4wd Relay Clicking At Idle

[BCCairns]

Thats awesome, can't wait to find out how you go!!! Right on ya research I reckon sounds spot on to me..

[DaveB]

Well I should pretty soon know; I have another cannister right here waiting and I have had my transfer case removed & replaced before (which meant drain/refill/bleed hydraulics on the ATTESA system) by MV autos and that didn't fix the clicking.

So if this does then I think the fix is pretty obvious... fingers crossed. Maybe the mechanic will get time to swap it when I take my car in on Saturday... I doubt it though he's pretty busy.

[QWK32]

not that i have this issue yet Dave, but is there any indication as to what sort of pressure to charge the accumulator to?

[DaveB]

Well I was wondering that myself. Unfortunately no. I was just kinda hoping that the recharger would know. It's a pretty solid cylinder; and as long as the pressure is high enough I guess it should work, because there's a pressure switch in the circuit. It's just there to store some pressure I think. I don't *think* the pressure is tooo critical (but boom is too much).

It does say on the label not to disassemble as it "contains highly pressurised nitrogen gas" and it actually advises to "wear safety glasses and drill through (spot marked X) to release pressure before disposal" so I guess it can't be too high...

[QWK32]

i guess you'll find out if its filled enough when you get it charged and try it hey. just looking at you pic, is there a fitting/nipple on the top to fill it? i've seen positive accumulators like this before, but the ones i'm familiar with have a "gas" side and a hydraulic side, they don't get charged from the hydraulic side. you may be better taking it to a hydraulic workshop, they'd know what to do with it.

[DaveB]

Thanks, yeah there's no obvious filling point - at the hydraulic end is a threaded connection through which I think you can see the piston (but not in this pic')

Someone PM'd be about it and said that he had his fitted with an aircraft-style nozzle so it could be recharged from the outside... don't know what this is about yet.

Also FAST appears to show the accumulator disassembled:

and looking at it it appears to come apart above the flatted base (where you shouldn't, presumably, disassemble it whilst it has gas in it!)

So maybe they can fill it and reassemble.

I wonder if anyone with a series 1 has ever had this problem?

Edited January 20, 2010 by DaveB

[DaveB]

Some more info. This is I think the post that was mentioned to me, about Aristos with their hydraulic storage units in their fancy electro-hydraulic brakes, which fail in pretty much the same way as our attesa accumulators.

I hope nobody is offended by my posting this link as it is to an offsite forum... but it is about Toyotas so I don't think there's much 'conflict of interest'

In that thread, the guy who fitted the external charge connection to his Aristo's accumulator is an engineer, and offering this as a service - via post even - for a very reasonable rate. I will post there and see if he can do the same for our units.

[nickcorr]

Citroens back to the DS had similar units for the suspension, brakes and power steering.. A decent Citroen independent might be able to help as well..

I know the guy I used in the UK on mine, had is own machine for testing and re-pressurising the accumulators. (7 on my Xantia up to 13 on the Activas...)

[DaveB]

holy crap that's a lot of compressed gas they have hidden away!

[DaveB]

Problem solved!

So here's the solution if you have this clicking relay problem (and it is because of the "flat" accumulator - probably is though):

- with engine/ignition off, open hydraulic bleeder connection on the underside of the ATTESA assembly (just above the rear diff')

- unscrew the accumulator, may lose a few drops of ATTESA system fluid?

- recharge or replace the accumulator

- replace the O-ring on it if it is looking cracked

- screw back in

So far mine is fixed, no 4wd light, and the relay clicked only perhaps twice(?) that I noticed on a 45+ minute drive. At last got rid of that infernal clicking!!!

PS For those looking for a way to get their cylinders recharged... check out this forum topic (sorry mod's it's on a Toyota forum - don't think there's any conflict of interest there though!). I'm just about to send the guy who does the recharging ("Mooty") my flat accumulator cylinder, to use as an exchange unit, and he says he will soon get back into the recharging and do ATTESA too. So hopefully we will soon have access to an exchange service which can recharge the cylinders for under $150

[BCCairns]

Dave you are a champ!!!! So glad to hear you got it sorted and you have single handed given me hope that I might one day fix this clicking relay!!

Thanks again for all your effort you deserve a quite relay forever. =)

[DaveB]

Dave you are a champ!!!! So glad to hear you got it sorted and you have single handed given me hope that I might one day fix this clicking relay!!

Thanks again for all your effort you deserve a quite relay forever. =)

Cheers Brad Thanks Bob (KiwiRS4T) for sacrificing a stagea so he could send me a complete ATTESA pump assembly to checkout... I just can't believe it took me so long to find out about the gas canister.

[Big Fella]

after removal and repalcement of the accumulater does the attesa system need to be bled?

[DaveB]

Yes, and it's really straightforward (just open up the bleed valve - CAREFULLY - with a glass jar underneath, while car is running - best done on hoist by mech!) HOWEVER my mechanic didn't bleed it and it's been fine so far...

[Big Fella]

any one know where i can get a good accumulator in adelaide for a good price? that clicking relay is getting really annoying - happens about every 45 secs at idle.

[DaveB]

You could locate a wreck and take your chances, or you could look at getting it recharged.

[Big Fella]

You could locate a wreck and take your chances, or you could look at getting it recharged.

i'd rather get it recharged, but i have no idea on where to get trhat sort of thing done. the guy from the toyota forums doesn't do it anymore.

[DaveB]

Yeah I was supposed to be sending him a spare accumulator for exchange, so I've asked him if it is me who is holding him up... but other than that, what about one of the gas cylinder recharging services who do gas strut recharging maybe?

[Duncan]

Yes, and it's really straightforward (just open up the bleed valve - CAREFULLY - with a glass jar underneath, while car is running - best done on hoist by mech!) HOWEVER my mechanic didn't bleed it and it's been fine so far...

just to mention - there are actually 2 bleed nipples in the attessa system, 1 at the gearbox and another right up near the diff (bastard to get to). Some people need no bleeding, most people can just bleed the lower one....but sometimes you need to bleed the upper one as well

[SandalsBoy]

Wow this is an epic thread and kudos to DaveB for sharing the fix

I have the same problem with my 32 GTR anyone know where the accumulator is located for this car?