IrisBau

Black smoke and loss of power in Citroen DS3: experience and solutions wanted

CITROEN

DS3

| 2016 | | Gasoline

Poor fuel economy

Black smoke from exhaust on acceleration

Jerking on acceleration

Stalling while idling

Engine shuts off by itself

Strong exhaust smell

Unsteady engine

Loss of engine power

Check engine light on

Hi guys, I have a problem with my Citroen DS3 from 2016 (petrol engine), which has already done 109357 KM. Recently, it's been acting up somehow - when I accelerate, black smoke comes out of the exhaust, the check engine light comes on and the engine sometimes shuts itself off. The engine power also decreases, the engine runs out of round and it jerks when accelerating. In addition, the fuel consumption is really bad and there is a strong exhaust smell. It even stalls when idling! I suspect that the problem has something to do with the fuel injection pressure, which deviates from the set value. But since I got screwed like this last time at the mechanic, I'd like to hear your experiences before I take the car back to the garage. Have you ever had similar problems and how did you deal with them? What was your experience at the mechanic? Thank you very much for your help!

(Translated from German)

4 comment(s)

BWin2021

Hi, I had a pretty similar problem with my 2019 Citroen C3 about a year ago. Black smoke, bad jerking, everything. After some back and forth, it came out that an error entry had happened after changing the fuel filter. In my experience at the workshop, it turned out that changing the filter without a subsequent complete system reset can trigger an error message in the engine control unit. This is probably exactly what happened with my car. The mechanic reset the engine control unit and the problem improved immediately. It was a bit of a pain to sort out, but it wasn't a huge deal. So, yes, you could be right that your problem is with the fuel injection pressure, maybe the ECU should be reset after changing the fuel filter. Hope that helps a bit. Good luck! P.S. Remember, have the garage check all fault codes and reset them if necessary.

(Translated from German)

IrisBau (Author)

Hello, so you had the same problem with your Citroen C3? Huge relief to hear that something similar happened to you and you were able to solve it. Do you remember how much you had to pay for it? And has anything else happened since then or did your car run like clockwork again? Thanks in advance and have a nice day!

(Translated from German)

BWin2021

Hello, yes, I had exactly the same problem. I had to fork out €45 for it, as the invoice said something about "rectify error entry after changing the fuel filter". Since then, everything has really gone back to normal. Above all, the problem with the fuel injection pressure deviating from the set value was blown away. Since the mechanic tinkered with it, my Citroen has been purring like a kitten. So, don't worry, your car will run like a charm again afterwards. Have a great day too, hopefully your problem will be solved in no time!

(Translated from German)

IrisBau (Author)

Hello, that sounds great. Thanks for the quick reply and especially for the tips. Of course, €45 is a lot of money, but if it solves the problem, it's definitely worth it. After all, you want to be safe on the road and be able to ride stress-free. I'm already looking forward to the feeling when my Citroen is running smoothly again. I'm going straight to the garage tomorrow to have the fuel filter and the engine control unit checked. Hopefully this is just a minor misunderstanding on my car's part. Thanks again for your help! Have a nice evening and all the best for the rest of your journey with your Citroen!

(Translated from German)

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