[Solved] Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 Vti 2009: Persistent Battery Charging Issue Despite Multiple Checks

Hello

Not long ago I opened a topic about faulty battery charging.
After all checks, it turned out that it must be a battery, because only it has not been checked.
I closed the topic thinking and using the opinions of professionals, but the problem still exists.
Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 Vti, 2009
It turns out that:
good-tested battery,
the mass is good
The module above the battery is transcoded, although there was probably no need for it,
Good alternator, replaced clutch and bearings.
The alternator was the last link to check and I thought it contained a problem.
The electronics who reprogrammed the module for me, advised me to take the current from the lighter and connect the Voltmeter in order to check how the voltage will behave when the message about no charging appears.
I did, but the tension was still the same.
Coming to work in the morning, nothing appears - a short way, returning home, also nothing. However, when I leave after work again, the message pops up and sometimes appears very often and disappears.
I don't know if I can drive like this or give it into good hands.
I feel like it, but anyone who has tried to do something about it is not a layman, but a professional.
Today when I picked up the alternator, I learned that the brushes were hard to walk in and was quite dirty. After connecting and driving a little over 5km, the message appeared again.
The message is: "Faulty battery charging", the stop and battery indicator light come on.
Sometimes both lights disappear with the message, sometimes both are lit, sometimes one goes out, the other lights up.
I would give the service somewhere to fix it, but after all I am not sure if they will diagnose the problem or not and the next hundred will go to the bin: /
Maybe someone had a similar problem, maybe in another car, Peugeot, Renault?
Please, give me a hint what can be done with it.

Regards

Belt tension ok?
Alternator cables ok?

Yes.
I will add, generally loading is ok, but the message appears from time to time and there is a problem, as if a break appeared and hence this message.
As I heard today that the alternator was covered in and brushes were going hard, I thought it could have been a feler and therefore when the brushes were warming up they had more resistance and this message could appear, but there should be a voltage drop on the voltmeter, and it was still the same , that's good.
In general, charging while driving is 13.7-13.8-9V
I know that the book writes that it should be probably even up to 14.4V.
However, both the electronics from the module, as well as the one that the alternator did to me, claim that it is fine.

I do not know how in this car but for example ford some model had problems of a similar type (glowing lights, generally the board displays what it wants) and it has to do with clocks. The most common are dry February causing various anomalies. I had a similar problem with the loading indicator light and after improving the solders of the clocks the problem resolved (Focus C-max). Of course, my observations and comments may have nothing to do with the situation you described and are only a suggestion for consideration.

Voltage regulator rather to be replaced.

andrzej20001 wrote:

Voltage regulator rather to be replaced.

With all due respect to you, but the author of the subject claims that the alternator has been checked and it appears that many times, so you should rather skip the issue of its malfunction (skipping the issue of quality of service assuming that it was done by a specialist). Which does not change the fact that every suggestion is some way to solve the problem. Regards.

I also exclude faults in the voltage regulator.
This issue was raised as if at the beginning.
I have a good mechanic, I have been going to him for years.
It was the mechanic who showed me the way to go to these faults, calling them earlier, paving my way.
I called the mechanic who made the alternator for me. I have to take pictures and will order me another good one.
I will put on and ride. If it turns out that it is an alternator, I will leave him old and he will handle it, I will pay the difference only.
I do not close the topic, maybe someone will appear what touched a similar topic.
I can only have an alternator around Tuesday.
Thank you all for trying to help me.
Regards

Brego21 wrote:

I also exclude faults in the voltage regulator.

You are wrong to exclude him because a friend may be right

Brego21 wrote:

I have a good mechanic, I have been going to him for years.

He may know the mechanics well but in this car without Lexia nothing can diagnose sensible.
Lexia is able to diagnose your vehicle correctly, universal scanners cannot see everything.

diodabg, you are certainly right.
Writing that I have had a good mechanic for years, I did not claim that he repairs everything himself.
He knows electronics briefly, but in this case he immediately directed me to his friends whom he trusted.
I have witnessed many cases in cars and never considered myself omniscient. What he knew, he did, but as he knew that he couldn't help it, he called his friends and often paved the way for contact.
As I wrote in the last post, I will change the alternator to a completely different one, if that does not help, I will continue looking, of course not alone, I do not know it.
What I know is very general. I have no problem, for example, with the replacement of the alternator, as well as other accessories, until there is a need for something to set up during assembly, I do not take it, it's not: Toddler, Polonez, or any other car without a computer.
Today you can only catch up, and a mechanic should be taken by a professional and I stick to it.
I do not know if he was subjected to Lexia diagnostics, I recently called the guy who transcode this module over the battery to me, but we have opposite changes and it is difficult to catch him, at work for him and for me there is a problem with telephone calls.
Today I will try to contact him, maybe he will succeed, although his work often and weekends need him. His profession is automotive electronics and more.
As I wrote, I do not close the topic, I have to unravel it, of course not alone.
If there is a solution, I will write about it, maybe someone else will lose less money and immediately find a problem.
Have a nice weekend for everyone.
Regards

I was silent for a long time, but nothing much happened at that time.
There was a replacement of the alternator, however, immediately after installation, I had a test drive and the same error pops up.
You could say that this is not an alternator, but you can never rule out that the third would be good, or the problem would not show up again.
I don't have such opportunities and acquaintances to exchange one after the other.
So I leave the topic so that it is a good alternator.
On Friday I was supposed to travel with my family.
After returning from work, when parking next to the house, something stuck the steering wheel.
I got out of the car and went to eat dinner.
We were to leave in a moment, it did not give me peace, which blocks the steering wheel and I decided to check it.
I moved forward - ok, then backwards - also ok.
When positioning the car at a stop, it began to trim again.
I started to turn the steering wheel to the right and left, after a while the power steering stopped working. All these errors were displayed: ESP / ASR, Service, handbrake, even ABS, almost everything - Christmas tree. The car went out alone and did not start again. Most interestingly, the fuel filler opened itself.
I recharged the battery for a moment and the test started again.
Again the same thing, ok forward, back also and after a while went out again, as if waiting and allowed me to park in the same place, in the end it is electronics and I think I remember
I dismantled the battery, charged it outside.
I took care of another one and it turned out that everything was back to normal, I even went on a test drive. It turned out that everything works as it should, indicating that the battery is damaged.
I was happy, because I had this in mind at the beginning, I thought a few pennies, but saved time to repair and get rid of the problem at the same time.
On Saturday morning I went to buy a new battery.
The store was open from 9am so there was some time yet.
So I went to the website where I have a friend of the master and asked him to examine my battery.
He checked it under load, held it for a few seconds, the tension remained in place. He said the battery is very good and I should not buy because it's not his fault.
After all, I went to the battery store and asked for another examination there. It came out very self-battery very good and even the seller advised me not to buy.
I was stupid, I didn't buy.
Returning home, the borrowed battery showed a message about faulty battery charging. This confirmed me in the belief that it was of good quality.
After returning home, I changed the batteries again, I had to give back borrowed.
I went shopping with my family. I had two stops around 40 minutes.
After shopping, we go home, and here you have the Christmas tree again.
Somehow I got home, there is no point in describing.
At home I discovered moisture on the wiring harnesses, I also found places where this moisture gets from and somewhat sealed.
I do not have a garage and there is no way to dry, and now the bar weather looks rather promising. When it was hot, only the loading error appeared, now it has come.
I have contact with another car electronics, but it will be difficult to make an appointment with him, he is torn apart. I have a guy who knows him, maybe somehow I will succeed.
As promised, I will describe everything, although it may take a while.
In any case, I would exclude the alternator, the battery. I have no ideawhich may be the reason right now, maybe this humidity and in part may be responsible for something, but I don't think for everything, for the charging error rather not, because it was dry, even hot and it showed up.

Have a nice Sunday
Regards

Clear all weights and power in the engine compartment is the only thing you can do yourself.
You have moved the battery and there has been improvement, so you have moved something, mass or some power supply or some cube to do it too.
If it doesn't help, look for a good diagnostician with Lexia.

My battery is 56Ah, it was borrowed over 80Ah, I don't remember exactly.
However, this is a fairly big difference.
I think that is why he stayed longer.
I suspect short circuits, although I am not sure.
One thing I noticed after the upholstery from the pit was that in two places water flowed there. I sealed one of these places next to the windscreen and today I can see that the sealant has firmly attached the gasket to the ground, it doesn't even catch the eye. Second place is what it shows in the picture.
Namely, next to the wipers there is a water hole, it is led to another place where it flows freely down, as in other car models.
However, right next to the inlet of the hole, from below is a seal and next to it a fairly large gap.
I sensed it with my finger and a mirror from below.
There the water has no right to flow, because it drips on the upholstery of the pit and flows exactly on the bundle with the wires which was quite moist.
Yesterday, when I came back, I looked at the Voltmeter installed from the lighter and showed too low charging of the alternator, about 12.5V.
I didn't pay much attention to it because I wanted to get home as soon as possible and I was afraid that it would go out.
Perhaps the alternator has now fallen down, or this charging is due to moisture.
As I get along with the guy who is supposed to fix me, I will try and have an alternator in case it is needed to write 100% post, there is too much of it.
However, I think you are right with this mass. What I could have looked at and had to go with it yesterday.
The current rainfall that I have, however, forced me to secure an additional water inlet, because unfortunately the car is standing under the cloud.
I didn't make it on time.
Yesterday I gently set the farher in a safe distance and dried it up a bit, as soon as it does not rain, I will plug it in again, maybe it will improve or fix something, doubtful, but not impossible.
Certainly there is something in it, because even this error with loading is constantly displayed and this is where my mechanic tours began.
I will write to everyone, although I do not promise it will be fast, I would like to, but it does not depend on me

nark

Added after 2 [hours] 17 [minutes]:

I connected the battery and the voltage from the alternator is 14.28V, and from the battery less than 12V

As I promised, I do the same.
I am not 100% sure yet, however, after talking to Lexia's electrician and diagnostician, it turned out that it all sticks together and someone has finally found what he knows about all this.
"Defective battery charging" message - You need to connect to Lexia and attach the battery to the system, or rather its parameters.
There are 3 options in the system, for sure 60, 75 and probably in the middle of 70Ah.
My battery is 56Ah, and probably the middle one was marked, i.e. 70Ah.
Hence the frequent faulty charging message.
In my Citroen model there is an electronic clamp, hence charging below 14V is correct.
The last ailment that happened to me was the tarnished contacts of the charging cable at the alternator.
The cable was tightened well, while the patina which was on the cable, as well as on the alternator screw, caused the cable to overheat in this place, even it melted a bit.
The electrician who did this to me, had my knowledge given on the phone, after arriving from times after taking measurements only with an ordinary meter, he knew where to start.
If it wasn't for the problem with removing the cable from the alternator because it had blown in, and here there is just bad access, probably in half an hour he would deal with it.
It went a little longer, something over an hour, but after all there was still a conversation and it was during this conversation that he had to be connected to the system and assign the battery parameters to the computer.
It was like that and I hope I'm over.
I paid him up to the amount he proposed because he gave it a funny one and I think a real professional does just that. Adequate price for work, but those who do nothing want to earn because they have made it, and that they found nothing but boast, earn the ignorance of the client, not on their professionalism.
I withdraw my opinion about the module specialist, because he took the money and it had nothing to do with the fault.
Maybe it will be useful to someone, let it not have to, but if it does, it will help to avoid erroneous diagnosticians and to avoid unnecessary dumps.

Greetings to everyone and thank You for what they wanted to help.