Installed my amp this weekend and while I thought my RCA cables were shielded, it appears they are not as I can now hear audible engine whine through the speakers. My question is, can eliminate this noise by wrapping the 12v power cable with aluminum foil and if so, can I get away with wrapping only about 80% of the cable that runs along side the RCAs? It's relatively easy to pop the door sill plates off, but it's a pain to remove the pillar covers. I guess I will if I must.

 

What are you running for equipment (radio/amp/eq)? A lot of engine noise is caused by a ground loop. The quickest way to check if its your rca is to string one from the radio to the amp right over the seat away from everything, if you still have noise its not your rca. I would guess that the rca is not your problem.

 

Most RCAs have some type of shielding. I would bet that it is a grounding issue. Re-Check your ground at your amp. Make sure it is on clean metal.

 

Perfect idea...what he said X 2
Rky

 

Eclipse CD5441 HU, JL Audio 6-channel e6450 amp. The amp, RCAs, etc. were installed in my last truck and I had no problems even though the power cable and RCAs were run in the same channel under the driver's side sill plates (they weren't packaged together tightly however). I spent all day Saturday running the cables, speaker wires, etc. on the passenger side cable trough under the sill plates and they are packed in there tightly. The ground is solidly mounted under the small rear seat base mounting screw (there is a huge screw too, but it's not that one) and it looked to me to be unpainted, but I still have the seat back out so checking it should be real easy. I'd rather suck the snot out of a dead man's nose than have to re-run those cables, so I'm trying to figure out what will resolve the issue that involves anything other than that. I've got about 6" of the power cable zip-tied to the ground cable just for looks. Could that be an issue? Thanks for your help.

 

The power next to the ground should not be a problem. Also, where is the HU grounded? If it is grounded to the original harness, I would change it to a solid point behind the HU. Just to rule that out as well.

 

I would first suspect the ground wire for the amp. Use a piece of sandpaper or a razor blade and make sure the metal on the floor is shiny and clean there is usually at least primer on the floor and if its dark where your working its easily mistaken for unpainted. Also is the wire ring terminal touching the actual floor or is it on top of the seat base thats on the floor. The seat base is potentialy not making a good or large enough contact to the floor. Don't reley on the bolt to carry the current through to the floor.

 

Of course you are going to have noise.

Didn't anybody notice that power and RCA's were run together! Move those baby's away from eachother. But then again, you said you'd rather suck snot... ha ha ha!

If you won't move the RCA, then, hopefully you have extra slack, push as much of the cable away from the power wire, maybe down by the passenger foot area - easy access there.

 

YOU got lucky here.

 

See... and power and ground side by side is not a problem.

 

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what he said...

 

you will not always get noise from the power wire and the RCA running next to each other. I have done that before many of times and in my life have never had engine noise through my stereo. I would suspect the ground wire first. I never liked using factory bolts as a ground. I always drilled and put in a new bolt in some out of the way spot that can easily be covered if the system is removed.

Now if you jammed the RCA's and power wire into a crevis where they are right on top of each other that could be a problem, it is also possible that while pushing the RCA's into where ever they are that you cut the sheilding a bit.

If you can take the sill plat off just do that move the power wire over about 1.5" and you should be good if that is causing the problem. From there check the ground, then if you still have noise run the RCA rom the stereo to the amp over the seats and see what you get. I suggest this 3rd because it requires removal of the radio while the other two can be done without pulling the radio out. I am just **** and find the more you take the head unit in and out the more likely you are to chafe a wire that is shoved into the dash.