I just purchased a 98 explorer two weeks ago, the check engine light came on once, but I pretended it wasn't there and it went away. Now I notice that while the vehicle is idling, there is a loud "click" about every 4 seconds, at which time the lights seem to dim, and the battery gauge fluctuates rapidly. There is a lot of corrosion on the battery terminals, Idk if that would matter....alternator? Starter? Please help before my truck poops out on me.
I have a Ford Explorer & my car had the same clicking noise. It's the A/C. When the compressor kicks on it makes a clicking noise & will cause the lights to dim. You need to have the A/C checked. If it's clicking on every 4 seconds, that's too often. Hope this helps.
The first thing I would do is go to Autozone and have the engine codes read. All of the codes that have been triggered will still be stored in the computer. Is the AC on when you hear this clicking. I think it might just be the AC clutch making the noise. Try to narrow down the source of the noise, and it would not hurt to clean the battery cables. Test one thing at a time to avoid confusion. Let me know what you find out.
I think the clicking is coming from the AC, because the Explorer is set up so that the AC comes on whenever the heater, fan or AC is on. They do that to keep the windows from fogging up by drying the air with the air conditioner. I believe that the engine code is a whole other matter unrelated to the clicking. When you do get the code read, please post your results.
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Hi, thanks for the reply. I have not had time to get the code checked, but I noticed that the clicking and dimming stopped when I shut the fan off. I did not have the AC running, just the vent. The noise sounded like it was coming from the alternator, but I can't be sure. Otherwise, it's still running fine.
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