Like mc says, I went to see my mechanic yesterday with my 206. I put a new battery in last weekend as it was still struggling – but on starting it’s actually dropping in voltage to 10.1 volts, cause it likely to be a tired old starter motor requiring too great a voltage to start – apparently the electronics will just not try if it registers as below 10v.

I may be wrong, but he’s a decent mechanic and I trust his opinion.

Going to offer my favourite tip…check the earth strap from battery to body and battery to engine block is good. If the connections are corroded, they will have a high resistance when under load and give the symptoms of a poorly battery. I believe a quick test is to use a jump lead to connect the negative terminal to the engine block as this will by pass any cruddy connections, and give it a crank.

Also, any chance the engine is flooded? Doesn’t seem to be a problem with more modern cars, but if you’ve been pumping the gas pedal, try holding the pedal fully down to the floor and keep it there whilst trying to crank the engine for 20-30 seconds a few times. This will clear any flooding.

ECU spiked and fubarred? Know its not much help suggesting the most expensive part on the car but I know it can happen (especially with Pugs so I have been told).
As someone else said the fuel cut off solenoid could be faulty, the rubber boots that surround the important connection sometimes perish and let damp and muck in. Also check that all the fuel injection piping and rubber small bore tubes are intact and that the blanking plug on the last fuel injector is in place. Finally if your fuel filter housing has an air bleed plug on the top make sure its done up and not drawing in air.
As its a Pug, is there a hand pump in the engine bay in the fuel line? If there is sueeze it thirty or som times to ensure that there is actually diesel getting through to the pump and the obvious-you have got fuel in your tank aint you?
Its hopefully going too be something ridiculously straight forward.

how much diesel is in it? my missus ran my volvo down to the point where the trip computer said 70 miles to empty tank, it started the following morning then conced out after a hundred yards. Turned over ok but wouldnt fire, added £30 of diesel fired up no probs it was only -5 overnight. diesel turns to sludge at low temp and little in tank.

When you say it fires, does it just start catching/firing as you are cranking it, or does it start up and then stall a few seconds later?

Imobliser?

Another vote for the fuel pump. My van has a low pressure lift pump at the tank, and a high pressure pump at the engine. The low pressure pump failed, the high pressure pump would keep the van running for a few seconds and then stall.

+1 for fuel pump. Had similar on a VW Touran. Known problem with VAG cars.

I had similar problem last year and apparently only one glow plug was working. they’ve all been replaced and is better now but still do the on / off thing before starting on really cold days but not necessary

I canonly speak about VAG fuel filter where on the top there is a small 10mm bolt head, this is the air bleed on the fuel inlet side. If its left undone slightly you end up with an air lock.
Some Pug engines have a black ‘hand pump’ and will bleed out the air when this hand pump is primed. Best way of finding it to be honest is to invest the £15 on a Haynes manual- they have never failed me in 27 years of motoring and many many home engine/rebuild/repairs etc etc.
Have you checked the fuel lines/common rail ie the piping to all the injectors, a small hole/perished area or missing blanking plug will give same effect as an air lock/ fuel cavitation.
I will try googling some engine images to see if I can find an obvious bleed plug/point.

Just one other thought, have you tried starting it with the fuel filler neck open? If there has been a build up of snow and ice on the tank breather pipe theoretically you may have a rather large vaccuum in the tank which will be obvious when you undo the fuel filler cap.

may be of some use, the 2.0Hdi is the same between them picasso forum or this, specifically cold starting issues

Hi Neil,

Did I mention ‘Easy-start’ 🙄

There is no easy way to bleed these, but running it on easy-start will get it cranking enough to fire up.The ECU needs to see over 200 bar at the fuel rail to start the injection process.

A word of warning here though. Modern diesel work with very high pressures, so don’t go cracking open the injectors to see if there is fuel there, as some may suggest.
Hth
Marko

120bar 😉
And it’s the injector itself that won’t work until the pressure is reached. The ECU tries firing them as soon as the engine starts to crank.