Relay clicking noise 2009 Journey 39Z

[HollywoodGT]

So I have a 2009 Journey 39Z actually been a pretty good coach. Just a few things on this trip I have found in need of repair. So between the bathroom shower wall and the entertainment wall. There's a intermitinant clicking noise like a relay clicking on and off. Last maybe 1 couple seconds. Doesn't sat on ling enough to pin point. There's stereo stuff and TV but nothing to make that noise. Also there is the hot water and propane heat there? The coach has electric heat and propane?

I've switched from electric heat to propane and nothing. I am thinking since the electric heat switches back to propane if to cold. I haven't hear it this am until I switched it to propane. However could be a fluke?

Thank you in advance ........

[Morich]

One common noise that might be described as clicking is when pipes or tubing move as they warm or cool.
Maybe try to relate the noise to when the shower has been used? As cold pipes get warm water they expand and moving in the clamps and where they are against other materials can make a small pop or click?

[HollywoodGT]

I found a black box on the back of the water heater and every once in a while it will start clicking for like for 2-5 seconds.

I'm going to do some research but if anyone has a clue. I'm all ears

[HollywoodGT]

BUMP

[DEWEY]

Probably the water heater gas burner ignitor that's clicking. Assuming the lp is turned on, the most common issue when the burner won't light is the flame present sensor/thermal couple. If it is dirty it will not send the proper flame present signal, and the water heater will time-out, and then start sequence restarts.

I would open the water heater outside hatch and observe the start sequence. If you see the pilot light, then I would check the thermal couple first. It is usually a small probe that is positioned in front of the gas pilot, about 1/8" in diameter. Turn the water heater off, and carefully clean it with cloth or old toothbrush, and restart.

Good luck.

[Jim_HiTek]

Often the manufacturer will install the battery charging Converter on the floor under a false floor under a cabinet. The click may be coming from the converter? Maybe it's turning on the internal fan?

Mine is under a drawer under the refer and usually runs late at night after a few hours of many living spaces 12V lights being on. I can't hear well enough to discern a relay click but I can hear the fan come on.

[Morich]

A black box on the back of the water heater?

That is not really good enough to know what the black box would be! Most black boxes will have wires or pipes or something to tell us what they are connected to and what they should do. Most of us would have a hard time getting a look at the back end of our water heater without taking them out, so maybe we need to ask which end you are calling the back?
If you are speaking of the back as you might look at it from inside, there is a control box and various other parts which might be called a black box.

Have you looked at the parts catalog for location and part ID for this black box?
Down about page 210 will get you a look at the parts of the water heater that I would normally call the front:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...09/9wkp39z.pdf

[Ray,IN]

If you watch your WH ignite the burner and it takes more than once to spark and ignite the gas, the following maintenance is needed.



Your water heater will not have a pilot-light, that old technology was obsolete in the 1990's. Your WH will have a 12V spark igniter/flame sensor, the same item performs both functions.
But as Dewey said, remove it and use a ScotchBrite pad to clean it to shiny-clean, make sure the spark gap is 1/4"max. then reinstall.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

HollywoodGT-

What is the make and model of the water heater?

If it's an Atwood, there should be a box on the rear of the water heater that covers the electric heating element contacts. The box also contains a 12V/120V relay that controls the 120V going to the heating element.

A picture of a typical box and relay is below. Here is a link to a Google search of iRV2 posts for the terms "Atwood" and "relay."

I'm not saying this is the cause (for sure) of the clicking, just pointing out there is probably a relay there that can click.

[Morich]

Mark has shown us a picture of one of the simple things that can go wrong with our Big old beasts! The simple things are easy to fix if we catch them in time and notice what is going on but if we wait too long and take it to a dealer, they may want to change the whole heater or frig!
Notice the black wire down near the bottom that looks like it connects to a small relay? Notice how the insulation has burned off the wire?
That is a pretty common thing in electrical problems and the cause is so simple that folks often think they are looking at something much more difficult.
They may jump to the water heater being struck by lightning, even though that is pretty hard to imagine how the strike got clear in as far as the water heater before it found a path to ground!
Yes, the wire has been getting too hot! But there is a much simpler, common cause!
One of the big things about RV wiring is that we get a lot of corrosion on connections and when it builds to a certain point, the connection is no longer solid.
That tiny gap in the connections begins to work just like a tiny arc welder. The idea of an arc welder is getting the two metal parts separated just enough for a spark to jump the gap and the spark melts the metal for the weld!

So looking at the wire Mark has, we can see it has been hot and I would guess the main problem was not a bad relay but a connection on the relay that got corroded and sparks began to jump the gap! In this case, not enough spark to melt the metal and weld but enough to melt the insulation and eventually totally stop contact!

We can't go through the whole RV and clean the connections but there ARE some places where we can get to them and it only takes a few minutes to head off a lot of trouble if we pull those quik-connects off and make sure things are clean and tight!
One way to avoid the board on your frig "burning out" and needing replaced is keeping the contacts clean!

[HollywoodGT]

Bingo that was it so it must be a Atwood ......sorry for the delay in posting was on the move