I bought this Part Exchanged Citroen DS3 THP 165 Convertible and it's been nothing but TROUBLE! www.universalscuffs.co.uk/ / universalscuffs / moorsgarage
Because essentially it's a modern BMW Unit. Designed cheaply and without any form of tolerance for timing chain slack and with weak components. The engine is basically the pretty strong and reliable PSA TU10 block and piston's mated to a BMW engineered cylinder head and valve train. When working correctly it's a great unit ..but more often or not they don't. Vanos issues, chain tensioners etc etc. It's easy for BMW fanboys to apportion the blame on PSA but when in actual fact it's all the BMW developed componentry that go south in these units - which is very evident when you strip one down.
I can totally agree I had a 1.4 Citroen c3 with the 90hp engine and the cylinder head failed after 3 years and 27000 miles I had the rattling as well on mine and was told by Citroen both issues were common After replacement I had no issues It was such a disappointing engine after my first c3 which had the older PSA 75hp engine
It’s sad to think that BMW used to build some of the best engines ever put into production cars. Most of the stuff they’ve designed in the past 20 years is absolute junk. Failing at low mileages with high mileage issues (big end bearings, timing chains etc)
Owned my Citroen DS3 from brand new since 2016. 121kw Euro 6 THP 1.6 engine which has just done 77,000 km. Currently I have it going through a stage 4 performance upgrade. The DS3 is the best car I’ve ever owned. You need to clean the valves every 30,000 km as it’s direct injection. Keep it serviced, and it shouldn’t have a problem. Timing chain issues were eradicated with the release of the euro 6 engine as psa lengthened the tensioner. If you use a non factory tensioner it won’t have this revision - so don’t cheap out on parts and always fit genuine. The rattle at the start is how the engine is until it’s warm. Sometimes it does it, sometimes it does not. After 7 years I haven’t had a break down, it doesn’t eat oil, and it consistently pulls hard to redline. Soon it will have 300 hp. Can’t wait!
@@ChopsGarage like I said, the noise has come and gone only on start up ever since I’ve owned it. Once the engine is warm it never does it. I’ve only had a good experience with Citroen and DS, then again I do service and look after the car meticulously. I also went down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out this noise thinking it was the chain, but If the chain and guides are flogged out the noise is completely different and not good. Will watch and listen to the video tonight. Cheers 👍
Trading up to a Morgan sounds like a fun series. Probably need to flip them quick to maintain interest and what happens if one of the buys is a "Look whats back in again."
I'm wondering if the noise could be caused by the fuel-air mixture regulator making it run rough or a bad earth connection on the electronic stuff,I hope that you get to the bottom of this issue.
I had one of these a 2010, and had it for almost 5 years. I used to get a rattle at start up, especially after sitting, until oil pressure built up. Turned out it was the cam chain tensioner. A few times it unscrewed itself and then leaked oil all over the back of the engine. Replacing the tensioner helped, but id never buy one again.
I have a c4 Picasso with 1.6 thp engine and the car is shaking when it is at idle position. Dealer cleaned the valves replaced oil with 10w60 but this shaking problem is still there and annoying.I think your solution might solve my problem Thanks!
James trading up to the Morgan sounds awesome might take a while but worth it I think . DS3 problem have you checked the banjo clamps on intercooler pipes, and also for any splits or wear holes ?
Hello! I had the same DS3, a year or two older, and I had big engine issues. Very similar to the issues you had. Car was brand new and under warranty. Spent around 6 months in and out of dealer. Eventually they replaced the engine…
I'm considering of buying a 2016 with 96K kilometers on it. No idea if engine was replaced or not, but considering the car been drive for some quite time and probably passed all the "warrenty problems" that would have popped up through the years... Would you guys recommend it? I'm currently driving a 2017 Clio with 0.9 engine which is extremely reliable as it seems but even after stage 1 it makes merely 130HP and I want something more powerful and more fun.
Hi James trading up adventure sounds good, i noticed that on Qashqai the seats have a stripe effect after shampooing, this happened on my wifes Qashqai and no matter how much i re wet vac i can not get rid of the stripes, would be interested to know if you have same issue
Nice to see a honest car dealer out there. Sure plenty of other dealers would just put it up for sale and not say enything and say was fine when ya brought it. Always seem honest and helpful to your customers at chops. 👍
James that's sounds like a very interesting plan Trading up to a Morgan would love to see that on your channel in my opinion your channel is one of the most interesting automotive channels on RU-vid. Keep the good work up I look forward to watching your next episode.
Hello, Ive got a fair bit of experince with these engines both mini and citroen and they can be an utter nightmare. My advise would be to check the oil pressure from cold as well as hot. If its not right then just get rid otherwise it could turn into a massive can of worms. Low oil pressure will cause uneven idle as well as chain rattle and not always have any fault codes. Common oil pressure fault codes are vanos or mixture related. Hope this helps.
They are absolute junk. It's the BMW/PSA joint project, the 'Prince' engine of doom. The standard ones are bad enough; oval bores, ring wear, timing chain stretch, guides breaking, oil leaks etc etc etc. The turbo ones are much worse; high pressure fuel pump, inlet ports coking up and so on. If the brake vacuum pump seizes, it stops the camshaft dead and the timing chain rips the vanos gear clean off. It's very similar to the MINI unit. Hateful rubbish.
Trading up is a great idea might try it myself for a bit of fun and save me spending the money in the pub What phone do u use mate . What model Samsung
Trading up sounds like a fun idea for a series. I would definitely enjoy seeing some of that as long as we all get a ride in the Morgan at the end;) I live near a garage in Norfolk that sells them and they are fantastic so the best of luck.
I’ve had the exact same issues with my ds3 dsport. It’s a 2013 model with around 78,000km on it. I’ve had the oil solenoid pump valve, spark plugs and oil and filters replaced. I heard a rattle but the mechanic said it was just in my head and the faults never come up. The car has a little bit of a rough idle, and when I went to take it for a drive today it rattled extremely loudly in idle, then went away. However when I stared revving it I heard the rattle consistently and I’m worried if it’s timing chain
Could the issue be the battery? My wife's 5 year old Toyota was running a bit rough on occasions when starting up, usually when weather was cold. Stuck a new battery in and it's been fine since..
We had a 2011 1.6thp ds3. It was a bit of a nightmare, coked up valves, coil pack issues and rough erratic idle. After 6 long months Citroën finally solved the issue by putting a new high pressure fuel pump on it. Was perfect after that, never missed beat but we sold it as i couldn't stomach owning one out of warranty.
Hey! Did you ever fix this? My DS3 has started doing this more and more and if you drive off it kangaroos and doesn't run properly... I retract my previous comment saying it's normal - this is a new thing. It idles high when it does this, presumably to keep the engine running - no DTCs. Seems like a 1 cylinder misfire (I think).
Alot of comments on the PSA/BMW engine.I am not connected to the trade anymore but have heard they have alot of issues even at very low mileage.To be honest I dont think your description sounds like timing from the valves but more of a sensor .Has it got an EGR valve because if they start sticking can make a noise and cause a rough idle.?
I had a Golf Mk6 1.4 TSI petrol that from a cold start in certain ambient temperatures would run very rough, clattery and noisy for the first minute or so. If I turned it off and back on again it ran perfectly. It wasn't a fault, it was something to do with an induction fan that speeded up heating of the cat converter. Don't suppose it's something like that is it?
Hello, does this engine have a cat warmer ? I had a bam e series that made a hollow metallic kind of noise when stood for a while or when cold. Enjoy the content keep it up.
I own a DS 3 1.6THP and mine used to idle rough for a while and then it just stopped doing it and it only occasionally does it. It's more than likely just the engine being sat for a while. Some engines idle a lot louder and rougher than the THP when it's cold. My advice would be to just drive the car and enjoy it, it's nothing to worry about mate 👍
Its a quick little car mate, my sons g/f got one but the problems started 1 week after buying it when the oil light came on, last mot listed an oil leak but not dripping on the floor .weve cured the cracked plastic cam cover ( that was the annoying oil misting leak) its had a st/steel scorpion cat back exhaust fitted. Chomps oil at a horrendous rate , approx 1 ltr per 450-500 miles, no’1 plug tip ceramic missing ( iridium plugs too) replaced 1 plug only as only 55k and all plugs plugs show oil fouling cos of blow by. Now gets knock codes ( inlet valves coking up) next visit here is check Pcv, change oil filter ( cos theyve hidden it away for an easy user change) and assess the blow by into the turbo inlet…. Need to see it cold start and follow it to assess blue smoke…. It’s defo burning oil cos there was loadsa carbon crud on the tailpipe before it was changed. I’ll see that showing again likely as it was a few weeks ago.Terraclean guy reckons his gear wont fix the cruddy inlets. Need to isolate if its rings/bore or stem seals worn out next…. Nice enough cheap car but engine is a pile of cack.
Hi if possible when you fix the squeaky window on the golf would you be able to put it in your video how to fix it, as im have exactly same problem with my golf convertible aswell, kind regards mark
Most of the issues were fixed with the EP6FDT, the older EP6CDT engines had the issues which that DS3 has (150/155CV engines), the FDT came out with the facelift and switch to E6, , but It's best to give it the full timing chain replacement with the updated parts also checking the valves as they notorious for heavy coking from the PCV. PSA/Stelantis are still using the FDT version and there's not been many complaints about it.
Gotta agree, got a ds3 facelift with the fdt, 55k miles never had an issue, never had an engine light, no timing chain noise, very fun to drive and efficient, with the right maintenance this is actually an amazing engine
Yeah I'm into you trading up to what you aspire to. You have the skills and ethics to make this work for you, it will be another aspect to look forward to on your channel.
Wonder if the DS previous owner didn't use it much, hence surface rust on the cam and why it was running rough. A good blast usually does them a world of good and possibly why it's improving with use?
Where to start with the THP engine... The rough idle at startup could be caused by a slightly leaky hydraulic valve lifter. If that particular valve is open when the engine is stopped, the oil will leak out of the lifter over several hours, and when the engine is restarted, that cylinder will have no compression until the oil pressure is up and the valve lifter has refilled itself, which takes several seconds. If you sit one of these engines for a few weeks (even a good one) they have a rough idle for a while at the next start. This could have been caused by a previous delayed oil change and dirty oil, but probably not worth fixing. If the fault code is for over-boost or super-knock, then the problem is likely the atmospheric filter for the boost control valve. This is located on a plastic tube that sticks up just rear of the engine top cover at the gearbox end. The filter has a rubber cap that shrinks over time and restricts the airflow, so the turbo control valve can't dump vacuum fast enough, causing the over-boost fault. Just remove the rubber cap from the little filter (leaving the filter in place) and that code should not come back. It is not unusual to be able to hear the dump valve operating if you have the window open. Just check that the air pipe into the turbo is tight and that the 2 breather pipes that feed into that are also in-place.
I have a question I have a Citroen DS3 and it's making a funny noise but I get no code's or anything thing would you be able to help me if I post the video
James,just catching up on your videos now,been waiting ages and hoping that you would do a flipping up series for one dream car to keep,i think it would be great for content and you would have your dream car for a small initial investment
I have a BMW 320 (2200cc) 6 cylinder m coupe from 2005. Had it 6 years now has 95k on clock and its fine . Sounds amazing . But it may be going due to having a replacement. I also have a 2010 2.0 dci Qashqai which we have had from new , it's done 175 k and still runs great , it's replacement is still largely unused since November. A Kia sportage diesel mild hybrid which is great too
Had a friend who worked on Citroen cars and even supported the Citroen rally works team . he loved a true citroen and said they were brilliant but any joint ventures or as he called it " built for the value market" . His advice was get one new with a warranty and sell before 3 years , pass the trouble on .
Is there an oil check valve (NRV) in the supply to the head? Sounds like the oil is slowly draining back down overnight/few days leaving the head galleries unprimed. Might be a cheap fix replacing this valve. A slightly thicker grade of oil may reduce the tendency for drain back when cold. Good luck. You could always auction it again, it would be funny if it was bought by another dealer channel like Tyre Kickers!
Isn't it the N52 engine in the Z4? A guy around the corner was trapped in his X5 as it went up in flames just this week. Almost a million recalled over a fault with the PCV system that can lead to an engine fire.
Great video yet again. Love the idea to get a Morgan, used to own a pub in Malvern so saw them all of the time, never owned one but think they are great. Look forward to you getting one in memory of your Dad👍👍👍👍
Always felt Mike Brewer’s Trading Up was a little too stage managed, with the cars he buys and sells being carefully researched to allow an easy fix and turnaround. So I’d be really interested in seeing someone do it for real. Best of luck, love the vids you do, I’m not in the trade so always a fascinating to see how it works.
I think the only way he's able to do it is getting free parts and probably free cars and just bases them on their value when really he puts no money in
Father in law has one of the price engine in a 308, none turbo version. Engine wise it's been fine apart from it occasionally throwing a emissions light.
If oil not changed every 5000 ish miles or gets slightly low the timing chain tensioner on these can cause issues ..also these engines dont like ethanol ...
