Engine shuts off during driving, then can be started normal

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joydivision
1.8 16v
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:18 pm

Re: Engine shuts off during driving, then can be started normal

Post by joydivision »

So, I just replaced the ignition switch. While unmounting, I discovered that someone had butchered the locking clip, possibly when the contacts for the blower motor were destroyed: probably they didn't know about the fact that key has to be put into position 1 to be able to release the clip. Incredible. So, they had just broken off the clip at its base, then probably managed somehow to press them out from the top, I don't know, and later fit in back the remains so that barrel wouldn't fall out. It meant that I had to unmount the whole barrel/ignitions switch assembly from the steering column (fortunately easy, just two hex screws) and spent a good half an hour with trying to remove the two remains of the clip, finally I managed to do it. I then unmounted the ignition switch from the barrel I bought (decided not to change the barrel - although it is in better shape, key springs well into positions, because I didn't want the trouble with the two different keys and all) and mounted it into the existing barrel, attaching the "new" clip and also the wiring retention clip (they hadn't fitted it - it simply wasn't there). Assembled it all back together and works fine. I now think that the problem would have been caused by a combination of two things: the barrel being worn, which means I have in fact to be careful as a lot of keys on the key bunch or my knee might turn the key slightly back, which could switch ignition off. But the other factor would surely have been the ignition switch itself, not only because it was probably worn, but also because they didn't mount the wiring retention and the locking clip was broken, so the whole thing was kind of loose.
So I hope it will be fine now, even without changing the barrel. Let's see.
Btw, interesting side note: the used ignition switch I bought, although looking good and measuring well (and working well for me) has a tiny problem, guess what? those damn blower motor contacts are gone... They really made a design fault with this, no matter usually has to be fixed in the vast majority of Peugeot and Citroen which used this method from that time. For me it's no problem, as here it has already been fixed, being the blower powered by a different wire.

Here's how it looked like when I got to it: no wiring retention and locking clip broken into two bits which were stuck in there. Second photo shows them out, after hard work...
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So, hopefully this problem is fixed now. Clearly I will have to wait a few weeks to make sure the problem is really gone (it was so rare already). Thanks for all the help.
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