I started my 2002 XLT this morning and heard a clicking noise coming from the driver's side rear wheel well. It sounds like someone pressing the unlock button when the doors are already unlocked. It has been quite cold lately and I have used the 4x4 a few times over the past week.
Do you hear this sound when your defroster is on?. If so, it sounds like the A/C is cycling on and off . This is normal as it keeps the compressor and seals lubricated in the winter.
The noise has something to do with the rear A/C. If I turn off the rear A/C the sound is muted, but still audible. Maybe it has something to do with the heating/cooling blending mechanism? Is this something I should be worried about?
Your right, I just thought it might "sound"like it comes from there. But another possibility could be the A/C relay, which I believe is located in the relay box on the drivers side wheel well
"tmy13" wrote in news:1135195946.537586.145000 @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:
I had this problem with the same sound. Its the blend door for the rear A/C. If you have the rear A/C, its probably your problem too. I bet you will find the rear A/C doesn't switch from heat to cold properly. I had this happen twice. The first time I had it repaired under warranty. The second time it was out of warranty, so I opened up the panel (it's a pain, you have to take apart half the rear plastics). You can see the blend door cycling back and forth making the noise. I waited until it cycled to the cold side and pulled the plug. This means I can only get cold to the rear, not hot. That's OK for me because I live in a mostly warm climate. On the few cold days, the hot air that blows from the rear bottom of the center console is sufficient.
I went on the NHTSA website and found a reference to an article called "Noise-Clicking Noise From Climate Control Tempature Blend Door Actuator- Vehicles Produced 11/13/2000 Through 4/1/2001" Article No. 01-12-6. There is a process on the website where you complete a request and they will mail you a copy of the article, so I did that and it came several weeks later. I believe the problem described in the article is refering to the blend door actuator for the front seat. The problem with that blend door is well documented and has been discussed in this newsgroup. The article I got contains a re-wiring procedure to solve the problem. Although it's meant for the front seat, one day when I get some time, I'm planning to see if it applies to the rear A/C as well.
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