Head unit ground problem?

Discussion in 'Automotive Electrical' started by cccullen, Jun 16, 2008.

  1. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    I connected my MS6A's last night and mounted the three.1 also. I noticed that there is a little noise coming from the tweets. It sounds like alternator noise but other than that they sound awesome. very clear and even though they are connected to just the HU they sound very clear.

    My question is should i not use the OEM ground for the headunit? since these speakers are not yet connected to an amp, I know they shouldn't be making any noise. I know the speakers are ok cuz i tested them in my wife's CRV after i heard the noise and in her car i didn't hear anything but in my car i did.

    With my cheap ass china amp before I had a lot of alternator whine so i had to keep the gain way down. What could be the cause of this?

    I haven't done the big three or any of my wiring yet, i'll be doing the whole install this weekend. I just don't want to have any whining when i get it hooked up so I want to have everything wired correctly.

    Any suggestions?

    Oh, here's a pic of the THREE.1 installed in the dash. looks pretty clean, had to be very careful when i mounted it.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jun 16, 2008
  2. jonnyv713

    jonnyv713 The Young Gun of CAT

    i have always been told not to use the stock ground.
     
  3. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    yes, I've heard that too. Where should I ground the stereo then? Never tried doing that.
     
  4. jonnyv713

    jonnyv713 The Young Gun of CAT

    i have mine grounded on a metal frame/structure for the dash.
     
  5. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    No issues with doing it that way? when i was going to do the ground for it that was the only place i could think of too. I guess that's how i'll do it then. Thanks
     
  6. jonnyv713

    jonnyv713 The Young Gun of CAT

    no issuse for me so far and anytime
     
  7. pedro quiroga

    pedro quiroga Well-Known Member

    looks good in there. my head is wired to the factory harness and i have zero issues. hmmm? i would say try another ground too.

    you know what i did have was a noise issue when my xm roadies power supply was in behind with the rest of my wiring.

    i put a 12v plug in behind the dash so i wouldnt be useing the ones under the head( my truck has 3 factory 12v sockets, and 2 were being used) so when all was done i had a noise. turns out i had some radio wires too close to the plug. when i moved then. noise gone.

    maybe the eq is interfering with some of the heads wiring and causing noise?

    take it apart and wiggle some wiring or take out the eq and see if the noise persists.
     
  8. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    Thanks pedro, I'll try to wiggle the wires and see if it changes anything. As for th eq, it's not even hooked up, just mounted so i don't think that would be the problem. I will rearrange the wires and make a new ground and see if that changes anything.

    I have my fingers crossed.
     
  9. jonnyv713

    jonnyv713 The Young Gun of CAT

    your ground was good pedro cause u have a GM vehicle... cc has a Ford. that is the explanation for all this! lol jkjk
     
  10. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    lol. very funny jonny... actually I wouldn't doubt it, I've had some real weird problems with my ford. it's starting to be a real pain in the butt.

    Even though i own a ford, i still say they suck! lol
     
  11. G3n3R@1

    G3n3R@1 Full Member

    AY! no more dissing ford... even though i drive a chevy. i love ford hate chevy and hate dodge. and to stand up for ford i've done systems in 2 f-150s, 03' taurus, and a 94' mustang convertible.
     
  12. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    really? did you find any problems with the OEM ground for the head unit or do you make a new ground?
     
  13. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    Never use the car's factory black wire ground, that's where the whine comes from. Ground it to the car's metal frame behind the deck, use some sandpaper shine up the spot nice so it's a solid connection and use a descent thickness of wire if you have and don't make it longer than 6 or 8 inches lol.
     
  14. G3n3R@1

    G3n3R@1 Full Member

    i had no issues whatsoever. should have mentioned that in the first place lol. oh well. i plan to do a pretty simple system here pretty soon for my van. pioneer HU, 6.5"polk comps up front, 6.5" coaxials in the back, whatever i can find thats good and cheap that puts out around 500rms@4ohm for a kicker s10d in a t-line designed by azn, and whatever cheap 4 channel amp i can find for speaks.
     
  15. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    got it. I'll take care of that this weekend. thanks electro.
     
  16. psycho_maniac

    psycho_maniac Full Member

    last time i used a stock ground my car wires burned up for some strange reason. and lost all headlights and taillights and dash lights. took forever to rewire. so now i never use the stock ground ever again.
     
  17. cccullen

    cccullen Full Member

    i'll get on that this weekend. I hope it will stop the faint whining i have.