Citroen C3 Picasso Sensors

Sensor faults account for the majority of the engine lights we see, with oxygen sensors leading, then camshaft and crankshaft position sensors. But a code naming a sensor does not always mean that sensor has failed — an exhaust leak makes a healthy oxygen sensor report a lean mixture, for example. A scan reads the code in minutes; interpreting it correctly is what saves money.

It varies by model, and the pre-catalyst and post-catalyst sensors are different parts at different prices — worth establishing which one the code is pointing at before ordering. Our supplier network stocks sensors across the range. Ask through our form with your model and we will include the fitting time and the code clearing in the estimate rather than quoting the part alone.

Crankshaft sensors run from around R65 to R106 depending on the fitment through our supplier network, and camshaft sensors roughly R73 to R650. Send the VIN so we can confirm the exact part before it is ordered — wrong sensor fitment is one of the most common reasons parts come back, because several variants share a body shape and differ only in the connector.

A no-start, or intermittent stalling that is worse once the engine is hot. Without a crank position reference the ECU cannot decide when to fire the injectors or the coils, so the engine simply stops. The pattern that gives it away is the recovery: the car stalls, refuses to restart, then fires perfectly twenty minutes later once things have cooled, and does it again the next day.

For a short period. The ECU can fall back on the crankshaft signal alone, which gets the engine running but with reduced power and often limp mode, because it is guessing at the injection timing. The reason not to leave it is downstream: running like that produces misfires, and misfires put unburnt fuel into the catalyst. Book a scan and a replacement within the week.

Plug in a scan tool — a generic OBD reader gets you the stored code, and Diagbox or a Citroen specialist tool gets you live data, which is what you actually need. Read the live values with the engine running and compare them against what conditions should be producing. Replacing sensors on the strength of a code alone is expensive and frequently leaves the real fault in place.