Ticking (alarm/immo) noise at first start, goes away after restarting

Experienced Defender owners,

have you had this issue with some relay or smth ticking each time you turn the car on. It makes the same ticking noise as the alarm/immobiliser makes when I open the car. The ticking is very annoying and would go on forever until the car is switched off and started again. Then there is no ticking.

I made a short clip of this and it can be seen here (just 24 sec). Help would be really appreciated, currently I have to start the engine twice each time I sit in the car and I don't think it's very healthy especially when it's below freezing.

THANK YOU!

Is it the same ticking speed as your indicators when operated?

Thanks for the response. I think it's not the same tempo, but made a video just in case. Would really appreciate any advice

Hmm bit of a mystery! Can you hear it from outside / under bonnet or is it coming from inside the cabin?. If you can hear it outside does it sound like its coming from the front of the left wing (that is where the factory alarm sounder is fitted). I think it may be a case that you need to leave it chirping and have a good look/listen to where it is coming from first. If it is a relay you should be able to feel it pulsing at the same rate

Is your alarm actually working, have you tried locking the landy with one of the doors or bonnet open and see if you get the loud warning beep beep.
Might also be a good idea to change the fob battery and see what happens then, this is the easiest and cheapest thing to try first.
Changing the fob battery fixed a problem I had on mine when indicators flashed when locking landy and arming alarm but bid not flash when unlocking and dis-arming it, working perfect ever since fob battery changed. Tip, the pound shop has the batteries for the fob, you get two for (guess the price) might even be four cant remeber now.

I hate buying stuff from Amazon but bought 12 cr2032(I think that's the correct number) Panasonic batteries last week for £3.10 delivered

My fob worked fine too, locking and unlocking but the indicators did not flash when unlocking so I changed the key fob battery and indicators then worked, it was just a thought and a cheap thing to try, £1 out of poundshop, strange things happen when the key fob battery is getting low on juice, if you lock your car with the key fob with a door open you should get a loud double beep from the horn if alarm working ok,

Stock_90_TD5_SW said:

Kwakerman, thanks for directing me. Now that I did what you said, it does indeed come from the left side of the bonnet, not from the relay box inside.

Scooby, now that I think of it, my alarm wouldn't go off with a door open. I sorta thought that was what it was meant to do.. But do you mean I need to replace the battery in the key? If so, when what's the line of thought here - I can open and close the central locking with the fob key, doesn't that mean it's ok? Or am I missing something?

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Do your interior lights work correctly when you open the doors, that is a quick way to check the door switches (they get corroded over time). Also when you disarm the alarm the interior light should come on. The interior light is controlled by the alarm ecu which is why I ask. I suspect that your BBUS (Battery Back Up Sounder) in the left wing may be on the way out and unfortunatly the internal batteries are not replaceable. Even if it is dead the normal car horn should also sound at the same time. The indicator lights not flashing when you disarm is the alarms way of telling you that the fob batteries are getting low.

Guys, thanks once again for the suggestions. I replaced the battery in the key and nothing changed.
At the risk of sounding really stupid, I have to say, that I don't think the alarm ever worked in my Defender. Maybe the first year of ownership (3 years ago) I heard once the sound of alarm leaving the door open accidentally, but not even sure about that. I have further taken out the roof lining about a year ago and uninstalled the motion/volume sensors of the alarm. Again nothing has changed since and I drive my car as ever. This is important in terms of not being able to check interior light - I have taken all of them out with the lining. I remember that my ceiling light would only come on after physically opening the door - not simply unlocking using the fobkey.

As I understand the alarm system is a bit of a mystery, so noone will tell me here on a forum, what to do with it. Do you think the reasonable thing would be to go the local LR independent mechanic? Or are there any other ideas.

Just one more hint for the puzzle Last year I already had this problem and when the engine was hot enough, the sound didn't appear on a start after stoping. Now it also happens sometimes when the engine is really warm, but is not 99% ticking :|

There is a small hint for the

While trying to identify if the fuel pump was not working because of an electrical issue, I noticed that the relay in the relay box behind the gear stick (the one on the far right) was ticking some of the times when I was starting the car. Replacing that relay solved the problem. Thanks everyone for Your help!!!

Tratterer are easily stolen. Disabling the interior motion sensor int a good idea. The alarm may be the one thing that saves yer heap from being stolen when yer hear it go oft. Yer need to plan to get it fixed with yer other problems.