At first, I thought the ticking I hear (which sounds like a sewing machine sound) was from my lifters but they are not. When I open the engine bay, I hear nothing but when I am inside the cabin I hear this intermittent noise either with engine cold or hot but I think only when car is in Park. I even hear the intermittent ticking continue 2-5 minutes later after I turn off the engine and the ignition key is out. Any ideas what that is and is it a serious sign of something about to go wrong with my car? I've had the car for almost 3 years and I never heard this sound before. i have a 2007 Super V8 with 106,000 miles on it and very, very well maintained and gently used since I owned it.

 

The air suspension module stays active for 30 minutes after ignition is off, to keep the vehicle level, but then goes to Sleep mode provided there has been no door or boot lid opening/closing meanwhile, (this resets the 30 minutes) . It will wake up every 24 hours to check and adjust vehicle height, but not using the compressor.

 

So is my air suspension motor showing signs that it's abbout to go out?

 

No, as it is never used when the ignition is off, the ASM uses the air in the reservoir. If the car has a bad leak, it eventually ends up lower or even on the bump stops, as the car tries to keep the car level.


Where is this ticking coming from in the car ?

 

I only hear it when I'm inside the cabin. When I open the hood, I don't hear anything. I don't think it's a coolant leaking into manifold because it makes that ticking sound the first second the ignition is turned on where the engine hasn't even had a chance to warm up or even the engine oil to circulate...I hear the ticking regardless of cold or hot engine. Oh, I did notice it ticks too when I drive and just waiting at a stop light with my brakes on, but I don't hear it when the car is moving.

 

Hey there. I have a 2005 SV8, and I recently noticed this same thing happening.

I would describe the sound as something similar to an older computer hard drive reading data. I've noticed the same thing happening sometimes even when the car is in drive and I'm stopped at a light (it's only audible when the noise level comes down a bit).

My biggest concern about this, other than the annoyance of the sound, is that I don't want it to be draining the battery unnecessarily. I recently had my engine bay fuse box replaced, and I was thinking it could have stemmed from that somehow, but my brother told me he definitely heard it prior, not only in my car, but in other Jags I test drove.

 

Thanks Mr West for your feedback. Yeah, I've had the car for almost 3 years and I never heard this sound before. I'm not sure if it is engaged and draining the battery after I leave the car in the garage overnight as I don't hear any sound first thing in the morning before I turn the ignition on. Others have suggested it is just metal expanding but the engine is too cold for the metal to expand within 1 seconds and it shouldn't be expanding or making sounds like you said even when its in drive but only audible when the noise level is down a bit. Your description is more precise and better than I can describe it :-)

 

Can you record the sound with your smartphone? You can attach a media file to a post, and perhaps if we could hear it, one of us will be able to identify it.

 

I've also noticed such sounds from my 2005 XJR, usually after I shut down, when I haven't gotten out of the car yet, or when waiting to pick up someone. I don't notice it when driving (maybe my music is too loud). It's like a soft clicking sound, like a HDD described by MrWest, coming from behind the dashboard. Usually the key is still in the ignition, but the ignition has been switched off already. The sound isn't always there though in my case, but is often enough for me to notice it. I'd be real keen to find out what it is too.

 

I'll try to record it and post later this week (that is, if the sound is loud enough to be picked up on my iPhone mic).

 

Thanks for the replies. I recorded it on my iphone but how do I attach the video to this post? The volume needs to be real loud at max in order for the ticking to be heard. KLFong, mine still ticks even after I remove the ignition key out. It continues to tick for 2-5 mins. It's strange.

 

After you click "New Reply", scroll down to "Manage Attachments" and use it to upload the file.

 

Hope you can hear the ticking. You need to turn the volume to max. Let me know what you think it is. Thanks.

 

Odd. The only thing I can think of is that the clock has developed a noisy mechanism, except I think the clock only advances once a minute and that tick is certainly more frequent.

Some flap moving in the heating/ventilation system perhaps ? But then I thought the climate control system shut down with the engine anyway.

 

Hello folks. I'm the original writer of this thread. One new thing I noticed. The car was left parked in the garage overnight and I had a hunch it might have something to do either with the starter or ignition because of the ticking sound, so when I got into the car, I put the ignition key in but turned it into a position 2 (accessories on and just before the engine is cranked) and I already heard the ticking noise! I removed the ignition key and the ticking noise is still there. So I think it's either the starter or ignition.....unless the battery is getting weak? The battery was brand new Interstate brand installed about 2.5 yrs ago...but then other electrical symptoms would show with a weak battery, right? The ticking sound does sound like when a car doesn't have enough battery power but then the engine cranks instantly AND I'm not really cranking the engine at the position where I had it this morning and/or when the car is moving Unless a short developed? What do you folks think?

 

Hi MacAlan,
I saw one of your replies to some thread titled Lots of OBDII codes and you mentioned a weak battery can cause false DTCs. Do you think in my case it is a weak battery and not starter/ignition issue that's causing the ticking noise? Could it be a short or something? When I first got this car 2.5-3 yrs ago, I immediately replaced the battery with an Interstate brand (which I think is the OEM brand Jaguar uses) and it seems to still be strong and has lots of cranking power.

 

It's possible, but unlikely if you aren't getting other DTCs.

I think this TSB for the S-Type might offer us a clue:

http://www.jagrepair.com/images/TSB/...B00066NAS3.pdf


What I would recommend as just a starting point/elimination task, that is also easy to do, is to disconnect your battery. While both positive and negative cables are off the battery (repeat OFF the battery) hold them together for 30 secs to do a hard reset of all the modules.

ECMs and other Control Modules are like any other computer and can occasionally get into loops or other confused states. So the Servos could be working correctly, but the Module thinks the feedback is wrong. It's a bit of long shot, but it's free.

If that doesn't do it, disconnect the battery and put a charger on it overnight and see if that makes a difference.

 

I am afraid of disconnecting the battery as previous disconnections caused my car to effectively not run/die or engine running as the learned idle and running RPM settings are lost and then the car would have to relearn the idle and running settings. For this specific reason, I bought a battery back-up that hooks up to the OBDII code plug in below the driver instrument panel in case I have to disconnect the battery. Would plugging in that battery backup and then totally unplugging the battery cables and then touching both neg and positive cables (both cables not attached to battery) do the same thing you're recommending in terms of the ECM and other control modules being hard reset and as a result should get correct feedback and possibly no more confused states/loops?

 

Wait...what? That doesn't make any sense. The most frequently mentioned first step in most repair procedures on the X350 is "disconnect the battery". There should be no effect on engine running unless there is something else wrong with your car.

Also, of all the places to have a battery backup, the ODBII port seems like an unwise choice. Anything going to the ECM or other control modules have to be protected from high currents.

Sorry, I'm totally confused now.

 

Admittedly mine's a diesel, but I've disconnected the battery loads of times. The worst that happens is that the A and B milage trip readings reset to zero.