Really weird ticking in a ZJ..any Jeep techs want to take a stab at it?

[Cottontail]

Have a 1996 ZJ with the 4.0 and 203,000 miles on the clock.

Last Saturday (1/9) I had the dealership clean the throttle body and reflash the computer due to an issue I was having with the Jeep holding an idle. While they were in there I had them put on a new serpintine belt also.

Drove it home on Saturday, drove it to the airport on Sunday, drove it home on Tuesday and parked it. I went to start it last night and it was dead. Got some dim interior lights and a weak door buzz with the key in initially.

I tried to turn it over and it wouldn't go. Just went dark and dead. Also have had some rare occurences of it acting dead in Park, so I pulled it to Neutral and tried to start it. Got nothing.

Now, here is the strange part. When I put the Jeep back in to park and pulled the key, I got a strange clicking/ticking noise...very rythmic...coming from under the glove box, like it was inside the dash board.

I opened the hood and the ticking was pretty inaudible. I put my head down under the Jeep and the ticking was pretty inaudible. I got back inside the Jeep and it was loud. It would stop if I put my foot on the brake and then start back up as soon as I let off it. This is with the keys in my pocket. IT would eventually start to slow down but still in a very steady beat. If I put the key back in and turned it to try to crank, the ticking would start up very fast and very steady, and slow with each time I hit the brake petal.

Unfortunately, the Jeep is parked with the pax door against a wall and I can't squeeze in to access that side, and my right arm is in a sling from shoulder surgery and I can't access that floorboard by leaning over the center console from the drivers side, so I wasn't able to pin point as accurately as I would have liked.

I could never get the ticking to stop completely, so I just pulled the negative terminal from the battery...which is fairly new, buy the way...maybe 5,000 miles.

Does anyone have a clue what has possessed my ZJ, and how it might be fixed?

 

[cabjeepster]

The only thing that I can think of that is behind glove box is the multi function box. Have no idea if it woul click like that or not. Also might be your heater blend doors. They are known for problems. I am just throwing stuff out there.

 

[87manche]

it was a relay/solenoid. The dead battery had enough juice to close it, then when the circuit closed it didn't have enough to keep it closed, so the relay cycled like that. Putting your foot on the brake pedal lit the tail lights, which made the voltage drop so that it didn't have enough to close the relay. it's likely an Evap solenoid or something given the location you described.

at least that's what it sounds like to me.

Did you test the battery voltage?

 

[Cottontail]

I didn't test the battery voltage, but you think that the clicking was just a result of the battery being dead or mostly dead, and not necessarily a faulty selenoid or circuit or relay, right?

So, in that case, jump it off, recharge the battery, and it should be a non-issue?

I called the Jeep dealer and they suggested it was an ignition switch.

 

[87manche]

I didn't test the battery voltage, but you think that the clicking was just a result of the battery being dead or mostly dead, and not necessarily a faulty selenoid or circuit or relay, right?

So, in that case, jump it off, recharge the battery, and it should be a non-issue?

I called the Jeep dealer and they suggested it was an ignition switch.

Most likely, if proven that the battery IS dead.

Otherwise I might believe ignition switch, but I would probably go over all the grounds and such before I threw parts at it.