2013 engine "click click whir" (engine not running)

[slybarman]

I am inclined to believe those who said they thought it was the car running a diagnostic. My car only does it for a minute or so if I leave it alone after the door is unlocked.

[HatsuneMiku]

Nah, it does it for as long as you leave it be.

[slybarman]

Originally Posted by HatsuneMiku

Nah, it does it for as long as you leave it be.

Were you snooping around my car?

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[Stlouis1]

I don't know if my dealer was feeding me line or what, but he said it was the active grill shutters cycling.

[Defender]

Hi all, this is my first post here since I've just purchased my 2013 Platinum White Titanium yesterday. So, firstly let me start by saying hello to all and that I'm excited to be part of your forum.

Ok, to the issue... Sounds exactly like the .wav file the original guy posted at the beginning.

I've timed this 3 times now. It occurs right after opening the car door and occurs every 10 seconds for 3 minutes, then stops.

I was thinking this had something to do with the starting system or something, but I'm really just guessing.

Any help???? I think we really need a definitive answer on this.

Peace,
Defender

[slybarman]

Originally Posted by Defender

It occurs right after opening the car door and occurs every 10 seconds for 3 minutes, then stops.

Right. It stops after a bit.

I agree with whoever said it was coming from the throttle body or thereabout. That is what it sounded like to me as well.

[recyclebin]

Since this thread has continued to get replies, I thought I would chime back in.

Here are observations for my car. Some of these seem to conflict with what others have posted in this thread:

1. My car's "click-click-click-whir" sound only occurs when the engine is cold. I still don't know how long after running it becomes cold enough for this to occur. Where I live it's 35-55F lately, but probably a bit warmer in my garage where the noise is most noticeable. It may not even have anything to do with engine/ambient temperature - maybe it's just the amount of time since the engine was stopped.
2. I'm sure it isn't the grill shutters since I looked at them and they aren't moving.
3. I don't think it is the auto transmission (DCT). The sound and vibration I feel don't seem to be buried down that far. But I could certainly be wrong.
4. It doesn't matter if my headlights are set to Auto or Off.
5. So far I've only noticed it when the drivers door is first opened (no key in the ignition). Someone mentioned it happening at the dealer when the key is inserted (implying the engine is warm), but I haven't tried that yet.
6. I just timed it, and it did happen repeatedly over exactly three minutes, then stopped. During that three minutes (from opening the driver door), there were twenty cycles of the noise. It is very periodic, and on my car at least it happens right around every nine seconds.

I can understand the car doing mysterious things for calibration, self-test, etc just before it expects to be started. But to do it twenty times over three minutes doesn't seem right. Why would it have to keep doing this over and over if it's a self-test or calibration? To me that smells like self-test/calibration failing over and over, but the software thankfully has a limit on how many times it retries. I could be way off base, but that's my thinking.

This does not seem to have any negative impact on the operation of my car, so it still isn't a huge worry for me. Since we do have Ford representitives monitoring this forum, can't one of them ask internally what this is, and how many times it should be happening when the drivers door is opened (or any other situations that trigger it)? I would like to know, but bringing it in for service is a huge pain - especially since probably all they will do is check for OBD faults, find none, and tell me "it's normal". Or maybe I'm being too cynical.

[Defender]

Originally Posted by recyclebin

Since we do have Ford representitives monitoring this forumn, can't one of them ask internally what this is, and how many times it should be happening when the drivers door is opened (or any other situations that trigger it)? I would like to know, but bringing it in for service is a huge pain - especially since probably all they will do is check for OBD faults, find none, and tell me "it's normal". Or maybe I'm being too cynical.

Exactly my thoughts...

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by Rachael5982

I am glad I found this thread as I am currently experiencing the same issue. I arrive at work at 8:45 am and when I go out to my car I open the door (without the fob) and there is a noise coming from the right side of the engine. It is a click, click, and then an electronic noise as if something is cycling on. I do not turn the car on. I then come back out to my car at 11am and back at 6pm and the same thing is happening. I walk away and it is every 20 sec. doing this as I walk away... You can replicate this noise by just putting your key in, have the hood open, and you can hear that it is coming from the black box (told the Powertrain Control Module) on the right of the engine.
I called another dealership today and was told it was not normal and now they want to see the car...

Originally Posted by MPHinPgh

We just got our new Focus a few days ago, and immediately noticed the exact same noise, coming from the exact same place. So far, I've noticed that it makes the noise every 10 seconds or so for about 10 minutes after shutting the car off. I think it also does it if you simply unlock the car, at least with the keyless. I haven't stopped back at the dealer yet, and I guess I feel a little better that mines not he only one making this noise, but I am a little concerned about it.

Originally Posted by dwightm

Happy to find this thread. My wife's 2013 SE makes this cycling noise, too. It may be a small thing, but it has to create a drain on the system over time. I even thought at one point it was because we hang our keys near the cars in the garage, and perhaps the proximity caused the car to "get ready." I hope to read an answer here soon.

My S sedan (manual) makes no such noises.

Originally Posted by Defender

...I've timed this 3 times now. It occurs right after opening the car door and occurs every 10 seconds for 3 minutes, then stops.

I was thinking this had something to do with the starting system or something, but I'm really just guessing...

Hey folks,

If you are currently experiencing this noise, please make an appointment at your dealership to inspect. They are in the best position to accurately diagnose the noise as normal or identify any potential concerns. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to me via PM.

Originally Posted by csvt2060

It's the DCT transmission initializing over and over again. I heard this in the shop on the first 2013 Titanium we got in...

Thanks, csvt2060, for sharing your experience. Hopefully this will help some folks out.

Originally Posted by MC1992

Never really though that sound was a problem, more like this was awesome! It makes me feel like I'm getting into some space vehicle or something, kind of like back to the future lol!

This totally made me smile, MC1992! I love that you think of your Focus as a space vehicle!

Originally Posted by recyclebin

...Since we do have Ford representitives monitoring this forum, can't one of them ask internally what this is, and how many times it should be happening when the drivers door is opened (or any other situations that trigger it)? I would like to know, but bringing it in for service is a huge pain - especially since probably all they will do is check for OBD faults, find none, and tell me "it's normal"...

Hi recylcebin,

Your dealership is in the best position to identify the source of this noise since they can actually see and put their hands on your vehicle. I'm keeping a close eye on this thread and making note of your dealerships' diagnoses; I'll make note of any trends and pass it along to the engineering team as appropriate.

Have a great day, everyone!
Crystal

[slybarman]

The chain of command will be observed. :)

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