unknow clicking noise from dash

Just went out for another drive yesterday and there was the usual clicking noise coming from behind my dash,I had always thought it was the keys as they dangled and moved around,but this time I held onto them while driving and the noise was still there .It sounds like the indicator faintly clicking but is more random.I cant imagine its serious but I would like to know for peace of mind,any ideas guys.

 

My first guess would be a bad relay.Does it only happen when you drive or can you hear it if the car is idling?

 

If the clicking sound recurs often enough you could get a volunteer passenger with an inexpensive stethoscope while you drove. Many 'Harbour Freight' steths have a cone piece to pick up sounds from wider areas before pinpointing them.

You didn't which side of the dash, passenger side has the clicky relays, and the driver's side has operator controls, pedals, steering rods. Without speedometer or tach cables there isn't much else.

And since you're keeping the make, model, year, country of you car a secret, not in your profile, we could advance the theory it's really a porsche painted red or a clickmobile from Iran.

 

Like your sense of humour Paul 308,the car is a rhd 1981 308 gtb carb drysump euro model,I cant remember if the noise is there at idle but is not loud and seems to come from behind the instrument binacle /ignition lock area

 

Are you sure it's not the clock? Is the odometer reset on a 308 a cable? It maybe stuck at the knob or worn at the rear of the speedometer. Best fix is turn up the radio or remove the muffler. If it is the reset cable I used a coat hanger wire to hold the cable in a better alignment when mine stopped working.

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My 1987 Mondial does the same exact thing. The mondial also has a heater valve that makes a bit of a thumping and it isn't that. Mine is a LHD and the noise comes from the binnacle as well. I also thought it was keys and hold them to still hear the minor clicking coming from that area. I have no idea what it is.

My theory is that if two if us have the same issue it must be normal and everyone else is deaf from driving too much.

 

Not sure what 308 you have, however, I had the same issue. Is the tach bounching all over the place when you hear the clicking noise? If so, remove the brown tach wire from the coil and see if the clicking stops, of course the tach will not work during this test. You could have a bad tach wire that is grounding out somewhere along the way.

 

Hi,Lonnie, I doubt its the clock as its louder than that and also not a constant ticking ,although I will check on my next drive.
Hi 4right,the tach is not bounching all over the place and everything seems to function normally, I think it sounds like a relay as Maurice suggested,if thats the case what would be the outcome of this ?.

 

I had a relay that was not pressed all of the way in. I removed the relay re-seated it and the clicking stopped. Pull the fuse/relay cover on the passenger side dash and see if you can isolate the noise to a specific relay, if so, pull it out and put it back in. If that doesn't resolve the problem purchase a new relay.

 

the wiper lever on the steering column is on, but the wipers aren't functioning

 

Could it be the fan relay(s) turning off and on?

 

Old thread, but this comment helped with a clicking noise I had. Wipers aren't working but click repeatedly when key is on. Thanks Larry!

 

you're welcome, nice thread revival stoked_7. It's good to see you are using the search tool.

 

It could be the relay that controls the windshield wiper intermittent function. Try moving the windshield wiper lever to the off position and see if it stops.