS ECU connector boot, slide the boot back over the wires. Actuate the yellow locking lever and separate the connector from the ECU. Inspect the contacts for moisture and/or corrosion. If the electrical contacts are OK but there is moisture in the connector use "moisture displacing spray" (like WD-40) to clear the moisture. If the pins are corroded, the ECU might need to be replaced.
If the connector looks OK and there is no moisture, the ABS ECU may be faulty. The ECU can be removed from the hydraulic block without bleeding or loss of fluid.

[alex_alex]

I have exactly this problem my car Citroen c2 1.6 vtr petrol. I can't not found problem. I chege abs sensor.
Abs pump and not resolved.

[GiveMeABreak]

What makes you think this is the same problem? There is no ABS warning displayed, so unlikely to be this. I suggest you get it diagnosed, find the fault codes and pop them up here, then we may be of some help.

[alex_alex]

Not see abs sensor .
Incorrect speed value

[GiveMeABreak]

Ok, that's a bit better now we have some codes. Pop your VIN up for us (automatically masked on post submission) so we can relate the codes to the correct engine management system, and I'll have a look.

[wheeler]

Does the car start & drive OK?
Did the fault happen after any work was done?

[alex_alex]

So . First chenge gearbox after work perfect.
Second my stuck both back rear cliper . I chenge new clipers and brake pads work perfect, just I drive 200 miles. after start this problems.

[wheeler]

Has the new ABS unit been configured correctly?
If you clear all the faults then drive it which ones come back?
Can you see live data off any of the wheel speed sensors when you drive it?
Was the ABS unit you fitted off the same year of car?

[alex_alex]

VIN CODE.

[alex_alex]

Ok, that's a bit better now we have some codes. Pop your VIN up for us (automatically masked on post submission) so we can relate the codes to the correct engine management system, and I'll have a look.

[GiveMeABreak]

The main P1795 fault refers to the Gearbox Actuator I think - according to this info it has reached over a million engagement / disengagement cycles. So will need some attention I suspect including a possible replacement of the gear engagement actuator by somebody that knows these piloted systems.

Fault Code:	P1795
Description of Fault:	Gearbox counter information: Coherence. The number of engagements and disengagements of gears has exceeded 1000000 cycles.
Conditions for Fault to clear:	Following replacement of the gear engagement actuator.
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:
Symptoms:	-
Suspect Areas:	Gear engagement actuator Piloted manual gearbox ECU