I know this has come up on more than one occasion, but I can't see a definitive answer to it.

Car is a 53 plate Octavia Elegance TDI 110 with 68k on the clock.

Yesterday I had a number of relay clicks, which sounded like the indicators, coming I think, from the dash area below the steering column.

I have done a search and there seem to have been various others with the same issue and suggestions seem to be indicator stalk, Relay 109 and temperature sender.

The car runs fine, except that on occasion it takes a few seconds churning away to get it to fire when the weather is cold and then starts with a large cloud of smoke. One my first full tank of fuel it gave 50 mpg.

Has anyone that has had this problem succesfully fixed it and what did you change?

I'm going to have a look and see what colour the temperature sender is this morning and if it is a black one, I gues I have my starting point.

oooohh

My car clicks when the needle on the rev counter pass 2500rpm, on both increasing and descreasing rpms. It only happens when cold for the first minute or two. A few other ppl have reported their diesels doing it, but we seem to be in the minority. I have a varst amount of turbo issues too.

The relay clicking does not record any faults, but I *think* it may affect the amount of vacuum applied to the VNT mechanism on the turbo from a brief experiment with a vacuum guage the other weekend.

For reference mine is 2001 110TDi with 147k on the clock, and the relay click has been around at at least 18 months, probably much longer to be truthful.

Mine always started well, but sometimes is a bit smokey (I notice it when I shut the garage door in the morning), but I don't have any coolant vanishing issues.

Changing my coolant sender had no affect on the relay clicking. I find my mpgs vary between 50 and 60 for the same drive, so there must be something not right. Normally when the car feels more sluggish I seem to have the lower mpg figures.

Just off now, but I'll check back later :-)

Thanks for the reply.

I have looked at the temperature sender and it apprears to be a green one, so that "should" be ok.

Yesterday was the first time I have noticed the clicking and it only happened for a few seconds. It has not happened today so far.

Replaced the glow plugs last weekend as I had convinced myself that they were the issue as far as the cold starting and smoke were concerned, but in reality they probably won't make any difference.

Now that you have noticed the clicking you will always notice it. It is the 109 relay that clicks, mine does it when the engine is cold as mbames said, it's not that loud though.

If your having starting problems then it will most likely be the glow plugs, 109 relay or injection pump timing. you've done the plugs so that rules that out. With my car I found that sometimes the glow plug light would go out straight away even when it was cold (even when it was below freezing) so I changed the relay but it still didn't start well. So I had someone check the injection pump timing with vagcom and it was so retarded it only just showed up on the graph. Got the timing checked and it starts straight away. Has the timing belt been changed recently? That was how the pump timing got knocked out on mine but it was done in the summer so it took a while for me to notice.

I'm sure that yesterday was the first time that the car has clicked and it was only for a few seconds and it hasn't done it since.

The previous owner had the belt changed about 18 months ago, so I don't know if the two are related.Most of the time the car starts find though. The few occasions when it has taken a while to fire up have both been when the weather started to warm up a bit. Frosty mornings were no problem.

I will see if I can get my car scanned and see if anything shows up.

The glow plug light only seems to come on for about a second at the moment. Perhaps a replacement Relay 109 is called for?

See if the click is mainly when cold and if it clicks when you come off the throttle.

Its usually the glow plug relay operating the cold running procedure.

See if the click is mainly when cold and if it clicks when you come off the throttle.

Its usually the glow plug relay operating the cold running procedure.

So is that normal or something that I need to fix?

I was about two miles from home yesterday, from a cold start, when it happened and it has not done it before or since.

Like mbames said the relay should click as the revs pass about 2500. If it's clicking at other times that sounds wrong.

The glow plugs only come on when the engine is cold and its cold outside (there's no kind of atmosphere...), less than 4 degrees ish, so now it's warming up the glow plug light should go out straight away as the glow plugs are needed to start the car.

The relay costs about £14 and despite having 109 written on it has a completely different part number.

changing the glow plug can make a big difference, it did on my old citreon ZX anyway. Have you had a cold day since changing the glow plugs? Does it start better?

The glow plugs only come on when the engine is cold and its cold outside (there's no kind of atmosphere...), less than 4 degrees ish, so now it's warming up the glow plug light should go out straight away as the glow plugs are needed to start the car.

The glow plugs come on for starting then go out. They then come on again for up to 8 mins whist cold running to raise combustion temperatures and reduce diesel knock. The light doesnt come on for this but if you were to scope the glow plug operaion with a draw mode you would see the plugs in operation.

changing the glow plug can make a big difference, it did on my old citreon ZX anyway. Have you had a cold day since changing the glow plugs? Does it start better?

Hasn't really been that cold and the starting issue didn't happen every time. The clicking yesterday, sounded quite like and indicator ticking but came from in front of the driver, not from the hazard light switch. It wasn't just a single click.

Hasn't really been that cold and the starting issue didn't happen every time. The clicking yesterday, sounded quite like and indicator ticking but came from in front of the driver, not from the hazard light switch. It wasn't just a single click.

That doesn't sound right.

That doesn't sound right.

:+1:

The click should happen as the rev counter needle passes over 2500, as a single click. The only way you would get an indicator sound / tick from it would be in you were varying the revs just on the threshold of the relay/glowplug circuit in a nice smooth fashion, which would not indicate a very good driving style (and I am sure isn't the case!)

Edited 14 April, 200917 yr by mbames

The glow plugs come on for starting then go out. They then come on again for up to 8 mins whist cold running to raise combustion temperatures and reduce diesel knock. The light doesnt come on for this but if you were to scope the glow plug operaion with a draw mode you would see the plugs in operation.

Thanks for the slightly more coherent explanation than I could manage. I think this explains the purpose of the clicking whilst the engine is cold as the revs pass 2500 and then why it stops when the engine warms up.

See if the click is mainly when cold and if it clicks when you come off the throttle.

Its usually the glow plug relay operating the cold running procedure.

I have heard this click now and it is a different sound (quieter) compared to the one that I heard the other day.

I have heard this click now and it is a different sound (quieter) compared to the one that I heard the other day.

Other relays I guess which are around will be:

- wipers (?)

- rear demister

Maybe some wiring fault / chaffed wire was causing a relay to engage/disengage.

From memory I thnk there are four or five relays located below the steering column. Not sure what they do though apart from the 109 relay..

Perhaps I should just stop worrying and enjoy the car?

I haven't heard the same noise since Friday, so I'll see if anything shows up when I get it scanned for faults. Thanks guys, I'll add to this post if I find anything more definitive out.

:rotz:Just turn the radio up and you won't hear it, mine has a clicking noise when cold and is there when you press on the gas or take your foot off, sounds prefectly normal to me and its just that people are noticing the sound. cheers - Stuart.