Engine/Rpm noise
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Engine/Rpm noise
I have a situation when I turn on my stereo system; engine/rpm noise comes on. I have been working on it for three days now and just can't figure it out. I try separating the rca from the power by running it on the opposite side of the seat, to buying new rca cables(Monster 201Link 2 channel, MicroLink 4 channel). I took it to a local Good Guy shop and they said that they never heard a noise like this before. They also said that it's pretty bad and could be more than one thing. I'm currently running a new deh-860mp receiver, to 6 1/2 components Polk db speaker up front, 6x9 MB quarts 3 way speaker in the back, a 4 channel Hifonics amp w/ 4 gauges power/ground wire, and a 2 channel Infinity Series amp pushing out to two Polk db 12 inch subs w/8 gauges power/ground wires. Please help as this is getting really frustrating. 
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um........ it's called alternator whine. It happens when either
1. ur RCA's r run along side ur power wire
2. or ur ground point sucks major azz
Make sure u dont have a ground loop. (search it) Also how r the amps grounded? on the same bolt/screw? Seperatly but close to each other? or seratley but in diff locations?
1. ur RCA's r run along side ur power wire
2. or ur ground point sucks major azz
Make sure u dont have a ground loop. (search it) Also how r the amps grounded? on the same bolt/screw? Seperatly but close to each other? or seratley but in diff locations?
Kyle23 is right on point
make sure your rca cable are on the opposite side as power cables, or down the middle. Also make sure they do not cross anywhere.
Find a good ground point make sure it is part of or welded to chassis, and sand all paint off until it is bare metal. Then get the biggest bolt that can fit through ground wires connector and a nut. As kyle23 said ground all amps to same point.
It could also be the quality of your RCAs not sure about microlink, you may want to invest in some monster cable RCAs they have heavy insulation on them, that is what i have for my 4 channel.
Check out the connections in the back of your HU as well make sure nothing is touching rca, that is why monster is good cause they have rubber insulaters that go around connections. Also you may wanna try grounding your head unit to the same spot as your amps. If there is anything else i can think of i will post it.
hope this helps-
make sure your rca cable are on the opposite side as power cables, or down the middle. Also make sure they do not cross anywhere.
Find a good ground point make sure it is part of or welded to chassis, and sand all paint off until it is bare metal. Then get the biggest bolt that can fit through ground wires connector and a nut. As kyle23 said ground all amps to same point.
It could also be the quality of your RCAs not sure about microlink, you may want to invest in some monster cable RCAs they have heavy insulation on them, that is what i have for my 4 channel.
Check out the connections in the back of your HU as well make sure nothing is touching rca, that is why monster is good cause they have rubber insulaters that go around connections. Also you may wanna try grounding your head unit to the same spot as your amps. If there is anything else i can think of i will post it.
hope this helps-
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Rep Power: 0 My rca cables are running along the driver side and my power cables are running along the passenger side. Rca are brand new made by MONSTER. Both amps are grounded to the same chassis located right underneath the rear speaker. It screwed on to a big bolt with the paint on the metal sanded off.
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Rep Power: 0 Oh yeah, my gains are turn down at about the mid point. I had also tested three differents amp to see if it was my 4 channel amp, but it turn out i was still hearing it no matter what amp i put in.
Last edited by ssmotor; Aug 3, 2005 at 03:25 AM.
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Rep Power: 0 The cd player came with a seperate ground wired that i connected to the harness. I'm going to try to grounded with all my other amps to see if that help. The noise is come from all 4 speakers.
Last edited by ssmotor; Aug 3, 2005 at 10:33 AM.
Man, i do not know what to say, try the head unit ground, like i said, but other tha that i am baffled.
You could try moving battery to rear, so that power cables for amps would not run into engine bay, but not sure that will really help.
I would try wrapping your four channel rca cable in electrical tape and running it down center console first though.
You could try moving battery to rear, so that power cables for amps would not run into engine bay, but not sure that will really help.
I would try wrapping your four channel rca cable in electrical tape and running it down center console first though.
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Alternator whine solutions:
1. Check the ground, resand the surface and the actual terminal where you're connecting it. Use a screw designed for grounding (you can buy them at lowes/home depot, they're green). Drill a new ground as opposed to grounding under a bolt, check for gas tank clearance.
2. Test your RCA's by plugging one side/channel of a spare set of patch cables (rca's)(say left is white and black is red) into the input on the left. Plug the same channel (the other end of the rca cable of course) into the opposite input. Turn the system back on. If the noise is gone, your rca's need to be re-routed. You might also want to insulate them with some sort of rubber, or rubber tubing. Can be had cheap at any hardware tore.
3. Check your antenna wire for it picking up noise. Unplug the antenna wire from the deck and turn it on. If the noise is gone, try an antenna noise supressor. If that noise supressor doesn't work, you might want to step up to larger gauge power and ground cables.
4. Check to see if it's radiated noise from something else in the dash. Pull the cd player (or whatever you have your rca's plugged into) out of the dash and still play it (the wires are long enough). If this kills the noise, you'll need to isolate the object radiating the noise, or isolate the unit by using a non-conductive/radiation killing material on both the wiring and the unit basket/cage itself.
5. Mount your amp on a board as opposed to directly to metal, or on the cardboard crap in the trunk stock. Install a piece of 1/2 to 3/4 MDF that your amp is screwed to. That, or isolate it by using rubber grommets or adding rubber feet to it. That'll keep you from picking up interferance radiated through the chassis.
6. Check your speaker wires. Unplug the speaker wires from the amps. Turn system on. If the noise is still there, it's being radiated into the speaker wire.
7. As a last resort, there are also a few other things you can do. Top off your battery's fluids. If that doesn't help, have a mechanic check your alternator and battery. You also could be experiancing ignition noise, and be in need of a tune up. If it still doesn't disappear, you might need to reground your ignition system at different points, or with better cable. Reground them should eliminate the noise, and can be secured with a grounding strap.
If one of those don't work, I'm fresh out of ideas.
1. Check the ground, resand the surface and the actual terminal where you're connecting it. Use a screw designed for grounding (you can buy them at lowes/home depot, they're green). Drill a new ground as opposed to grounding under a bolt, check for gas tank clearance.
2. Test your RCA's by plugging one side/channel of a spare set of patch cables (rca's)(say left is white and black is red) into the input on the left. Plug the same channel (the other end of the rca cable of course) into the opposite input. Turn the system back on. If the noise is gone, your rca's need to be re-routed. You might also want to insulate them with some sort of rubber, or rubber tubing. Can be had cheap at any hardware tore.
3. Check your antenna wire for it picking up noise. Unplug the antenna wire from the deck and turn it on. If the noise is gone, try an antenna noise supressor. If that noise supressor doesn't work, you might want to step up to larger gauge power and ground cables.
4. Check to see if it's radiated noise from something else in the dash. Pull the cd player (or whatever you have your rca's plugged into) out of the dash and still play it (the wires are long enough). If this kills the noise, you'll need to isolate the object radiating the noise, or isolate the unit by using a non-conductive/radiation killing material on both the wiring and the unit basket/cage itself.
5. Mount your amp on a board as opposed to directly to metal, or on the cardboard crap in the trunk stock. Install a piece of 1/2 to 3/4 MDF that your amp is screwed to. That, or isolate it by using rubber grommets or adding rubber feet to it. That'll keep you from picking up interferance radiated through the chassis.
6. Check your speaker wires. Unplug the speaker wires from the amps. Turn system on. If the noise is still there, it's being radiated into the speaker wire.
7. As a last resort, there are also a few other things you can do. Top off your battery's fluids. If that doesn't help, have a mechanic check your alternator and battery. You also could be experiancing ignition noise, and be in need of a tune up. If it still doesn't disappear, you might need to reground your ignition system at different points, or with better cable. Reground them should eliminate the noise, and can be secured with a grounding strap.
If one of those don't work, I'm fresh out of ideas.
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Originally Posted by nick95673
only other idea is to ground your hu to the same point as your amps.
That's a retarded idea.Just find a different screw/bolt to mount the CD decks ground on and make sure that the point is sanded and clean. U prolly wanna ground it somewere inside the dash(behind the radio/temp controls) And always keep ur grounds as short as possiable. Dont let the ground pass the power of the radio either. Even though it doesnt carry much current, it sounds like anything would help at this point.
no i am serious i have seen it recomended by a few amp companys for getting rid of engine noise. plus nothing else is working. its not hard to test just put the back seat down and run it thru the cabin as a test.
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Rep Power: 0 I try regrounding the hu to the chassis but it still didn't work. I'm now going to take it to San Diego Car Stereo and get it check out. I let you guys know what the result is. Thanks for the help.
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After spending countless hours in the back of my trunk to many miles in local car audio shops, I have finally found a solution to my engine/rpm noise problems. I spend about a week a half doing this, from rewiring my whole system to spending about a hundred dollars in buying new rcas, ground loop isolator, noise filter, and fuses. I guess early when I turn my gains down to mid point it wasn't enough. It was strange to me why my new receiver was maxing out my speaker when I turn it to about 10, considering that my max volume was 30. After turning my gains all the way down and tuning the amp to the max of my receiver, my problem was solves. I can't believe all of this time my solution was just a turn of a ****. As they say you learn something new everyday. Not all was lost though, as I was able to rewire my system to look a lot cleaner and found new ways of doing it. I hope this experience will help the next fella as it did for me.
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