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qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 14 Apr 2015, 13:17

C5. 2008. X7. 2.2 hdi. Turns over fine, tries to fire for a split second then dies. Any thoughts?

Post by **vborovic** » 14 Apr 2015, 13:19

Your car? We can rule out the battery since you've changed it fairly recently ... fuel pump / empty fuel tank?

qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 14 Apr 2015, 13:30

My car. Plenty fuel. Quarter tank. Fuel in line visible. I feel it is electrical.

Post by **vborovic** » 14 Apr 2015, 13:42

Any chance of getting the car on a Lexia, maybe the related error would pop up straight away? Would the car start if you could organize a "push start" method, with someone pushing the car and then see if it will help it turn?

qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 14 Apr 2015, 14:31

Cheers VB. All sorted. I suspect the immobilizer was on. I have a feeling that when I opened the boot to shove some shopping in at a local Asda, I plipped the remote again to get into the car, which of course was already open. At my next stop, I think I may have tried to lock the car while SWIMBO was still getting out. Something had caused the immobilizer to activate I think. I had taken all my tools out yesterday so all I had in the car was a torch with a multi-tool section (No spanners for a BSI reset). Being in a bit of a panic, (three grandkids in the car)I didn't try anything else, just phoned the AA. The guy was there in half an hour and agreed about the immobilizer. He just locked and deadlocked the car, waited a few seconds, unlocked it and it started first time. Phew, hope that's all it was, just an old fool playing about with the remote locking.
Pity I didn't know how to overcome the immobilizer, but at least I might have got something from my AA membership this year.

qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 15 Apr 2015, 17:17

Oooops, same problem today. Plenty in the battery , fires for a second then nothing. Pulled the battery leads off for 5 minutes, refitted them and the engine fired again first time.
Left the car for about two hours and I'm back to square one. Turns over and tries to fire for a second then dies.

Can't get to a lexia so it looks like a Citroen call out. I was hoping to last until the MOT at the end of June but thats not possible now.

One thing for sure, I can't trust the car to start and I certainly can't keep disconnecting the battery.

Post by **vborovic** » 15 Apr 2015, 18:04

Sorry to hear it's not sorted ... probably Citroen electrical gremlins, which are always a pain in the ass to figure out precisely

qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 15 Apr 2015, 18:10

I'm going to give the warranty company a ring tomorrow. They have a home and roadside assistance clause so they might send someone out . The AA guy just locked and unlocked the car a few times and it started, but there is obviously something else causing the non starting. I think I might get the car towed to a Citroen garage free of charge with the warranty. Whether the fault will be covered is a different matter.

qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 15 Apr 2015, 19:56

It gets worse....or better. Tried the car after two hours and it started first time. Tried again after another two hours and again it started immediately. I can't very well ask about the warranty if the fault isn't there!. I'll check tomorrow morning and maybe ask the warranty people if I need to have it recorded that there are problems.

Stickyfinger · Post by **Stickyfinger** » 15 Apr 2015, 20:40

Have you done another BSI reset ?, just to make sure...

Post by **RichardW** » 15 Apr 2015, 21:35

Taking the battery off will cause a BSi reset. My first guess would be a fault with the underbonnet fuse box. You need to get it on Lexia at fault time to see what it's doing....

Post by **vborovic** » 15 Apr 2015, 21:41

Obviously, the tricky part is to catch the car at fault time ...

qprdude · Post by **qprdude** » 15 Apr 2015, 21:47

I'll see how it goes (or doesn't) tomorrow and maybe phone the Citroen place where the service was done and explain what is happening. They seem to be reasonably competent.
Only disconnected the battery once, for about 5-10 minutes. That worked OK, then two hours later it wouldn't start. The last two tries, again 2 hours apart, have been OK, without disconnecting the battery again.

Stickyfinger · Post by **Stickyfinger** » 15 Apr 2015, 22:18

I would say first look is as Richard say, the weak spot on the X7 (and others) it seems, the Fuse Box..(which is not just a fuse box but an interface as well)

Filberton · Post by **Filberton** » 16 Apr 2015, 12:48

If you can get on any diagnostic as sometimes there are "pending" fault codes that do not trigger the management light.

A 30 minute disconnection will often clear these. If you have a dodgy sensor that can be enough to make the BSI throw a fuel shut down.

Yup the big plugs on the BSI are known to corrode pins. Both on my X7 and previous I have had to unplug these, spray with contact cleaner which has cleared many a gremlin. (I have also noted reports that a BSI reset does not always work first time so maybe go through 2or 3 repeats. )

Sounds daft but listen for the electric pump on switch on. My old C5 had a short in those big plugs that knocked out the electric pump intermittently so starved the mechanical. Result start...chug..chug..stall...no restart.
I would recommend a check on those plugs ASAP as on mine the intermittent short was melting the plug and socket.....if it goes too far it is new fuse box, new wiring loom and big bucks ( cleaning is a couple of hours tops)

Good luck

Mike

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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