Think about yourself driving quietly aboard your Citroen Xsara and suddenly an engine signal shows up on your dashboard ! The typically seen response is the worry of risking a serious problem. To know what exactly this light corresponds to, you will have to learn how to read an Citroen Xsara fault codes, you may have previously heard of OBD system, this is exactly what we are going to discuss. Our editors have decided to produce this content to enable you fairly quickly locate the origin of this default code and to give you serenity. To get this done, we will first examine the nature of a fault code on Citroen Xsara, then how to read an Citroen Xsara fault code, and finally how to erase this fault code in order to turn off the light on your dashboard.
What is a Citroen Xsara fault code?
A fault code is a generic or standard code which is identical to all manufacturers , they are also called DTC (Data Trouble Code), the goal is to make sure that any diagnostic OBD can translate them. They will be represented by a standard format, like for example: P0255. Each data will have a special explanation. Default codes are codes issued by the calculators of your Citroen Xsara. These ECUs will continuously monitor your vehicle’s exhausts, pressures, mixtures and when the values exceed the limits set by the vehicle’s ECU, the fault code will appear. The advantage of understanding how to read a fault code on your Citroen Xsara is that you will have access to precise data about your vehicle which will let you to understand what problem you are struggling with.
How to read a fault code on my Citroen Xsara?
In this second section we will now focus specifically on what brings you on this site, how to read a fault code on Citroen Xsara. To access this useful data you will need to to acquire a diagnostic tool, also called OBD 2, named after the socket on your Citroen Xsara to which you will have to connect. These diagnostic tools are easily available for purchase, you will be able to find some in Bluetooth version which connects to your phone and some standard versions with a reader associated to the socket, as far as price is concerned, you will be able to find models between 30 and 100 euros. Once you have purchased an OBD2 diagnostic reader, you will have to identify the diagnostic plug on your Citroen Xsara, it is found on the left side of your steering column on the lower part of your dashboard, behind a hatch. It is easy to locate because it is triangular shaped and has 16 pins. All you have to do is connect with your diagnostic tool to read the fault code of your Citroen Xsara.
How to erase the fault code Citroen Xsara
Finally, to finish this content, we are going to demonstrate you the manipulation to accomplish to erase a fault code on your Citroen Xsara. Once you have navigated through the menus, you will access the list of active fault codes on your car. Nevertheless, you will have to ask yourself an essential question, is it really useful to erase this fault code on Citroen Xsara? Indeed, erasing a fault code without resolving the problem corresponds to burying its head in the sand. Moreover, the computer of your Citroen Xsara is made to take decisions according to the data it records, if an important fault code is present, it will actually adapt the engine operation to protect it. So if you delete the fault code, remember to solve the problem to which it is connected. Some OBD diagnostic tools do not allow you to do this. You have a dedicated navigation menu on most diagnostic tools that should allow you to clear this fault code on Citroen Xsara.
If you have any additional questions about the Citroen Xsara, do not hesitate to consult our Citroen Xsara category.
