ecu codes, citroen c3 turbo trouble

Similar problem I had with a vectra, everything is run by vacuum and one item was cracked and leaking vacuum. So if yours is vacuum run check there is correct vacuum available.

p1351 Pre/Post heating relay circuit. Relay not controlled and glow plugs supplied. Usually heater plug relay faulty (copied from a web page)

Google search for the P1351 error code brought this up:

Might be worth checking?

Air leak somewhere. Or sticky EGR or wastegate. How many miles has it done?

Yes, but that's probably not the fault.

that also says look for a vacuum leak, so may be a good point to start

Thanks for your replies; sorry for the delay "This C3 has very little acceleration." - as does mine below 3000 rpm. "Fault Code P1351 - Pre-heating relay circuit short circuit to positive. Possible glow plug fault I don't think this is relative to my fault."

It's funny he should mention this because the glowplug light was on permanently on my dashboard. Citroen read the code and told me I had a relay open circuit and replaced the relay. At that point I had not read the haynes manual so I had not realised I could have changed the relay myself and saved a lot of money (parts cost £35, parts+ dealer labour £120 IIRC). Changing the relay made no difference. At that point they suggested inspecting the glow plugs and it was then that I picked up Haynes and decided to DIY. I replaced the plugs with a brand new set and it cured the glowplug light.

It seems a coincidence both of us had these glowplug problems at the same time as the turbo underboost.

Some people have mentioned vacuum leaks. How do I go about testing for these? Do I need to buy a gauge; where do I connect it; and what readings should I get?

Coiuld I also get these readings from hooking up to the car to a laptop? I downloaded scantool.net and I know that does show some parameters; does it include the ones I need?

Thanks.

I have checked various live data. Turbo pressure all good. Checked air flow meter, all ok. and substituted with a known good second hand unit. Egr valve appears to be ok through live data, haven't checked it physically yet. Vacuum gauge on turbo waste gate, all working ok.

Did the delear return the money for the incorrect diagnosis?

I was hoping for that but no, they didn't. They made some excuse that the codes do not pin point the problem and are just to guide them to the right part of the car. I suppose that by the time they have dismantled the bumper to get to the ridiculously located relay (why did they fit it there?), it is quicker to put a new one in rather than remove, test, and refit the old one. But it is frustrating that I have paid someone to swap something that was in perfect order. I will write to Citroen and see what they say.

Glowplugs are only used for starting the engine, so should have no possible connection with running power..

With the troublesome vectra I had, no codes actually said low vacuum (which would be useful), a simple vacuum gauge connected solely to the pump shows how much vacuum should be available (lots), as soon as the whole circuit was connected the vacuum dropped to very little (it shouldn't), it was then a question of logically disconnecting and blanking bits till the faulty component was isolated and vacuum restored. In my case it was the actuator for the low speed swirl valve assy (don't ask) which had developed a minor crack which of course let air in. The whole process of actually isolating the fault probably took me most of a day. In my case the general direction of the fault was helped by googling the fault codes together.

It just seems strange we both had glowplug and turbo problems at the same time. It must be a coincidence.

Thanks. So I need to connect a vaccum gauage to the pump to see if that's working and then move away from the pump until I find where the vacuum drops?

Would I use something like this:

I shall have to look at the haynes book to see how easy it is to get to all the bits and pieces. If it's anything like glowplugs on the far side of the engine, the glowplug relay hidden behind the bumper, it could turn out to be a headache.

Thanks again.

I was re-reading my post and saw that this was added to the end of it. I think this is text that I cut and pasted from the web site describing the other guy's problems. It should not have been there. Sorry for any confusion but I have not done any of the checks described. I was thinking of buying a vacuum gauge and testing for a vacuum as was suggested earlier but I was not sure how easy it would be to get to and test the vacuum pump. In the meantime I went out over the bank holiday weekend and had no lights on the dashboard for the whole bank holiday weekend. I don't know how long my luck will last because the lights have been on for a few months up to now. At the moment though, the car is running fine so I am of the opinion if it's not broke, don't fix it. I will be back when the lights inevitably come back on ;)