Headlights off=Sound muted/Headlights flicker to beat - Grounding problem? (Scion TC)

[ImmortalFreak 10+ year member]

So I just installed a Cadence ZRS-C65 pushing 2 Image Dynamic ID10D2v3's as well as a Pioner AVH4200DVD. Both are in addition to my old no-name Z-Edition 4-channel amp which goes to my ID CTX65CS components.

Anyway, originally I was having a problem where my headlights would flicker with the beat of the subs, and it eventually moved into when I had my headlights on my amplifier and head unit would occasionally shut off and then immediately power right back on. The first time the music was playing loud, and the second time my head unit was on standby and no music was playing in the car, though the headlights were still on.

I decided that I should do something about it sooner rather than later now that things were losing power.

Anyway, last night I pulled everything out and the only thing I did was ensure a secure ground to the Cadence amp and moved the remote wire so it would go directly from the source (wire out of stock sub harness) to the Cadence and ran and another wire from the Cadence to the Z-Edition instead of vice versa which is how it was before.

After I made that change I turned the car on and the head unit now mutes whenever I have my headlights off and unmutes when they are on. I decided it was probably a grounding thing so I moved my Cadence amp over and grounded it to the rear-left seat bolt where the Z-Edition is grounded and I am still experiencing the same issues, including the headlight muting. I've read muting issue is due to cross-wiring the harness, though I have never had that problem before until I messed with the ground last night and I did not make any changes to the head unit.

That said, I'm at a hard spot. Do you think it's a grounding issue? What should I do to correct it? Also, does anyone have any photographs of their Scion and where they have everything grounded and how important is it to have both amps grounded at the same spot?

Thanks in advance for all of the help guys, it is VERY much appreciated.

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[trever]

How is your remote wired>

 

[ImmortalFreak 10+ year member]

I spliced into one of the wires going to the stock sub. I checked the voltage at both amps with a DMM when I first noticed the flickering lights and it was alright.

PS. I'm an idiot and though the car did mute and unmute with the headlights, I was able to get it turned off in the HU settings, and now that I think about it I think the same thing happened when I first installed it, but seeing as it was during the day I never turned my lights on, so maybe I do have something cross-wired in the harness, but would that cause the headlight dimming issue?

 

[ImmortalFreak 10+ year member]

Hopefully you can make out what I was trying to say through that horrid run-on sentence haha.

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

lol you hooked you phone mute wire up to your illumination wire

 

[ImmortalFreak 10+ year member]

Could that cause the dimming lights?

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

doubtful, thats probably from poor wiring. coud be a million reasons why your lights are dimming from a bad alt to bad wire connection to too small of wire to bad ground. if you flip your lights on and off and it mutes the radio then you have the mute wire hooked to your illumination