Loud clicking noise from behind radio

I have a 2003 Tundra TRD, and recently I left the head lights on for a couple of weeks while I was away from home. When I went to charge the battery back up I put it on a 50 amp fast charge. Even at that it took several hours to get enough of a charge to get it started. After starting I drove it for about 50 mile with no issues, it charged back up fully. I went out this morning to use the truck, and when started, a loud clicking sound started coming out of the dash right behind the radio, I could put my hand on the radio and feel the vibration of the clicking, but after about 15-20 seconds it stopped. No problems with using the radio or the vehicle, it starts every time but always with that clicking noise. If I pull the radio fuse and start the truck up that noise is gone. Any one have an ideal what I have managed to screw up, or how to fix it? Thanks for any help.

 

Factory radio?

 

Standard non-deep cycle batteries normally can't handle that exhaustive of a discharge without taxing something. Have you had the battery tested, just to see if it's OK?

Have you tried popping the center dash bezel off and firing it up, just to see if you can further pinpoint the click? There are a few things that could click back there.

First thing that comes to mind would be a blend door motor, or similar HVAC type control that's fed on the same circuit as the radio from the factory. But, based on input from another member recently, I'm led to believe there may be in-dash relays (or similar) for 4WD also, which I see you've got.

 

But he said it stops when radio fuse is pulled.

OP, if it is the factory radio does it have a tape deck or CD player? Maybe one of those keeps resetting and doing weird stuff?

 

It is a factory radio with a CD player. I have not pulled the front dash hazel off yet. When I got home late this afternoon it was raining quite heavily so I put off taking the center dash hazel off until tomorrow morning. Although the tundra is a TRD model, it isn't a 4WD. Since it quit making the loud clicking when i pulled the radio fuse from the the underwood fuse box, I just assumed the noise was coming from the radio. I'll find out tomorrow morning. I really appreciate the reply.

 

Maybe stick in a CD or take out the one that's in there if there is one?

Curious about your 2wd TRD model. I know the 2wd prerunner Tacoma's came branded like that but I'm not sure if I've seen a 2wd TRD tundra. Unless that's what the TRD sport truck was that wasn't too common.

 

I had a factory head with a CD player. I had a CD inside when the new battery was installed. Afterward it made a similar noise, and I was unable to eject the CD. The fix? A new head unit, and a new CD...

 

I agree here.
My stock radio was gone in the first week of owning the truck.

 

I have it stuck in my head the interior fuse box circuit for "RADIO" supplies more than just the radio, and other things in the center dash may also recv power from it. Similar to how "GAUGE" supplies much more than just the gauge cluster.

Most radios will forcibly eject CDs if you hold the EJECT button for 5-10 seconds while turning the car on. Some will do it at any point if the car is already on.

If OP has the single-slot multi-CD changer, it would make sense to me this is his problem. One easy way to tell would be removing one or both plugs from the rear of the radio for a day or two (remembering to re-attach all other connectors before snapping the dash back in) and driving a few trips with it like that. If no noise, actual radio/CD stuck is problem.