2000 Ford Expedition, Clicking Sound Under the Steering Wheel

by Chris
(Redondo Beach)

Two days ago, I parked my 2000 Expedition & took the keys out, and the a/c stayed on and there was a like an erratic clicking sound coming from underneath the steering wheel...really weird. I had to turn the a/c knob to the off position and it turned off, but it was able to go on without the car being on. The clicking sound got slower and faded away. Also, I think one of the red lights on the dash was clicking on and off when the clicking sound was occurring.

This clicking problem occurred 2 weeks ago and then the next day my battery was dead. I called AAA and they replaced my battery, so I don't think this problem is being caused by low juice b/c I have a brand new battery.

Anyways, I'm getting a little nervous because I thought it was some sort of electrical problem and a fire could start. It did it again later that same day, but it didn’t do it this morning when I parked at work.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Chris

Steve Says,

Thanks for asking me your question. This sounds like a low voltage problem. I'm going to assume that your new battery is good (sometimes they are not good even when new!) but you might want to have it load tested just to be sure.

There are a couple of things that need to be checked. The fist is the battery cable connections. They need to be clean and tight. If they are loose or corroded they can cause a bad connection and you will have the problem you are having.

The other thing that needs to be done is to have your alternator tested. It is possible that your alternator is not maintaining your battery how it should and causing your battery to have low voltage.

I think you will find your problem in one of these areas. There is a very small risk of fire. Automotive electrical systems are made to blow fuses instead of starting fires. It sounds like you are having a low voltage problem not a wiring shorting out problem so you should be fine.

I hope this has helped. Please post the fix when you know what it is. My readers would appreciate it.