Odd clicking noises from dash

M

M Darrah

Registered
I'm getting some strange clicks while driving, coming from the area of the left side of the dash. It doesn't really sound like the normal clicks and pops of plastic parts flexing, but more like a relay or perhaps a circuit breaker cycling on and off. The clicks are random though, not evenly spaced, but they average about one every second.

I know the fuse panel is on the left side of the dash. Are there any circuit breakers in there, or anything else that might cause the noise?

On another note, I've noticed a couple of times the radio display goes out for a split second, even though the stereo continues to play. It's not synched with the clicks though, so I don't think it's related. Other than that, I haven't noticed any other problems. It's just annoying.

I guess I should also note that I had the same problem as another poster here, that my battery was going dead if I left the door or trunk open for a short period of time. One time it went dead, it was in the shop, and the mechanics didn't turn off the auto-lamp, and the headlights stayed on for about fifteen minutes. Even with HIDs, I'd think the battery should last longer than that. It happened to me two other times this past winter, but since it's gotten warm, it's been OK. I know I'm probably living on borrowed time.

I expect it'll be simpler to sell the car than to try and diagnose electrical problems, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.
 
RE: Odd clicking noises from dash

The battery itself could be going south too. If it's original, it's now approaching five years old. The summer is just as hard on a battery as the winter especially with air conditioning running in the heat.

As pointed out in the other post, get the charging system checked as a minimum. If the alternator is good, I'd pop in a new DieHard or whatever is your battery of choice. It's cheap preventative maintenance if the battery is 5 years old.

Good luck.
 
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