Whining Noise

[S_Chiem424]

No, I'm not here to complain about the whining noise... I can actually tolerate it with the volume up a little bit..... I'm just here wondering if I choose to keep and tolerate the whine, will any damage be done in the long run?

 

If anybody can shed some light on this, please do. Thank you.

[Stephanie]

Could it be the fan? These things have a small fan in the back of them to keep the circuitry cool...

 

I can only hear mine if the engine is off and there's no music playing.

[S_Chiem424]

I'm positive it's not the fan but rather a alternator/engine whine as I can only hear it while the engine is running and the pitch changes with the RPM.

 

I would just like to know if this will cause any damage so I can get it fixed ASAP.

[terron]

It won't hurt anything other than your pride knowing your install wasn't top notch. You typically only get a whine if your amp and AVIC are running on seperate power feeds or poor grounds. If the whine only occurs with the engine running, then it is safe to assume its not the AVIC but rather a grounding issue. The most simple but sloppiest way to fix the problem is to buy a ground loop isolator at Radio Shack. The "right" way is a bit more complicated and will be a bit of a pain in the ass now that your install is completed.

 

If you have the whine and don't have an amp; that is probably because your ground wire isn't bonded directly to the cars chassis and perhaps lazily hooked up to the vehciles wiring harness.

 

I'll try and help out if you can provide more details.

[S_Chiem424]

Alright. Well first things first, here is my set up.

 

AVIC-F700BT

2 pairs of Polk Audio 4" door speakers

2 Kicker CVR 12"

ZX400.1 for the subs

ZX350.4 for the door speakers

[terron]

Do you have any Pioneer modules installed? (HD Radio, Sirius, XM?) BTW, Don't be insulted by my suggestions; I don't know your level of car-smart.

 

First things first! DO NOT put bare wire into an amp or the chassis ground bond. Always use crimp or solder connectors; solder is preferred but crimping on is acceptable as long as its tight enough to get good conductivity and not pull or rattle itself free. Make SURE that they are bolted into metal of the chassis, and not something composite. This seems obvious but sometimes when you're hot and sweaty and just want to get done, you overlook grounding since its typically the last thing.

 

Also, as stated in my above post, ground your AVIC to the chassis, don't use the weeny vehicle ground cable in the harness. Feel free to loosen a bolt in the chassis and ground the radio to that, as long as the bolt or screw goes strait into metal. If you need to add 3 ft of wire to get to the chassis, please do so.

 

If the above has been done and the whine persists, there are two things left to do.

 

Sometimes poor +12v Constants from the vehicle wiring harness can cause the whine; so you can run a 12 ga wire from the trunk or whereever your amps are located to your radio for the constant 12v source. Remember to tape off the unused vehicle harness +12v constant. Also, remember to fuse the 12ga wire coming from the trunk.

 

Lastly.. the whine could be caused by the alternator itself not having a proper ground. This is seldom the case, but it can happen. If you get far, imo it would be acceptable to buy the ground loop isolator rather than buy a grounding kit for your vehicle.. as the grounding kits are a bit pricey; your option.

[S_Chiem424]

^ Will experiment with these suggestions. Thank you.

 

I really don't mind the whine, I'm just wondering if it will cause any problems or damage.

[4Runner Bob]

The whine you hear is coming from your wife or girlfriend. I had the same problem but solved it.

[S_Chiem424]

Nah... My girl usually turns the music up louder. Haha.

[terron]

The whine you hear is coming from your wife or girlfriend. I had the same problem but solved it.

 

if its a girlfriend its a cheap fix

 

if its a wife.. sheesh thats expensive to fix

[jrdiesel]

Sounds like a ground issue to me.

 

Was it installed professionally and by MECP Installers?

Where is the 4-channel amp grounded? Bare metal or a factory bolt?

Are the RCA's ran down the opposite side of the car to your power wire?

 

I am not familiar with your amps, so I don't know if they have a track record for producing bad whine or not, but that is always a possibility. I am using Rockford Fosgate in my truck and have no whine.

[S_Chiem424]

Install was done by Circuit City the first time. I ripped it apart because I wasn't happy with it. It whined when they installed it, and continues to do so after my reinstall. Power and signal are ran on opposite sides of the vehicle and I grounded my amps to the chassis.

[jrdiesel]

Bare metal @ the chassis? If there is paint in the way it will affect the ground.

 

Could be a bad set of RCA's. Run a loose set over the seats to the amp and see if it gets better.

 

Or is it all four speakers that are whining? or just the fronts? Or just the rears? If its the fronts try switching the front RCAs to the rear and see if the problem follows.

 

Trying swapping the amp out for a different manufacturer, to rule out the possibility that the amp isn't the issue. (as a last resort)

 

These situations are why I dreaded car audio season every year.

Viva la Remote Starter!!

[S_Chiem424]

Bare metal at chassis. I sanded down the paint around the grounding area.

 

I believe it is only the driver's side front speaker that is whining if my ears are leading me correctly. I will swap the speaker wiring with one of the other speakers to see if this is the problem.

 

I do not believe it is the amps for some reason.... I just have a gut feeling it's not the amps.

[terron]

Are the RCA's ran down the opposite side of the car to your power wire?

 

I hate to start an argument but I this is one of those things that really grinds my gears because people don't understand electricity. DC current does not produce a field of electromagnetic energy around the wire, so it is entirely moot to run power on a seperate side as the audio for purposes of eliminating radiated interference. The only reasons you should do that is if you just don't have enough room or you're anal retentive and want to keep it seperate. Whichever the case may be, it does not have any whining or otherwise effect on the audio.

 

[/soapbox]