Samsung TV makes a strange clicking sound
My Samsung TV (52″ LCD) started clicking several times before finally switching on after 30 seconds, this relay clicking gradually got worse each time I turned the set on. ( It turns out that this is quite a common problem with Samsung TV’s of all sizes). The problem seems to start after the TV is a year or two old (normally outside guarantee) and sounds like a relay clicking on and off. Samsung deny there is a design problem, so I thought rather than spend money on an engineer, I would try and fix the problem myself.
I thought the first place to look for a problem like this is in the power supply.
- I unscrewed the back cover of the TV (20 screws)
- Removed the metal cover of the power supply (4 screws)
- I carefully looked over the power supply looking for anything out of the ordinary, low and behold I could see a few capacitors (the cylindrical shaped components) that had raised tops. These raised tops are caused when the capacitor breaks down and forms hydrogen gas, if left, eventually the capacitors will blow, and hopefully the top will split open and release the gas pressure, if not, they may just explode.
Check out Capacitor Lab for more details on what to look for when a capacitor fails.
I checked out the replacement cost of a new power supply board, I couldn’t find the exact power supply online but this company has ones for smallers TV starting at around £160. So I was guessing it would be around £200 for a new one. Ouch, definately time to DIY.
I decided to replace all the capacitors in the power supply, I guessed if some were bad, then probably Samsung use cheap or poorly designed capacitors and at some point the others would go bad too. and replacing all the capacitors wouldn’t cost much more .
Each Capacitor has 3 important values
- The capacitance measured in μF (micro farads) eg (1000μF)
- Voltage (eg 50V)
- Temperature (eg 105°C)
This particular Power Supply Unit (PSU) has 3 different types.
- 1000μF 105°C at 10V
- 1000μF 105°C at 25V
- 47uF 105°C at 50V
RS Components have a good selection, so I opted to buy from there. It cost about £12 including postage for a 5 pack of each of the capacitors. I took a few photos of the circuit board so I wouldn’t forget what I was doing and set to work.
I re-opened the TV, and completely removed the Power Supply Circuit Board, you need to remove several connectors, again, I took some photos just in case I couldn’t work out where they all went when putting it back together. I made sure the Power Supply didnt have any residual power stored in the capacitors by unplugging the TV (whilst it was turned on) from the plug. This is very important as messing with a power supply even 30 minutes after it has been turned off can still give you a nasty shock.
I then drew a simple diagram marking the polarity of each capacitor. To remove each capacitor takes a little time, you need to heat each pin using a soldering iron and whilst it is still molten pull or wiggle each leg out in turn. I found it easiest when I used the other leg as a pivot and rotate the capacitor around the fixed leg.
Anyway once removed, you I used the de-solder pump to clean up any solder that was clogging up the hole and then I inserted a new capacitor (checking the values again) and making sure the polarity was same as the one I had just removed. turning the board over, I bent the pins a little, soldered the joints, and snipped off any left over wire.
I put the board back in and hey-presto it all worked beautifully. Job took about 2 hours in total and excluding tools £12 for the components and postage.
[Added 21th May 2009]
If you snap off the solder connector on the PCB when doing this replacement, it is worth noting that you can re-attach your component in another place as long as it is electrically equal. The Red Line in the diagram below shows where an existing component was, this component could then be re-soldered into any of the positions marked in green. But in the case of a capacitor which has + positive and – negative legs, you must make sure that the leg is re-attached to the same track, I have marked with a + plus sign which track it must be re-attached too.
[Added 7th Dec 2009]]
After replacing the capacitors a few people are still having problems, it appears that this can be fixed by resetting the EPROM chip (apparently – a simple matter of shorting two of the pins). http://www.tv.quuq.org/forum/index.php?topic=2377
and http://www.tv.quuq.org/forum/index.php?topic=1744.0 both detail the procedure, although it hasn’t worked for everyone who tried it. (Thanks to Jason for these links)
[Added 10th March 2010]
You are not alone, there have been almost 65,000 visits to this page in the last year. The answers to many of the questions people are asking are scattered through the previous comments, Most people with little experience have been successful in fixing their TV’s although for a few, it didn’t work, the symptoms were similar but cause was different. A few of the more recent comments reveal that people are becoming more successful with getting Samsung to repair their TV’s, its definitely worth trying before you launch into a self fix.
[Added 28th June 2010]
Before attempting repairs yourself it is probably worth trying to see if Samsung will repair the TV for you, Samsung seem to now accept (unofficially at least ) that there is a defect in these capacitors, and in an increasing number of cases will send out an engineer to fix them. Skim through the comments below to get more info.. A polite but assertive approach seems to yield best results, remember they are in the wrong and there is plenty of consumer law in most countries covering their liabilites and responsibilities.
If you fail to get Samsung to repair it, 100′s of people have had success with the replacement fix I describe above, a few of the failures are probably due to similar symptoms but a different fault. Again if you are unsure read some of the 100′s of comments below
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I have a 2008 lcd tv and was having this “clicking” issue. Out of the blue for about 2 weeks my tv started clicking 12-16 times (I was counting) before it finally turned on. I called Samsung and they actually sent out someone to fix it. Samsung does 1 free house call after its out of warranty. The capacitors were replaced because some of them were burned out and now my tv works like a charm! The repair man said to go to amazon and buy a better surge protector. He recommended the isobar4ultra or isobar6ultra. He said if I got this then I probably will never have any other issues with this tv again. This wasn’t the first time something was wrong with this tv though. My sister was the original owner and passed it on to me when she moved, while it was under warranty she said the power supply panel was replaced. (I am thinking it might have been the same issue). Either way samsung gave me a free 1 time house call and my tv is working now.
Samsung just came out, tech was a girl, worked for Samsung. Fixed it in 20 minutes. Beautiful tv now..and no charge…Thanks for this website, I newer would have known….
I fixed mine myself – photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2406603564317.2108929.1228007548&type=1&l=2421f9ab87
Really glad I found this page.
I think our Samsung is suffering from the same illness, switch on and it just clicks periodically. Have left it switched on until it got on my nerves without it coming on at all. Will give Samsung a ring but I like the DIY fix, good on ya.
I am having the clicking TV issue on my Samsung, I called SAMSUNG but there is not such free service call. Can you tell me how you were able to obtain the free service call and get them to come out to you?
As of 1-10-2012, samsung is still offering a free service call regarding this issue. Go to samsung.com, click on support, then click on tv’s and find your tv. Once selected, a phone number will show up on th support page. Took about 10 mins to schedule the appt. This free service call only applies to certain tv models. If the problem is not associated with capacitors mentioned, repair charges are responsibility of owner. Had I not found this site, I would have assumed the tv was out of warranty and my problem. THANKS!!!
Our Samsung 40′ had the capacitor problem and failed to turn on last Wednesday morning, having Googled the issue I found this and other sites. I Googled for a phone number and having found one I called Samsung and spoke to someone straight away.
They agreed to send someone out and yesterday (first day we could do, they could have done the next day) and 2 engineers arrived and within 25 minutes had replaced all the capacitors (faulty or not) and also the eprom = a fully working TV again
The TV is 5 years old and any contract is with the seller (Comet) not with Samsung, I am mightily impressed and so is our bank balance now that we don’t have to replace our TV.
Charlie
Did as suggested earlier spoke to Samsung and we are now awaiting a local engineer Free call out. If fault due manufacturing we will not pay. If anything else we do! I expect that the caps will be replaced as the symptoms on my LE40 sound exactly as elsewhere. Interestingly this is not the first bit of kit we own that has had capacitor issues, maybe there is a cap manufacturer who is selling sub-optimal components!
Never the less I remain to date a fan of Samsung – will report back on outcome for completeness, in due course.
D
I got this clicking problem just before christmas. My TV was only 3 years old I registered the TV on the Samsung website https://account.samsung.com/account/check.do 3 years late I know!
I posted an enquiry and I got a reply from Samsung saying they would give me a free inspection and fix. When I called Samsung with the serial number of my TV they came out the same day and fixed it for free. Well done Samsung!!
Here is my enquiry and the corresponding reply I received.
—————————
Hello
This was my first LCD TV purchase. I purchased my Samsung TV in 2008
just less than 4 years ago.
I took my time choosing the TV and I chose Samsung as it appeared to be
one of the TOP 3 manufacturers of LCD TV’s offering a good specification.
I have been pleased with my TV until very recently. When we switch the
TV on the power supply clicks continually. At first the TV would turn on
after a few clicks but now the TV does not come on.
After looking on the internet I see it appears to be a common problem
with Samsung TV’s probably caused by some capacitors which break down.
Paying £699 for a TV I would not expect it to go faulty within the first
4 years.
I would like to ask you to arrange for a free fix on the TV to solve
this problem.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Many Thanks
—————————
Thank you for contacting Samsung.
I am sorry to hear the issues you have reported with your television.
The fault you have described would suggest that there is a capacitor
fault which we will repair for free if it is found to be this fault. We
can arrange a free in home inspection for this model and if it is found
to be a capacitor fault then we will repair it free of charge.
Unfortunately this is the only fault that will be repaired free of
charge, and if there is found to be another fault we can only advise
that you will receive a quote for the repair cost from the engineer
before a repair is carried out.
Before we can arrange an in-home inspection we would require the correct
serial number. The one you have provided us with is incorrect. Could you
please check the back of the product and give us the correct serial
number so we can arrange the inspection.
If you require any further assistance, please contact Samsung again and
we will be more than happy to help.
Kind regards,
Thanks so much for this site. After reading this I gave Samsung a call about my 5 year old clicking telly. As soon as I mentioned capacitors a repairman was on his way. He’s just been and replaced the whole board for free
Samsung is refusing to service my HPT4254X/XAA the customer service people claim that my unit is not one of the ones know to have this problem. The gal on the phone claimed the call center has no authority to approve paying for the service and the Samsung management has made the decision. additionally claimed that there was no further escalation process for the issue.
So I have to fork out for the service call… $75.00 minimum plus parts.
F- Samsung,
Dude, do what alot of people here have already done. Get the capacitors, a solder gun and grab any youtube on it. Didn’t take long…Trust me…Samsung F things up on those models back then…
JOHN.
i was in the same situation as you 2 weeks ago. Once my tv started clicking, i was gratefull to find this site. i then called samsung and got the same exact response that you got. It took TEN phone calls to finally get someone out here to repair my tv which only took 5 mins to fix. my advice to you is dont give up keep calling them. i kept telling them that i want to speak to a supervisor and i was told i would receive a call the following morning which i didnt, so i kept calling. Your tv will get fixed, and you might get frustrated along the way like me, but dont give up.
My TV started clicking two weeks ago, a Samsung LE40N87BD and I contacted Samsung service in Sweden. I just got a phone call from a service tech saying that I would have to pay a minimum 2000 sek (about 220 euros) for them to come and fix it. No one-time free of charge repair as others here have got.
Needless to say, I will be buying capacitators and digging up my old soldering iron the next few days.
Contacted Samsung about our tv. They called us back and are arranging to send a local engineer out at the end of this week. If it is the capacitors they will fix it free of charge, if it is anything else they will give us the option to pay to have it fixed. Watch this space. happy enough though for the moment. N.Ireland.
I have just bought a brand new Samsung 55″ LED tv, as soon as i connected it to the power supply the TV keeps on clicking from on to off without turning completey on and have waited for hours but no response etc. unfortunatly we dont have samsung dealer or tech teams near as this tv ws brought in from abroad, also i am having a difficult time contacting samsung agents abroad as they are not willing to assist me over the phone. Does anyone might know what the problem could be and the way out. I have not used this tv for even 1 second as its brand new. Any suggestions guys?…..
Hi all,
I first posted on here May 13th 2010 as detailed below. Out of the blue, I received a phone call from BBC Watchdog regarding my complaint, a good 16 months ago. I thought there had been very little complaints regarding Samsung, but they are taking a close interest now. I would urge any Samsung UK customer that was dissatisfied by the Samsung Customer Service to contact BBC Watchdog on their website. Especially if you paid for the repair out of your own pocket.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/
Kenny S
May 13th, 2010 at 11:59 am
This is a very interesting forum. My 25 months old 42″ Plasma, ( no extended warranty) has developed the clicking problem after being on for only 20 minutes. The exact same problem that has been reported on here and other forums. I have been in touch with Samsung expecting a service call with free repair. They readily accept there is a known problem with LCD models, but refuse to accept responsibility for Plasma models. They tell me that although the problem is the same, it is different and therefore will not accept responsibility.The lady from Samsung escalation team has told me that Head office refuse to accept there is a problem with there Plasma TVs
I phoned the local Samsung Service Centre asking how much this repair will cost and have been advised the power supply board will cost around £150 plus cost of repairs. The LCD TVs are a quicker cheaper fix, but the Plasmas are more expensive and difficult to do. They also told me that they see as many plasmas in for this repair as the LCD models.
I am contacting BBC watchdog regarding this issue, and I would be grateful if any other Samsung Plasma TV owners with this problem, even ones who have already paid for their repairs, contact the program with their complaints, regarding the discrimination Samsung are showing against Plasm TV owners.
I posted earlier and can report that the helpline number on the Samsung website was called and after describing the conditions and giving the model number etc. I was told that they would arrange for a local engineer to come out and assess the issue. If the problem was a manufacturing fault it would be repaired FOC. If not then the repairer would advise me accordingly. Either way the call out would be free.
The repairer tuned up at the allotted time within 48hours and after removing the back panel went straight to the power board and identified 3 faulty capacitors. They can be identified by a bulging at the end as is designed for controlled failure.
As a result the Caps were replaced within a few minutes and the TV re turned to its place on the wall.
As a result I very satisfied. In my opinion and due to my experience, Samsumg have performed well and have identified(finally) a real manufacturing fault and are supporting their customers who have a legitimate issue.
I expect that the CAP manufacturer, who probably sells these items widely has an issue.
My tv had this clicking sound for 30 secs n then for 2 mins….then 5 mins…15mins n now it’s been 2 hrs n it hasn’t started….I hate samsung after finding out that there are thousand of people with the same prob n samsung has done nothing about it….
hi cxan anyone help me please i turned my 40 “slim tv off last night for bed, my mother in law came down in the middle of the night and said the tv was on light up but with no picture or sound as my surround sound wasnt turned on, then this morning we all came down the tv power light was flashing its ass off and my tv was clicking but no picture, i’ve only has this for 2 years and no guarentee i don’t think can anyone help??
My Samsung television purchased September 2007 started to click on. & off continously.. Then took a little while to come on . Now it clicks on and off but won’t come on. I read all the above comments before 20th January 2012 upwards and then from everyonez comment I contacted this number from Samsung website. 0193245500012 went thru the options for audio gave them my serial number and date I purchased ( estimate date is not got real date ) they are sending an engineer to inspect and repair . They are fully aware of this issue even if they don’t clearly say to you . As you can see this is a problem with Samsung . My serial number was in their listed list they must have … Please do not be put of it your item is our of warranty .. Most of the comments on here their tv was out of warranty
Thankyou to the person who originally posted this site link