There are many sounds from your vehicle that can cause concern while driving. Hearing clicking noises on your dashboard is one of these irritable sounds.
Clicking noises on the dashboard can be heard due to many reasons. One of these reasons is a faulty actuator.
Apart from a faulty actuator, there are many other causes of clicking noises on your dashboard.
This article will examine the causes of clicking noises on your dashboard and solutions to the various faults as well as other things you need to know.
Let’s get started!
Why Is My Dashboard Making A Clicking Noise?
If you’re hearing clicking noise coming from deep within your dash or a heater clicking noise in the car, the issue is possibly the blend door actuator. May actuators are either not properly positioned, the actuator may be broken, or the gear may be stripped.
Having clicking or knocking noises from your dashboard frequently is not customary in vehicles. There is something wrong with the functionality of a vehicle’s component, and these clicking or knocking noises act as warning signals.
To understand why your dashboard always produces clicking or knocking noises, you must troubleshoot your vehicle for any irregularities. However, if you lack the skill set to troubleshoot a car, you could easily employ the services of an expert.
Here are the major causes of clicking in the dashboard;
1. You Have a Defective Relay
Many relays are embedded within your vehicle, each with its respective functions. The relay helps your vehicle function properly by activating and deactivating various components like wipers, lights, starter motors, and other circuits within the car.
Relays can work appropriately for a long time, but annoying clicking sounds emanate whenever it flips once it loses integrity.
Solution: To troubleshoot a faulty relay, you must first be able to access the relay. Once you have access to the relay, engage the car’s ignition and listen closely to the set of relays. Whatever release faulty old produce a short clicking sound. Once you have identified the relay, remove it and replace it with an equivalent.
2. Your Heater Fan or Heater Motor is Bad
As we know, whenever a rotating member has a hitch, it produces various annoying sounds. Clicking is one of these sounds.
The heater motor is a rotating member; therefore, whenever it becomes faulty, clicking noises are heard from the dashboard.
A heater fan produces clicking noises mainly when the bearings on its electric motor are worn. In addition, the clicking sound in worn rotor bearing could also have unnecessary vibrations.
Finally, a broken fan blade could cause these clicking noises as weight is no longer distributed evenly on the electric motor.
Solution: An advisable option for repairing this fault is replacing the faulty parts. If you lack the technical knowledge to replace these parts, visiting a professional would be best.
Also Read: Why Does My Radio Turn On But No Sound?
3. The Blend Door Actuators are Faulty (Common Issue)
Your vehicle has a total number of two blend door actuators. These blend door actuators must be in proper working condition. If the blend door actuators are faulty, you must endure clicking noises until they are fixed.
While troubleshooting a faulty blend door actuator, one of these actuators will not swing as it should.
Usually, both blend door actuators move uniformly. When there is a variation in their movements, there is something wrong with the electric motor or the plastic gears in the actuator’s unit.
Solution: When fixing a faulty blend door actuator, you must first be able to locate the actuator. Once found could retrieve it from the car’s dashboard and couple it. Scrutinize the uncoupled blend door actuator for any irregularities.
If there are deformed plastic gears, you could replace the gears quickly. However, if the actuator’s electric motor is faulty, you may need to replace the whole actuator.
4. Stepper Motor may be Broken
A faulty stepper motor is one component of the dashboard that can cause frequent clicking noises. The stepper motor is usually found in Old model cars and helps the driver measure the engines’ RPM or speed.
If the motor that controls the indicator becomes faulty, you are bound to hear clicking noises from your dashboard.
Solution: Since this fault is instrumentation-based, it could be very complex and require great detail of technicality. It will be best if you employ the services of a professional
5. Your Car Battery may be Damage
Clicking sounds could also originate from the vehicle starter coil. Whenever the car’s battery cannot provide enough electricity to power the starter coil, you experience very brief clicking sounds from beneath your vehicle.
To confirm that your battery is the problem, you will also see warning signals on your dashboard blinking.
Solution: To fix this issue, inspect the heads of your battery terminal. Look out for corruption or deposits on either the positive or negative terminal.
Next, use a voltmeter to troubleshoot the voltage within the battery. If the battery’s voltage is above 12.5V, check the alternator. A faulty alternator would cause constant draining of your battery.
If the alternator or battery is bad, replace them.
6. There is Leakage in the AC Unit
If there is a leakage in your AC unit, the compressor might be over-stressed, causing fluctuating pressure heads throughout the refrigerant pipes.
These fluctuating pressure heads are caused by moisture getting into the pipes and freezing cousin blockage for the refrigerant as it flows through the Ac line.
A drastic drop in pressure due to low refrigerant level in the AC unit can also affect the compressor to overwork itself, causing clicking noises in your dashboard.
However, the most common cause of clicking noises in your dashboard within the AC unit is a clogged cabin air filter. A clogged cabin air filter can cause unnecessary stress for the AC blower, causing clicking noises in your dashboard.
Solution: With enough technical knowledge, you can quickly fix problems relating to your car’s air condition. However, the best option is to employ the services of an expert. To save costs, you could examine your cabin air filter before driving to the auto repair shop.
How to Repair Clicking Noise in the Dashboard
Clicking or knocking noises could result from anything within the car vehicle; to correctly solve this issue, your troubleshooting process must be accurate.
Once you know the fault, fixing the issue will be easier.
You must trace and fix the leak if the problem is the air conditioning line. If the problem is the cabin air filter, replacing the old one with a new one is the best option.
For problems relating to electric motors, the best option would be to replace the faulty part; however, if the problem is the bearing, proper lubrication might fix it.
Trying to track down all these faults can be time-consuming and tedious; therefore, it would be a better option if you employed the services of a professional.
Also Read: Whining Noise When Accelerating (Causes & Solution)
Frequently Asked Questions – Why Is My Dashboard Making A Clicking Noise
Why does the blend door actuator click?
When the blend door actuators are faulty, you must endure clicking noises until they are fixed. The blend door actuator clicks because there is something wrong with the electric motor or the plastic gears in the actuator’s unit
Is it safe to drive the car with a clicking noise?
Clicking noises can originate from any part of your vehicle and relate to any issue within your car. Driving with a clicking noise can pose a danger for the occupants of the vehicle if the cause of the clicking noise is severe. Otherwise, driving with a clicking noise should not raise any alarm.
Is my car battery dead clicking noise?
Clicking sounds could also originate from the vehicle starter coil. Whenever the car’s battery cannot provide enough electricity to power the starter coil, you experience very brief clicking sounds from beneath your vehicle.
Conclusion – Why Is My Dashboard Making A Clicking Noise
Clicking noises can occur in your vehicle from time to time. There are a few things you could do to prevent clicking noises. One of the measures that would help you prevent severe cases of clicking noise is identifying the noise early and getting it fixed immediately.
If you encounter clicking noises within your dashboard, it is always best to visit a mechanic as soon as possible. It would be best to wait until you discover a clicking noise in your dashboard but visit the mechanic for regular check-ups.