[ahhjoshsemperfi]

alright i got the stock Mach audio system in a 02 gt. There has always been a whining noise but barley noticable. recently it got very bad so i decided to try and fix it. Heres what i found out-

*noise is only there when the car is on, with the radio ON, the volume can be turned all the way down but its still there.
*turning off the radio, not lowering the volume makes the noise disappear when the car is on.
*If running the car from battery the noise disappears, period.
*The noise is a constant whining noise, that changes pitch with pressing of the gas, among other things.
*the noise disappears when i unplug the driverside amp, it is not the amp because i plugged the passenger side one in and it had the same effect.

no fuses are popped that i know of, and i dont believe it to be alternator whine, because wouldn't if effect both amps? I think it might be a wire rubbing against the frame could that be right? If so what should i be looking for when checking for this?

Any help, suggestions, comments are very appreciated!

 

[yomadmike]

Sounds like the head unit is going. I believe your getting feedback from a power wire. Most likely coming from the head unit since it follows the head unit output, not the amp. Do you have the stock head unit?

 

[ceasedinfinity]

+1 to what yomadmike said.

 

[TigerSN95guy]

there are also little "filters" that are usually attached to the ignition system.... they are essentially little inductors that go to ground through a small circuit block designed to OPPOSE the change of voltage... if i remember right, they are usually bolted on the top corner bolts of the timin chain cover they look like little black 'C' clips.... in the old school world, they used to look like little barrels attached to the mounting bracket on the coil... when the motor revvs up the voltage from the coil would spike and make a whining noise in ur radio... not 100% sure exactly how it works or if those black C clips are even the right thing... but replacin the radio is prolly ur best bet cuz inductors arent really known to fail EVER but capacitors are:bigthumbsup
-an electrical component designer for submarines :shigrin

 

[Bullitt5339]

The whining is caused by a ground loop somewhere. Sounds easy, but it's really not.

It could be inside the headunit, inside one amp or the other, a pinched wire somewhere throughout the car, a loose ground anywhere in the system, magnetic interference from a power source being too close to a low signal wire, anything.

Ground loop noises (like you describe, pitch changes with engine rpm) are the hardest thing to get rid of. I've yanked entire setups wiring and all out of cars with aftermarket high dollar setups in them and redid the entire thing just to get rid of a ground loop before.

Out of the hundreds of installs I've done over the past 20 years, only one was caused by a faulty alternator that was sending out dirty power. How did I figure that out? Rewired everything, replaced every component in the setup, only to get the same noise. Gave up, (happened to be my car) and a couple weeks later the alternator died. Replaced the alternator, and the noise was magically gone.

 

[EagleAutosports]

A buzz/whine that increases with the speed of the engine is a ground loop problem.

 

[Snackmaster]

Wow! I've had this same issue in our 96GT forever but I just live with it. I have the stock Mach 460 and had just planned on replacing everything eventually with an ipod friendly unit.

I didn't know other people were having this issue...

:bigthumbsup

 

[ahhjoshsemperfi]

yes i have the stock mach audio system, and i figured it was something to the effect the ground loop, and im tracing all the wires in the system.. its not fun my car is almost barbones.. but the head unit thing i didnt think about. im deffinitly going to have to check that out a little more.. for now ill just keep tracing wires eliminating options till i get it.. ill keep you updated and thanks for your help!

 

[racin366]

Could also be RFI, happens when you run an amp wire too close to certain ignition powered wires, if its always been there, that would be my first guess. Does the car have an extra audio equipment like subs, amps, etc?

 

[gostriderblack]

mine did this and my cd player wouldnt work i got a new head unit and it quit makein the buzz but i hear ya the worst sound ever

 

[ahhjoshsemperfi]

Hey everyone, sorry about not replying but i talked to a Ford Tech and he said its my amp going bad, so im gonna buy a used one and see if that fixes it! *crosses fingers*

 

[02 shaker]

Yes, like bullitt said , it's a ground issue, or it's an alternator problem. I have had the same issue before in other vehicles. I also test drove an 04 GT a few months ago....when I turned on the radio, (factory radio), I heard the whining noise in the speakers, but at the same time, the alternator light was on. I told the guy at the lot about this, I don't think he cared, and I didn't buy the car either! LOL.....It was a little rough, and looks like it was ragged on.