Citroen C4 Coupe 1.6 16V
Citroen C4 Coupe 1.6 16V 3d. coupe, 110 hp, 4automatic transmission, 2004 - 2008 - the starter turns, but the engine does not start
The starter turns, but the engine does not start
Causes
There can be quite a few reasons for this behavior of the car. The main ones are listed below. We have divided them into two categories. To begin with, we will analyze those that any beginner can handle:
Human factor:
You forgot to turn off the anti-theft, which blocks, for example, only the fuel pump.
Exhaust pipe clogged. Kind people put a rag or a potato into it, or maybe you just drove into a snowdrift - there are many options. The exhaust pipe must be released.
All of the above, in general, is not a breakdown, and is solved in a jiffy. And now we will analyze the reasons associated with a technical malfunction:
If the starter turns very slowly, then the engine oil thickened in the cold may be the cause. Or maybe a battery discharged after a long stay or its strongly oxidized terminals. In this case, the voltage of the on-board network may sink so that the engine control unit refuses to work. Well, everything is clear here: oil should be filled according to the season, the battery should be charged or replaced.
Something is frozen - water in the gas line, diesel fuel in the tank or filter. Looking for a warm box!
Fuel pump defective. This is easy to verify, unless you are trying to start the car near a busy and noisy highway. If it is quiet around, then a sensitive ear is able to catch the absence of the characteristic buzz of the fuel pump during starter operation. At best, poor contact in the circuit is to blame, at worst, a pump replacement awaits you.
The flywheel is turning. This sometimes happened on cars of previous years of production, up to the VAZ-2109. You can hear that the bendix has engaged with the crown, and the crown is turning on the flywheel with a squeal. The flywheel is being replaced.
The starter does not engage with the crown. Reason: wear of parts, teeth crumbled, etc. When trying to start, there is a grinding of teeth. Get ready to replace the crown or flywheel.
stuck bendix. Either his drive flew, or the bendix itself - it doesn’t matter. The starter motor can be heard turning at high speed, but there is no other attempt to crank the engine. Get ready to repair or replace the starter itself.
Failure of the ignition system in gasoline cars. We check everything in a row - candles, coils, wiring, etc.
Diesel engine does not have glow plugs. The problem may be in the control unit, as well as in the power relay. The candles themselves should also be checked - you will have to tinker with this.
Broken timing belt. It is easy to feel: the starter has become easy to turn. If you are lucky (the pistons did not meet the valves), it is enough to replace the belt, if not, then half a motor.
The timing belt jumped a few teeth, violating the correct valve timing. Again, at best, you will need to return the belt to its place, but at worst, expensive repairs await you.
Increased resistance to rotation of the crankshaft: seizures on the shafts, bearing shells, parts of the cylinder-piston group, deformation of the shafts. Check if the engine can be cranked when pushing the vehicle in top gear in a manual transmission. With a machine gun, you will have to try to crank the engine by the bolt securing the auxiliary drive pulley. If the engine can be cranked relatively easily, then the search for the cause will need to be continued.
Jammed alternator, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor. A defective unit does not allow the engine to turn. To check, you can first see if the belt is overstretched when trying to crank the engine. If suspicions are confirmed, then you can remove the auxiliary drive belt and try to drive to the service station on your own. Of course, this will only work on cars where the coolant pump rotates the timing belt. With an idle pump, without coolant circulation, even a cold engine will quickly boil.
At night, they tried to steal your car, but something went wrong. As a result, the attackers rummaged, broke something and disappeared in disgrace. Here, without diagnostics at the service station, the problem cannot be solved.
What to do
If the starter turns, but the engine does not start, the first thing to check is the power supply system and the ignition system.
Please note that all these checks should be performed only when the starter turns smoothly, without jerking. Otherwise (jerks during starter operation or clicks instead of the usual buzz), the problem should be sought, first of all, in the starter itself.
Checking the fuel system should be performed sequentially - from the fuel pump to the injector (carburetor):
1. If you have an injector, then when you turn on the ignition in the cabin, you should hear the buzzing of an electric fuel pump. If there is no buzzing, then either the fuel pump motor burned out, or there is no voltage on it. Therefore, it is necessary to check the fuel pump itself, as well as its fuse.
2. With carbureted cars, everything is a little more complicated: the fuel pump is driven by a camshaft, so to check you will have to remove the end of the hose from the carburetor inlet fitting or the fuel pump outlet fitting. If you swing the fuel pump manual priming lever several times, gasoline should come out of the fitting or hose.
3. To check the presence of gasoline in the injector rail, press the valve of the fitting to connect the pump: gasoline should flow from there.
4. Be sure to check if the fuel filter is clogged. Perhaps the engine simply does not have enough fuel, so it will not start.
5. Another reason the starter turns over but the car won't start is a clogged throttle.
After completing all the above steps, you can try to start the car again. If the starter still turns, but the car does not start, then you need to proceed to check the ignition system.
1. First you need to unscrew the candle and check for a spark on it. To do this, put a high-voltage wire on the switched off candle, touch the metal part of the engine with the skirt of the candle and turn the engine with a starter (you will need an assistant for this). If there is a spark, then the candle is working.
2. If there is no spark in the injection car, then the problem is in the ignition module.
3. If there is no spark in the carburetor engine, then the ignition coil should be checked. Pull the center wire out of the distributor cover, place its end 5 mm from the metal part of the engine (without touching it) and ask an assistant to turn the engine over with the starter. If there is no spark, the coil is bad.
4. If there is a spark and the ignition coil is working, you should remove the cover of the distributor and see if there are any defects under it (carbon deposits, cracks, etc.).
There are times when all these checks are not enough, and the car owner has to carry out deeper checks to identify the reason that the starter is spinning and the engine will not start. Among the reasons why this may be, there are also:
1. Blown fuse. This is not common, but it is still worth checking the integrity of the fuses in the blocks.
2. Corrosion on any of the electrical parts.
3. Condensation under the hood. There were times when the car would not start precisely because of excessive moisture under the hood.
Specifications
Technical parameters Citroen C4 Coupe 1.6 16V / Citroen C4 in the back of 3 doors. coupe with 110 hp engine, 4 automatic transmission, produced from 2004 to 2008
The Citroen C4 is a comfortable, elegant, modern car in all respects. The manufacturer presents diesel and gasoline options with automatic and manual transmission. The French made the perfect car both in terms of technical characteristics and aesthetic. But, despite this, the owners are faced with problems during operation - sometimes the Citroen C4 does not start. Let's look at the main causes and find out how to fix these problems.
How exactly does it not start
Many car owners who have experienced similar problems write hundreds if not thousands of messages complaining that the engine will not start. But in order to understand exactly what is wrong with the motor, you need to find out all the symptoms.
Usually there are not so many possible options. So, it happens that the driver, as usual, turned off the engine that was working normally before, parked the car, and in the morning his Citroen C4 would not start. It also happens that the motor starts, but this takes a little longer than usual. Sometimes the internal combustion engine may work normally, but suddenly stops and does not start again. They also often complain that the engine starts and immediately stalls.
This is not all the options for breakdowns. Often, owners complain that the engine fires and sneezes at startup. Also, situations are not uncommon when the Citroen C4 does not start, the starter turns, but at the same time the car starts up perfectly in tow. Specialists are also faced with such symptoms when the car did not even go anywhere, but suddenly stopped starting.
Knowing how the engine behaves, you can understand at least approximately what is wrong with the engine or with other car systems.
Typical malfunctions
If the Citroen C4 does not start, do not panic. The success of the repair largely depends on how quickly and how well you can find the weak link. To better understand the whole essence of possible repair work, consider what can break.
Injection
It is possible to single out malfunctions related directly to the injector. With such breakdowns, the car does not start either cold or hot. The "Check Engine" light will illuminate on the instrument panel. Less commonly, the engine runs with the light on, but at the same time it will be difficult to start, and the operation will be extremely unstable. Most often, injectors are clogged in the engines of this manufacturer. ECU fails. These nodes must be diagnosed first of all if the Citroen C4 does not start.
Ignition
Also, very often starting problems are associated with the ignition system. There are more possible breakdowns here. Usually the reasons are candles - they can be flooded with fuel. In this case, the engine starts and immediately stalls, and after several attempts to start, it even stops grabbing. Rarely, but still there are problems with other components in the ignition system - this is the ignition coil or module, the crankshaft sensor.
Fuel system
Starting problems can also be related to poor or incorrect operation of the car's fuel system. French motors can suffer from three possible problems here:
- Clogged fuel filter. In this case, the symptoms will be as follows: the car seizes, but does not start, if it was possible to start, then the engine will be very unstable.
- You can highlight the malfunctions associated with the fuel pump. The car will not start under any circumstances and in any condition.
- Fuel rail pressure. If it is not enough, it will be very problematic to start the engine. There is also a lack of cold and hot start, unstable operation.
Engine
Well, in the end, you can single out the motor itself as the cause of the problem. Here is the widest range of options available. The most common cause is poor compression or misaligned valve clearances. With such problems, high-quality diagnostics are needed, otherwise it will be very difficult to determine why the Citroen C4 Picasso does not start.
How to bring life back to the car?
If the engine stalls and does not start, you need to find and fix the breakdown. Let's see what is included in the list of diagnostic measures. In fact, many operations can be done by hand, without specialized tools.
When the starter turns, but there is no effect
If the starter turns, but the Citroen C4 does not start, then you need to make sure that the fuel pump in the car is working at all. In most cases, a working fuel pump can be heard. Most often, the sound of his work can be heard near the rear sofa. A characteristic buzzing will be felt when the device is running.
If the pump does not function, then experts recommend checking the integrity of the fuses, as well as the fuel pump relay.
It will not be superfluous to check the ECU relay. If the fuses are good, then you need to find out if the relay turns on. Its performance can be determined by a characteristic click. This click will be heard when the vehicle ignition is turned on.
Fuel system diagnostics
If the Citroen C4 stalls and won't start, then the problem may lie somewhere in the fuel system. If the pump is working properly, then you need to make sure that there is pressure in the rail. To do this, you need a manometer. Field testing is also possible. There should be a spool on the ramp - you should press it. If the pump is running, then the pressure in the rail will be within 2.8 atm.
If you press the spool, then the jet of fuel from it will be even. The pressure must be constant. If the pump functions quite normally, but there is no pressure in the rail, then you need to check the presence of fuel in the tank, clogged filters, and patency of the lines.
pressure regulator
Injection motors operate under a certain pressure, which is pumped into the rail by a gasoline pump and adjusted by a special pressure regulator. To diagnose it, disconnect the hose through which the fuel flows into the tank. With the hose disconnected, turn on the ignition. If fuel is supplied from it, then a problem has been detected, and the regulator must be changed.
If this malfunction caught on the road, then you can muffle one edge of the regulator or pinch the tube. Thus, you can get to the place of repair.
What else to pay attention to?
If there is pressure in the rail, there is gasoline in the tank, then the ignition system of the car should be diagnosed. For diagnostics, it is recommended to use a special spark gap. If a spark is present, but the Citroen C4 car does not start, then the serviceability of the candles is checked visually, and then with special equipment.
throttle valve
If this node does not work correctly, then you can not wait for a quick start and stable operation. Damage can be diagnosed in a variety of ways. It is necessary to unscrew the supply pipe, inspect the body and the damper directly visually - it is possible that the development or any mechanical defects will be visible.
When the motor is not running, the damper will be closed. If it cannot close normally, then you need to clean the throttle.
Engine starts and stops
If the Citroen C4 car starts and stalls, then most likely everything is in order with the engine and its other systems, and the problem lies in the immobilizer. Diagnosing this malfunction is simple - usually a lamp will be on or flashing on the dashboard. If the connection between the chip on the key and the immobilizer is lost, then you can forget about the normal start of the engine.
To solve the problem, you will need to use special equipment that is available at the official dealer. Otherwise, you can replace the key with a spare.
Starter clicks, no effect
If, when trying to start, the Citroen C4 does not start and clicks at the same time, then we can say that the solenoid relay is faulty. It needs to be replaced. After replacing the starter will be able to work normally. It is also worth checking the condition of the battery. With a discharged battery, the current will be enough only for clicks.
If the Citroen C4 does not start, the starter does not turn, then you should check the wire connections directly to the starter, as well as the relay.
The starter may not show signs of life with a bad "mass" or missing contact. But it will also not be superfluous to carry out diagnostics with a scanner. The car is completely controlled by electronics, and there may be errors in any of the nodes.
Won't start hot or cold
In the first case, malfunctions associated with the coolant sensor can be identified. The sensor should be replaced. If there is no cold start, then all of the above is possible.
Diesel versions of the Citroen C4
Diesel engines operate differently than gasoline engines. And the reasons for the poor launch are slightly different here.
For diesel engines, high compression is important. If for a number of reasons the compression has decreased, then the air in the combustion chambers will not be compressed enough. And if the air is not compressed, it will not heat up, and the fuel will not be able to ignite.
It is not uncommon for various problems with glow plugs to affect starting. Conventional diagnostics will not help here, since problems are not visible on a hot engine. But it will be problematic to start the engine on a cold one with faulty candles. Often the causes of failure lie not in the candles themselves, but in the electronics that control the operation of the glow plugs.
There may be problems with the fuel system. If any small particles get into the diesel injectors, the engine may not start. In this case, you need to pay attention to the blue smoke when trying to start. If it is, then fuel is supplied to the cylinders, but the mixture for some reason does not ignite.
If the diesel Citroen C4 does not want to start in cold weather, then this may be due to fuel. It contains paraffin. In winter, such fuel thickens. It cannot pass through the filter in this state and, of course, is not fed further. You need to use winter diesel fuel.
Often there are problems with the fuel line. If there are cracks in it, then the fuel will escape from the system. The main thing to remember is that if smoke is visible from the pipe at startup, then fuel enters the cylinders. If there is no smoke, then it is worth diagnosing candles or compression.
Conclusion
So, we found out why the Citroen C4 car may not start. As you can see, the problem can be of a different nature. If this is a gasoline engine, then first of all you need to inspect the pump and candles. Well, diesel is a little more difficult. After all, if the problem is in compression or injectors, you won’t be able to fix it yourself.
The car after the accident, according to the owner of the car, the blow fell exactly in the middle of the “muzzle”, but did not reach the engine. The view of the car is certainly a nightmare, but it is subject to restoration. They complained that the car would not start, dry candles, and there was fuel in the rail. According to the first signs, I got the impression that the immobilizer was blocked and the problem was more likely in the key, but I was convinced that it was started from this key and it was working before the accident.
Computer diagnostics showed errors in the crankshaft position sensor (phase sensor), and this can already be said to be the main reason no matter what the car starts and the following errors are misfires in the cylinders and the absence of a signal on the injectors. The sequence of work is clear, change the broken phase sensor. I checked, the sensor was not working, the wires from the sensor to the control unit (CU) are intact. After replacing the sensor, a spark should appear on the candles, when a spark appears, the control unit gives a signal to the injectors. This is how the algorithm for working on Peugeot and Citroen is built, I will say that the French should be given their due, the control system is built in such a way that if there is no spark, then the candles will not be flooded with fuel. They brought the sensor, replaced it, the key to “START”, and the car does not show signs of a desire to start. Turned the key again, the fuel pump is not audible. There are three options for the occurrence of such a situation: the first is a built-in alarm that blocks only the gas pump, the second is a native alarm (immobilizer), and the third is the blocking of the fuel system during an accident. Previously, a button was melted on these machines, which worked in case of an accident or with very strong shaking (which was also considered as an accident) in order to reduce the likelihood of a car catching fire in an accident. And now there are no such buttons, but the protection system remains, only in electronic form. The so-called Double-relay is responsible for this. This relay is controlled by the control unit for the full operation of the engine, and the second part is the control of the signals from the airbags. The field of an accident, this protection system is triggered, then it is unlocked, but there are exceptions. I started sequentially, unlocked the built-in alarm so that suspicion would not fall on it. DOES NOT START. Double-relay cannot be bypassed, since the manufacturer made the unit not collapsible and all components (relays, including Double-relay) are not removable. I decided to postpone this situation as a last resort, I decided to deal with the immobilizer. The immobilizer unlock chip is located right in the key. There are times when the battery in the key just runs out and the immobilizer does not recognize the CHIP. It's easy to check, press the control buttons on the key, and if the machine responds, the key is in working order. In this situation, the car did not respond to the action of the key. DEFINITELY immobilizer, the second sign of immobilizer blocking is a refusal to reset errors in the control unit. I asked for a second key, the key was at home, it was brought after a while. I insert the key, the car purred with a “poltychka”. It turned out that the first key without a chip, it was taken out to bypass the immobilizer in the built-in alarm, for auto start. The owner of the car began to scold himself: “HERE, he called an auto electrician, spent so much time, spent money, but it turns out that he just mixed up the key.” I had to calm him down, although the first issue was the immobilizer lock, but I was suddenly convinced that the key was intact. THERE IS NO GOOD WITHOUT GOOD. Firstly, the car would not start because of the phase sensor, the second, they did computer diagnostics, reset the errors, made an audit of the car electrics and found out that it could fail in the near future (due to an accident). All in all, money well spent.
