Citroen’s C4 Cactus has a battery installation that looks intimidating. But once you know how to remove the gear surrounding it, fitting a new one is quite a straightforward task.
Citroen’s C4 Cactus was launched here in April 2015, and it was quite a breath of fresh air in the hatchback market. The stand-out feature was a protective cladding called Air Bump. This was made of thermoplastic polyurethane and featured “bumps” or blisters on its surface that acted as a protective shield to prevent damage to the doors of the C4.
The other distinguishing feature was its sliver-like LED daytime running light design, separate from the main headlight clusters.
Engines were of 1,2-litre sizing in 81 kW turbo-or 60 kW non-turbo form. Citroen as a brand disappeared from our market in 2017, only to re-appear in 2019 under a new management structure. But the C4 Cactus is no longer available here as a new car, which is a pity as it’s quite an interesting and perky little car.
Changing a battery on a Citroen C4 Cactus
Changing the battery on a Citroen C4 Cactus is not a difficult task. But you need to know what you are doing, as it involves removing a couple of ancillary components before you can access the battery. Here’s our step-by-step guide.
1. Identify the battery. This is located on the right-hand side of the engine compartment when viewed from the front. But you may not recognise its location straight away! This is because the battery sits in a plastic case, and on top of the case is a complicated-looking stop-go control unit.
2. The first removal step is to disconnect the battery power cable. This is located under a flap on the front left side of the plastic battery case, identified by an “i” logo. Flip this up to reveal the power cable fitted to the battery.
3. To remove the power cable, flip up a plastic tab, marked with a + sign. By flipping up this tab, the cable is loosened, and you can remove the power cable and tuck it safely out of the way.
4. The next step is to unplug the ECU, which is located on the right side of the battery. This is a large unit that simply plugs into locating slots on the C4’s body. Wiggle it loose and, carefully lift it out of position, and place it to one side. There are still vital cables attached to it, so make sure you do this carefully.
5. The next item to remove is the stop-go control unit. This is in the form of an aluminium casing with heavy black cables attached to it. It is clipped on top of the battery box by plastic retainers. You should slide the unit free of these retainers, and with the important wires still attached, place it carefully to one side to give you access to the battery box.
6. Now remove the plastic battery box.
7. With the battery box removed, you can now access the earth cable on the battery. This cable should be loosened using a 10 mm spanner, wiggled free of the terminal, and then placed to one side.
8. Now, you should remove the battery retainer, located on the lower right side of the battery. Use a 10 mm spanner to remove the retaining nut and the plate.
9. You can now carefully remove the battery and fit a replacement unit of the same size and configuration.
10. Repeat the removal procedures in the opposite order to secure the new battery. Place the battery in its correct position, fit the retaining nut and plate, and then fasten the earth cable to the negative terminal on the new battery, which is identified by a Minus (–) sign. Then, slide the battery box in place, then fit the stop-go unit on top of the battery box, then slide in the ECU unit into the slot next to the battery box, and finally re-connect the positive cable. You are now good to go!
Note: In most battery removal procedures, one should disconnect the earth cable first to prevent any short circuits, and then disconnect the positive battery cable. But, as the earth cable is not accessible until the battery box is removed, the positive cable has to be removed first. This does not pose a danger to short-circuiting in the case of the C4, as the terminal cable is retained using a plastic flip-up clip, and is removed without using any tools.
Keyword: How to replace the car battery on a Citroën C4 Cactus