Engine Noise

[shortyhawaii1]

OK, I have searched and read all the posts relating to engine noise. I wonder if there is something else that I am missing. My mids/highs are whinning and the amp has an OUTSTANDING ground connection. RCA's are run on opposite side of the car, still using stock deck. One thing though. I have and EQ and I know the ground connection will play a role in noise, but I wonder if I just need thicker ground wire or a better connection? The wire I'm using for power and ground is the same gauge as the remote wire. It doesn't need that thick of power wire to run it, but I'm wondering if the ground wire should be thicker to reduce niose.

 

[kidrage24]

Are you using a line-out converter for your stock stereo. If so I tried two different ones and never could get rid of the noise. I gave in and bought a aftermarket. No problems now.

 

[shortyhawaii1]

Yes, using a line-out converter and have it grounded pretty good... I hate to loose my 6-disc changer.. We've grown so close!

 

[1sty]

Most LOC only have a ground wire incase there is noise, if you never tried the system without the ground wire hooked up from the LOC you should. Also the amps and EQ should all be grounded to the same spot unless the EQ is in the dash then it should be grounded with the radio.

The easiest place to start is to make a muting plug. Just and RCA that is shorted out puposly. Plug them into the amp and see if the noise is gone. This tells you where the issue is coming from.
Where is everything grounded?

 

[shortyhawaii1]

Ground on same spot?..hmm, interesting. I will give that a try tomorrow. My two amps in the back are mounted (grounded) seperately. After scrapping paint and tightening, I took a mulitimeter to it and it measured like .001 Ohms. Can't go wrong with that. I Haven't tested the ground on the EQ yet though. That's just wrapped around a bolt screwed into some metal behind the steering wheel.

 

[MisterT]

This most likely doesn't pertain to your problem, but when I first installed my present day stereo, I used an Audio Control Overdrive to increase voltage to the RCA inputs in the amps. I was getting alternator whine through the speakers, and once that was removed, it stoped. I know they (Audio Control) have different grounding options in case of the problem that I had, but it was a faulty unit causing static in front speakers whether played low or loud.

MiStErT

 

[shortyhawaii1]

That is some good info. I think I might be able to isolate the problem to the EQ. Better grounding might do the trick. I'm gonna play with the ground and RCA swapping to further isolate. Thanks.

 

[mp5]

I had a slight whine through my stereo that went away after installing a grounding kit in the engine compartment. If your still getting noise after playing with the ground for your eq, you may want to try it. Do a search, there is a how to about making your own grounding kit

 

[shortyhawaii1]

Yah, I have considered that. I was eventually going to have a kit put together, but if I can't pin-point my problem, I guess it's gonna go in sooner than I wanted.

 

[1sty]

The grounding kit should get rid of a problem unless ther is a really bad ground in the engine bay. Meter the factory grounds and the impedance from the alternator to the battery. That should tell you if there is a problem there.

Also a bad or shorted RCA will cuase this. As will a bad product. Id take the EQ out of the audio path and see what happens.
I would highly reccomend grounding the radio and EQ together and not to a factory ground spot and no where near one.

You can find alot of good noise troubleshooting info on www.mobileaudio.com

 

[shortyhawaii1]

Awesome. Thanks 1st MP3. When I get off work, I'm going to take the EQ out of the set-up and see what I get. I'm almost pretty sure that's what's wrong since I KNOW my amps ground kick butt are my RCA's and KnuKonceptz twisted. They are really good RCA's. Thanks for the help. I will post results tomorrow.

 

[theletto]

Hi All,
New to the this, was wondering is anyone can help. I have a 2006 Mazda 3 HB (auto) with 87k miles. At about 81k miles I noticed a funny vibration when stopped, but only in drive. In p,n,or reverse, it felt normal. At first I had thought it was my motor mounts. Upon closer inspection with my mechanic, he determined that it was not my motor mount and suggested to switch over to synthetic next time my oil was up for a change. 2 weeks ago I changed over to synthetic. While on a long drive up the east coast, my ck engine came on. Brought it into a local Mazda dealership, discovered that my thermostat was busted; changed it along with the censor. On the way home from this long drive noticed that the car was sluggish and sounded like I am driving in a helicopter. In fact, it's louder than it ever was and vibrates in D,P, and reverse. Anyone experience anything similar? I've read similar stories online regarding the mazda 3 HB, however unsure of what became of them. Thank you and look for any kind help.