Engine noise coming from speakers Options

[k-weaver]

Ok guys, this is an interesting one...

First off, the noise only comes from my speakers in the doors and in the back panals, not the sub. Probably becuase the freq is too high.

Anyway, I am currently running a performance teknique amp. It is a 4 ch amp and at the moment I do not have the model number. I am running Kicker 6 1/2 in the rear, alpine 6 1/2 in the front and also two kenwood 6x9 in the back (placed into the rear panal that covers the trunk). The two fronts are wired to the front channel of the amp and the rears are wired together on the rear channel of the amp (should be at 2 ohms).

I have tried a "ground loop isolatar", this does not help at all. The actual noise is faint, and can only be heard when the volume is at a low level. When the music is turned up, the noise can no longer be heard (it is still there though). my HU is a kenwood excelon, again, not sure on the model but it does have 5v preamp with the internal amp turned off. i have my RCA's and my power wire running on seperate sides of the car, so this is not it.

One last thing...I recently found out that the engine noise only happens when my lights are turned on (headlights). when they are not, the sound is not there at all. Anybody have any idea what is causing this to happen and how to get rid of it?

[DEATH]

Not weird at all - I've had that problem on many Celicas before. First try grounding everything seperately and as far away from each other as poss. Be sure that power wires are run on the opposite side of your car from the RCA wires to prevent bleed thru.
BTW - You can eliminate this entire problem by not amping your highs
Hope this helps

[Batman722]

like he said, bad grounds.

[k-weaver]

Bad grounds is a good theory, however I am sure that these are fine. The power wire is completly seperate from the RCAs, they are being ran on opposite sides. Also, this would not answer the question as to why this happens only when I turn my headlights on...

I think I might try to seperate the grounds, i am not sure that this will work but it is something that I havent tried.

[Hanyo]

you have a bad ground.

when you turn the headlights are on, the electricity goes from your light bulbs go through your raditor support to the battery. In your case, since your ground is not strong enough, the electricity takes a longer route such as your sound system. This will make static/interference when your car is running.

just add a thick ground wire from your negative terminal to other parts of your car.

alot of people have this problem because they add a BIG thick red power wire to the amp but they dont add a big thick ground wire to return the power, or the location where they add the ground wire does not have a clean contact point.

[trdproven]

Get a more solid ground for your amp.

[DEATH]

you have a bad ground.

when you turn the headlights are on, the electricity goes from your light bulbs go through your raditor support to the battery. In your case, since your ground is not strong enough, the electricity takes a longer route such as your sound system. This will make static/interference when your car is running.

just add a thick ground wire from your negative terminal to other parts of your car.

alot of people have this problem because they add a BIG thick red power wire to the amp but they dont add a big thick ground wire to return the power, or the location where they add the ground wire does not have a clean contact point.

Better explanation - same answer. Really - I and many others have been through this before and fixed the problem. I was thinking more of it being the tail lights but you never know - it's some or all of the lights for sure with those symptons

[D-Man]

yeah, i'm Positive it's a Negative connection (lol) pun intended.

Really though; it sounds like you just need to check your ground connection on your speaker amp, but it sounds like the problem is from your battery wires. Check for fraying and solid connection.

Also, You didnt ground the speakers did you? I dont think so bc it said you have a 4ch amp, but just to make positively sure, that would allow the speakers to play, but that would be a bad thing.

This post has been edited by D-Man: Feb 27, 2008 - 10:10 AM

[k-weaver]

you have a bad ground.

when you turn the headlights are on, the electricity goes from your light bulbs go through your raditor support to the battery. In your case, since your ground is not strong enough, the electricity takes a longer route such as your sound system. This will make static/interference when your car is running.

just add a thick ground wire from your negative terminal to other parts of your car.

alot of people have this problem because they add a BIG thick red power wire to the amp but they dont add a big thick ground wire to return the power, or the location where they add the ground wire does not have a clean contact point.

The ground from the battery has already been upgraded. i am currently running a 4 gauge groung on the support along with the stock wire (really small). All paint has been scratched off to insure that a good connection is made on both grounds (from battery to support and amp to car). I am sure that this is not a ground issue from the battery, but I guess it "COULD" be from the amp. So what do you guys recommend would be the "ideal" grounding spot for the amp? I could also try using a bigger ground wire, possible a two gauge...

And no, i did not "ground" my speakers to the car...

[Hanyo]

i gennerally like to experiment with solutions before i start moving on to different idea. Does your sound system get interference when your car is parked with the head lights on?

You can try to add a big thick wire directly from the battery ground to your amp temporarily. (such a big jumper cable through the window and clipped onto your amps ground point.) If this does not fix your problem it can be something else. Try this quick 2 minute experiment and see if it helps?

[DEATH]

that's exactly what I did to fix it. I ran a ground from the battery throught the open hood through the pass side window, over the seats and to the amp with rubber between the wire and any metal body components it may have touched. This solved the problem so I fed the wire though a length of Heater hose and ran it thru the body permanently.
Problem solved. Also just grounding each amp seperately helped but did not eliminate the problem. I believe the problem is with the tail lights not the headlights [the amp ground being between the tail light ground and the battery ground, you see?]
good luck

[k-weaver]

i gennerally like to experiment with solutions before i start moving on to different idea. Does your sound system get interference when your car is parked with the head lights on?

You can try to add a big thick wire directly from the battery ground to your amp temporarily. (such a big jumper cable through the window and clipped onto your amps ground point.) If this does not fix your problem it can be something else. Try this quick 2 minute experiment and see if it helps?

This is a good idea, I think I will try this tomorrow. And the problem happens weather the car is moving or not. When it is moving it is just louder. Example, higher revs = higher the freq in the noise.

that's exactly what I did to fix it. I ran a ground from the battery throught the open hood through the pass side window, over the seats and to the amp with rubber between the wire and any metal body components it may have touched. This solved the problem so I fed the wire though a length of Heater hose and ran it thru the body permanently.
Problem solved. Also just grounding each amp seperately helped but did not eliminate the problem. I believe the problem is with the tail lights not the headlights [the amp ground being between the tail light ground and the battery ground, you see?]
good luck

I actually have no idea which is causing it, headlights or taillights. All I know is that when I turn the headlight switch on (turning both the headlights and taillights on), this is when the noise comes. So did you just run a really long ground wire from your bat to your amp? or was that just temp? Becuase I though the ground wires were suppose to be as short as possible? Ima try this anyway, the jumper cable idea. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted.

Any other ideas are appreciated...

This post has been edited by k-weaver: Feb 27, 2008 - 2:05 PM

[DEATH]

So did you just run a really long ground wire from your bat to your amp? or was that just temp?

yes - both. I had a spare 20ft ground wire in my garage and i ran it temporarily to see if that solved the problem - since it did I ran it through some Heater hose to insulate it [like the rubber peices were doing on the temp setup] from any metal surface. This part was significant so make sure you insulate it somehow during the test and the permanent setup

[Rymaster]

my friend had this problem
we checked everything from grounds to bad speakers to lines being ran next to other lines or interfering parts on the car....

it ended up being a problem with his stereo

we through in his old stereo and it works fine. Since then he has bought a new one and it too is fine. Idk, maybe some stereos have to much interference with certian engines, cause the frequencies

[94TRDcelica]

I had a similar problem, I used to get a high frequency whirring noise when i revved the engine. It was my ipod connector being powered from the cigarette lighter.

Do you have any components powered by this? Mp3 players in particular, if so that could be the source. Other than tha my suggestion would be the grounding of the stereo/power source! check that no other wires are tapping into the power leads for the head unit and that audio and power leads are kept separate.

[k-weaver]

I had a similar problem, I used to get a high frequency whirring noise when i revved the engine. It was my ipod connector being powered from the cigarette lighter.

Do you have any components powered by this? Mp3 players in particular, if so that could be the source. Other than tha my suggestion would be the grounding of the stereo/power source! check that no other wires are tapping into the power leads for the head unit and that audio and power leads are kept separate.

No, I have no components installed at the moment. I do have them but all are either turned off or have been taken out of the car. There are no wires tapping into any wires on the stereo, everything in there is just plugged into the stereo. Audio and power leads are seperate. Seems like everyone is leaning towards the same issue, bad ground. I'm gna try the jumper cable trick, see how that turns out...

[Tigawoods]

I had a similar problem, I used to get a high frequency whirring noise when i revved the engine. It was my ipod connector being powered from the cigarette lighter.

Do you have any components powered by this? Mp3 players in particular, if so that could be the source. Other than tha my suggestion would be the grounding of the stereo/power source! check that no other wires are tapping into the power leads for the head unit and that audio and power leads are kept separate.

haha mine does that as well. i have the ipod charger coming from the cigarette lighter outlet. then i have a direct connect from the ipod to the in-dash player

i just told everyone who was ignorant in the car spectrum that it was my "stage 2 turbo"

my gf believed me haha

This post has been edited by Tigawoods: Feb 28, 2008 - 9:30 AM

[politicsareevil]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Civic-Integ...sspagenameZWDVW

Buy you one of those sweet peices of machine. You'll fix your sounds problem and gain like 15-20 hp.. So kidding. But x2 on the ground problem..

- Matt

[94TRDcelica]

I have a grounding harness on mine, it came with the car and the only reason Ive kept is that it looks good! I took it off for a month, and then ut it back on and i can safely say I did NOT experience 15-20 extra HP, thats official crap!

Just a single good solid ground with tidy, clean terminals and a healthy battery is all that you need to get as much neccessary electrical efficiency as required.