Citroen C4 engine trouble

Midster

Hi there, I have an 06 citroen C4 (not a Picasso)
We have had the car for nearly a year now, no faults what so ever until the other day.
I was driving my youngest to school, stuck in stop start traffic as usual and one time I stopped, the engine cut out with no warning, also the engine warning light came on, and gave a pollution failure message on the screen inside the car.
I tried to restart it several times but every time it started and then instantly cut out again, with the same message.
Both me and my son both pushed the car to the side of the road and continued trying with same effects repeating.
Once we got the car to the garage the mechanic plugged his computer into the port inside the can and said it was most likely the part that controls the firing of the spark plugs that's stopped working correctly.
I was unable to return home as even the closest garage to us is miles away so he ordered the part and I walked into town for a 3 hour coffee break.
He replaced the part and also replaced all of the spark plugs at the same time.
When I came to collect it, I took it as a good sign that the engine was running and ticking over nicely outside his garage, he didn't feel the same, he explained that after he installed new spark plugs and the new part, the engine still wouldn't start, he told me he had pressed on a bicycle tyre type valve on the engine and it had sprayed petrol at him and that wasn't normal, he also told me he had took extreme measures then by spraying wd40 inside the engine which was the reason for it ticking over now.
He then sat in the car and pressed the accelerator, it reved but only up to about 2 thousand revs even with his foot flat to the floor.
He also told me that now when he plugs his computer into the car it tells him there are no faults, even though it's plain to see that there are.
He then gave me a list of 5 or 6 things it might be, like faulty wires, and faulty fuse box etc, but to eliminate the problem he would have to do all of them one by one till the problem stops.
After talking for a while I encouraged him to turn the engine off and try restart it and it started and reved perfect.
We took it for a drive and although engine warning light was still on everything was working as it should.
I drove it home and on the way home the warning light turned of.
I drove it normally that evening, and the next morning still with no problems.
Yesterday evening I drove it again, but for the first time since on a 100kph road, the engine warning light came on again without warning and the engines power drastically reduced.
I pulled over and could feel the car rocking, so I opened the bonnet with the engine still running and saw the engine rocking back and forth, with no knowledge of engines what so ever I put my hands on the engine and pushed against the rocking and the engine then cut out.
After trying many times to restart it, it eventually started again, the engine warning light was still on but driving at 60kmp all the way home I made it.

I haven't driven it this morning or today so far, but I've started it and seems normal again with no warning light or rocking.

I included as much detail in this message as I could, I'm sorry if it was to much. Lol. I need help and not just with the car.

porsche boy

The 'bicycle type valve' he pressed on was on the end of fuel rail. It sprayed petrol in him because the fuel lines were pressurised, which their supposed to be. If he dosent know this I would be worried about his abilities.

porsche boy

It sounds like he replaced the coil pack and spark plugs. The coil packs can give trouble on citroens, I have replaced a few.

Proper fault diagnosis, umderstanding live data from your car and component testing will isolate the fault. If he intends to throw parts at the car in a hope he fixes it then you need a new mechanic.

Midster

He said it took him by surprise how much pressure there was, said there was way more than there should have been, I tried this myself when the second breakdown happened and the engine was rocking and was literally just a dribble that came out

Midster

Yes that exactly what he did, if you say you have replaced these parts before have you ever experienced a similar problem afterwards?

Gonad

TAke it to George Frayne in Nass

Citroen specialist

porsche boy

Midster wrote:

Yes that exactly what he did, if you say you have replaced these parts before have you ever experienced a similar problem afterwards?

No, never had rough running issues after fitting, but there may have been another issue. This idea of fitting parts until one of them fixes the issue is lazyness.

George Frayne is a good garage, he has a lot of knowledge in Citroen but any decent mechanic should be able to get to the bottom of your problem.

kazzer

I had the same sort of problem in a 05 C4. Pollution warning fault....car losing power/cutting out randomly (even when on the motorway!).

Brought it to Citroen dealer and had some sort of a control board replaced (sorry I cant remember the name of the part). Seems that this controls/connects to the fuel pump. So what was happening was, fuel was not getting to the engine hence the loss of power/cutting out. Unfortunately this part was over €300 to have replaced, but that was the fix.

Midster

porsche boy wrote: »

No, never had rough running issues after fitting, but there may have been another issue. This idea of fitting parts until one of them fixes the issue is lazyness.

George Frayne is a good garage, he has a lot of knowledge in Citroen but any decent mechanic should be able to get to the bottom of your problem.

To be honest, normally this guy I have always taken my cars to has seemed pretty clued up and really good at what he does. Your right though he shouldn't be guessing.

Midster

kazzer wrote: »

I had the same sort of problem in a 05 C4. Pollution warning fault....car losing power/cutting out randomly (even when on the motorway!).

Brought it to Citroen dealer and had some sort of a control board replaced (sorry I cant remember the name of the part). Seems that this controls/connects to the fuel pump. So what was happening was, fuel was not getting to the engine hence the loss of power/cutting out. Unfortunately this part was over €300 to have replaced, but that was the fix.

Hmmm yes, that does sound very similar to my problem. I've driven the car several times since it was in the garage, and the breakdown shortly after, but seems no problem exists at the moment.

Thatnastyboy

Check the ECU, they are in a spot where water can ingress if the seal at the back of the bonnet is anything less than 100% perfect.

Can lead to exact intermittent issues like you describe,

Grand cars those C4s, there's much worse yokes out there

Midster

porsche boy wrote: »

It sounds like he replaced the coil pack and spark plugs. The coil packs can give trouble on citroens, I have replaced a few.

Proper fault diagnosis, umderstanding live data from your car and component testing will isolate the fault. If he intends to throw parts at the car in a hope he fixes it then you need a new mechanic.

I've driven the car now with the fault still existing and what I've found is that when I start the car both in the morning and/or after the engine has had time to cool it's fine for short distances and at low speeds.
I took it for a slightly longer drive yesterday and although the engine kept running, on the way home I lost a little bit of power exiting a roundabout and the engine warning light came on just before I entered the road were I live.
I don't know anything about engines or electronics but I thought to myself maybe cooling the engine somehow might help, so I poured several pints of water onto the engine and hey presto no warning light and engine started again ok.
It seems whatever part it is that's failing is no longer capable of running reliably and normal hot engine temperatures. I'm guessing that's electronic so narrows down my own guessing at least significantly.
Based on this new information have you any new ideas?

Midster

Thatnastyboy wrote: »

Check the ECU, they are in a spot where water can ingress if the seal at the back of the bonnet is anything less than 100% perfect.

Can lead to exact intermittent issues like you describe,

Grand cars those C4s, there's much worse yokes out there

Sorry to ask this but what's an ECU?

And do you mean rain coming in under the bonnet? Or by the windscreen wipers? As none of the times I've experienced this problem has it been raining?

Thatnastyboy

Midster wrote: »

Sorry to ask this but what's an ECU?

And do you mean rain coming in under the bonnet? Or by the windscreen wipers? As none of the times I've experienced this problem has it been raining?

ECU - engine control unit - it's the cars main computer, in here (this is a diesel model in photo but location is the same) -



Rain/wiper runoff etc, it would get in and cause corrosion and possible intermittent running issues, wouldnt have to be actually raining when it occurs, could be heat related, or almost random.

Was a known issue on C4s, (ours had 2 units replaced for the same reason ) in its lifetime.

Not guaranteed that this is the issue, but you are having the same symptoms we did - car losing power, or going into limp mode (wont go over 70-80km/h) altogether

Baggly

We had what sounds like the same issues with our 06 C4 and it turned out to be the ECU as well.

Baggly

Can recommend Sur Le Pont in Johnstownbridge to sort the issue, if you are anywhere near the n4.

They fixed it for us and are Citroen specialists.