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Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

So in the morning the car starts fine, but when I press the accelerator it tries to rev up but stalls (Before I remove my foot from the accelerator pedal).

Some times I can start the car, start moving and even change to second but still it jerks and is about to stall again every time I change gear and press the accelerator.

The car might stall again if I stop and try to start again with 1st gear, unless I press the accelerator a lot and it revs pretty high.

When it heats up there is no issue at all so it only happens when it is cold!

Since I am experiencing it I have had:

oil + oil filter changed

thermostat changed as it was stuck open and thought this was the issue,

tried premium unleaded from other petrol stations in case I had bad petrol in it but still seems to happen!

My thoughts are:

1. Not getting enough air? Will change the air filter and see, but only happens when cold.

2. Fuel pump failing? But it only happens when cold again.

3. Idle control valve issues?

Thankfully I think I can change all of them myself, but I am no mechanic so for anything more demanding I would have to take it to the garage. I have ordered a scan tool to see how the fuel/air mixture is as I do not get any error codes and it does not look like it is misfiring or anything else, when it heats up it runs as smoothly.

Please if you have any other suggestion as what I should check to see what the hell is going on would be great as it is the car I am using daily to get to work.

Thank you!

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - bathtub tom

I'd suggest it's the idle valve, but before throwing random bits (and money) at it I'd look a little deeper.

When was the air filter last changed? It won't be wasting money if it's due.

What's the revs at a cold start?

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

The air filter was changed 6k miles ago ~8 months. Already ordered one and waiting for it to arrive to change it.

When the car starts it is around 1180 -1200 rpm and then drops to 750-800 when the engine heats up.

Did some research and I think the other comment is correct and I was mistaken, it seems like it has an electronic throttle body and not a control valve!

Edited by Antony207 on 08/11/2022 at 09:29

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - elekie&a/c doctor
Firstly, there is no idle control valve . Engine speed is controlled by an electronic throttle body . It’s possible this needs cleaning at the throttle flap . Also when you get your diagnostic kit , check the value of the engine coolant temperature against actual ambient temp when engine is cold . These readings should be similar.
Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Adampr

A useful article here. Seems they all do that ..

lepeupleelectrique.fr/en/peugeot-207-qui-cale-a-fr.../

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

Regarding to the article, I do not think that the battery or the alternator is the issue because the battery was changed 10 months ago and the alternator was checked then and was working fine. It starts fine all the time, and no battery light is being shown on the dashboard at all after the engine starts. It gets up to 1200 rpm when cold and then drops to 750-800 when hot.

As the previous comment has said I will get a new air filter just in case, clean the air filter housing and get a carb cleaner and clean the electronic throttle body and see what happens from there.

Even though I do not know much about cars as this is my first car, I do not think that there is an issue with the fuel pump that I said before because I think if that was the case it would not start at all!

I hope cleaning the throttle body will work because I would like to save myself forking out 100+ quid for a new throttle body! Lets see...

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Adampr

Having read that article and seen the other comments above, I'll put money (10p) on it being the idle actuator / throttle flap needing a clean. Good luck and don't forget to come back and let us know if it worked.

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Gibbo_Wirral

Get a Planet / Diagbox diagnostic, that will point you in the right direction.

Google "planet owners map" to find a fellow Pug owner with the kit.

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

Update on the findings today:

I just received the cheap bluetooth OBD2 reader (had already ordered it before making this topic but will buy a better one as the guys above have stated)

Cold start:

Coolant temperature: 10 C (outside was about 9 C)

Oxygen 1 bank 1 short term fuel trim: around -15% fluctuating between -8% to -17%.

Checked the fault codes and found P2195 Oxygen sensor 1 bank 1 signal stuck lean.

I had changed that sensor 10 months ago because I was getting engine light (depollution system faulty) and low voltage on the sensor. Did not have an engine light since then, and also did not get engine light with the P2195 code now, so I do not know how long it was there. I cleared it and drove to work.

Arriving to work and the car being hot after 25miles and 50 minutes of driving:

Checked error codes again and nothing showed up.

Oxygen 1 bank 1 short term fuel: +12%.

So in cold start it is running lean and when hot it is running rich.

Took a picture on the readings and just saw that I didn't capture the coolant temperature when hot... will do it when I get back home.

Still waiting for the air filter (which will not change anything as it seems) and the throttle body cleaner.

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Andrew-T

As the previous comment has said I will get a new air filter just in case, clean the air filter housing and get a carb cleaner and clean the electronic throttle body and see what happens from there.

Can't imagine any air filter needing changing after just 8 months, unless you drive continually in dusty conditions ?

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

I drive in Manchester so no not really dusty conditions! I've done bout 8k miles (most on the M60 around Manchester) since the last time I changed it as I drive 25 miles to go to work and 25 miles back. It is stop start traffic most of the time to be fair but still not dusty I would say.

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - elekie&a/c doctor
Can’t see a lambda sensor being your problem. It does not affect cold start and in fact doesn’t do much until engine has reached a certain temperature.
Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

Yes I am thinking the oxygen sensor code is an old one, as I never got an engine light after the new sensor was installed, or maybe it was not deleted properly when the sensor was changed.

Will clean throttle body, monitor and then go from there.

To be fair I need it for work for a month as then I will be working from home and will use it for supermarket run etc.

I bought it for 1500 quid 1.5 years ago so If it is cheaply fixed I will do it but i'm not willing to spend much on it, as long as it does not break down until I am off work.

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Andrew-T

I drive in Manchester so no not really dusty conditions! I've done bout 8k miles (most on the M60 around Manchester) since the last time I changed it as I drive 25 miles to go to work and 25 miles back.

If you really suspect the air filter, remove the element altogether and see what happens. Shouldn't cause any harm for a day or so ?

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Gibbo_Wirral

Trouble with a cheap code reader is that they make mistakes by giving wrong info, giving you old codes with no reference to when they happened or fail to give you manufacturer specific codes and that can send you down the completely wrong path when trying to do diagnostics.

This article explains why a Planet / Diagbox diagnostic is the only way to go

www.peugeotforums.com/threads/how-to-find-and-get-.../

Peugeot 207 - Stalling when Cold - Antony207

Yup, it is on my list on what to get next! I can find them for about 67 quid on ebay or around 50 on chinese websites etc (should be the exact same product). Not genuine of course as I can't seem to find a genuine one.

Final Update (Hopefully):

Since I filled up from a different petrol station it seems to be doing better as I have done two cold starts at the mornings, and it did not stall with just pressing the throttle on Neutral. Was a tiny bit jerky but it did not stall when changing gears etc.

I got the air filter and the throttle body cleaner (I used Liqui moly throttle valve cleaner) today. The air throttle body was very dirty, and it cleaned up nicely. Used a soft toothbrush with the cleaner to get everything off.

The air filter was not bad but replaced it anyway.

I have attached image with before and after: i.imgur.com/VZjkv1g.jpg

Car ran fine after replacing them but was not completely cold. The real test will be tomorrow morning when it's cold :)