1997 Peugeot 406 TD, wont start!! please help!

[Jimby]

Sooooo...

I just spent a lot of hours and a heap of cash on preparing my old 406 (at a mates house) for a trip to France, it seemed like every time i fixed one thing, i found two more broken!! I ended up replacing so many parts, it was almost a new car when i was finished.

Anyway, i started home, very pleased with myself, only to crash the damn thing half way home!!! The damage was only consmetic, and ive already managed to put the front end back together, however, when the impact happened, the car immediately shut off and hasn't started since. The starter turns, but no cigar.

My initial thoughts were that the immobiliser was the problem, as the light on the dash won't turn off any more when i press the button on the key. But then i thought that if the key isn't recognised, the light is supposed to flash, not stay solid. So, my thoughts turned to the inertia switch reset button, the one near the passenger side suspention strut. I have been gleefully pressing that for a while now and i STILL cant start my beloved car.

I'm at the end of my limited knowledge, so any help would be greatly apprecieated.

Many thanks.

[teamster1975]

Sorry to hear about the crash mate!
There should be a fuel cutoff switch near the rear RH side of the engine bay; you just press it to reset it.

[Welly]

So, my thoughts turned to the inertia switch reset button, the one near the passenger side suspention strut. I have been gleefully pressing that for a while now and i STILL cant start my beloved car

There should be a fuel cutoff switch near the rear RH side of the engine bay; you just press it to reset it.

Pay attention please Teamy for goodness sake

I'm not sure here but I would still be looking at ths very same device just to eliminate it? maybe it won't 'reset'?, are they supposed to just reset?

Maybe the impact has forced some wiring loose?

Maybe the cambelt snapped?

[teamster1975]

Oh bugg3r

[HimBigChief]

When you did press the inertia switch, did it click? I kept tripping mine when I was whacking the strut brace to bend it down a bit to clear the bonnet struts and everytime I pressed the button, there was a definate click. If I press it now (when everything's fine), there is no click. Are the injectors getting power? Have you had the battery disconnected at all as you don't mention that in your first post? Do you have the keypad immobiliser on your 406 and do you have the code to start the car if needed?

[Jimby]

First of all, thanks for the help!

right! The cambelt is all fine, and i have been told that in some frontal impacts, the wiring under the battery tray can be severed, however, that is also all good.

The inertia switch doesnt click at all when pressed. i'll have another play with that tomoro... I havent checked if the injectors are recieving power yet either, but the battery is now disconnected. I have to charge it up before i can try starting it again!

I do have the keypad type immobiliser, and there was a slip of paper inside with a 4-digit code on it, which i assumed was the code, however, both the green and red lights stay on whatever i do. I dont even get the telltale bleeps for entering in a wrong code. I have been told that if the red light flashes, the code is wrong or the key is not recognised, if there are both green and red lights on the immobiliser has an error....

Dont really know where to go next... i have a friend that knows a bloke (etc) that can decode the immobiliser if i send the ECU to him, but i dont know if this will have any effect if the problem is the inertia switch!!

DOH!!!

[mjb]

with the 2 keypad lights on, i'd say it sounds very much like an immobiliser problem

[HimBigChief]

I had the same issue with my 406 when I first got it. I played around with the wiring under the steering coweling and moved them closer to the ignition barrel so that the transponder wire could pick up the transponder in the key, and this worked for mine. It could be that they have been forced back towards the dash when you hit whatever it was you hit. Gotta be worth a try at least.

[HimBigChief]

Link to my old post where I had the same problem

[Doggy]

FWIW
Inertia switch - just bridge it out to prove it one way or the other.
Injectors gettimg power? - it's mechanical injection, isn't it?

[Jimby]

well, i dont know what it was, but i re-fitted the battery this morning after a charge-up and she fired up!! wooo-hooo!!!

Thanks for all your help guys, you are all legends!!!

[teamster1975]

That's brilliant news Jim!