Hi everyone. Hope someone has an idea why this is happening to my car. It started after I replaced the JCW pulley with a 15% reduction pulley. Anyway, when I go to start the car, the gas and temp gauges go all the way to the bottom and make repeated clicking sounds (as if I just reset the ECU). The car starts and runs normally, no CELs either. Any ideas? It's a 2004 MCS, manual.

 

Low battery voltage or poor connection??? double check the battery connection in the boot.

 

Or the ground cable on the passanger side that you disconnect to remove the engine mount...

 

Thanks, I'll do that. Cranks fine though...

 

Will check that too, thanks!

 

i am pretty sure this is normal. The gauges likely use stepper motors to drive the needles. Usually when you power up a stepper motor back up after shutting off the computer that controls it you have to "zero" it. One of the ways you can do this is have it rotate until it stops moving. The computer picks up when it stops and it knows that is zero. Your throttle body does the same thing.

My car does exactly what you are saying. It could be that the battery is running low (maybe some piece of memory in the ECU is being erased, doubtful), but it certainly hasnt caused me any issues and my car always starts right up.

Question. After they go down and click do they move back up to where it says zero?


EDIT: Very similar thread. As always, I very well may be wrong.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-start-up.html