Citroen Xantia Engine Management Warning Light

Georg · Unread post by **Georg** » 24 Oct 2005, 13:43

Hello fellow Citroen lovers (haters?)

I own a 99 Xantia Break HDI Executive (110hp) and I am quite happy with it.

This morning, on a Motorway trip the engine management warning light came on after about 1 hour of driving. The light stays on all the time now. Checked the manual, it says if the light is flashing it is either the fuelsystem or exhaustsystem.

I stopped and checked if I could "see" something. I suspected a heat problem, but the oil/water temp were at normal level. No leaks, no smell, no extra heat, no smoke, nothing unusual.

The engine runs fine, no misfire or sluggish acceleration, no strange noise. I did the rest of the trip with a bad feeling but everything seemed fine like always, just the light staying on all the time.

I know about the wiring problem with the Airbag warning lights, so I am wondering if this could be something similar as the light is also always on and does not flash like it should according to the manual.

Is there a way to check if it is some loose cable or something that can be checked without removing the whole engine

Thanks in advance for any hints.

Georg

rbruce1314 · Unread post by **rbruce1314** » 24 Oct 2005, 14:55

Have you switched it back on/ started it since?

Sometimes it clears on its own: if there had been a problem the car would probably have gone into limp-home and you would have noticed it.

Georg · Unread post by **Georg** » 24 Oct 2005, 16:10

Yes I stopped and switched it off imediately when I saw the light. When starting the warning light stays on.

Later tonight I am going to try it with cold engine, maybe it fixed itself

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 24 Oct 2005, 16:19

Hi,

I had the exact same issue.
Did the ECU put you in limp mode? did you feel any power loss?

First thing to be suspicious about is the MAF. One way of cheking/cleaning, is to get your car to 50mph and then turn the ignition key off and on a few times.

In my case, this did not help and a few weeks later the engine just stopped out of the blue. Root cause was the CR pressure sensor. I suspect that the sensor was already packing up earlier when the ECU light came on.

There are three very common HDi failures:

- Diesel low pressure pump (in the tank)
- The CR pressure sensor
- The acceleration sensor/cut off: it is the red button on the left corner of the engine bay (on the passagner side) near the EGR and wastegate control valves.

Georg · Unread post by **Georg** » 24 Oct 2005, 16:33

No there was no sign of a limp mode and I did not notice any power loss.

It felt like normal, it was pulling nicely on uphill passages, but I did not push it as hard as I normally would.

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 24 Oct 2005, 17:27

OK, so the car did not go into limp mode. Limp mode is so sadly noticeable!!! You can hardly take the car to over 60mph!!

I would suspect the MAF...how clean is the air filter? Do you live in a rusty area? Has there been any construction work going on lately near home or work?

Georg · Unread post by **Georg** » 24 Oct 2005, 17:54

Now that you mention it, I did drive some dusty mountain roads this weekend. I wonder if that would clog the filter as the car was at a service 2000km ago.

Would the process you mentioned of cleaning the MAF help in my situation ?

wheeler · Unread post by **wheeler** » 24 Oct 2005, 18:17

[quote="Rostami"] One way of cheking/cleaning, is to get your car to 50mph and then turn the ignition key off and on a few times.
quote]
what exactly does this do ??

the low pressure pump & the accelerator/cut off (inertia switch i presume) are unlikely to bring the warning light on & if the fuel rail pressure sensor was faulty it would likely go into lipm home mode.

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 24 Oct 2005, 19:13

Hi to all,

The turning ignition key off and on a couple of times was suggested by my mechanic. I am not sure about the ideia behind it, but it may have to do with the few ms the hot film really goes very hot to "clean" the MAF. And maybe attempting to do this while air is rushing in could have a useful impact.

Georg · Unread post by **Georg** » 26 Oct 2005, 12:51

Hello again,

The car did not fix itself and I did try what Rostami mentioned but it did not help.

The Engine Warning is still on as soon as I start the engine.

The manual mentions that this is a problem with either "Injection/Ignition" or "exhaust cleaning" (guess this means the catalyst) depending on the country ?

I dont think it is the Injection/Ignition as the car runs fine.
If the MAF is shagged it would have sluggish acceleration, I assume ?
There is no strange fumes coming from the exhaust that I could see.

Does anybody have some more info what it could be and how much it will cost me to get it fixed if it is either the MAF or the cath ?

The car has ~125.000 km (~77.500 mls) on the clock and it is a German spec car.

Thanks again,
Georg

Unread post by **RichardW** » 26 Oct 2005, 15:14

As the warning light is on, there will be a fault code stored. You're going to have to bite the bullet and get the codes read by either a dealer, or someone equipped with the appropriate equipment. This should point you in the general direction of the problem...