Encomnmy Mode Activated

[Spike]

Good evening,
Please can you help me, I cannot start my 206cc, when I put the key in the ignition it will not turn and the wording "Economy mode activated" is displayed in the centre of the dash, everything else seems ok, central looking works windows work it just wont turn over, mu friend has checked the battery and it has just under 13volts.

Please can you help??

Kind regards

[IanL]

Disregard the Economy Mode, it is just a power saving mode which should cancel when the engine starts. It will not prevent the engine starting.

When you say "it will not turn", do you mean

The key does not turn
The key turns but the engine does not crank (the starter does not rotate the engine)
The starter turns the engine but the engine does not run?

[Skezza]

have you actually tried jump starting? Checking the battery voltage isn't always the correct way to do this?

[Spike]

Hi Ian
Thanks for your message, the key will turn to position 3 but nothing, no turning of the engine nothing, the engine will not turn over, I have tried to jump start to no avail, I have checked the battery voltage which is just under 13volts, I have read that the message will clear once the engine has been started but I cant even turn the engine over let alone start the engine.

Regards
Steve

[Artermis]

OK, open the bonnet and have a listen next time you try to jump start the car. Listen to see if you can hear the starter solenoid click or if you can hear the starter motor spinning.

It could be that the starter motor is spinning but not engaging. A good old skool trick used to be giving the starter motor a tap with a hammer or tyre iron (just a tap - no need to beat it) to get it to go if you got stuck.

Have you any suggestion that the starter may have been tired, slow or intermittent building up to this? They can sometimes get quite whiny sounding if they're on the way out.

Sounds to me more like an electrical issue to me though. Your car thinks the battery is low, even though you test to say it isn't.

When you turn the key as if you wanted to start it, what actually happens in the cabin. Do the gauges, displays, lights and everything else stay on, or do they go dead when you've turned the key to the starting position.

Have you had a digital multi-meter on it? I'd like to know exactly what the voltage is if possible. A healthy battery needs to be at least 12.6v.

Have you checked the battery terminals and connections for corrosion?

Have you tried a bump start, see if that does the trick? I dont know how doable it is on the 206s but you could try putting 12v direct to the starter motor potentially.

[IanL]

It could be a problem in the ignition key barrel - a switch not making contact. Or it could be the starter solenoid defective.

This can be checked by first applying +12V to the solenoid, and if that does not work, to the starter itself, as suggested by Artermis, with the ignition key in position 2.

[Capncol]

My money is on a faulty starter. I would get it tested.

[Spike]

Hi i have managed to sort it out, towed and bump started the car which started and cleared the economy mode active, switched her of and she would not start so brought a new battery and hay presto starts first time every time

[Capncol]

Thanks for feedback. Must admit I'm surprised it was the battery given what you said earlier.

[Spike]

You and me both Col