Rattling/Clicking Sound When Starting Car

[jcoberly]

Hello,

I have a 2007 Ford Mustang with no engine modifications, though it did have its alternator replaced about 2 1/2 years ago.

Appr. 65,000 miles on it.

For the last 2 days, whenever I start it, there is rattling or clicking sound. The sound is 4 sets of 2 clicks ("click-click, click-click, click-click, click-click") I wanna say it sounds like a fan hitting metal, but I don't want to bias any advice I get. The sound appears to be coming from the upper-center dashboard, but obviously, it's probably coming from under the hood.

It's not the sound the battery makes when it does not turn over, and it does start, it just makes a really loud noise. Also, the noise goes away right after the car has started, and it appears to run just fine.

I've checked other forums and Google, and came up with many possibilities, but I'm hoping by asking about my specific case, I might be able to get a more accurate answer.

Please help. Thank you.