Fuel Pump and "Engine Immobiliser Fault"

On my 03 Ulysse 2l diesel my fuel pump seems to work intermitently. Sometimes you hear it working when you turn the key and you know the car will start. Other times (like this morning ) it refuses to work and that then leads to a message "Engine Immobiliser Fault" appearing on the screen and the car will not start no matter what, although it did go through a phase whereby it would start if connected to another car through jump leads.

Now a few questions.

Can this be attributed to a faulty fuel pump and if so how do I confirm this?

Could this be a problem with a control unit somewhere that controls the fuel pump and how do I confirm this?

Is the fuel pump difficult to remove?

Where would be the best place to souce a replacement if needed?

Any help or advice would be very welcome, thanks.

Hi had a 04 2l diesel with the same sort of problem. Fiat found the problem as water in the fuse box (so it only played up when it had been raining) The fuse box with the problem was under the bonnet mounted on the drivers side i think the top was loose or off and as it was below the seal for the bonnet so when it rained or you washed the car it got wet!!!
Had to reprogram the key to the immobliser every time it played up (simple Job)It would start but unknown how long it would run for it might go 1 mile or go for two days!!!
Hope this helps if you want some more detail just ask

That right Jarred its a common problem. Normally you can see corrosion on the fuses/fues holders on left side of fusebox. Around £75 for new part..deffinately worth a look

Thanks for the replies. I had tested the voltage to the pump when the key was turned and this indicated that no power was being sent to the pump. So this ruled out fuel pump failure.

I only bought the car in November past and this problem didn't occur until the new year. There is a date sticker on that fuse box in the engine bay marked April 2004 and the car is 2003, so obviously this has been replaced before. The drainage hose above the fuse box had not been secured when I bought the car and this is something I had no way of knowing until I encountered the problem and did some investigating I noticed water in the fuse box. A few times I removed it from the car and dried it out and this worked for a short while but the problem kept reoccuring.

What you guys have said just confirms what I thought all along so I appreciate your input.

Now some more questions:

What is the name of this part?

Can I go to a Citroen or Peugeot dealer for it (Closest fiat dealer is 40 miles away!)

Does it need programming to the car and can Citroen or Peugeot do this?

engine bay fusebox

not sure if pug/citroen part is same

no programming required

Thanks T14086

"Engine Bay Fusebox" - That's a bit too obvious for me

"not sure if pug/citroen part is same" Mine has Pug and Citroen logos on it but no Fiat logo so I assume it is the same part.

"no programming required" Excellent Stuff.

Will get on to it on Monday. Thanks for the advice.

look at EPER section at top of page

Hi again they also call them "body computer" and if you open one end of the fuse box when removed you can see the board and it rots if it has been wet for a long period ( even fiat fitting one will set you back about £100)

Can't get on there. Been trying all day.

same here...strange

there is a limit of users allowed at same time,try again in early morning when rest of us are recovering

Nope the body computer is inside the cabin, the engine bay fuse box is as it says in the engine bay.

We're just going through some things at the moment trying to eliminate causes. Is there a fuel shunt cut off switch on this car and if so where does it reside? Could this be the problem?

Fuel cut off is in the airbag ECU from memory.

Airbag ECU is under floor between the two front seats? Will check that later. Thanks

Been having the same problem. Thought it was the immobiliser and disconnected as per instructions but didn't make any difference.

I have the same symptons with regard the fuel pump priming but not having a manual it is like whistling in the wind. I have had a look at the fuse box but can't seem to find how you get in the bottom of it to check for dampness etc?

The last couple of days here in the West of Scotland have been quite warm, (Strange in itself), and the car has started everytime which tends to confirm it has been suffering from a bit of dampness somewhere.

When i turn the ignition key I can hear the the fuel pump priming and I know it will start there is also a clicking sound from a small steel box which is fixed on the inside of the engine compartment on the drivers side (RHD) This box has a multiplug connected to it.

What is this box?

When I stop the engine and remove the key after about 20 secs you can hear the click from the small box and then a whirring sound, I assume that this is also to do with the priming.

It is a 1996 2Ltr Ulysse. I am, once again, assuming that it can suffer from the same faults as in the later versions above