Car stuck in street help!

stanaccrington · Post by **stanaccrington** » 21 Nov 2005, 18:44

Battery run down over weekend, breakdown guy says it won't start because the immobiliser light is on and it (alarm?)needs resetting.I didn't think it had an immobiliser.
New battery init now.
Car is now halfway down street and neighbours don't look happy.
Is this a garage job or is there something quick I can try to get out of jail?
Xantia 1.9 TD 1999Help appreciated.
Thanks

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 21 Nov 2005, 21:37

Hi Stan - if you've got a keypad fitted in the car, you'll NORMALLY need the immobilser code to get the car started again. IF you had the car starting WITHOUT using the keypad it could have been switched off/disabled in the past - if this is the case the car should run normally when there IS battery power no matter what's been done with the battery.

The keypad will show all kinds of lights and beeps etc even when you turn the car starter over - the diesel WILL need a whole whack of power to get going so maybe the breakdown guy isn't really trying...

Mind, I'll give you a tenner for the car!!

Andrew

stanaccrington · Post by **stanaccrington** » 21 Nov 2005, 22:02

I just have a foldaway key with two buttons on it no keypad involved also you can't apply the deadlock as I used to so I have to leave it open tonight.
I tried some of the tricks on here to reinitialise but none worked.
Funny thing is th.e batterry has been disconnected before and nothing like this happened.

I put a new battery in it tonight so there should be enough power. He said hw would have it transpoerted to the Cit main dealer I have put this off until tomorrow in fear of bankruptcy- also for from past experiences they are not the sharpest knives in the box!!

I find it hard to believe that after the battery is changed or disconnected the car should have to be transported to a dealer to have a magic number put back in?!

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 21 Nov 2005, 22:13

How will it not start ?

You mean the starter wont turn the engine ?
- or the engine wont ignite ?

You could have one of the more simple problems like a bad connection to the starter realy, air in the fuel line, a dead gloplug timer - whatever.
Does not need to have anything to do with an immobiliser despite any lamps etc.

stanaccrington · Post by **stanaccrington** » 21 Nov 2005, 22:19

When you turn the key the engine turns over but doesn't start.
It seems odd though that the central locking has suddenly stopped working and when trying to deadlock the key just turns round and round in the lock.

Don't kno w wehther to have it towed to local garage or to Cit dealer.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 21 Nov 2005, 22:39

If the key turns round in the lock no grip they are in fact deadlocked - but doors not locked ?
You have tried remove the battery voltage again to see if things will reset after ½ an hour or so ?

Wheter you will use the local or Cit garage is best left to your feelings on either garage. Locals may be a bit more genious as they often are forced to think. Cits not so much as they just follow the book not thinking

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 22 Nov 2005, 08:17

Before doing anything drastic, check for current at the stop solenoid and the glowplugs. If either is absent, you'll have something to go on. Even if the solenoid has juice, it may not be opening - the seal can become detached. Even if there is an immobiliser (I think it's unlikely), it can easily be overridden on an ordinary diesel - I would have thought the breakdown guy would have known how!
Is there a strong smell of fuel, or any smoke when you try to start the car?

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 22 Nov 2005, 08:36

AndersDK wrote:If the key turns round in the lock no grip they are in fact deadlocked - but doors not locked ?

If you use the wrong key or a worn key in the lock they just spin. Even when unlocked.

stanaccrington · Post by **stanaccrington** » 23 Nov 2005, 16:35

Local gararge not interested said too much tied down by Citroen computer.
I had to get it towed to a Citroen dealer 40 miles away.
The computer diagnostics can't get into the ECU so he has checked the fuses etc. No power to radio, heater or gauges and central locking screwd.

Now says he needs to take off the dash & investigate the wiring looms to see if any breaks etc - which could take a long time at £60 an hour
Fair play though a reasonable mechanic and upfront.

I reckon private sale it is worth about £600 so debating wether to get it repaired or scrap it. Other problem is paying to get it back home.

The question: does any have an idea from the symptoms wether it would be quick to find the fault and the ball park cost of wiring repairs.
Bloody shame I love that car but with my type of job I need reliability!

wotsupnow · Post by **wotsupnow** » 23 Nov 2005, 17:18

What exactly happens ?
You put key in ignition, does it beep ? mine does if the battery has been off , in fact it beeps before I even get the key in as it detects the transponder in the keyfob, once the ignition is turned on it stops beeping.

Now you should have all the warning lights on and glowplug light will go out , then it should start. If it continues to beep then there's something wrong with the imobilisor, on mine the circuit on the injection pump died and in this case it had to goto Citroen to have the pump removed and the circuit replaced then recoded into the ecu, there is no way of over-riding htis without taking the pump off first as there's a metal cover over the circuit and sheered of bolts which need drilling out.

As for the central locking, it just needs the fob intitialising or the fob battery has gone. Turn on ignition and hold a fob button in until the red led for the alarm on the drivers door flashes.

Pete

stanaccrington · Post by **stanaccrington** » 23 Nov 2005, 19:03

The key fob battery was changed abd i tried resetting it to no avail it doesn't beep.
The light array comes on and the glowplug light goes out it just won't fire up.
The cit dealer seems prtty sure it is a wiring fault which he needs to trace could take hours!
What worries me is it could then still be a non starter and that would mean more cost for what you had done for instance.
Bit of sleepless night ahead deciding what to do.

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 23 Nov 2005, 19:35

It should be possible to trace a wiring fault without removing the dash. Even if tests show that the fault's behind the dash, most connectors, switches etc are accessible without taking the whole thing apart.

mpr1956 · Post by **mpr1956** » 23 Nov 2005, 19:45

Hi Stan, this sounds like one of those faults that could cost either ten pounds or a thousand to rectify...
It may be that a main dealer just doesn't have the experience on older cars to recognise what could well be a minor but critical problem.. I'm not sure where you are, but here is a link to Citroen specialists that are sorting out older cars like ours and will charge a lot less to boot !
http://www.bxclub.co.uk/specialists/ . I hope your problem can be sorted and the car kept on the road... Best Wishes, Martin

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 23 Nov 2005, 20:06

The non-keypad TD engine electrical system is really very simple. The fact that some accessories are dead too certainly points to a general electrical fault, but it's very easy indeed to 'hot wire' the system to start the engine.

paranoid · Post by **paranoid** » 24 Nov 2005, 07:22

Theres a loop aerial around the ignition barrel that recognises the key when you put it in the ignition.

On my brothers 206 it stopped communicating when the battery was really really flat, I think jump starting it spiked something electrically .

I think the new one only cost about £18

Worth a try

French Car Forum

Car stuck in street help!

Car stuck in street help!

No keypad....

Seems not igniting

Update - the worst!!

Thanks