relay clicking sound
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
relay clicking sound
My 91 vert (L98, climate control) is in the garage for the winter, it has only been stored for about a month. I went out to the other day to start her up an run around the block a few times and the battery was dead. 
I pulled the battery out and charged it, the car started right up and I did a few final burnouts of the year around the subdivision. I put her back in the garage and covered her up.
A few days later, as I was walking into the garage, I heard a ticking/clicking sound coming from somewhere. I traced it to the vert. I pulled the cover off and opened the door. The clicking was coming from under the hush panel on the passengers side. When I opened the door, the interior lights did not come on, but when opened the hood to disconnect the neg battery cable, the under hood lights did come on (don't know if this matters at this point)
I have not pulled the hush panel yet to see which relay it was, I am going to open her up and try to determine which relay was clicking (if it still clicks when I connect the battery back up). If a relay does not click when I re-connect the battery, I will leave the cover off so I will have quick access to the relays when/if they start to click again and I guess I will have to wait until it happens again.
I was wondering if anyone knows what would cause a relay to click like this?
I assume this is what contributed to the battery draining so fast. I don't mind replacing a relay, I am just wondering if there is something else I should be looking into as well or if there is a way to determine which relay was originally clicking?
As always any tips or info is greatly appreciated.
I pulled the battery out and charged it, the car started right up and I did a few final burnouts of the year around the subdivision. I put her back in the garage and covered her up. A few days later, as I was walking into the garage, I heard a ticking/clicking sound coming from somewhere. I traced it to the vert. I pulled the cover off and opened the door. The clicking was coming from under the hush panel on the passengers side. When I opened the door, the interior lights did not come on, but when opened the hood to disconnect the neg battery cable, the under hood lights did come on (don't know if this matters at this point)
I have not pulled the hush panel yet to see which relay it was, I am going to open her up and try to determine which relay was clicking (if it still clicks when I connect the battery back up). If a relay does not click when I re-connect the battery, I will leave the cover off so I will have quick access to the relays when/if they start to click again and I guess I will have to wait until it happens again.
I was wondering if anyone knows what would cause a relay to click like this?
I assume this is what contributed to the battery draining so fast. I don't mind replacing a relay, I am just wondering if there is something else I should be looking into as well or if there is a way to determine which relay was originally clicking?
As always any tips or info is greatly appreciated.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,954
Likes: 2
From: Obama=death for America
I read your post, looked at your Forum screen-name and wondered if you actually heard the noise or just had an out of body, sound illusion. 
Seriously - as mentioned, throw on a new battery and you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd get a float charger. Don't get a trickle charger. An automatic battery float charger is different than a trickle charger, since the float charger senses a battery’s full state and does not overcharge. Trickle chargers send one or two volts continuously to the battery and can, eventually, overcharge and/or gas the battery.
There's a zillion brands out there with a zillion different prices, so read carefully before you purchase.
By the way, there's absolutely no reason to remove the battery to charge it. With the lower end trickle/float chargers on the market, you need to be real careful not to inadvertently reverse the cables. On a mid to high end charger, if you hook it up backwards, no damage will occur as it/they have built in safety devices/precautions which prevent the unit from working (or blowing up your battery).
Seriously - as mentioned, throw on a new battery and you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd get a float charger. Don't get a trickle charger. An automatic battery float charger is different than a trickle charger, since the float charger senses a battery’s full state and does not overcharge. Trickle chargers send one or two volts continuously to the battery and can, eventually, overcharge and/or gas the battery.
There's a zillion brands out there with a zillion different prices, so read carefully before you purchase.
By the way, there's absolutely no reason to remove the battery to charge it. With the lower end trickle/float chargers on the market, you need to be real careful not to inadvertently reverse the cables. On a mid to high end charger, if you hook it up backwards, no damage will occur as it/they have built in safety devices/precautions which prevent the unit from working (or blowing up your battery).
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Toronto(Don Mills) Ontario
I read your post, looked at your Forum screen-name and wondered if you actually heard the noise or just had an out of body, sound illusion.
Seriously - as mentioned, throw on a new battery and you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd get a float charger. Don't get a trickle charger. An automatic battery float charger is different than a trickle charger, since the float charger senses a battery’s full state and does not overcharge. Trickle chargers send one or two volts continuously to the battery and can, eventually, overcharge and/or gas the battery.
There's a zillion brands out there with a zillion different prices, so read carefully before you purchase.
By the way, there's absolutely no reason to remove the battery to charge it. With the lower end trickle/float chargers on the market, you need to be real careful not to inadvertently reverse the cables. On a mid to high end charger, if you hook it up backwards, no damage will occur as it/they have built in safety devices/precautions which prevent the unit from working (or blowing up your battery).
Seriously - as mentioned, throw on a new battery and you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd get a float charger. Don't get a trickle charger. An automatic battery float charger is different than a trickle charger, since the float charger senses a battery’s full state and does not overcharge. Trickle chargers send one or two volts continuously to the battery and can, eventually, overcharge and/or gas the battery.
There's a zillion brands out there with a zillion different prices, so read carefully before you purchase.
By the way, there's absolutely no reason to remove the battery to charge it. With the lower end trickle/float chargers on the market, you need to be real careful not to inadvertently reverse the cables. On a mid to high end charger, if you hook it up backwards, no damage will occur as it/they have built in safety devices/precautions which prevent the unit from working (or blowing up your battery).
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,642
Likes: 5
From: One day you're a Comet...the next day you're dust... Arkansas
It's possible that is the horn relay activating from the VATS system IF your horns are disconnected. If your horns are working that is probably not it since the horns would blow. I guess if the relay operated for days it could pull your battery down.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 475
Likes: 1
I read your post, looked at your Forum screen-name and wondered if you actually heard the noise or just had an out of body, sound illusion.
Seriously - as mentioned, throw on a new battery and you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd get a float charger. Don't get a trickle charger. An automatic battery float charger is different than a trickle charger, since the float charger senses a battery’s full state and does not overcharge. Trickle chargers send one or two volts continuously to the battery and can, eventually, overcharge and/or gas the battery.
There's a zillion brands out there with a zillion different prices, so read carefully before you purchase.
By the way, there's absolutely no reason to remove the battery to charge it. With the lower end trickle/float chargers on the market, you need to be real careful not to inadvertently reverse the cables. On a mid to high end charger, if you hook it up backwards, no damage will occur as it/they have built in safety devices/precautions which prevent the unit from working (or blowing up your battery).
Seriously - as mentioned, throw on a new battery and you should be good to go. If I were you, I'd get a float charger. Don't get a trickle charger. An automatic battery float charger is different than a trickle charger, since the float charger senses a battery’s full state and does not overcharge. Trickle chargers send one or two volts continuously to the battery and can, eventually, overcharge and/or gas the battery.
There's a zillion brands out there with a zillion different prices, so read carefully before you purchase.
By the way, there's absolutely no reason to remove the battery to charge it. With the lower end trickle/float chargers on the market, you need to be real careful not to inadvertently reverse the cables. On a mid to high end charger, if you hook it up backwards, no damage will occur as it/they have built in safety devices/precautions which prevent the unit from working (or blowing up your battery).
No overcharging here with this float/trickle charger:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42292
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Never Ever let a lead acid battery sit for long periods (4+ wks) doing nothing, even disconnected. It ruins the battery because the battery self discharges (yes, even disconnected) and lead sulphate forms on the plates and this isn't reversable. The relay you hear clicking is the horn relay being operated by the theft detterent module which doesn't work correctly on low battery voltage and cycles the horn relay. The battery is so dead it won't work the horn. Get a battery tender which only charges the battery when it detects a 10% drop in battery capacity and then turns off. Your battery will then have a normal life and be fully charged when you want to use your car.
Every year I have been on CF, I explain over and over and over that you cannot leave lead acid batteries sit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every year I have been on CF, I explain over and over and over that you cannot leave lead acid batteries sit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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