Hey folks, I’ve been putting up with this annoying noise in my car audio system for ages. I’ve almost gotten used to it, but it’s pretty embarrassing whenever someone else is in the car. I get all kinds of questions, and a friend even joked, “Dude, your car is being contacted by aliens!”
So, here’s the deal—I’ve done the basics. Both grounds are on bare metal, sanded down, solid connections, the whole nine yards. I haven’t checked the head unit (HU) ground yet, but that’s next on my list for tomorrow.
A few questions have been bugging me, and if anyone’s got some insight, I’d really appreciate it!
1.) Power and RCA cables—everyone says don’t run them together.
I get it, they can cause noise if they’re too close. But what about running the power wire alongside the speaker wire? Could that be causing engine noise or static, or is that safe?
2.) Grounding the HU yourself—some forums say to ground it directly to the chassis.
But wouldn't that wire end up longer than the usual 36 inches? Is that actually okay? And what gauge wire should I be using, minimum?
3.) Different sources of noise?
Is engine noise vs. static caused by totally separate issues? Like, could a bad ground cause static while a pinched RCA cable causes engine noise? Or could both noises be coming from the same problem?
4.) Crossover placement—I’ve heard people say not to mount them in the doors.
Apparently, it’s similar to running power wires alongside RCA cables, because doors have tons of power wiring (windows, locks, mirrors). Is mounting crossovers in the doors really that big of a risk for interference?
5.) Ground points—sanding isn’t always enough?
Both of my ground points are sanded down well, so could my issue be with the spade terminals? Do I need to sand those too? And what about the bolts I’m using—could they be part of the problem?
6.) Ground resistance—is it worth measuring?
Has anyone here actually measured the resistance of their ground points with a multimeter to make sure they’re close together or under 0.3 ohms? Is that really a thing or just overkill?
Thanks a ton if you made it this far and have any tips to share! This noise is seriously driving me nuts. I don’t know if any of you have had to go without a stereo for too long because of little issues like this, but listening to my phone’s ringtones as my “music” is getting old fast. Here’s hoping I can finally get to the bottom of it!
Hey folks, I’ve been putting up with this annoying noise in my car audio system for ages. I’ve almost gotten used to it, but it’s pretty embarrassing whenever someone else is in the car. I get all kinds of questions, and a friend even joked, “Dude, your car is being contacted by aliens!” 😆
So, here’s the deal—I’ve done the basics. Both grounds are on bare metal, sanded down, solid connections, the whole nine yards. I haven’t checked the head unit (HU) ground yet, but that’s next on my list for tomorrow.
A few questions have been bugging me, and if anyone’s got some insight, I’d really appreciate it!
1.) Power and RCA cables—everyone says don’t run them together.
I get it, they can cause noise if they’re too close. But what about running the power wire alongside the speaker wire? Could that be causing engine noise or static, or is that safe?
2.) Grounding the HU yourself—some forums say to ground it directly to the chassis.
But wouldn't that wire end up longer than the usual 36 inches? Is that actually okay? And what gauge wire should I be using, minimum?
3.) Different sources of noise?
Is engine noise vs. static caused by totally separate issues? Like, could a bad ground cause static while a pinched RCA cable causes engine noise? Or could both noises be coming from the same problem?
4.) Crossover placement—I’ve heard people say not to mount them in the doors.
Apparently, it’s similar to running power wires alongside RCA cables, because doors have tons of power wiring (windows, locks, mirrors). Is mounting crossovers in the doors really that big of a risk for interference?
5.) Ground points—sanding isn’t always enough?
Both of my ground points are sanded down well, so could my issue be with the spade terminals? Do I need to sand those too? And what about the bolts I’m using—could they be part of the problem?
6.) Ground resistance—is it worth measuring?
Has anyone here actually measured the resistance of their ground points with a multimeter to make sure they’re close together or under 0.3 ohms? Is that really a thing or just overkill?
Thanks a ton if you made it this far and have any tips to share! This noise is seriously driving me nuts. I don’t know if any of you have had to go without a stereo for too long because of little issues like this, but listening to my phone’s ringtones as my “music” is getting old fast. Here’s hoping I can finally get to the bottom of it! 🍻