The floor noise you are experiencing is because the gains on the EQL and the amp are not set up correctly. By adding the new headunit you increased you output voltage going into these. The alternator whine was probably already there also (but not very audible) but is being amplified because your gains are not set up correctly.
About to throw my stereo out into the gulf
Talk about a bad week for stereos....I had previously had a shop here add a JL amp, stealthboxed and a PPI phase adjuster to the car. I then added and Audio control EQL and JL components up front. Sounded good...no probs...then I got a Kenwood Head Unit with Sirius...had then add that...then the problems started. Engine whine.....floor noise....turn on/off thump. You name it. Took it back AGAIN and they added a relay to eliminate the thump and told me the floor noise was something Id have to live with and they couldnt isolate the engine whine.
Last night one of the channels started acting up so I opened the trunk to look and you would not believe the MESS of wires on the left side where my components were. I almost shat myself..plus a ground wire had come loose etc..when I tried to tidy them up.....(the car was running as I was tweaking my phase shifter for image) POP SPARK POP!! One of the remote turn on wires was NOT properly connected and fuses started blowing. I was soo pissed off I yanked everything out and decided t fix it MYSELF!!!!
So far I have eliminated the turn on off thump...buthave MORE engine noise...I am going to keep working on it - HOPEFULLY its not the RCA but a ground. My girlfriend is about to call the shop herself as she knows how pissed I was and AM. But I calmly decided that if I want it done right....do it myself.
So....now I tackled re-wiring...getting rid of the alt whine, then trying to get my FM to get a STATION! (The installer never hooked up the Ant power wire to my knowledge - it looked like he used my Kenwood ANT PWR wire to act as the remote turn on wire. I attached the remote turn on wire to the EXT PWR wire on my Kenwood..now to figure out how to power the BMW ant???
****ty week for my car stereo.
Last night one of the channels started acting up so I opened the trunk to look and you would not believe the MESS of wires on the left side where my components were. I almost shat myself..plus a ground wire had come loose etc..when I tried to tidy them up.....(the car was running as I was tweaking my phase shifter for image) POP SPARK POP!! One of the remote turn on wires was NOT properly connected and fuses started blowing. I was soo pissed off I yanked everything out and decided t fix it MYSELF!!!!
So far I have eliminated the turn on off thump...buthave MORE engine noise...I am going to keep working on it - HOPEFULLY its not the RCA but a ground. My girlfriend is about to call the shop herself as she knows how pissed I was and AM. But I calmly decided that if I want it done right....do it myself.
So....now I tackled re-wiring...getting rid of the alt whine, then trying to get my FM to get a STATION! (The installer never hooked up the Ant power wire to my knowledge - it looked like he used my Kenwood ANT PWR wire to act as the remote turn on wire. I attached the remote turn on wire to the EXT PWR wire on my Kenwood..now to figure out how to power the BMW ant???
****ty week for my car stereo.
1 - 3 of 9 Posts
One more note -- Check all grounds and make sure they are connected to unpainted surfaces and solid this will help eliminate the alternator whine. Also Audio Control products are known to induce noise into systems that are not properly set up.
When setting your gains you need to start at the beginning. To do it right you need an osciloscope and the proper test cd. To get it close without the scope you need to turn all of your gains all the way down then turn your head unit up to 3/4 volume. Next turn the gains on the Eq up slowly until the speakers start to distort. When you start to hear distortion turn it back down until the distortion goes away then do the same thing for each channel of your amplifiers. I find it easier to set the gains on the amplifiers by unplugging the rca's and only doing 1 channel at a time so you can only hear the speakers that you are setting the gains for. By the way which JL amp are you using? On the grounds it is true that they should be as short as possible but I think it is more important for them to be grounded solidly. Mine are all run to my battery because I didn't want to put any holes in my trunk. If your equipment is in the trunk I would do the same. You could get a distribution block and run a piece of wire the same size if not larger than you amplifiers power wire (hopefully 4 gauge) to a distribution block near your equipment and then connect all you grounds to the distribution block.
1 - 3 of 9 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
E46 Fanatics Forum
A forum community dedicated to BMW E46, E90, and F30 owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about M performance, turbo kits, engine swaps, builds, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Recommended Communities
