"Battery charge or electrical supply faulty" - air conditioner problem?

[mariusblk]

BTW: do you think a BSI reset would make any difference?

[GiveMeABreak]

No, not for a charging system fault.

[mariusblk]

Took out today the battery fusebox, cleand all contacts, checked all fuses, battery error still there, no other error. Ran a classic OBD2 diagnose since i bought one yesterday with Fap Citroen/Peugeot app from amazon and the result was as espected, no error.

Tuesday i scheduled a diagnose for this problem at a Citroen dealer, hope for a straight answer and not the classic, it could be this or that.

Drive safe

[GiveMeABreak]

Do let us know how it goes.

[mariusblk]

Just got a call from the dealer service. The good news is that they found the problem: it's the sensor from the - (minus) cable. The bad news is that the part is no longer manufactured and cable + sensor has to be completely replaced. They also searched for aftermarket solutions with no luck.

The only advice was to search for parts from dismantling other similar models and hope for the best but they did not tell me what other models. Part code: 5638 VK

Can anyone tell me if there is a compatibility in other Citroen models?

[GiveMeABreak]

Use this when you search, not the other number as that is the PSA internal number and there was also an original cable with a different number before it was replaced: 9672182680.

This should give you better results.

[mariusblk]

Use this when you search, not the other number as that is the PSA internal number and there was also an original cable with a different number before it was replaced: 9664067880.

This should give you better results.

Sorry if i didn't get it right. So i should search for 9672182680 when researching market? The only reliable search result was in the link above. Is this the right piece, as far as i can see in title is for a GP 2.0 HDi, do they use same minus cable? Is this a good example?

https://www.ebay.fr/itm/113676909798?mk ... olid=10050

Many thanks for the fast reply and help.

[Rp0thejester]

I don't see why that wouldn't work, electric is electric...

[mariusblk]

I don't see why that wouldn't work, electric is electric...

I'm asking because the guy from Citroen dealer service told me that the part has a different code on 1.6 THP, another for 1.6 hdi and another for 2.0 hdi for example and he did not guarantee compatibility, it may work just fine and get away cheap or not. Anyway, he was the front desk office guy and not the mechanic as i could not talk to him directly. I also have the feeling that he just wanted to get rid of me, repeating that the part is no longer manufactured and I have no choice but to handle it myself.

If anyone can confirm that a minus cable from any other C4 picasso or GP will fit and do it's job properly i have lots of options in my area that are selling.

[GiveMeABreak]

Ok, so we've been having trouble with PSA parts the last few days - I rechecked and the part I gave you was incorrect. Use this one: 9672182680 for the negative cable or 5638VK for the PSA version. He is correct, the part is no longer available.

You should be ok, as the negative cable is complete WITH the Battery Charge Status Unit (it is a complete part) so as long as they are quoting these part numbers it will be ok for your vehicle. Sorry about that - I've updated my post to correct the part number.

[mariusblk]

Ok, so we've been having trouble with PSA parts the last few days - I rechecked and the part I gave you was incorrect. Use this one: 9672182680 for the negative cable or 5638VK for the PSA version. He is correct, the part is no longer available.

You should be ok, as the negative cable is complete WITH the Battery Charge Status Unit (it is a complete part) so as long as they are quoting these part numbers it will be ok for your vehicle. Sorry about that - I've updated my post to correct the part number.

Many thnaks. I will go this weekend to buy a complete cable with sensor from another c4 picasso and see what happens. It's my only option.

[mariusblk]

It's been a while but I haven't had time to make any progress in solving the problem and because I still haven't found that minus terminal cable at a garage near me.

But I went to a friend's garage equipped with more tools and for the first time I removed the fuses on the battery, took off the battery cover and was surprised to see that the battery is a 62Ah 510A (manufactured in 2020) and not a 70Ah according to Diagbox test I did about 2 weeks ago (you can see in the attached picture below - last row).

I visually inspected the cable on the minus terminal, the sensor, the sensor cable, connection plugs and everything seems to be ok, no signs of wear. Basically we didn't even have anything to clean or check.

Unfortunately, we had no way to test with another battery as the one installed on his car was only a 52Ah 470A battery.

Considering the real value of the battery 62Ah and the result on the Diagbox tester 70Ah I'm starting to believe more and more that the sensor is not working and therefore not reading / transmitting the real values, hence the error.

Or maybe the battery is too weak / old and when the sensor reads the charging process during engine run the result is the error? When testing the battery the guy from the garage put the tester on the plus terminal and on the ground of the car body and he said voltage is good but amps too low and advised me to test with another battery and see if it helps.

Damn this battery car or whatever sensor is all about

[mariusblk]

One last question and hope for an answer from you guys. Someone told me that if a lower or higher capacity battery is installed on my C4 Picasso that has a sensor attached to the ground cable, i have to connect Lexia and "instruct the car" for this change. Is this true? Does this option exist?

He also said that this is for sure the problem, not the sensor, not the battery.

It was changed with a 62Ah in my case, and the "car computer" knows that a 70Ah battery is installed. Last diagnose i made with Lexia displayed a 70Ah battery installed and that is false, battery is in fact 62Ah.

Question: Is he right? Does Lexia have this option to change battery Ah and instruct the car with the new changes?

Many thanks and hope for an answer to this.

[mariusblk]

Update: problem solved

I tend to think everyone treated me with indifference. The biggest of them is even the biggest Citroen dealer in Romania who did not even open the bonet, saying that the sensor on the minus cable is defective and no longer produced. Plus 3 other local service shops dedicated to car electrical parts in Bucharest that inspected and diagnosed the car.

The problem? The cable from the plug that goes into the sensor was broken. I found and fixed the problem myself.

Moral: if you have the slightest desire to get your hands dirty and you know a little bit about cars or you read half of Google results it's worth taking a look before throwing money away.

Thanks to everyone for the support and my silly questions.

[GiveMeABreak]

Your questions weren't silly at all.

Glad you have it sorted, but to answer your question, they are correct. The sensor is called a Battery Charge Status Unit and it's function is to monitor the condition and health of the battery so that the BSI can fine tune the energy management.

It' is also correct that the specific battery / capacity is configured for the vehicle and if changing the battery for a different type it must be configured using Diagbox, but never put a lower capacity battery in than is required for the vehicle.