Constant Clicking from Terminal Block/Relay (?) under Hood - Even when engine off
#1
03-14-2012, 12:14 AM
Constant Clicking from Terminal Block/Relay (?) under Hood - Even when engine off
Hi All,
My wife and I were driving home tonight after a spring break trip. We've got a 2001 ML320 with ~ 140k on it.
Out of nowhere, it started 'clicking'. From the inside of the vehicle it sounded like it was coming from mid-dash, behind the radio cluster. The clicking is constant...every 10 seconds or so. Every time it clicks, the lights go out for just a split second...like blinking.
No other issues, just the noise and the "blinking".
When we got home, I was astonished to find that it continued to click even though the engine was turned off.
After opening the hood, I found that there is a small relay (doesn't look like a relay, just a silver block with two terminals, but I don't know what to call it) just to the right (with my head in the hood) of the battery, mounted to the vehicle. There are two red cables attached to this "relay". One goes straight to the negative terminal of the battery and the other goes into the deep darkness of the engine somewhere else.
The clicking is loud enough that I can still hear it in the house...
Any ideas? I am thinking that maybe my battery is getting low and this is some sort of warning system?
Thanks for any help!
My wife and I were driving home tonight after a spring break trip. We've got a 2001 ML320 with ~ 140k on it.
Out of nowhere, it started 'clicking'. From the inside of the vehicle it sounded like it was coming from mid-dash, behind the radio cluster. The clicking is constant...every 10 seconds or so. Every time it clicks, the lights go out for just a split second...like blinking.
No other issues, just the noise and the "blinking".
When we got home, I was astonished to find that it continued to click even though the engine was turned off.
After opening the hood, I found that there is a small relay (doesn't look like a relay, just a silver block with two terminals, but I don't know what to call it) just to the right (with my head in the hood) of the battery, mounted to the vehicle. There are two red cables attached to this "relay". One goes straight to the negative terminal of the battery and the other goes into the deep darkness of the engine somewhere else.
The clicking is loud enough that I can still hear it in the house...
Any ideas? I am thinking that maybe my battery is getting low and this is some sort of warning system?
Thanks for any help!
#2
03-23-2012, 02:29 PM
I would love to know the answer as well
I had the exact same problem only it killed my battery while I was inside at work. Mechanic checked relays and recharged the battery and it has not done this since. Prior to pulling into my parking spot the ETS ABS and ESP lights all came on as I was pulling into work. I have a 2001 ML320 as well with 150K + on it. Co-Workers reported the noise it was making but I could not leave to disconnect the battery.
#3
03-23-2012, 08:17 PM
Hi All,
My wife and I were driving home tonight after a spring break trip. We've got a 2001 ML320 with ~ 140k on it.
Out of nowhere, it started 'clicking'. From the inside of the vehicle it sounded like it was coming from mid-dash, behind the radio cluster. The clicking is constant...every 10 seconds or so. Every time it clicks, the lights go out for just a split second...like blinking.
No other issues, just the noise and the "blinking".
When we got home, I was astonished to find that it continued to click even though the engine was turned off.
After opening the hood, I found that there is a small relay (doesn't look like a relay, just a silver block with two terminals, but I don't know what to call it) just to the right (with my head in the hood) of the battery, mounted to the vehicle. There are two red cables attached to this "relay". One goes straight to the negative terminal of the battery and the other goes into the deep darkness of the engine somewhere else.
The clicking is loud enough that I can still hear it in the house...
Any ideas? I am thinking that maybe my battery is getting low and this is some sort of warning system?
Thanks for any help!
My wife and I were driving home tonight after a spring break trip. We've got a 2001 ML320 with ~ 140k on it.
Out of nowhere, it started 'clicking'. From the inside of the vehicle it sounded like it was coming from mid-dash, behind the radio cluster. The clicking is constant...every 10 seconds or so. Every time it clicks, the lights go out for just a split second...like blinking.
No other issues, just the noise and the "blinking".
When we got home, I was astonished to find that it continued to click even though the engine was turned off.
After opening the hood, I found that there is a small relay (doesn't look like a relay, just a silver block with two terminals, but I don't know what to call it) just to the right (with my head in the hood) of the battery, mounted to the vehicle. There are two red cables attached to this "relay". One goes straight to the negative terminal of the battery and the other goes into the deep darkness of the engine somewhere else.
The clicking is loud enough that I can still hear it in the house...
Any ideas? I am thinking that maybe my battery is getting low and this is some sort of warning system?
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by chassis221; 03-23-2012 at 08:26 PM.
#4
03-24-2012, 04:29 PM
What it appears to be....
Well, two days after this started, a friend of mine told me my left taillight was out. I checked and, sure enough, it was. The left front 'running light' was out too. Turns out the fuse for those two lights was burnt out. I replaced the fuse and it hasn't clicked since.
It is a nice feature to the car. Too bad they don't tell you about it in the owner's manual
It is a nice feature to the car. Too bad they don't tell you about it in the owner's manual
#5
03-25-2012, 07:21 AM
It would be nice if they did.
Well, two days after this started, a friend of mine told me my left taillight was out. I checked and, sure enough, it was. The left front 'running light' was out too. Turns out the fuse for those two lights was burnt out. I replaced the fuse and it hasn't clicked since.
It is a nice feature to the car. Too bad they don't tell you about it in the owner's manual
It is a nice feature to the car. Too bad they don't tell you about it in the owner's manual
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
barker
Mercedes C Class
1
08-01-2011 05:09 PM
buckeye560
Mercedes SL Class
0
11-01-2008 01:44 PM
FogHorn
New Mercedes Benz Forum Members Area
4
09-08-2004 10:04 AM
