Many many faults... battery?

[Philgault]

Hi all,
Bought a 2066 cc allure, manual diesel around a month ago and am having electrical issues. Varied, but ESP/ABS fault, airbag usually first, then braking issue. Not every time. I suspect the battery, but my voltmeter shows 17.4V when it is disconnected. Any useful way of checking it? I have been doing 1/2 hour drives fairly regularly so should be charged if it’s ok. I have reset the BSI and still getting issues.

[Capncol]

Do you want to check that again? 17.4Volts?

[Philgault]

Sorry - typo! 12.4V

[GrandadMonkey]

If you have the incorrect height battery on the car it can cause connectivity issues. What height is yours? 175mm or 190mm from base to top of terminals?

Several threads on the subject: e.g.

http://www.peugeot206cc.co.uk/viewtopic ... 6&p=118999

[Philgault]

Hmmm... looks like a short battery then - I had clocked elsewhere on the forum that they might slide around and need packing and mine seems secure, but I had missed the threads where it talked about the pressure in the cabling. I’ll check the -ve cable while I’m changing it, but I wonder whether this might resolve it. Apparently (according to dealer) it had been sitting a while before I bought it anyway, so new battery probably a wise plan in any case. I have noted the correct disconnect / reconnect process and will reboot the BSI when I change the battery as well. Will let you know if this resolves the issue. Any recommendations on brand of battery to buy?

[IanL]

Yuasa YBX 3012. £50.99 on Amazon.

[Philgault]

Well, poo... I bought a new battery, disconnected as per the instructions from Capncol, checked and cleaned all the fuses (and replaced a blown fuse 30A for the Air pump relay), refitted the new battery, turned on the side lights to reset BSI unit, inserted key, turned it on, and all the warning lights were lit (Inc the STOP)... followed the rest of the reset procedure just in case, but no bong confirmation. Went through the reset procedure again, but this time the engine immobiliser fault came back, and then the all dreaded Economy mode active warning came on when I tried to start the engine again.
I swear that I followed all of the BSI reset procedure to the letter (And with a stopwatch) but it seems to have killed my unit. Will try one final BSI reset in case it magically fixes the problem, but I suspect it’s a case of getting in to the Peugeot dealer... any advice?

[IanL]

Sometimes, a problem needs a series of BSI resets to clear it. Please ensure you follow the disconnect procedure meticulously. If the BSI has not had time to "switch off", the reset will not be valid, and could cause more fault indications.

A new battery is not necessarily good. A good, well-charged battery should not give rise to Economy Mode straight away. Btw, Economy Mode does not prevent the engine starting - that would be a Catch 22 situation.

Another thing to check is the earths. You need clean, bright-metal contact in all cases. One notorious example is the earth which runs to the gearbox. The braid is often in bad (i.e. high resistance) condition, and the connection to box is a potential weak point.

[Philgault]

Ah - I understood from other posts on the topic (including the pinned BSI reset post comments) that Economy mode was also what happened when the BSI went awry... I will attempt another few resets. Battery is a Bosch with 5 year guarantee, bought new in the sale last week, so is hopefully up to scratch. Reset was fine according to the pinned post. Will check Earth cable to gearbox next time round - assume it’s fairly easy to spot? All other contacts appear to be clean and have just cleaned fuses etc.

[Capncol]

Eco mode will go once engine started. It simply shuts down un-needed electrical load after a while of ign on/engine off to preserve battery

[Philgault]

So recommended option at this point is repeated reset of BSI until Economy mode clears and faults are reset? I have time tomorrow so that will be my main plan (as well as checking the cable to the gearbox)...

[Capncol]

No. As stated above, ECO mode will go once engine started. That in itself won't prevent engine from starting

[Philgault]

I realise that, but I can’t get the engine to start at the moment. It was coming up with an engine immobiliser fault.

[Philgault]

Ok - tried starting the engine. Took a few seconds to turn over, but then did start... at which point:
Doors repeatedly locked / unlocked, headlights wouldn’t come on (but sidelights did). And all lights lit (very festive, but somewhat unhelpful).
Got out, with engine running and have had a wee look, but getting back in again, all lights now out, including the lcd display. Instrument panel has died (engine running but no revs showing, all gauges reading zero) and battery light is only one that is lit.
I suspect that turning it off will result in being unable to restart it, so am letting it run for 10 mins.
Think I may have bought a lemon, although it ran brilliantly for 700 miles after getting it. :-(

[Philgault]

Update:
Did the BSI reset procedure... no confirmation of it from the system. Car has started again, but literally every fault (airbag, ABS, ESP, top up coolant level, etc) came up, as, of course, did the STOP flashing light. Lights work, wipers work, blowers work, and odometer is back.
The dashboard still not entirely functional - no revs showing, but the coolant temp sensor is running again as is the fuel gauge. I’m not certain about the speedometer as I’m not going to drive it anywhere. Rev counter works at start up, but then stops working - the faults come on one at a time, but all in the first minute or so. Takes a few seconds to turn over, but as I’m not driving it anywhere, that’s not entirely surprising... any hints?