Engine whine issue.

[RussellJ]

Hello! I know a lot of this is talked about already in the forums. But I'm stuck.

I have a 4 channel amplifier. I get engine whine and static when both RCA cables (one for the front 2 speakers and one for the rear 2 speakers) are plugged into the amp.

The engine whine and static disappear when I remove one of the cables. i.e. when just the front 2 speakers are active or the just the rear 2 speakers are active.

Is this a grounding issue?

Advice appreciated!

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[Firewalker]

Try a different set of cables. Cheap RCA's are known to cause these kind of issues. Just lay them across the vehicle and see what happens.

 

[RussellJ]

Try a different set of cables. Cheap RCA's are known to cause these kind of issues. Just lay them across the vehicle and see what happens.

Thanks. I am using Amazon Basics RCA cables. Could this be my noob error? I'll look into some better ones. Any recommendations?

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Thanks. I am using Amazon Basics RCA cables. Could this be my noob error? I'll look into some better ones. Any recommendations?

Is it a Pioneer radio?

 

[RussellJ]

Is it a Pioneer radio?

No it is a Sony XAV-AX1000

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

No it is a Sony XAV-AX1000

Reason I asked is I have a Pioneer radio with these exact symptoms. Apparently very common in this brand (pico fuse). To bypass the issue, I ended up using only one set of RCAs for the whole system. You could do the same or try what Coolhand20th suggested. Another technique you could try is touching a wire from the amp's ground to the outside contacts of the RCAs.

 

[dragon.breath 10+ year member]

You probably need to read this.

Engine whine and ground loop fixes... take two

Alrighty guys, since we no longer have access to the other ground loop fix thread, thanks to someone (you know who you are), I'm making a new thread about it. Ground loops and engine whine cause common problems such as a high-pitched whine that varies with engine RPM's, various thumps while...

www.caraudio.com

 

[RussellJ]

Thanks, guys. I'll give these methods a try and I'll post what has worked. Thanks for the article @drogon.breath. Hopefully, this can eliminate the issue!

 

[RussellJ]

Update:
I've tested another pair of RCA cables and led them over the car. These are the ones that came with the power wiring kits. The whine and buzz are eliminated but can be subtly heard if I move them towards the power cable running through the centre console.

I will look into getting some heavily shielded RCA cables and see if this fixes the issue permanently.

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

Update:
I've tested another pair of RCA cables and led them over the car. These are the ones that came with the power wiring kits. The whine and buzz are eliminated but can be subtly heard if I move them towards the power cable running through the centre console.

I will look into getting some heavily shielded RCA cables and see if this fixes the issue permanently.

Rather getting "heavily shielded" RCA's, I'd suggest rerouting them away from the power cable. You may want to consider rerouting the power cable too.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Reason I asked is I have a Pioneer radio with these exact symptoms. Apparently very common in this brand (pico fuse). To bypass the issue, I ended up using only one set of RCAs for the whole system. You could do the same or try what Coolhand20th suggested. Another technique you could try is touching a wire from the amp's ground to the outside contacts of the RCAs.

You shouldn't have a pico fuse issue with the newer pioneers. The old ones yea, if you yanked the rcas out with the radio turn on it could pop the pico fuse

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

You shouldn't have a pico fuse issue with the newer pioneers. The old ones yea, if you yanked the rcas out with the radio turn on it could pop the pico fuse

That is exactly what happened. I was testing a new amp and lacked the will to un-pretzel myself and turn off the key. WhineUnlimited.com after that. Even went as far as wrapping my RCA wires in ferrite cores.

 

[RussellJ]

Rather getting "heavily shielded" RCA's, I'd suggest rerouting them away from the power cable. You may want to consider rerouting the power cable too.

Yea, I will definitely rethink the cable arrangement. Originally, I had the RCAs running along the sides of the car, and the power through the centre console. There was still a whine. I did notice there is another thick black cable that runs along the sides as well, these could be factory power wires for other components - this could be the culprit. I might try and wire the power along the side, and then RCA through the centre.

Will update my findings.

 

[AnthonyO 10+ year member]

 

[RussellJ]

Update:

So, after rerouting the cables (power cable down one side and RCAs down the center console) I have successfully eliminated engine whine.

In the 2015 Toyota GT86 (Scion FRS in the US), there are in fact supplemental factory power cables running down the sides of the car, which were probably contributing to the whine.

I purchased the following shielded cable to help with any other interference.

Thanks for all of your expertise and wish you all the best in your car audio adventures! It's been a truly helpful forum.