C5 e-HDI Stop Start system

hamsterboy

Hi. Have just bought a 2011 Citroën C5 e-HDI estate and I have a question about the start-stop system. When I stop the car, the eco light on the dash flashs, but the engine does not stop.... Anyone know does it have a problem? Have engine and gearbox warranty for three months

HB

bazz26

Not sure about Citroen's system but the engine generally only cuts out under certain criteria when it is economical to do so. Car has to be in neutral with the clutch depressed. If the air conditioning is on then or temperature drops below 7 or 8 degrees it will not kick in either as there is no fuel savings.

hamsterboy

The E-HDI doesn't have a clutch... Auto box. Tried it in neutral. Also manual said that it's normal for the eco light to flash on and off but it means that start stop cannot be used... Tried it with every conceivable combo and not stopped yet. Also theres a display showing how long the car has been in eco stop mode and it's showing zero

hamsterboy

GF brought her to a Citroen dealer and the mechanics said that there is most likely a prob with either the battery or the system itself...
Time to talk to the dealer who sold it so

HB

richardsheil

Nothing wrong with the car. It has most likely been sitting a while and the battery is not totally fully charged.

Get the battery charged up fully and most likely it will be fine.

I have direct experience of this from a 508 e hdi and it did the trick.

hamsterboy

Hey guys....well the dealer took the car back again, after two days I had it back and start stop working fine.........UNTIL about a week later.
Now it hasn't worked in about a month.
I said feck it and brought it in to the local Citroen garage and they had a look.
They confirmed that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the system but that the battery is not a battery designed to be used with a stop start system.
I inquired about the price of a battery that is designed to be used with such a system and.......€280!!!
Ok this was from Citroen but even online I can only get them about €230
I intend to contact the dealer as it is still under warrenty, though the warrenty stipulates engine and gearbox and I'm wondering if thats enough wiggle room for him to get outta it...

Cheers

HB

crosstownk

Firstly, the eHDi does have a clutch - it's esentailly a manual box with piloted clutch and gear shift so there is no need for a clutch pedal. The PSA term is EGS (or ETG6 in newer models).

The PSA eHDi is slightly different to most other stop/start systems in that it uses a reversible alternator to restart the engine rather than the starter motor. As you've found out, the battery is specific and it may be that the replacement battery is not up to the job on a long term basis. It's controlled electronically and will only operate if certain conditions are met. In addition to the battery there is also an eBooster that assists the battery and is also charged via the alternator. If conditions are not right the 'eco' light flashes 3 times to indicate that some condition(s) are not suitable/met.



In case you want more info on the system, here's a list from memory of conditions that prevent stop/start or restart the engine during a stopped phase.

Driver's seat belt not fastened.
Either front door open.
Air Conditioning on MAX
Low battery charge - usually from short trips - especially with lots of current consumers running.
Deactivation via the Eco Off button on the dash.
There may be one or two other conditions that I can't think of at the moment.

If all is good with the above, the engine will switch off when the brake pedal is pressed or geabox in neutral and the speed drops below 8km/h. It will restart when the brake pedal is released or a gear is selected.

FWIW, the manual gearbox version is slightly different. With gearbox in neutral, clutch pedal released and vehicle speed below 25km/h the engine will stop. Once the clutch is depressed fully the engine will restart.

I've driven many of these and quite often when I get new one it can be days before the stop/start system becomes active if I'm driving in the city - presumably this is related to the battery. Once I take it out on a long spin it reverts to normal stop/start operation.

Its operation is significantly affected by the conditions and type of journeys you make.

Henry Ford III

I think you are wasting your time OP. Whilst an incorrect battery is fitted it's working ok at starting the car and holding charge. Your only hope was to have been more thorough before buying.

hamsterboy

Ok yet another twist in this lol.
Took a look at the battery in the car myself and printed on the top of it..."Start Stop+"
So I dont know if the Citroen dealer were just tryin to sell me a battery or they think that the battery, while a start stop one, isn't up to the job....

HB

crosstownk

From looking at the battery, can you determine if it's a genuine Citroen component? Does it have a part number?

hamsterboy

Didn't note the name on the battery....will check it out later

Dero

I have a Peugeot 5008 with this transmission, and one other criteria that I noticed is that the car won't turn off if the parking brake is on, and will turn back on (with flashing eco light) if the brake is applied while stopped.

crosstownk

Dero wrote: »

I have a Peugeot 5008 with this transmission, and one other criteria that I noticed is that the car won't turn off if the parking brake is on, and will turn back on (with flashing eco light) if the brake is applied while stopped.

Yes that's another one but it depends on the year of the car. Older models with the previous generation of electric handbrake require more battery power so it defeats the Eco engine stop and will restart it. Newer models have a different handbrake motor that requires less power so the stop/start system is unaffected - I first came across the newer system in the new C4 Picasso but I'm not sure when the newer handbrake motor appeared in the Peugeot range. That said, the OPs car has a manual handbrake.

Another FWIW point - in a previous post I mentioned that PSA use a reversible alternator to restart the engine. While it's quieter, quicker to restart and more refined than using the starter, PSA have reverted to using the starter motor in newer models (C4 Cactus for example), presumably for cost reasons. A replacement reversible alternator is about €1,000 :eek:

hamsterboy

And I thought the battery was pricey

corks finest

hamsterboy wrote: »

Hi. Have just bought a 2011 Citroën C5 e-HDI estate and I have a question about the start-stop system. When I stop the car, the eco light on the dash flashs, but the engine does not stop.... Anyone know does it have a problem? Have engine and gearbox warranty for three months

HB

I use same system on my hybrid Honda,,have to keep my foot lightly on brake,also air con off,hope this helps,,or maybe it's a different system, p.s. if cabin temperature is different to climate control setting,this also affects the auto stop system