Another Bad Ground Question?

[joat79]

I have the Delphi XM SkyFi2. I got an accessory plug to hide behind the console to power the unit. The plug gets 12+ from the accessory lead on the radio harness, and it's grounded at the interior fuse box. I also tried grounding it into the ground lead in the radio harness. I get significant noise through the XM radio. It's whiney in proportion to engine speed, and when the engine is off I hear a cyclical whine/tick (about 2 ticks a second). I don't remember getting much noise when I plugged the XM power into the factory accessory plug, but I could be wrong. I don't hear any noise when I tune to FM or listen to a CD, just when I am on aux for XM.

I have the Blaupunkt Miami Beach head unit in my 04 Saturn VUE V6.

Should I find yet another place for the ground for the XM tuner? Would a line filter work, and should I get one for the power or audio lines? Do I need to "shield" the accessory plug I installed? Could it be interferrence in my cheapo mini-to-RCA cable?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Click to read more...

 

[androtaker 10+ year member]

make the xm its own ground(chasis ground) shorten the wire make sure the xm box isnt near any computers or modules

 

[joat79]

I grounded it to the chassis behind the interior fuse box. The tuner is mounted in front of the dash.

I will try to secure the ground better and see if that helps.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

When you state that the XM's power source is the accessory lead in the radio's harness are you meaning the remote activation output from your HU? More on this later...

The noise you've described to us does sound indicative of a poor ground connection so I'd check that and relocate it if necessary. Certainly the noise only appearing while the HU is in aux mode for the outboard tuner would suggest that's the piece of equipment creating your problem. So - check those connections first.

If you're powering that XM unit from the remote turn-on in the deck I'd find a new place to get 12v from as well. Most aftermarket HU have a remote circuit output of around .5a or so. I'd wager that SkyFi2 draws more current than that.

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

no aux input on your hu? you would get much better sound that way...I would second getting your + from the fuse box and not the radio...and keep the ground as short as possible and make sure it's touching bare metal and not paint or grease...if that doesnt work try grounding everything to the same spot...make sure your battery is charged up good too...I know if i bump for a long time with the car off sometimes when I start it up again I will get a little whine untill I drive it for a while.