C5 X7 no start (or only runs for fraction of a second)

[MattBLancs]

Well it started fine this morning.

Que the "and now I am stuck at work" post in about 9 hours or so from now!

[CitroJim]

Well it started fine this morning.

Que the "and now I am stuck at work" post in about 9 hours or so from now!

Just be careful to make sure it's not reading this forum... It might give it ideas

Park it at the top of a steep hill - just in case

[MattBLancs]

Not a steep hill, but bottom deck of the multistorey - so at least won't get wet whilst giving it a shove!

[CitroJim]

Not a steep hill, but bottom deck of the multistorey - so at least won't get wet whilst giving it a shove!

Fingers crossed Matt

[MattBLancs]

Started fine

[CitroJim]

Started fine

And may it continue to do so

[H4wkeye]

Started fine

Seems the gremlins had their fun and left. Fingers crossed it stays like that!

[MattBLancs]

I'm hoping so, but equally it's the third time I've been hoping this!

(Post 1st bump start, thought was sorted.
"Ah, it's hydraulic tappets" ,

Then again, post starter motor replacement
"ah, it was a too small starter motor"

Now,
"Cleared some fault codes but none seems severe enough to have prevented it from starting. Oh look it's running"

Fair to say overall confidence in each of those positions is less than the one preceding it!)

My leak off testing kit arrived today, not sure whether to have a go with it at the weekend or leave the thing well alone (unless it plays up again) The former option has a lot going for it!

[H4wkeye]

I'd leave it be and keep monitoring it. Best to let the beast rest for now

[MattBLancs]

Yes, agree. I won't mess with it, so long as it doesn't mess with my travel plans either!

[moizeau]

I bloody hate problems like this (as do most). You're never truly confident that all is solved, when it will next bite your arris etc. I had a similar thing on my 406 2.1td. Every now and again, like 3 months, 12 months, it didn't start. Everything checked out. I'd unplug the harness from the pump and a rectangular one next to it, clean the contacts, all was good......Then it wouldn't start, sometimes it caught?? Turned out to be the rectangular connector that had a slide lock on it. The tangs for the slide lock were broken. Couldn't see that as it was covered by a rubber boot. Once I peeled the rubber boot back all was revealed. Just had to push the centre in properly and not rely on the slide connector to pull it down. Took about 3 years to find that.

[H4wkeye]

Yeah, it can definitely be very frustrating especially when it's some small thing.

[MattBLancs]

Yep, it's the "undermined confidence" aspect that's the killer (and indeed that generated thoughts of "am I keeping this or getting rid?" )

I've had various "old" cars all the time I've been driving, but this is first time I've been in an unrecoverable "failure to proceed" situation, and repeatedly so.

As an example:
I had a 306 with dying injection pump and could drive that for a fortnight (whilst I accumulated parts to fix it) with three legs / left foot braking / pumping the priming bulb to get it to go - but it never left me stuck somewhere.

But the C5:
Stuck in middle of Chorley, in a busy car park, in the rain with an adjacent parked takeaway delivery driver who wouldn't stay put for flipping 2 minutes whilst I got the towing bar coupled up and out his way - with a problem that seemed sorted (and the car that had been faultless for 2 weeks prior) but then popped back into existence again right as due to take my sister to the airport??
Fair to say I was pretty much incandescent at that point and so it'll take a good period of faultless behaviour before I am "relaxed" driving the C5 again - which is a shame as it's the most relaxing place to travel going!

But I do still like the car, I think!

[CitroJim]

Fingers remaining crossed Matt Somewhere on here is the tale of my daughter's 207 that would randomly cut out and tried to kill her several times by randomly doing so in the worst possible places...

I ended up confiscating it and gave her my almost-new C1... Took me 6 months to fix it... I almost scrapped it but I was determined...

[H4wkeye]

Yep, it's the "undermined confidence" aspect that's the killer (and indeed that generated thoughts of "am I keeping this or getting rid?" )

I've had various "old" cars all the time I've been driving, but this is first time I've been in an unrecoverable "failure to proceed" situation, and repeatedly so.

As an example:
I had a 306 with dying injection pump and could drive that for a fortnight (whilst I accumulated parts to fix it) with three legs / left foot braking / pumping the priming bulb to get it to go - but it never left me stuck somewhere.

But the C5:
Stuck in middle of Chorley, in a busy car park, in the rain with an adjacent parked takeaway delivery driver who wouldn't stay put for flipping 2 minutes whilst I got the towing bar coupled up and out his way - with a problem that seemed sorted (and the car that had been faultless for 2 weeks prior) but then popped back into existence again right as due to take my sister to the airport??
Fair to say I was pretty much incandescent at that point and so it'll take a good period of faultless behaviour before I am "relaxed" driving the C5 again - which is a shame as it's the most relaxing place to travel going!

But I do still like the car, I think!

I completely understand! Mine just decided to not start as I dropped by work to pickup some papers. Parked out the front, and bam. Nothing. And I am still not fully "relaxed" as I drive it even though I took it to the electrician which replaced the needed parts on the starter motor and now it has been running fine for the past week or so. Especially cuz beside that day where the turn over seemed slow, it was fine before.

But I did read the C5 X7s have some issues with some parts on the starter motor dying out, not sure how true that is, I just heard rumors.