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So as the title says, I have a Jeep wrangler that has been having really bad noise problems the past 6 months. I do know that there are hundred of threads about engine whine, and trust me I've read every one of those and I am still stranded. So I really need help with this thread to help me diagnose.
So I have two wranglers, a black one and a silver one. I did the sound system on the black one 3 years ago and it was perfect. I replicated the exact same sound system with very similar components in the silver jeep and I have unbelievable noise.
So I confirmed that the noise is NOT coming from the head unit. I disconnected all my RCA head-unit wires and the sound was still there. I did the same thing but from the amp side; I disconnected the wires from the Head unit to AMP and I still have noise. So when the AMP is powered without the inputs. I still have noise. At this moment I thought I had a bad AMP grounding, so I changed my amps ground and shortened the cable it as much as I can. No matter the location in the chassis, still I have noise. I checked the car's battery ground and it was connected nice and tight.
So I thought my AMP grounds are good. I must have a bad AMP! So I took the AMP from the black jeep (Exact same model and where the black jeep has no noise at all) and then I connected it to the silver jeep and I still have the exact same engine noise! Different amps didn't change anything.
So I thought it was a problem from the wiring from the amp to the speakers. So I disconnected all my speakers and I connected a stock jeep tweeter with a short wire extending out of the car. With only the stock tweeter in my hand outside the car I still had noise coming out from the tweeter! Even though the wiring I did to the mock up stock tweeter was literally a line from the amp directly outside the car. So there was no way that short wire would pick up any noise from the wiring. So now I ruled out the speakers and their wiring from amp to speakers..
The last test I did is that I thought I had a bad/weak alternator. So I borrowed the black jeep's alternator and I replaced the alternators. Same exact noise with different alternators. I also bought a BOSS ground loop insulator (B25B) and installed it from the amp to speakers, the noise was gone. But not only the noise, so is the whole sound. The sound quality now is raspy and clipped. I don't mind a little decrease in sound quality, but in my case when I installed the ground loop insulator the sound quality was so bad that it hurt my ears. Sounds like a 50s radio trying to pick up a signal..
So now I am properly confused. I could not cancel the noise in anyway possible! Its not from the head unit, nor it is from the amp, and it is not from the wiring. So what could it be? and A lot of people are telling just to lower the gains, but that will not work me at all, only gain setting were I can't here the noise is literally 0. And in that settings my speakers sound so quite I'd rather put the crappy stock jeep system back and it will sound better and louder than my new sound system.
Components on silver jeep (Car with noise):
Headunit: Pioneer AVH-4100NEX
Amplifier: Alpine PDX-V9
Subwoofer: Pioneer TS-SW2502S4
Front Speakers/tweeters: Focal PS165 speaker kit + tweeters and crossovers
Rear speakers: Alpine SPR-60 Coaxial Speakers
4.5 farad capacitor
The black jeep has the same amplifier, rear speakers, capacitor and the same model of the head unit just an older version of it. Front speakers and sub-woofers are different.
So as the title says, I have a Jeep wrangler that has been having really bad noise problems the past 6 months. I do know that there are hundred of threads about engine whine, and trust me I've read every one of those and I am still stranded. So I really need help with this thread to help me diagnose.
So I have two wranglers, a black one and a silver one. I did the sound system on the black one 3 years ago and it was perfect. I replicated the exact same sound system with very similar components in the silver jeep and I have unbelievable noise.
So I confirmed that the noise is NOT coming from the head unit. I disconnected all my RCA head-unit wires and the sound was still there. I did the same thing but from the amp side; I disconnected the wires from the Head unit to AMP and I still have noise. So when the AMP is powered without the inputs. I still have noise. At this moment I thought I had a bad AMP grounding, so I changed my amps ground and shortened the cable it as much as I can. No matter the location in the chassis, still I have noise. I checked the car's battery ground and it was connected nice and tight.
So I thought my AMP grounds are good. I must have a bad AMP! So I took the AMP from the black jeep (Exact same model and where the black jeep has no noise at all) and then I connected it to the silver jeep and I still have the exact same engine noise! Different amps didn't change anything.
So I thought it was a problem from the wiring from the amp to the speakers. So I disconnected all my speakers and I connected a stock jeep tweeter with a short wire extending out of the car. With only the stock tweeter in my hand outside the car I still had noise coming out from the tweeter! Even though the wiring I did to the mock up stock tweeter was literally a line from the amp directly outside the car. So there was no way that short wire would pick up any noise from the wiring. So now I ruled out the speakers and their wiring from amp to speakers..
The last test I did is that I thought I had a bad/weak alternator. So I borrowed the black jeep's alternator and I replaced the alternators. Same exact noise with different alternators. I also bought a BOSS ground loop insulator (B25B) and installed it from the amp to speakers, the noise was gone. But not only the noise, so is the whole sound. The sound quality now is raspy and clipped. I don't mind a little decrease in sound quality, but in my case when I installed the ground loop insulator the sound quality was so bad that it hurt my ears. Sounds like a 50s radio trying to pick up a signal..
So now I am properly confused. I could not cancel the noise in anyway possible! Its not from the head unit, nor it is from the amp, and it is not from the wiring. So what could it be? and A lot of people are telling just to lower the gains, but that will not work me at all, only gain setting were I can't here the noise is literally 0. And in that settings my speakers sound so quite I'd rather put the crappy stock jeep system back and it will sound better and louder than my new sound system.
Components on silver jeep (Car with noise):
Headunit: Pioneer AVH-4100NEX
Amplifier: Alpine PDX-V9
Subwoofer: Pioneer TS-SW2502S4
Front Speakers/tweeters: Focal PS165 speaker kit + tweeters and crossovers
Rear speakers: Alpine SPR-60 Coaxial Speakers
4.5 farad capacitor
The black jeep has the same amplifier, rear speakers, capacitor and the same model of the head unit just an older version of it. Front speakers and sub-woofers are different.
Ex service engineer - Guarantee jeep suppression at fault - don't know the jeep, but look to ignition if it's petrol, and any rotational parts in the electrics (you've tried the alternator.
If the whine is 'in tune' with the revving of the car, that points to anything driven - that could include the Air conditioning.
Refer to the car electrical diagram for any suppression provided by chokes or capacitors.
As soon as you swapped amps, it pointed in the car direction - next to that is the whine.
Dave.
If the whine is 'in tune' with the revving of the car, that points to anything driven - that could include the Air conditioning.
Refer to the car electrical diagram for any suppression provided by chokes or capacitors.
As soon as you swapped amps, it pointed in the car direction - next to that is the whine.
Dave.
Will an inline power line filter decrease noise quality in any way? This is a big one for me if the noise quality got decreased. The ground loop isolators I bought were rubbish...
How do I pick an inline power filter? Is it between amp and battery or the battery and alternator. Could you recommend me any specific ones?
Haven't full understood what you said, do you mind rephrasing? and yes you are right. The noise is in tune with the engine RPMs. More throttle = More noise.
If I disconnect the alternator, and I run the car without an alternator. There is actually no noise at all! but not sure how that info helps
Also I did one more extra thing today:
I've read that if my amp ground is not the same ground as the car's ground I will have noise. In my situation it is different, my amps ground is directly at the chassis under the seat. So I deleted that ground and extended a wire out of the car all the way to the battery "-" terminal. I was pretty sure that was my issue but it did NOT solve it. Huge bummer. The car and the AMP has the same ground, I removed power lines that were running near speaker wires and rewired them.
Everything checks out good but what could be my issue? Is my noise just incurable because of dirty power from alternator? I would hate to put a "band-aid" over the issue and not actually solve it. I would like to solve this issue without any filters if that is possible..
I've read that if my amp ground is not the same ground as the car's ground I will have noise. In my situation it is different, my amps ground is directly at the chassis under the seat. So I deleted that ground and extended a wire out of the car all the way to the battery "-" terminal. I was pretty sure that was my issue but it did NOT solve it. Huge bummer. The car and the AMP has the same ground, I removed power lines that were running near speaker wires and rewired them.
Everything checks out good but what could be my issue? Is my noise just incurable because of dirty power from alternator? I would hate to put a "band-aid" over the issue and not actually solve it. I would like to solve this issue without any filters if that is possible..
Yes simply connecting the isolator killed the noise. But here's the very weird thing that happens. When I move the isolator unit near the amp the noise increases very very bad. Worse then the isolator wasn't even connected As soon as I move the isolator just a bit further from the amp everything quietens down and the noise goes away.
So yes, if I connect the isolator the noise goes away. ONLY when it is far away from the amp. kinda like the amp is a very strong magnet causing some sort of heavy interference.
What does that mean?
What year Jeeps? Are they both the same? The reason I ask is that if they are old enough to have a distributor ignition system, then there is normally a capacitor that is meant to filter out ignition noise. If the Jeep is new enough to be coil on plug/ distributor-less ignition, then this might not apply. If the jeep without a problem is newer with a more modern ignition system, this could help explain things as well. I used to do a lot of work on older CJ/YJ and some TJs. Ran an offroad fabrication shop for many many years. Unfortunately with Jeeps, unless you personally bought it brand new, you can almost grantee that there has been some redneck whitchery worked somewhere in it's history. I can't begin to tell you the amount of retarded things I have removed or fixed on Jeeps. It seriously defies logic.
You might also try running the jeep with the alternator disconnected. It will run fine on just the battery for a while unless you have a really bad battery... Running with everything in place and the alternator disconnected would help narrow down whether it is alternator noise or ignition noise.
Good Luck,
Jason
You might also try running the jeep with the alternator disconnected. It will run fine on just the battery for a while unless you have a really bad battery... Running with everything in place and the alternator disconnected would help narrow down whether it is alternator noise or ignition noise.
Good Luck,
Jason
The Jeep is brand new, Model 2015. Yeah bought it from the dealer ship from the start with 0Km. Yes it has a modern ignition system and not the CJ/YJ. Thats why I am confused on me having such a problem
I yes I did that I narrowed down it being an alternator problem and not ignition.
Today I connected the head-unit to a stock jeep tweeter directly, bypassing the amplifier and there was no noise!
So by this test, I am pretty sure the noise is coming from the amp. Exactly at the amp. not the wiring. I say this because I connected the the wires from amp to speakers. And disconnected everything from head unit output to amp input. There was no noise. But as soon as I touch the amp inputs the noise comes back. Any inputs I touch from the amp side I can induce noise. As soon as I remove my finger noise goes away. Obviously when I connect back the wires from head unit to amp it comes back.
So I will check as the kind people above recommended to check alternator frame bracket, swapping batteries etc. After that I have no idea..
So by this test, I am pretty sure the noise is coming from the amp. Exactly at the amp. not the wiring. I say this because I connected the the wires from amp to speakers. And disconnected everything from head unit output to amp input. There was no noise. But as soon as I touch the amp inputs the noise comes back. Any inputs I touch from the amp side I can induce noise. As soon as I remove my finger noise goes away. Obviously when I connect back the wires from head unit to amp it comes back.
So I will check as the kind people above recommended to check alternator frame bracket, swapping batteries etc. After that I have no idea..
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