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Ground noise. Can't find where to fix it.




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smm1099 said:
That didn't do anything. I'm apparently running out of options.
Click to expand...

is the hum only from your sub, or is it from the main speakers as well? if its from the main speakers also, try disconnecting the sub's amp and see if anything changes. also, is the amp bolted down to something grounded? if the amp's chassis is grounded in some way, it could still be causing the ground loop (for instance if the amp was bolted to a metal part of the vehicle)

so just to clarify, you have the +12v and ground wires coming from your amp connected to the exact same +12v and ground points as the head unit? also there is rpm related hum? but no hum while the engine is off. hmm.. this is a tricky one.

it is possible that your amp/head unit are sensitive to noise in the +12v and that is causing your hum, they should not be, but maybe their electrical engineers were slacking off a little. if this is the case, you could try building a filter using an inductor in series with the +12v coming from the battery, and a capacitor in parallel with your load. if you want to do this i can give you more details/part numbers to do it. I'd consider it as a last resort, because its a pain and if there is a better way of fixing the problem that is always the best option.
 






The hum is definitely from the sub. And I never thought about it but the amp is bolted to the seat. So, it may be grounding to the wires inside the seat. Also, I forgot to say this earlier, every so often I hear something that literally sounds like welding. I never see anything sparks-wise. I don't know if it'll help, but I'm sure that it has something to do with it.

No I don't have the HU hooked up to to the same +12v source. I have it hooked up through the normal wiring harness. I didn't think having a different + source would make a difference since the problem is with a ground somewhere

As for the HU being sensitive, I don't think that's the case. I had this exact setup it my previous car (when it finally broke down I just moved it to the explorer). It didn't do this in the previous one. It's only happened since I switched.
 






smm1099 said:
The hum is definitely from the sub. And I never thought about it but the amp is bolted to the seat. So, it may be grounding to the wires inside the seat. Also, I forgot to say this earlier, every so often I hear something that literally sounds like welding. I never see anything sparks-wise. I don't know if it'll help, but I'm sure that it has something to do with it.

No I don't have the HU hooked up to to the same +12v source. I have it hooked up through the normal wiring harness. I didn't think having a different + source would make a difference since the problem is with a ground somewhere

As for the HU being sensitive, I don't think that's the case. I had this exact setup it my previous car (when it finally broke down I just moved it to the explorer). It didn't do this in the previous one. It's only happened since I switched.
Click to expand...

You didn't happen to hook up the HU with the battery still connected did you? Sometimes funny things can happy to a head unit if you send current up through the ground or vise versa.
 












i'd recommend putting the +12v to the head unit to the same power point as the +12 to the amp. it may be a stretch, but we've already explored most of our other options (all that i can think of at least)
 






smm1099 - If its any consolation...I'm having my own alternator whine issues.

I don't know if you have tried this or not, but run the RCAs OUT of the car (temporarily) from the head unit to the amp to make sure you aren't picking up the signal from any of the other wires (factory) in the car
 






So I tried both ideas. I didn't get better or worse with either one.

I'm officially a) sick of this, B) about to take it all out and sell it, C) out of ideas
 






smm1099 said:
So I tried both ideas. I didn't get better or worse with either one.

I'm officially a) sick of this, B) about to take it all out and sell it, C) out of ideas
Click to expand...

1 more idea. Borrow a friends head unit and install it in your vehicle. The only thing we haven't really ruled out is the HU
 












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