C3 2010 Electric fault? not sure need help!

[vzam5515]

Hi guys!

I have citroen c3 vrx+ 1.4 diesel 2010 and recently i have been having problem

Each time i turn the engine off my lights and wipers are going crazy... for like 3minutes then they turn off and additionally my power steering seem to be messed up too!

Anyone have any idea what it can be before i get it to any specialist as i do not want to be ripped off.

I have checked fuse boxes located near the battery and all seem fine. the strange thing it does it for 3 days and then i have few days of peace until it starts again


thank you all for any help

[GiveMeABreak]

Have you changed the factory fitted audio unit or added any equipment recently?

[vzam5515]

Hi, no equipment has been added or anything. its seem strange

[Hell Razor5543]

How old is the battery? C series cars are sensitive electronically, and a failing battery can throw up all sorts of weird errors.

Sometimes a glitch can occur, and give you all sorts of grief (recently my C5 decided to get 'confused' with her screen washers. Sometimes she would (when asked) trigger the front washers, but on other occasions she ran the back washer regardless of which washer I was asking for). There is a procedure to do what is known as a BSi reset (ignore the references to the C5 suspension, but everything else is relevant).

Battery Disconnect / Reconnect Procedure

[vzam5515]

I am going to check how old the battery is ! thank you im not a car guru i probably only know how to check the oil however i will check the battery now if possible should i get it replaced? or checked by mechanic

[Hell Razor5543]

I cannot tell you how to properly get a battery checked, but if it is on the way out I would DEFINITELY get it changed. Whether you change the battery yourself or get it professionally changed make sure to follow the BSi reset procedure; it is designed to allow ALL of the ECUs in the car to shut down cleanly, (rather than come crashing down around your ears), and then should allow her to come back to life in a healthy state.

[vzam5515]

This is the current battery I have no idea how to find the age of it

[vzam5515]

I will get new one tomorrow and will keep you updated thanks

[Paul-R]

That might be the original battery. Look at the numbers left of the red lever, 140910 implies 14th of September 2010.

On a positive note, everything is very clean and clear of corrosion!

[vzam5515]

@Paul-R its been very good looked after and yes looks like to be the original one... i will replace it tomorrow thank you all for all the help <3

[Hell Razor5543]

That little glass 'window' just below and to the left of the Varta label appears to be showing a green disk. If it is, it 'may' indicate that the battery is still good. Before replacing the battery I would get it tested at a proper garage (some places will grab any opportunity to sell you a replacement even if your part being tested is still good).

[vzam5515]

Hi guys quick update, changed the battery and still doing it.

[GiveMeABreak]

The power steering is electronically powered so a weak battery will cause it to feel 'heavy' at times. Did you follow my procedure here when the battery was replaced?:

Battery Disconnect / Reconnect Procedure

Just replacing the battery won't reinitialise the BSI - but the above will. If it is still doing it, then you may have a faulty earth or it could be the engine fuse box. But to get a better idea, you will need to get it diagnosed and post any faults codes here.

[Hell Razor5543]

If it is just a glitch that should clear it out. However, if it continues you have a problem, and this needs to be investigated with suitable diagnostic equipment. While a dealership will charge you for a 'Lexia session' there are forum members who have Lexia clones and are willing to help other members. Here is the list;

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=56452

[GiveMeABreak]

The above posts have been edited to avoid confusion. There is now one BSI reset procedure that is in the diagnostics section. References to older procedures are being removed / linked as appropriate.