Thread: Odd ticking noise

I've got a weird problem. Months ago I discovered already that with the key in off position, there was a 0,6 Ampere current draw. I also noticed my new battery went a bit low on Voltage with short drives and more days of no starts then usual, it was over just over 12 usually and now had dropped to 11 and I still didn't worry too much about it.

Today I was working under the car where I could see the starter. I heard a ticking like if a penlite powered cheap kitchen clock was hidden somewhere. However it sounded like it was running twice as fast. This is what the sound closely resembles to.

That is pretty weird already, so I started looking for what would be clicking, so I checked all relay boxes under the bonnet, including the ABS and then checked the fusebox that is holding some relays too at the passenger seat and I listened to the ECU and ABS computer. The sound is not audible inside the car, it is only audible under the hood. Depending on what I could hear, because the sound itself is hard to locate, it was most audible with my ears above the fuel rail and under the engine close to the starter. At the battery it was less audible then at the ABS relay box.

So I was like wtf? Could it be the starter relay? It is too faint for that and too fast and my battery seems to hold out atleast a few days. So I started pulling one of those 2 wires at the big plus connector at the battery. The blue one made the clicking stop. Reconnecting it made it not come back. (The blue wire pulled also makes the blower stop and the car cranks but it won't start).

Then I've put the ignition in to christmas lighting position, waited a while and turned it to the off postion again. No ticking noise. After about 10 seconds the ticking noise was there again. So I pull the blue wire again and put it back. This keeps repeating itself.

What could be causing this?

Have you tried pulling fuses one by one to narrow down which system it is,
seems more than likely it is in a system that has constant voltage even when the key is off

I was hoping for another answer, but you are absolutely right, I hope to do this today together with a friend.

had a issue sort of like this, ended up being the radiator fan relay, i agree check the fuses and relays my relay was clicking like that for the fans pulled the relay problem solved at least for the clicking anyways

Hmm, somebody pointed me it could be an injector. I do have fuel economy problems but also 4 similar sparkplugs, but it also says plop! every so many revolutions and I believe 1 cylinder gets too much fuel to the point of too much, says plop! and then it repeats itself. This all seems to happen with the precision of a Swiss clock and only warmed engine.

I also noticed yesterday that with pulling the blue wire a relay dropped inside the car, not under the hood. I would say, trusting my ears, it only could be the green one at the ECU, but it might as well have been one of the others.

I also pulled the airco and airco relay, so now I start wondering if it could be me being the problem, tinkering with the car. However, this wouldn't explain the low battery voltages/amp draw because this was before I started to disable and then remove the airco.

I'll be pulling injector connecters, also switch to another fuel rail I've got and if that won't help, start thinking about what I did with the airco/why I heard a relay drop.

Meanwhile, your input is greatly appreciated.

possible the injecotors or injector could be stuck open, you could try to clean them with some additive and see if it could fix the problem maybe

Today I tried pulling injectors but that wasn't the ticking. So I pulled AAC and the ticking stopped. And oh yes, I remember/understand AAC = solenoid

What surprises me the ticking is not direct after putting key in off position, this takes a little while and then by disconnecting the AAC plug it stops ticking, but reconnecting makes it not start ticking. I also heared a relay drop inside the car once, I should have verified that too.

Any ideas besides that I really need to look in the FSM for the wiring diagram?

I switched AAC + housing on my '93 GTi to one from a '91 GTi. I suspect that the AAC that came with the car is not the correct partnumber, this because the matingsurface of the AAC body is slightly different then on the SR20DE that came with the car. Can somebody verify?

nx2000_064_tidy4.jpg (23781-53J10)

p.s. I've put fuel additives for injector in it a while ago. I yet have to swap the FPR and get the AFPR connected to it.

Did you chase down the 0.6 amps draw with the key in off position?
This could be a big clue, but it also needs fixing !!!!
Could be from the alternator, check to see if its drawing current when car is off.

I've been trying and checking in a way that could have been done better.

What I could do was pulling fuses. Pulling Electronics (IG) made the AAC totally not working, car wouldn't start. (And this was obvious according to FSM) So I tried pulling the most obvious fuses because I really could use a second hand here, and it seems that pulling Electronics (B) makes the ticking stop.

This fuse seems also to be connected with the AAC according to FSM. However, by pulling Electronics (IG) I've noticed I was resetting the radio too, so that is pretty much bad wired by somebody else. I also don't believe sorting the radio out will change this strange problem I have but you never can tell.

My problem at the moment is how the heck I can understand FSM drawings and how come the FSM states a Fuse IG, which is nowhere to be found, just like that black 17 ball with an arrow. All I could understand from FSM is the fuselayout and what ends up where, understanding what is wired inbetween is still obscure to me.

Can you please enlighten me?

Here is the ''Fuse IG'' and the ''17 ball'' highlighted:



I start wondering if I'm looking at the correct spot in the drawings and also go mildly wtf? on the air regulator hooked up with the fuel pump motor via the fuel pump relay.

I also have another ??? problem (besides I can't tell if I've got the proper AAC in a mechanical way) and that is this weird resistor:





That yellow thing tells 2 Watss 100 Ohm resistor, It only hooks up with Auto Choke and Bulb check is not connected. The housing is yellow, it's feet is green, can someone tell me what really belongs there?

@Ian, I'm not sure anymore if the 0.6 amp draw is the same ''draw'' as I've heard on the AAC, as you have noticed, I'm not sure of having the proper AAC, there is an oddbal resistor in the system, radio seems to be connected with Electronics (IG) and I'm having a hard time to understand FMS schematical.

Any advice would be great!

I've believe I found it. I've first scored a spare fuel pump relay and also have to tell you I have really disconnected the battery for over an hour several times (was working on the starter) so it was pretty much resetted a couple of times.

Now I disconnected the fuel pump relay (leaving battery connected) and put the connector back after a few seconds.

It's ticking behaviour dissapeared. :S :S :S