Ok I am having this wierd electrical problem. When I put the ignition in the possition right before turning the engine over (when all the lights come on) I get a series of clicks coming from the engine compartment. They are all over... Also a wierd ratchet sound from around the ABS unit. This started after I replaced the bulbs in my corner lamps... Any help would be great...
Catlin

 

those clicks you hear are the relays in the engine. That is totally normal. With the abs unit does the sound come on when you start the engine or just before it?

 

I agree with the clicks being normal. As to your abs unit I'm not quite sure what is going on with that. You may want to have someone turn the switch on and off several times while you stand near the abs to see if you can pinpoint the noise. Maybe the metal shield around your abs is loose or something. Although I don't know why it would make a noise before you started the engine.

 

No these noises just started all of a sudden. I did have my bro flip it a bunch and it seems to be coming from somewhere in between the ABS unit and the firewall. I would think these were normal if I had a few before but I went from having none to around 5 or 6 So its not normal to me.
Thanks
Keep the advice comin'!

 

it sounds normal to me but i dont know what the deal is with the clicks by the abs and the firewall

 

Did you put in some supa-rice 10 megawatt bulbs? If you did, then there's no telling what you've fried with the excess current draw.

Did you hack the harness anywhere to install these...you could've created a big short, or a grounding issue, and now the computers are spazzing out and power cycling the relays as they reboot.

Does everything work as normal otherwise? If it does, then I'll bet you were just hypersensitive after you put in the bulbs, and you just hadn't noticed it before...I do the same thing when I (or someone else) tears into the car...I listen and look VERY hard when everything is done, and usually find something:
a) that they screwed something up (usually the case)
b) a pre-existing flaw/characteristic that I hadn't noticed before

 

That might be true about the bulbs rating I will try and see what goes on there. I doubt it is an existing flaw because I am pretty hyper sensitive any time I get within 20 feet of my car.

 

I reread the posts....something you might check is the wiper motor...its up there between the ABS and firewall. Pull the ABS fuse and turn the key on and see what happens. Then try the wiper fuse...

 

My car has about a hundred relay clicks when turning the key. It sounds totally normal.

 

Thanks for the replies I might ask an electronics specialist today.

 

futurerexowner,

You know an electronincs specialist in SO. Cal

 

Nah, Im about 4 hours from there