Rattling Relay (Clicking Relay)

by Jeffrey
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

I have a 2004 Chevy Malibu. My car keeps stalling out and not starting sometimes. I have changed fuel pump and the fuel pump relay. The dealer changed the ignition and something to do with the security. After the Chevrolet dealership did this repair it ran fine for about 3 weeks. Now get in the car and start it but sometimes it won't start. When this happens I turn the key off and turn it back to the on position. I then hear a rattling sound coming from the fuse block under the hood. When I took cover off I noticed that the fuel pump relay is rattling. I grab and shake the relay and the car starts, whats up with that?

Steve Says,

Hi, Jeffrey. Thanks for asking me your question. There are several things that might be causing your problem. Any time you hear a relay that is rattling or clicking like you have you know that there is a problem with the amount of voltage getting to the relay.

The first thing to check is your battery. Make sure that it has at least 12.65 volts. A fully charged battery will have at least that many volts. Since the car seemed to work fine after you wiggled the relay I don't think it is a battery problem, but it is easy to check with a voltmeter so I would do that first. After that I would really check into the relay. Check the socket that it plugs into. Make sure that it plugs in tightly and that there is no corrosion on any of the contacts. Check all of the pins where the relay plugs in with your voltmeter (If you don't have one you can get one at a parts store or wal mart). You should find one pin that has battery voltage. If you don't then you know that there is probably a problem under the fuse block where the wires to the relay plug in.

You might also have a bad fuel pump relay. It isn't likely since it was just replaced but it could have been a bad part. One easy way to check this is to remove the fuel pump relay and switch it with another one of the relays in the fuse block. There should be several that are the exact same and you can switch without causing any problems.

I think one of these simple quick tests will help you diagnose this problem. Leave me a comment if you need more help and let me know when you get it fixed so I can post the fix.