Clicking (relay) noise under LOAD - Tick Tick Tick
2nd Gear
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 531
From: Long Island/Binghamton/Boston
i had a similar issue, except the clicking would start as soon as i took my foot off the gas. never found out what it was and nobody could track it down, but it stopped after a couple of weeks.
1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1
Okay guys and gals, I THINK that I fixed my clicking and I hope this might work for you as well.
2004 A4 sedan, 166K. Same problem, a little more defined. When the engine is first started, no matter if it is cold or has ran for some time. Clicking is noticed from behind the instrument cluster. (This is a factor) It only lasts for around 1 to 2 minutes and after that, no noise. Also it’s the same as most of your problems you have discussed, that you notice it when you are stepping on the gas and ONLY when you’re driving. Parked or in Neutral, engine revs just fine. Also, you do NOT get any codes.
So I have a low turbo boost issue and have been doing some reading and studying all about the system and the vacuum lines and the boost lines. While doing some research on all of it, I found out that Audi has a vacuum line that when your car is first turned on, your ECU has a start up sequence. One of the sequence has to do with getting your catalytic convert to warm up. See the ECU is running a computer program and as soon as you start that engine, it basically has a clock in it that WILL reset every time you restart the car. That clock is telling your engine that your catalytic converter has NOT warmed up yet and in that time period, IF you put the car in gear. And as soon as you step on the gas another sequence of events occur. See to help heat up your catalytic converter, which is designed to HEAT UP and burn off the un-burnt excess gasses, which works by the flow of gasses over the ceramic tubes, which creates friction, it turn gets hotter. Thus the exhaust out of the catalytic converter is hotter when it comes out of the cat. (That is if your cat is working)
So, think that your catalytic converter is not hot yet. So how do you create more heat? This is when you go to the fire triangle. You need fuel, and a ignition source and Oxygen! So you have un-Burnt fuel (Rich) and you need to lean it out. You really can’t lean out the fuel that the car is using so you do the next best thing. Give it MORE air!
So, that little vacuum line that directs some more CLEAN air from your turbo boost area goes INTO the catalytic converter.
So, Audi in deep thought gave a option for the car to choose. IF the catalytic converter is NOT heated up and working correctly, (Again, when you first fire up) then put some more air to it. Now if someone is driving and you had that extra air diverted the car is now a real turd. So, the car needs to know when to shut off that air, or when to turn it on. It uses the O2 sensors to do that.
If the O2 sensors are old or not reading correctly (again, NO CODES) The car does not know if the cat is hot or not, so it is now trying to heat it up by diverting air to it. And as soon as you step on the gas, it tells it to shut it off. All by a relay that is behind your dash.
Hell, I could be wrong, but all I do know is that after changing out both the front and rear 02 sensors, the clicking is GONE!!!! Got my from Amazon BTW. Total was about $160.00
I know there is other items that can cause a clicking noise. Mine.. Well again. I seemed to have fixed this problem.
I hope this can help someone else out there.
Dickfer
2004 A4 sedan, 166K. Same problem, a little more defined. When the engine is first started, no matter if it is cold or has ran for some time. Clicking is noticed from behind the instrument cluster. (This is a factor) It only lasts for around 1 to 2 minutes and after that, no noise. Also it’s the same as most of your problems you have discussed, that you notice it when you are stepping on the gas and ONLY when you’re driving. Parked or in Neutral, engine revs just fine. Also, you do NOT get any codes.
So I have a low turbo boost issue and have been doing some reading and studying all about the system and the vacuum lines and the boost lines. While doing some research on all of it, I found out that Audi has a vacuum line that when your car is first turned on, your ECU has a start up sequence. One of the sequence has to do with getting your catalytic convert to warm up. See the ECU is running a computer program and as soon as you start that engine, it basically has a clock in it that WILL reset every time you restart the car. That clock is telling your engine that your catalytic converter has NOT warmed up yet and in that time period, IF you put the car in gear. And as soon as you step on the gas another sequence of events occur. See to help heat up your catalytic converter, which is designed to HEAT UP and burn off the un-burnt excess gasses, which works by the flow of gasses over the ceramic tubes, which creates friction, it turn gets hotter. Thus the exhaust out of the catalytic converter is hotter when it comes out of the cat. (That is if your cat is working)
So, think that your catalytic converter is not hot yet. So how do you create more heat? This is when you go to the fire triangle. You need fuel, and a ignition source and Oxygen! So you have un-Burnt fuel (Rich) and you need to lean it out. You really can’t lean out the fuel that the car is using so you do the next best thing. Give it MORE air!
So, that little vacuum line that directs some more CLEAN air from your turbo boost area goes INTO the catalytic converter.
So, Audi in deep thought gave a option for the car to choose. IF the catalytic converter is NOT heated up and working correctly, (Again, when you first fire up) then put some more air to it. Now if someone is driving and you had that extra air diverted the car is now a real turd. So, the car needs to know when to shut off that air, or when to turn it on. It uses the O2 sensors to do that.
If the O2 sensors are old or not reading correctly (again, NO CODES) The car does not know if the cat is hot or not, so it is now trying to heat it up by diverting air to it. And as soon as you step on the gas, it tells it to shut it off. All by a relay that is behind your dash.
Hell, I could be wrong, but all I do know is that after changing out both the front and rear 02 sensors, the clicking is GONE!!!! Got my from Amazon BTW. Total was about $160.00
I know there is other items that can cause a clicking noise. Mine.. Well again. I seemed to have fixed this problem.
I hope this can help someone else out there.
Dickfer
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CrazyA4
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Aug 30, 2010 02:42 PM
