help non starter citroen xantia!

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Hell Razor5543
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

That flashing light is to tell you that the alarm has triggered. If you lock the car with the key, the light blinks slowly. If you lock using the fob, it blinks more rapidly, but if the alarm has gone off, it blinks like a disco. All this light does is to tell you about the alarm status. It is NOTHING to do with the immobiliser.

There is a light in the dashboard (next to the open door light on my 2000 Xantia, in the bottom area of the rev counter) that is white, and looks a bit like a key in a square box. THAT is the light that signifies the immobiliser, and if it stays on, the immobiliser circuit is not letting the car start. What should happen is that, when you put the key in and turn it, the white light should come on for a moment, and then go out. Blink and you miss it.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 05 Feb 2013, 18:40, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by davo123 »

God dammit. In that case it must be the actual ecu yes ? Ive replaced the ecu relay,crankshaft sensor and no power is going to the coilpack....could it be anything else before I go on the hunt for an sl96 ecu?thanks.
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by davo123 »

Also i have no little white key light coming on at all ever.just checked it and no sign of it when u turn the key so could it still b a immobiliser problem? If I was to buy the correct ecu and a lexia could i program the new ecu to work tjeres an ecu on ebay but he doesmt have the key etc just an ecu?or will it be a job for a professional?
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Post by addo »

There's a fellow on the 106 forum who unlocks ECUs for £50, maybe he could unlock a matching numbers unit with no key chip?
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by citronut »

i dont know for sure but think if it were immobiliser the pump would not run at all, so if the pimp is runnig it comes back to ignition/spark missing,
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

I wonder if the problem is down to the battery. Somebody did have a problem with the car starting (although it did start some of the time), and it turns out that the battery was the problem.

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 31#p354631" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The immobiliser light is on for a very short time. Blink and you miss it. However, if the lightbulb has failed it won't come on (obviously). I checked on Gracie, and it does come on, and then goes out. If the immobiliser circuit kicks in, the light stays on.
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by davo123 »

I dont know what else it could be other tham the ecu then...any suggestions? I no nothing about ecu electrics etc and my brain is fried and i just want a car that works i dont know what to do.im fed up of people coming out with computers who cant read the thing i have jad emough.I have found an ecu with the same code but no chip amd also found an ecu with a dif code but still for 1.9 sl96 engine complete with key locks and immobiliser texton box would that still need recoding?mber but still sl96 battery is great only a year old and its had jump packs on it when aa is here
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by myglaren »

There may be something in the AA man's diagnosis.

There is a woman lives in Pickering and runs a business in Whitby.
Whenever she passed Fylingdales BMEWS in her Subaru, it would die and she would have to be towed away.
If she used her her Honda there was no problem.

One of our directors had a similar problem on the A66 in his Audi A4 but doesn't in his current Mercedes.
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by citronut »

i very much doubt the AA have a LEXIA as this is a dealer diagnostic tool, there are quite a few members on here with LEXIA copies,
below is a link to the LEXIA location map

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 19&t=29178" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

you can see if there is a member near you and ask them if they can hook up there LEXIA to see if that throws out up
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

OK, lets start simple, and work our way up.

The battery is good, and turns the engine over. The fuel pump is working, and (if citroenxm is right) this would suggest that the immobiliser is working, and has not disabled the car. The fact the the ECU may not be responding might be due to it not being queried by the right equipment. I think that it is worth checking citronuts' point, by checking the plugs. Take out one plug, connect up its' HT lead, hold it to the engine (by the HT shroud), and get somebody to "start" the car while looking at the spark gap. If you have a good spark then the problem is elsewhere, but a poor (or no) spark helps to narrow the problem down.

The most important point is to just try one thing at a time. If you change a lot of things you could introduce a new problem while trying to eliminate the main problem.

I have a question for if the spark is good. Does the car use common rail technology (like that used by the HDi engine)? If so, I wonder if the injectors are getting the "inject" command?
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ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by davo123 »

Theres nothing telling the coilpack to produce a spark- aa guy checked with multimeter and no switch signal whilst engibe is turning over...i think its not fuel side so doubt its injectors...any more suggestions?also i contacted lexia owner near me and no response as yet...next closest is over an hours drive away-if it is the ecu surely lexia wont do anything either?
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Somebody who knows what they are doing with a Lexia should be able to talk to all of the ECUs provided that they are working and they are right ones for the car. When the Lexia is connected up it will ask for the RPO and the VIN numbers to be able to look up its database for the ECU configuration. Once it has this, it should know what it is talking to, and the relevant protocols, etc. If an ECU has been changed in the past for a different model ECU, the Lexia might not be able to communicate with it, as it is not the one it expects.

Just a thought. If the coilpack isn't getting the signal, it could be a poor connection or failed wiring.
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by davo123 »

Yes this has crossed my mind,although the way it broke-it was working i drove it 30miles then stopped to let the dog out for 5 mins then i drove 100metres turned it off for5 mins amd then it wouldnt start..there was no smoke or blown fuses or anything like that.and the car was stationary so no connections got bumped.the only thing i did different is maybe i didmt hold the key for a second long enough-i let go before it fired and then it hasnt fired since.
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

That shouldn't do it. I have sometimes let go of the key too soon, and Gracie hasn't done that to me.
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
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Re: help non starter citroen xantia!

Post by davo123 »

It was very odd.im going to buy a lexia right now on ebay ill have it in 2 days time and im going to buy an ecu aswell if somebody could advise which would be easier to recode either an ecu of exact same code but just ecu or an ecu for same engine but slighrlty diff code complete eith texton box igniton barrel and key and door locls...if the second could i get away with taping the new key in the car somwhere.and leaving the locks and ignition on normal key? feel i should say thanksto everyone whois trying to help me!really appreciate it and ifi keep the lexia you can add me to the list...
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