C3 Aircross 1.5 HDi Adblue Issues

Faults and Technical chat for the Citroen Aircross
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Deleted User 830

Post by Deleted User 830 »

Ok, so I used the check button on the instrument panel to see what the Adblue situation was. After the other checks it said 'Top up Adblue' and that engine starting would be prohibited in 1700 miles.

So the car has just had it's first service and I can't say whether the Adblue was topped up or not, so I went and bought 2 x 10 Litres from Halfrauds yesterday.

Why was I not surprised to find the bendy filler tube pressed into the rear of the container was so bent that it restricted the flow of the fluid entering the tank. The stuff was shooting out all over the place (if I wanted to pi** on my shoes I could do that myself) as the tube was also a bad fit.

I gave up on that and this morning went and bought a decent container with a flexible filler just for the Adblue, so much easier to decant that and pour in smaller amounts. And herein lies the problem.... After I could not get any fluid in, I thought it must be full. Waited for 10 minutes and started the car up, checked the system and the exact same message and miles.

Went for a drive and left the car running for another hour whilst performing the map update. Again, a check of the system said top up and 1700 miles remaining. So I think there is an issue.

My C3 Aircross is a Nov 2019 build, 2020 registered. Now I am aware of the wider PSA Adblue issues:

1) The Adblue Caps on some PSA cars were replaced with a vented cap (usually identified by a button like object in the middle). Mine is not vented from the looks of it. The issue is, as I understand it, that the Adblue pump fails as there is no air in the tank and it therefore the pump wears out / overheats / fails, so they replaced them with a vented cap to allow air in and prevent a vacuum.

2) The other issue is that earlier Adblue tanks had mainly metallic internal components. The Urea gradually reacted over time and caused the components to rust - again early failure. Later tanks were uprated and had more plastic components inside to help prevent this.

In both cases, it's a replacement tank, as these are thermo sealed tanks and can't be opened, so necessitates a complete replacement.

Another thing I noticed when she was idling (during the map update), every couple of minutes a rumbling sound could be heard and a slight vibration through the floor. I'm wondering if this has got anything to do with the Adblue pump failing ' Adblue injection..... It can't be regeneration of the particle filter as it stops then starts again a few minutes later and keeps going on like this.

So even though there are no lights on the dash or warnings, the CHECK system still tells me to top it up with 1700 miles to go, despite travelling over 80 miles today.

So come Monday, I'm going to ring the local dealer and advise them I'm aware of these issues and get them to sort it out. If it does indeed need a new tank and vent cap I'd rather they do it now rather than later.

Although not a recall at present, I understand from other sources this was / is being considered as it is coming up to the time where a lot of people are now having these issues across the marques after there first / second / third years.

Beanee687
Posts: 642
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:22 pm

Post by Beanee687 »

Possible the rumble was the rad fan cutting in every do often as there was no ram air through the rad due being stationary. Fan ran then cut out when temp at the required setting.
2023 C3 Aircross Shine+ 130 BHP EAT6.
Pepper red with red roof and black mirrors & roof bars
Deleted User 830

Post by Deleted User 830 »

Yes, thanks, I was beginning to think that, but never heard that sort of rumble!

Just the other issues to sort now. I'll report back here as soon as I have any new info as I'm sure this will affect others too.
Airtool
Posts: 237
Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:30 am

Post by Airtool »

Check this earlier report

viewtopic.php?t=366
C3 Aircross Flair 110bhp 2020 grey
routemaster1
Posts: 365
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2019 7:57 pm

Post by routemaster1 »

A few comments.

Have you actually had the warning on screen at start-up that there is 1500 miles before restarting is not possible, or is it just by pressing the spanner button?

How much did it take to top up the tank? The tanks hold ~17L and will usually require 15L to fill. When they are topped up, if the system is working correctly the warning should go within ~30 minutes of a restart. (mine last took ~5 minutes. If you have added less than ~4L the system will not rset.

You will probably not receive recall notices on the Adblue system as they are not safety related. They are usually found when you take the car to Citroen for service. When I've had this kind of recall it is found when they log onto the computer to book in.

Adblue is not part of the normal service routine, although some garages will actually top up. For reference (you may have already found this) Adblue lasts 10-12,000 miles.

Unless there is something odd with the history of your car, the fault will be covered by manufacturers warranty. There may be nothing wrong with the Adblue tank, it is possibly a fault with exhaust sensors. If it is sensors, without warranty you are looking at £400-£500, if it is the tank it would be over £1000. For those with cars coming up to 3 years old I would strongly advise taking out the Citroen Extended warranty if the car is still eligible.

Also bear in mind that although PSA has problems with its system, there are several other manufacturers who have issues.
Deleted User 830

Post by Deleted User 830 »

ChiliPepper wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 6:14 pm So even though there are no lights on the dash or warnings, the CHECK system still tells me to top it up with 1700 miles to go, despite travelling over 80 miles today.
  • As I mentioned (I know it was a long post) no warning lights are on at present. Mine states 1700 miles not 1500 remaining using the Check button..
  • Although there are no active VOSA safety recalls, this would be part of the After Sales Campaigns which is what I should of said to avoid confusion. I have a Citroen Service Account so am aware of any of these being flagged and the last one that has just been done on mine was completed at its first service last week.
  • Also aware of Adblue not being a Service Item
  • I estimate from what is remaining in the 10 litre container that over 5 litres have gone at least with some on my shoes (!) So this should be enough to register the top up of Min 5 litres as per the manual P137.
My car has just over 2 years of manufacturers warranty on it. I will be extending this in a few years time as I have done with my previous vehicles, the last having £7k of warranty repairs in 3 years..... so effectively it in only a year old.

As of today there are 2 Adblue tanks, the older one having part number 9810883580 which is £1020.22 and the revised replacement tank as I mentioned in my post having part number: 9827948380, which costs less at £979.37, both VAT inclusive.

There are no replacement parts for the UREA pipes as yet - still the original part on this engine / model.

I will be getting a Diagbox 9.** at some point in the near future so I can check any fault codes out myself.

So I can't tell if the Adblue has been topped up by the garage before - if it was, then I would expect not to be told there are 1700 miles remaining and being told to top up.

So can anyone with a C3 Aircross Blue HDI press the 'Check' button on the instrument panel and tell me what their Adblue info says please?
Aircross Check.PNG
Last edited by Deleted User 830 on Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:30 am, edited 3 times in total.
Deleted User 830

Post by Deleted User 830 »

Airtool wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:37 pm Check this earlier report

viewtopic.php?t=366
Yes, read that thanks. Different situation - his has the warning light on mine doesn't.
Deleted User 830

Post by Deleted User 830 »

Ok, so I have an update on this in case anyone else has this problem.

It turns out that the 1700 miles shown is the maximum figure that will be displayed. So if your press the CHECK button on your instrument panel, and wait for the other system checks to be done, the following Adblue warning is shown:
IMG_3492.JPG
So it will stay showing 1700 miles even if the Adblue tank is full and will remain at this mileage until the Adblue drops to about the level that would leave approximately 1700 miles range, before is starts counting down.

It would of been helpful if they had mentioned this in the manual and would have saved me trying to fill a full tank!
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