Constant Clicking Behind Glove Box

[bkmetz]

OK, I searched through all 30+ pages in this section to see if this problem has been mentioned before. This looks like a new one here. The car is a 96 Galant S, 110,000 miles.

This problem just started to happen out of the blue last week. When I start the car there is a constant clicking from a relay somewhere in the dashboard. The relay sounds like it's located behind the glove compartment. The clicking is about every second. To stop the relay I simply push the HVAC recirc button in. I have to keep the recirc button pushed in for anywhere from a minute to maybe 30 minutes beofe the relay will stop. Cold weather seems to make the relay act up longer. The AC has no effect on this problem.

I took the HVAC recirc switch out of the dash and took it apart to see if it needed a simple cleaning. It looks fine inside, the factory grease on the contacts is still rather fresh looking and no excessive wear is visable.

Anyone have any ideas? I hate to order a new recirc switch (about ~$50) and still have the problem. I try to diagnose problems first before spending a lot of money blindly replacing parts. Any help is appreciated.

Note: I edited the title of this thread for clarity.

[DOHCstunr]

is your blower fan on?

if it happens when your blower is on, then your blower is dirty or has some debris in it.

[bkmetz]

Hmm... Blower fan is usually always left on in one of the two lower speeds. That is something I will check in to. Thank you.

[manybrews]

its the recirc/fresh air motor. they fail, and are easy to replace (located right behind the glove box).

[Russian7G]

they are not cheap
you can fix yours
check this post:
']https://www.thegalantcenter.org/viewt...?p=259901 ('https://www.thegalantcenter.org/viewtopic.php?p=259901[/url)[/url]

[bkmetz]

Thank you manybrews and Russian7G. The problem IS the recirc damper motor. I took the glove box out and yup, there is was, clicking away! As my son is leaving for college today I will not be able to fix it until he is home again in May. So I did the ultra-cheap fix, I unplugged it. Not being able to recirc the cabin air should not pose a problem as the weather is mild now. These widgets are about $70 from the dealership.

Here is the part illustration of the HVAC recirc damper motor widget. It's item 86317D. This number is only a reference number for the drawing. The actual part number is different.
http://home.mchsi.com/~bkmetz/Galant_HVAC_02a.jpg


Here is the culprit up close and unplugged.
http://home.mchsi.com/~bkmetz/Galant_recirc_damper_motor_03a.jpg


The tools I used to remove the glove box and the recirc damper motor.
http://home.mchsi.com/~bkmetz/Galant_recirc_damper_tools_01a.jpg


The glove box was easy to remove once I figured out where all the screws are located. The long screwdriver is for the two screws almost hidden along the sides and bottom of the glove box door. The shorty screwdriver is for the 4 screws on the top of the inside of the glove box, two of which are holdong the latch. The regular screwdiriver is for the two screws holding up the kick panel. You only have to lower the kick panel allow enough room for the glove box to swing down. I didn't realize this and removed it. The pliers are for the push-tab thing that holds the back of the kick panel to the firewall. Be careful not to crack or break the kick panel, it doubles as the heat duct. The other long tool is one of those grabber tools that you push one end and little metal fingers come out the other. It was used to start those two hard to reach screws along the sides and bottom of the glove box door. Everyone should have one of these.

[manybrews]

be sure NOT to set it to recirc for use in winter... EVER.

doing so will cause the windows to fog up in below freezing temps. Recirc is ONLY to be used for max. A/C.

[MBowen574]

my gosh... i gave $5 for one out of a wrecked '94 ES with 197k miles on it. still chugging along after almost a year (that was the first new problem i had w/ the car after i bought it). check out a junkyard!!

[Bezzle]

so im driving along tonight...stop at a friends house, turn the car off waiting for him, 10mins later he jumps in,i turn the car on again n what do i hear...
*click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click*

first thing that popped into my head was this thread.ill hit a JY thursday and look for one.i was crossing my fingers hoping someone solved it.

[MBowen574]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bezzle)</div><div class='quotemain'>so im driving along tonight...stop at a friends house, turn the car off waiting for him, 10mins later he jumps in,i turn the car on again n what do i hear...
*click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* Â*

first thing that popped into my head was this thread.ill hit a JY thursday and look for one.i was crossing my fingers hoping someone solved it.</div>

yah... mine popped up suddenly like that. just turned it on one day and boom, started clicking. i try not to switch it too often now. dont use recirc that much anyway (you can roll down a window to air out exhaust from ahead). besides... my cars the one trailing stinky black smoke now (damn you piston rings!!) :x

[bkmetz]

Well, I installed the new recirc damper motor widget. I ordered one from the local dealer for around ~$65. It took about 20 minutes to replace and about an hour to get the kinks out of my neck from twisting around trying to find the right angle to see.

Here's a pic of the new recirc motor & box so there is a part number for future reference.
http://home.mchsi.com/~bkmetz/Galant_recirc_damper_motor_04a.jpg