Injector issues?? Or am I just thick?

Good afternoon fellow Citroeners!

I've bought & sold a few C3s & C2s - currently I have a C2 Code but last week I purchased a C3 1.4hdi for my eldest to learn in

It had been stood for 3 months but wasn't difficult to start, although it did spew a LOT of black smoke out of the back at first plus when you revved the bejaysus out of it, there was a loud 'ticking', almost like a little end knock from the engine

Having run around in it for the last week to see what else needs doing at it (there's no black smoke on startup anymore) I've noticed that under 2k revs it only seems to run on 3 but stick it on the motorway & it'll happily cruise along at 70 firing on all 4

I'm thinking injectors (or ONE injector anyway) so took it to a mate of mine with Lexia where it showed 3 cylinders on minus values & 1 cylinder (that being number 1) showing + on the meter

Knowing that I'd seen somewhere that the cylinder numbers were back to front I pulled the number 1 then number 4 electrical connectors. When I pulled what I would call number 4 (the one nearest the gearbox) there was no difference in the way the engine ran so I'm suspecting that one. I also considered if it was an electrical fault but I think with the way it runs without number 1 injector connected to the power supply then it's a plain injector fault

Can anyone confirm this & how have people's experiences with used injectors been? (bearing in mind that we do have the necessary software to code them to the vehicle)

Also is there an easy way of finding out if mine has an 8 or 16 valve head? The engine cover is missing but I suspect it's just an 8 valver

Cure4sanity wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 3:02 pm Also is there an easy way of finding out if mine has an 8 or 16 valve head? The engine cover is missing but I suspect it's just an 8 valver

They use different injectors on 8 and the 16v, so seeing as you were looking at injectors, this is a delphi injector found on the 16v engine


The Bosch ones look different.

Cure4sanity wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 3:02 pm I'm thinking injectors (or ONE injector anyway) so took it to a mate of mine with Lexia where it showed 3 cylinders on minus values & 1 cylinder (that being number 1) showing + on the meter

You can screen-shot lexia or take a good picture on your phone and attach it like this to your topic so we can see what screen you are on.


There is a lot more in lexia, so it is worth spending more time on it to diagnose that running on 3.

Cure4sanity wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 3:02 pm (bearing in mind that we do have the necessary software to code them to the vehicle)

Only the 16v engines have the injector coding and Lexia can tell you which injection system you have, the 16v is the delphi system.

Cheers, that's most helpful. I think I'll be doing a bit of digging getting the injector out this weekend.....

Sorted!

After talking to several people who recommended reconditioning my existing injector I looked on ebay & got an used one for £17.99 anyway....

Ok, I had to take the complete rocker cover off to get to the retaining bolt & there are FAR more screws & bolts to remove than you'd think but it's a pretty simple task - it just takes time

As well as replacing the injector (with a new copper washer & plastic seal, (£5 from my local dealership) I replaced the inlet rubbers & the rocker cover gasket

I primed the system & wondered how much cranking it would take before it was completely bled......and it fired up immediately!

Idles perfect, runs perfect, all in all it's cost me less than £50 and runs like new now, didn't need coding, just fit it & forget it. I just hope the boy will be pleased when he unwraps it on his 17th birthday!