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XM starter motor disabled

When I turn on the ignition I can enter the code to enable the starter but when I turn the key nothing happens. There are several warning symbols [brake,water, oil, battery, engine electronics, STOP, etc] on the display behind the steering wheel. All fuses seem ok. I have put a fully charged battery in the car. I have tried the auto gearbox in park and neutral. This is a series 2 petrol turbo XM estate.

2 days ago I discovered 3 broken wires in the flexible rubber tube which links the tailgate to the body. I restored the continuity of these wires and the earthing problem of the rear lights was fixed. Would a faulty bulb failure module prevent this car from starting? I don't know what else to try. Will the diagnostic error codes give any useful information? I live in the borough of Croydon, Surrey. Should I call a Citroen main dealer or an auto electrician?

Many thanks Brendan

Reply to
Rudge
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Just a thought - are you pressing down the footbrake pedal when trying to start the engine? I believe some automatics require that, as a safety measure. Do the brake lights come on when you push the brake pedal? If not, the circuit that detects pressure on the brake pedal may be faulty.

Reply to
Whiskers

Whiskers gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

The XM doesn't, though.

My money's on the under-bonnet fusebox. It's a horrible cheap thing, and the contacts corrode badly. The connections between the gear selector switch and the starter inhibitor relay have corroded, so the relay doesn't know that you're in P/N and fails safe.

That fusebox also has connectors for the climate control, interior fan, and ABS - all of which gave me trouble, along with the inhibitor relay.

You can patch around the wiring, but the best solution's to rip it out and rewire it around some decent quality, weather-protected connections.

Reply to
Adrian

Thanks for the replies. I read that the auto transmission inhibit relay was behind the left headlight. I cleaned all the corroded relays in that area, tested them, applied Vaseline to the spade connectors and the car starts!

Regards, Brendan.

Reply to
Rudge

"Rudge" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

The relay is, yes - but there's also some connections in that vile fuse box. Apparently, Peugeot used the same box, but with an added weatherproofer boot underneath...

Glad you're up & kicking.

Reply to
Adrian

[...]

Well done :))

Reply to
Whiskers

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