X250 Peugeot Boxer 2013-model radio problem

[spospe]

Since I switched my 2013 Peugeot Boxer radio from 20 minutes cut-off to 180 minutes cut-off, I have occasionally encountered, "Code error" on next switch on. The radio will not play, or allow any further operations to be carried out. The cure is simple, either switch the ignition on and off, or open and close a door, after which the radio moves on and operates normally.

 

Has anyone any idea what is going on and how to permanently resolve the issue?

 

(reposted from the Hints and Tips section)

[euroserv]

Hello,

 

Almost all radio problems are caused by either a poorly inserted connector into the rear of the unit (which I don't think is what you have) or a wire that is shorting where it passes through from a door.

 

I am pretty confident that if you open the driver''s door and find the rubber gaiter between the door and the inner wing; pull it out of the inner wing side and examine the wires you will find a bare wire exposed that shorts on the bodywork from time to time. It will not be broken though, so wrap some insulation tape around it, then around the whole bundle. Re-fit the gaiter and all should be well. If it is not on the driver's side; check the passenger side.

 

This would be covered by your warranty and you would be able to get it done for nothing but it is so straight forward that to do it yourself will save you a lot of inconvenience.

 

The reason that this happens is that when the radio is switched on it checks for any increased resistance or shorts before powering up. If the radio is on and a minor fault is noticed it will normally carry on working but at the next power-up it will indicate a failure, prevent power passing to the amplifier and it can only report this as a loss of code or a by a blank screen.

 

I could be wrong, but I have seen it quite a few times. If it's not this; it's time for a trip to the dealer.

 

Nick

[spospe]

Thanks Nick, I will have a look and report my findings back (in a day or two). It seems that X250 vans have very suspect wiring / earth issues and I am becoming rather uneasy about reliability in the future :-S

[starvin marvin]

spospe - 2014-05-20 11:06 AM

 

Thanks Nick, I will have a look and report my findings back (in a day or two). It seems that X250 vans have very suspect wiring / earth issues and I am becoming rather uneasy about reliability in the future :-S

 

You're not wrong, these "Sevel" vehicles are full of cheap nasty electrical components and parts. Fiat are possibly the worst. Just wait until the ems light comes and you go into limp mode somewhere in deepest darkest frog land.

[spospe]

I have been able to investigate earlier than I thought possible before and have found that the wires from the body to the doors on both driver and passenger sides are intact. In fact on my vehicle (a Peugeot Boxer) all the body to door wires are contained in a black fabric sleeve, which must offer them some protection from chaffing on the metal edges of the body. This fabric sleeve is entirely undamaged, so I am assuming that the wiring (and its insulation) must also be intact. This just leaves the plugs on the back of the radio unit to check (when I can find out how to get it out!).

[euroserv]

The Fiat vehicles also have the black fabric wrapping but it get's rubbed through anyway.

 

For the sake of the detractors; There is no difference between any of the Sevel built vehicles. They are all built in a factory in Italy run by Fiat and every bit of the design was signed off by the partners in the project; PSA and Fiat.

Apart from the well documented weakness of the wiring loom under the nearside headlamp, I do not believe that these vehicles are any less reliable or built with lower quality parts than any other vehicle on the market. It is only because they are the mainstay of the most critically observed market on earth that they come in for such scrutiny. People (as I have said before) are looking for £50,000 worth of quality and it is simply not realistic. Mercedes, VW, Renault and Ford all have some pretty ghastly faults that hopefully you will not encounter. They are all; in my experience far more likely to have a fault that would leave you stranded than the Sevel's will. When Sevel's go wrong; for the most part there are ways to work around it and carry on. We appreciate that a lot.

 

Getting back to the problem in hand.....

I don't have a Euro 5 in at the moment to look at but we are getting some new ones in tomorrow afternoon so I will study it for you and see what tools are required to remove the stereo.

[arthur49]

euroserv - 2014-05-20 10:58 AM

 

Hello,

 

Almost all radio problems are caused by either a poorly inserted connector into the rear of the unit (which I don't think is what you have) or a wire that is shorting where it passes through from a door.

 

I am pretty confident that if you open the driver''s door and find the rubber gaiter between the door and the inner wing; pull it out of the inner wing side and examine the wires you will find a bare wire exposed that shorts on the bodywork from time to time. It will not be broken though, so wrap some insulation tape around it, then around the whole bundle. Re-fit the gaiter and all should be well. If it is not on the driver's side; check the passenger side.

 

This would be covered by your warranty and you would be able to get it done for nothing but it is so straight forward that to do it yourself will save you a lot of inconvenience.

 

The reason that this happens is that when the radio is switched on it checks for any increased resistance or shorts before powering up. If the radio is on and a minor fault is noticed it will normally carry on working but at the next power-up it will indicate a failure, prevent power passing to the amplifier and it can only report this as a loss of code or a by a blank screen.

 

I could be wrong, but I have seen it quite a few times. If it's not this; it's time for a trip to the dealer.

 

Nick

 

I get this fault as well Nick so many thanks. Sick at present so not able to check the wiring out but I'll do so when fit and if not the wiring its back to FIat to fix :-D

Arthur

[euroserv]

Actually, I want to go further...

 

Today I had a call from the driver of one of our older vans that goes out as an extra vehicle occasionally.

 

He had driven to Birmingham and had to wait half an hour before he could unload. When he started the van the engine management light was on and the engine would not rev up. I asked the driver to check the oil level and having ascertained that it was ok asked him to start the van again. The light was still on but it now revved freely. He drove it back to Leicester and i plugged it in. There was a stored fault with the EGR so we checked everything and deleted the code. It also needed an air-con re-gas so I did that and then drove it for 10 miles with no problems nor stored codes.

 

This van is a 57 plate and has done 255,000 miles. It has never had a serious fault. It has had one clutch and although throttle bodies are often a problem with 2007 vans, this one has not been changed. It has had 16 new tyres, 20 services, a few headlamp bulbs, an off-side driveshaft, a cam belt kit and 7 sets of front brake pads. The alternator, starter motor and battery are all original.

In the near future i would expect to replace the throttle body and most likely the coolant radiator. It may need some hand-brake cables by the next MOT test. The suspension struts at the front won't last for ever and the rear spring eye bushes are probably about due.

 

Your vehicles will NEVER reach that sort of mileage. This vehicle is entirely typical of our experience with Fiat Ducato's. Some will need gearbox repairs, some will need the odd ABS sensor. By this kind of mileage 1 in 10 will need a fuel system component of one type or another and 1 in 5 will have an electrical wiring fault.

 

No other vehicle that we have operated or worked on has needed a smaller basket of parts to keep it going and none have had so few days off the road.

 

Do some research if you like about Mercedes Sprinters in the USA. They seemed to be a godsend, following as they did a long line of smaller, heavier V8 petrol vans with automatic gearboxes and being based on pick up trucks. Many were sold a few years ago but when it came down to the cost of repairs and service items the better fuel consumption paled into insignificance. The high purchase price was not backed up by higher resale values and Mercedes is now seriously struggling to shift them. Despite many high profile product placements in films and TV shows, the Yanks are not daft. They need something that is cheap to keep on the road and so do we. The distance between service agents in the USA is considerably greater than we are used to in Europe and the LCV buying American does not believe that Mercedes vans can be relied on to bridge those gaps reliably and won't pay twice as much just for the sake of a German badge.

 

Does a Turkish built Ford Transit offer a more durable package than an Italian Fiat? We will see, but at twice the price; I won't be trying.

[euroserv]

Sorry about the thread hijack Spospe.

 

When people who don't know what they are talking about start making unsubstantiated comments, it puts my back up.

[spospe]

I have now had the radio out and re-seated both the multiway plugs. The radio is working OK at the moment (I have switched it off and on many times) so I will have to wait and see if the problem has gone away or not.

 

It is fair to say that I have not seen any real solid evidence for either of Nick's concerns at this time, but as the vehicle has only been on the road since 1st March, there has not been much door opening and closing to wear the wiring insulation through. Both of the radio plugs seemed to have been fitted correctly, with no evidence of miss-seating or damage.

 

I have noticed that this problem of "Code error", on switching on the radio has been mentioned on other Forums, so it must be quite a wide-spread phenomenon and I am wondering if it could be tied in with the canbus system not supplying some required information?

 

I will report back after a month or so and let you all know if the problem has gone away (maybe reseating the radio plugs has cured it?)

[LordThornber]

euroserv - 2014-05-20 3:07 PM

 

When people who don't know what they are talking about start making unsubstantiated comments, it puts my back up.

 

Boy can I agree to that.

 

Martyn

[arthur49]

LordThornber - 2014-05-21 2:58 PM

 

euroserv - 2014-05-20 3:07 PM

 

When people who don't know what they are talking about start making unsubstantiated comments, it puts my back up.

 

Boy can I agree to that.

 

Martyn

 

Ditto!

[arthur49]

spospe - 2014-05-21 2:49 PM

 

I have now had the radio out and re-seated both the multiway plugs. The radio is working OK at the moment (I have switched it off and on many times) so I will have to wait and see if the problem has gone away or not.

 

It is fair to say that I have not seen any real solid evidence for either of Nick's concerns at this time, but as the vehicle has only been on the road since 1st March, there has not been much door opening and closing to wear the wiring insulation through. Both of the radio plugs seemed to have been fitted correctly, with no evidence of miss-seating or damage.

 

I have noticed that this problem of "Code error", on switching on the radio has been mentioned on other Forums, so it must be quite a wide-spread phenomenon and I am wondering if it could be tied in with the canbus system not supplying some required information?

 

I will report back after a month or so and let you all know if the problem has gone away (maybe reseating the radio plugs has cured it?)

 

How did you get the radio out spospe? No special 'tool' came with my van ......

[spospe]

arthur49 - 2014-05-21 6:52 PM

 

How did you get the radio out spospe? No special 'tool' came with my van ......

 

I used the radio removal tool shown below (I have included a 2 Pence piece to show scale). These tools are available via eBay and cost about £2 the set. They will remove the radio / CD units from many types of vehicle including Peugeot, Fiat, Citroen and Ford. Insert the tools into the visible holes in the facia, this unlocks the catches and then lever the unit out.

[arthur49]

Many thanks Michael, good to know

Arthur

[spospe]

As of today, the radio is still working normally and starting-up without the "Code error" message, so just maybe re-seating the plugs has done the trick? I will be away until July and will report back again on my return.

[mthomson]

I don't suppose you noticed whether there's any AUX socket at the back? I have the Fiat version with their Blue&Me hands-free facility, and it's quite frustrating that (i) the USB only works when you're driving and not when you're parked on a campsite (just when you might want it) and (ii) there's no way of plugging in a television to get better sound quality than the tinny TV speakers.

[spospe]

mthomson - 2014-06-06 4:09 PM

 

I don't suppose you noticed whether there's any AUX socket at the back? I have the Fiat version with their Blue&Me hands-free facility, and it's quite frustrating that (i) the USB only works when you're driving and not when you're parked on a campsite (just when you might want it) and (ii) there's no way of plugging in a television to get better sound quality than the tinny TV speakers.

 

Sorry for the delay mthomson (been away), but I did not notice if there was an AUX socket on the back.

 

The radio still occasionally starts with "Code Error", but it can be cleared by either, a) opening a door, b) closing a door or, c) turning on the ignition. I can live with the problem, but am concerned that it may be masking something deeper and more serious. Has anyone found a permanent fix?

[Tintent115]

Spospe,

 

I have a late 2012 Peugeot boxer Euro 5 based Elddis Autoquest.

 

I have also changed the radio cut off from 20 minutes to a much longer time (indefinite I think but I cant remember...!!)

 

Mine occasionally displays "Code Error" and is simply reset by turning the ignition on and off........

 

I dont think it relates to the cut off time, mine did it from new, hence I dont think it is caused by frayed wiring either.......

[spospe]

Tintent115 - 2014-06-24 12:55 PM

 

I have also changed the radio cut off from 20 minutes to a much longer time (indefinite I think but I cant remember...!!)

 

 

It will be 180 minuets, not indefinite. The only options for "Camper" mode are 0 minutes and 180 minutes.

 

It is strange how widespread this problem of "Code Error" is and yet there does not seem to be much of a consensus at to how to fix it. A suggestion that I have picked up from one of the Fiat forums is to disconnect the engine battery for 20 minutes and then reconnect it. I have tried this and will report back in a week or two to say if the Code Error has gone or not.

[spospe]

A week has passed and the "Code Error" has not re-appeared since the engine battery earth strap was disconnected and reconnected again after a 20 minute wait. Has the problem been fixed? time will tell, I will come back again in a few weeks and let you all know (or sooner if the problem come back!)

 

Just to be clear, the earth strap that I disconnected was the one from the battery to the chassis, not the one under the bonnet between the chassis and the engine / gearbox.

[spospe]

It is now the end of August and the "Code Error" message has not come back, so possibly the fix really is to disconnect the starter battery earth strap for 20 minutes and then reconnect?

 

I am not claiming to have fixed the problem and I have no real idea why disconnecting the starter battery earth strap should have this effect, but as of now the radio works just fine.

 

To be clear, I disconnected the starter battery earth strap and NOT the infamous engine to chassis strap accessed from under the bonnet.

 

Going away now until November, so the radio unit will be getting a real work-out and I will report back again after Guy Fawkes night.

[euroserv]

Good to hear that it is OK now spospe.

 

Since this thread started we have had a couple of vehicles come up with 'CHECK CAN' on the radio display.

The fix for this is to remove the radio and disconnect the cables attached to the rear and re-connect it.

This only seems to affect Euro5 vehicles.

 

Just thought I would add it here in case someone is searching for a fix later on.

 

NIck

[arthur49]

euroserv - 2014-08-29 3:40 PM

 

Good to hear that it is OK now spospe.

 

Since this thread started we have had a couple of vehicles come up with 'CHECK CAN' on the radio display.

The fix for this is to remove the radio and disconnect the cables attached to the rear and re-connect it.

This only seems to affect Euro5 vehicles.

 

Just thought I would add it here in case someone is searching for a fix later on.

 

NIck

 

Appreciated Nick thank you

[spospe]

Another report on the "Code error" problem with the radio.

 

Sad to relate the problem still happens, but not every time the radio is turned on and I cannot see any pattern to the problem. It is intermittent, the radio will work perfectly for days and then suddenly fail to switch on. I have found that when the radio shows, "Code error" any one of the following will clear the message and allow the radio to work: turn the ignition on / off, lock the doors with the press buttons on the dash, open a door, turn the vehicle lights on / off. Turning the radio off and back on does not fix the problem.

 

I have run the diagnostic test and it does not show any CANBUS errors, which is the sort of thing that the "Code error" message would seem to indicate should be present.

 

There is little point in taking the van to a Peugeot dealer as the fault is so intermittent and clears as soon as any activity is begun. I am going to take the matter up with Peugeot directly and see what they can suggest.

 

I will report back when I have something more to tell you.