Flickering Dashboard Lights

May 4, 2014

OK after the wife's Aygo was trailered home the other evening I've been running it round the village and have seen the fault for myself. The speedo sometimes jumps about, too. About once in every ten starts the starter motor spins but doesn't engage to turn the engine.

I've read on a Citroen C1 forum that this can be caused by a faulty earth strap so I'm going to take each one off and give it a good clean, maybe brush it back to bare metal, and see if that helps.

Oh, and it's definitely related to engine speed - higher revs cause it to kick-in.

Some of you were spot on with it being an electrical fault when I asked a few days ago, while it was still on the back of the recovery wagon.

Any other suggestions? Anyone else here had this? It seemed pretty common on the C1.

http://www.c1oc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5297

May 5, 2014

I've swapped out the Battery so know it isn't that. Have cleaned two of the earthing straps from the Battery negative terminal to the chassis/engine. No joy. Left with the alternator.

I'll run a new earth strap from the alternator to the chassis if I can find something suitable to use (can't just pop down to Halfords where we are).

If it still does it could it be the alternator itself? Maybe regulator spiking?

May 5, 2014

Clutching at straws here but......

It's not a loose ignition barrel or a massive bunch of keys

on the ignition keys bouncing the ignition barrel around?

Like you, I would have thought loose earth cables or some large cable under the bonnet.

Does waggling the keys have any effect at all?

Ian.

May 6, 2014

No, just the ignition key. Will try waggling it.

I'd rather not buy a new alternator unless I know for sure it's the problem because it's a bit of a !Removed! to get at.

May 10, 2014

OK I finally tracked this down and sorted it.

Running a single jump lead between the Battery -ve terminal and the alternator body proved it to be an earthing problem - the fault immediately went away - so now it was a case of tracking it down.

Having cleaned and re-fitted the earthing straps I could get to easily I then took the Battery and Battery tray out to get at the engine earthing strap. (Cunningly hidden final securing bolt, BTW.)

This revealed the engine earthing strap to be loose and the bolt could be freely turned with the fingers. Tightening this up again resolved the problem. Sorted!

Now then. Just prior to the fault occurring the car had gone into the garage for a new clutch to be fitted. The engine earthing strap bolts on to the clutch/gearbox so I'm surmising that the grease monkey who fitted the clutch took the earthing strap off and failed to tighten it properly again afterwards. I'll be having words with them on Monday...