New sounds - causing grief

[Hellboy 0]

Hello, me and a friend i have recently installed some new sounds in my e36 bmw.

I have as listed below installed:

Head deck: Pioneer DEHP-4050UB

Rear and front speakers: Infinity 5020CS and 5022I, with tweaters at the front

Amps: 2000watt 4 channel earthquake and 1000watt 2 channel earthquake

Subs: 2x12inch DB12 Subwoofers

And a raptor capcitor.

I choose the head deck mainly because of the 3 pre-outs. so i could have 3 rca leads (2 for the 4 speakers + tweaters) and the other for the subs.

I had ran speaker wires down both sides of my car and 3 rca leads aswell. only wiring you can see is in the back

which is a complete mess.

Now my problem is that ever since i have installed all this there has been several problems that i think someone with some knowledge in this area could help me solve. Just tonight i had noticed only my front speakers where working so i checked the back and my speaker wires had come of so i hook them back up and next thing is my back speakers are going insanly loud, like louder than what my whole car was like when all 4 worked lol. but then the front stopped working and the bass just distorts when i turn it up. i have no clue what it could be, pretty sure i would have set something up wrong.

but if someone could give me an idea of what could be the problem that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Sam

[jochen 4]

...me and a friend i have recently installed some new sounds in my e36 bmw....

...wiring you can see is in the back which is a complete mess...

...an idea of what could be the problem...

I think your post describes what the problem is.

You need to clean things up and make sure it is properly cabled according to the instructions that come with the bits you bought. No open wires, no chaffing. If you ensure cables are cleanly and neatly laid in the factory cable channels then the install will be reliable.

Edited November 16, 2008 by jochen

[rogan 7]

Sort out the wiring. I'm not too concerned where it's running along, but make sure all joints / terminations are tidy and secure.

[Hellboy 0]

Thanks for help guys, i cleaned it up alot, and everything is working now. but i have this squeling sound as i accelerate (matches my revs) and the speakers have are fuzzy, music covers the sound up but i was told my settings where to high.

I had a play around with the settings and was unsure what exactly did what? how do i fix this noise? thanks.

[steve R 0]

move the RCA cables and power cables to seperate sides of the car

[Apex 693]

Because you are running a Pioneer deck im guessing you have blown your Pre-outs on your head deck, most likely because you have plugged and unplugged things with power connected to your amps.

I would start there, I have a similar deck to you and mine blew during installation..spent a week trouble shooting before I found it was the deck, if it is take it back to where you got it and plead ignorance, if they ask who installed it say an auto electrician otherwise it won’t be covered by warranty.

[bravo 35]

The noise you refer to can be a total bitch to diagnose. Can be quite a few things.

Mine took months to locate, and a new, quiter one has just started after almost a year of no trouble. Search google and you will find more information than you will ever need on trying to isolate the problem. Once you have isolated it to a certain part of the system you can go from there.

Mine turned out to be the wires behind the woofer cone touching a metal part of the car. Even though I checked everything a million times, I always installed the speakers before testing, and so it was always there. it wasn't until I pulled the speakers out and tested that I found it. I'm hoping my new problem is the same thing, and just things have moved since I first fixed it.

[elmarco 56]

i have this squeling sound as i accelerate (matches my revs) and the speakers have are fuzzy, music covers the sound up.

Not the GF reaching for the jesus handle is it??

Seriously, good luck locating the issue. And remember, a soldered joint/splice is more reliable than the clip together or connector block type.

[Hellboy 0]

Not the GF reaching for the jesus handle is it??

I cracked up haha, but thanks for the help guys will have a look sometime soon.

[rogan 7]

Because you are running a Pioneer deck im guessing you have blown your Pre-outs on your head deck, most likely because you have plugged and unplugged things with power connected to your amps.

x2. They're called the fuseable links. If you get it serviced the Pioneer techie replace them with a piece of wire instead of the stupid fuse.

A simple test is to earth the outside sheath of one of your RCAs at the head unit. If the whinning goes away this is the problem. If not then look at how you've grounded the amps, and what the battery -ve to chassis connections are like.

I've had alternator whine for the last 6 months at least. Worst sound ever,made even worse by highly efficient speakers

[Nobimmer 694]

My whine was caused by a tweeter touching a metal clip.

[Five Star 0]

Fix up all your wiring before your car catches on fire...

Pioneer preouts usually blow when the RCAs touch each other while powered, I thought.

If you're worried it's your HU, swap it with a mates one and check. It can be a lot of things, but usually it's power wire crossing your RCAs. Apparently it can be your remote wire also.

[Hellboy 0]

Hey again, i checked all the wires on the head deck nothing seems to be touching. but the sound will only happen when the ignition is on, so im sure theres someone who knows what the problem is now? thanks again.

[Apex 693]

We have told you what it is and things that can cause it, Google engine noise threw speakers for more info.

Its alternator noise and can be a plethora of things, it really is a hard thing to pin point.

Being Pioneer im banking on your pre-outs, it’s an internal thing. Send your deck in and get them to check it.

[Five Star 0]

If they have touched it'll be blown, so if they aren't touching now that doesn't change anything. Pioneer units are known to do this.

The RCAs and the amp power wire should never cross, so run the RCAs on one side of the car and the power wire on the other, along with the remote wire.

Are both your amps grounded in the same place? Although this noise shouldn't change with the revs.

If the RCAs do not go near any power wire at all, try another head unit. If the noise goes away, it's either a faulty HU or you let the RCAs touch while powered (or they touched bare metal).

And don't buy a noise suppressor. A proper install should never need one.

[rogan 7]

You blow the fuseable links on Pioneer units if you disconnect the amplifier earth before unhooking RCAs. If the amplifier has no earth then it looks for another earth which just happens to be through the RCAs to the headunit.

It doesn't matter if you've turned your stereo off first, there can be some charge left in the amps.

To avoid blowing them, whenever you're going to do some work on the stereo or disconnect the battery, then turn the stereo off and disconnect the RCAs before doing anything else.

IMO 95% of alternator whine problems are caused by poor grounding. Your amp should be earthed through a decent thickness cable to a place on the car which is sanded back. Then cover the area in petroleum jelly (vaseline) to prevent rust

[kingkarl 136]

I ran my RCAs, Remote and Power cables right next to each other. Have had no troubles at all. Sound is fine. It could be because the RCAs are triple insulated and the power wire is 8g but its still sweet.

[Five Star 0]

Yeah, power wire and RCAs can be an issue, but sometimes it doesn't matter. Like most car audio it's just testing and seeing what works and what doesn't, because every car is different. I've fixed problems with the wires crossing, then experimented in my car and had no problems crossing them multiple times. Anyway...

Thanks for that rogan. Just another way the HUs can break. I've never had a problem with pioneer myself, and I've owned about 3 of their units. Although I'll disagree with that 95%...

I wonder if hellboy has checked his grounds or tried a new HU.

[Hellboy 0]

Hey, yea my battery is already in the boot so no problems with running it through the car, i also tryed what you suggested and made it so that each amp as its own "good" earth (was using one earth for both), this has pretty much made the whinning go away thanks so much for the suggestion of a good earth, really helped =). Also, where do i get this petroleum jelly stuff to prevent rust? thanks.

[huff3r 347]

Then cover the area in petroleum jelly (vaseline) to prevent rust

Vaseline u can get from a supermarket

[*Glenn* 854]

My whine was caused by a tweeter touching a metal clip.

I get the occassional whine too

It only seems to happen when the wife is in the passengers seat though