Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode

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Wed 11 Sep 2024 19:26
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - JR79

Have a 2018 1.2 petrol C3 which we left into local garage for regular service a couple of weeks ago.

Ever since we got it back, it will start and drive as it should for a short time but then, an engine fault light will appear and the car goes into what feels like limp mode, and will jerk forward as you try to accelerate. If we turn off the engine then restart it, the fault light disappears and it will drive fine for another while before it happens again.

It was running fine before we left it in for a service, so we left it back with the local garage to investigate in case there was something they did during the service but after having it for nearly a week, they have said the fault is being caused by the one of the valves being faulty and that it needs a new cam cover at over £600 including labour.

Does this sound right? We were looking to sell this car so don't want to put any extra money into it unless we absolutely need to. Thanks

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Wed 11 Sep 2024 20:01
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - elekie&a/c doctor
Yes , they could well be correct . These 3 cylinder puretech engines suffer with excessive build up of carbon debris in the inlet manifold which can cause poor performance.
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Wed 11 Sep 2024 21:24
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - Chris M

I thought the Puretech is GDI, if so, how does carbon build up in the inlet manifold?

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Wed 11 Sep 2024 21:51
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - elekie&a/c doctor
Yes , correct . Puretech is a Gdi engine . So the inlet system doesn’t get any fuel wash . www.peugeotforums.com/threads/carbon-build-up.3567.../
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Thu 12 Sep 2024 17:19
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - Lee Power

they have said the fault is being caused by the one of the valves being faulty and that it needs a new cam cover at over £600 including labour.

Officially the PCV is part of the cam cover - aftermarket suppliers can now provide a repair kit but be careful of the spring!

Also as you said the fault appeared after the service did the garage replace the spark plugs?

The spark plugs for the NON turbo Puretech are a very different specification to the turbocharged versions & I know from previous experience due to an incompetent Peugeot main dealer that fitting the non turbo spec spark plugs in to a turbocharged version will cause running issues.

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Fri 13 Sep 2024 07:51
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - JR79

Thanks for the replies so far. As far as I'm aware, spark plugs weren't replaced, just the usual oil and filters etc.

I'm not mechanically minded, so I'm trusting that the garage is correct, as it seems like a lot of money for a car that was running fine before we left it in for an annual service.

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Fri 13 Sep 2024 20:07
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - John F

Interesting. How many miles has it done? How often oil changed? Can you guarantee it was the right spec? Manual or auto? I wonder if an 'Italian tune-up' (when nicely warmed up, a prolonged good wellie above 5k rpm under load) might help? I usually choose an uphill section of a fast road for this.

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Sat 14 Sep 2024 21:24
Citroen C3 - Intermittently going into limp mode - JR79

Approx. 28k miles.

Oil has been changed annually for each of the 3 years we've owned the car.

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