C5 Gone Haywire !!

johnway · Post by **johnway** » 14 Dec 2005, 18:47

Jumped in the car the other evening (yes it was dark) and switched on..... headlamps illuminated by themselves!! Oh, I thought, must be a sensor I did not know about and started the car up OK. This morning, turned the ignition on, all came on as usual but when turning the key to START position, all I got was a click from the starter and then all hell broke loose!! Could hear umpteen clicks, relays chattering, flashers going, beeps from the dash area etc. No Go !! Tried again this evening and the electrics seem to have gone ballistic - headlights come on by themselves, relays go berserk, flashers on, CD changer clicking etc etc etc. Anyone else had this most interesting experience? Could it perhaps be a loose/bad battery connection? Lights are fine when switched on so I do not anticipate battery at fault... stuck motor? Solenoid defect? Relay defect? Bad earth somewhere? Brain gone mental? Any advice most welcome!!
Regards,
John.
P.S. Just sold the AX - maybe I unloaded the wrong car from my Citroen fleet !!

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 14 Dec 2005, 19:44

Sounds to me like a bit of simple computer crashing caused by something sparking. Funny that you suggest battery terminals - are they corroded?

pugxpert · Post by **pugxpert** » 14 Dec 2005, 21:12

have you tried a set of jump leads on battery? sounds like you have a battery problem try that first and let us know

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 14 Dec 2005, 21:35

Check the voltage of the battery - should be about 13.5V for a fully charged battery at rest. Anything less than 12.5V and you need to charge it first.

Perform a power reset.
1) Make sure you have the code to any radio etc!
2) disconnect the negative terminal from the battery for 10 mins.
3) reconnect.

If this doesn't help I'm afraid your'e in for a battle with the electro-gremlins!

//NiSk

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 15 Dec 2005, 00:45

Seen that on a BX too. Not as bad as no computer in that.
But things were really mystique because of a weak battery.

Post by **Sir Clive** » 15 Dec 2005, 07:52

Sounds like a flat battery. or at least one thats well on the way to being flat. When I carelessly left the sidelights on, I had exactly the same thing on my C5. It went absolutely bananas when I turned on the ignition. 15 minutes on the nice AA mans jumpleads soon had everything back to normal though!

johnway · Post by **johnway** » 15 Dec 2005, 20:16

Thanks to all who offered advice - was especially pleased that another C5 owner had experienced the same problem. I shall take all advice on Saturday - remove battery, recharge and install after a suitable period of time has elapsed before "rebooting"......fingers crossed!!
Regards,
John.

Post by **Sir Clive** » 16 Dec 2005, 07:56

I don't know how old your car/battery is John, but while you've got it out to charge, it would be worth removing the filler caps and checking that the cells have enough water. I *know* that modern batteries are sealed, but you can normally get into them. Death by thirst is not unknown......

johnway · Post by **johnway** » 18 Dec 2005, 16:27

Hello everyone,
Delighted to report that my 2002 C5 is now working great!! Charged battery (after checking levels), cleaned and greased terminal posts/clamps et voila! Toute est bonne!!
Thanks for all suggestions. Merry Xmas to all,
Best Regards,
John.

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