dalexirtch
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- Jan 4, 2024
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Hi all,
I'm living a nightmare trying to chase down alternator whine in my system. I've been at it for a month. Please help me!
I am fairly sure its alternator whine. My symptoms are whine when car is running, starts immediately after ignition, whine pitch rises and falls with engine RPMs.
System Includes:
- Pioneer double din radio (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J5MQPH7?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)
- PAC RP4.2-TY11 (https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Aghr6...BNKInfypcJsZ451bgwQR2orIKycDJlXYaArPYEALw_wcB)
- JL audio XD400/4 Amplifier (https://creativeaudio.net/xd400-4-k...PlVZ3_k9Tp7bV-2zepykDVErB6aONCZYaAgTvEALw_wcB)
- JBL Basspro Nano SL2 (https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Basspro-SL2-Powered-subwoofer/dp/B08CK6TNBT)
- Twisted pair RCA cables (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y5S4PMS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)
- Amazon basics speaker wire (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LW0WDQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)
I am still using factory speakers - the speaker wires coming off the AMP go to the original speaker leads at the harness where the door hinge is. To rephrase, the speaker wire I have at the amp does not go into the doors and directly to speakers, but rather to the original speaker leads coming from a harness at the door hinges.
I did not have any whine when I installed my head unit. The problem only started after adding the powered subwoofer and amplifier, which I did together.
When amplifier RCAs are unplugged at the head unit the whine goes away.
When amplifier RCAs are unplugged at the AMP the whine goes away,
When powered subwoofer power and ground is unplugged the whine goes away
Amp gains are set med-low
Trouble Shooting So Far:
- replaced shielded Kicker RCAs with current twisted pair (no change)
- replaced cheap CTsounds amp with current JL XD amp (no change)
- negative leads from head unit negative lead to RCA shells when using kicker RCAs (reduces whine by 50% - but this did not work with the new twisted pair)
- 16awg from battery negative terminal to head unit (tried connecting to both HU ground lead as well as HU metal casing - no change)
- 16awg from head unit ground lead to amplifier ground port (reduces whine by 50%)
- head unit ground lead to chassis pillar behind dash (no change)
- moved both powered sub and amp grounds to new locations (no change)
- moved both powered sub and amp grounds to the same location (no change)
- ground loop isolators tried at head unit and at amplifier (no change)
What others have recommended that I have not done:
- "add a new 4-0g ground to the negative terminal and down to the chassis of the car. We often pull more current with the power wire, but rarely reinforce the ground wire at the battery."
- replace alternator
- I went to a car audio shop and we went through everything. The best advice the owner had to give was that years ago he did an install on a Corvette and it had the same alternator whine. They chased it down forever and finally fixed it by putting some sort of power filter on the alternator. I don't know what this device is called, or what it looks like.
I'm living a nightmare trying to chase down alternator whine in my system. I've been at it for a month. Please help me!
I am fairly sure its alternator whine. My symptoms are whine when car is running, starts immediately after ignition, whine pitch rises and falls with engine RPMs.
System Includes:
- Pioneer double din radio (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J5MQPH7?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)
- PAC RP4.2-TY11 (https://www.crutchfield.com/S-Aghr6...BNKInfypcJsZ451bgwQR2orIKycDJlXYaArPYEALw_wcB)
- JL audio XD400/4 Amplifier (https://creativeaudio.net/xd400-4-k...PlVZ3_k9Tp7bV-2zepykDVErB6aONCZYaAgTvEALw_wcB)
- JBL Basspro Nano SL2 (https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Basspro-SL2-Powered-subwoofer/dp/B08CK6TNBT)
- Twisted pair RCA cables (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y5S4PMS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)
- Amazon basics speaker wire (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LW0WDQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)
I am still using factory speakers - the speaker wires coming off the AMP go to the original speaker leads at the harness where the door hinge is. To rephrase, the speaker wire I have at the amp does not go into the doors and directly to speakers, but rather to the original speaker leads coming from a harness at the door hinges.
I did not have any whine when I installed my head unit. The problem only started after adding the powered subwoofer and amplifier, which I did together.
When amplifier RCAs are unplugged at the head unit the whine goes away.
When amplifier RCAs are unplugged at the AMP the whine goes away,
When powered subwoofer power and ground is unplugged the whine goes away
Amp gains are set med-low
Trouble Shooting So Far:
- replaced shielded Kicker RCAs with current twisted pair (no change)
- replaced cheap CTsounds amp with current JL XD amp (no change)
- negative leads from head unit negative lead to RCA shells when using kicker RCAs (reduces whine by 50% - but this did not work with the new twisted pair)
- 16awg from battery negative terminal to head unit (tried connecting to both HU ground lead as well as HU metal casing - no change)
- 16awg from head unit ground lead to amplifier ground port (reduces whine by 50%)
- head unit ground lead to chassis pillar behind dash (no change)
- moved both powered sub and amp grounds to new locations (no change)
- moved both powered sub and amp grounds to the same location (no change)
- ground loop isolators tried at head unit and at amplifier (no change)
What others have recommended that I have not done:
- "add a new 4-0g ground to the negative terminal and down to the chassis of the car. We often pull more current with the power wire, but rarely reinforce the ground wire at the battery."
- replace alternator
- I went to a car audio shop and we went through everything. The best advice the owner had to give was that years ago he did an install on a Corvette and it had the same alternator whine. They chased it down forever and finally fixed it by putting some sort of power filter on the alternator. I don't know what this device is called, or what it looks like.
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