bartmk Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 (edited) Just install a brand new Panasonic deck in my '97 SE. I've installed many a stereo and have never encountered this problem before. When I just turn my volume on (level 1-3) there is an intense buzzing coming from all speakers. When the engine is revved the buzzing increases with the rpms. I have tried multiple grounding points under the dash with no success. I used a wiring harness from Crutchfield to connect the deck with the factory harness. Would an easy soltion just be a run a ground strait to the negative side of the battery? Any ideas? Edited January 5, 2007 by bartmk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 First, you must understand that this is simply interference or induced noise. Induced noise can sound like clicking, popping, whirring, buzzing, whistling, or whining. This noise always has a source such as the alternator, car power wiring, amplifier, etc. So this means that the problem can be tackled at the source. Now, you just have to find it. Power line noise problems (such as those from alternators) can be fixed by adding a capacitor or power line filter to the live source of the suspect component. Another area to investigate is the earth, also known as ground wire, to the rear of the radio or head unit. Try running a new earth or ground wire from the rear of the radio to a new position (earth) on the car’s chassis, replacing the existing earth wire. If you have installed an amplifier, ensure that the RCA cables running from the head unit to the amplifier are of good quality. Also make sure they are run along the car away from the car’s existing wiring and away from the amplifier's power cable. For the sake of testing, try running the RCA lead loosely between the head unit and the amplifier without actually running them under the carpet. “Rev” your engine with the radio on low volume and see if the noise is gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Did you bypass the factory amplifiers, or are they still in the loop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartmk Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Factory amp is still in the loop. Didn't think that would make any difference considering that the stock deck was connected the exact same way without any interference. On the wiring harness supplied by Crutchfield there is a black "amplifier shield ground" is what they call it. Even if I don't connect this wire to a ground, the amp still works and the stereo still has the interference. I don't see how bypassing the amp would help, the stock deck never had any problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartmk Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 (edited) Found a decent solution to my problem. Bought one of these things from a local car audio store for $39: http://www.pie.net/store/index.cfm?action=...ails&ItemID=252 Got rid of about 80% of the noise in my lines. When this summer rolls around and the weather gets better up here in Washington I'm going to bypass the factor amp altogether though and install some new speakers. Times like these I wish I had a garage. Until then, this'll do. The little converter box is pretty cool though, it has gain controls for all 4 speaks so you can adjust the output level going from the aftermarket deck to the factory amp. Edited January 6, 2007 by bartmk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Got rid of about 80% of the noise in my lines. ------ The little converter box is pretty cool though, it has gain controls for all 4 speaks so you can adjust the output level going from the aftermarket deck to the factory amp. I'm no expert but I bet the new deck puts out a lot more power, and this little box thing you have is effectively cutting your output to near stock levels. Thats why the noise is going away. So yeah, best bet is to run all new speaker wiring whenever you can, I bet the system will sound 100% better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 (edited) Yup. It would take longer than I have to explain, but it has to do with signal levels and amplification and variable ground voltage levels. There are (thick) books written on this topic. Basically, ground noise always exists to some level, and a well balanced signal transmission system tries to keep it at as a low a level as possible to be imperceptible. In a nutshell, your problem was that the output from the new head unit is not matched to the factory amps, so any noise was excessively amplified. The line converter helps, but is somewhat of a bandaid. Eliminating the factory amp will almost certainly help, and it seems everybody who has done so had good results. But if you still have issues, you may have an issue at the head unit. Then it gets a lot more complicated - I hope you don't have to go there, and I doubt you will. Edited January 6, 2007 by mws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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