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SolaraGuy.com • View topic - Best ground location for amp in '06 convertible
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Best ground location for amp in '06 convertible

PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 9:06 am
by gmendonc
I've got the dreaded ground loop problem in my 2006 convertible. I suspect it's coming from the amp since it's behind the back seat and furthest away from the battery. I have taken all the normal precautions to prevent the ground loop at the amp such as using a short 4 gauge ground wire, sanded away all the paint from the metal body and mounted the amp on some plywood to isolate it from the metal body but I still hear the alternator whine coming through. I tried some cheap ground loop isolators as a stop gap measure but they didn't help at all. So now I'm thinking I should just run some heavy gauge ground wire straight to the battery to eliminate the ground loop. But before I do that I wanted to see what others here on this forum have used for ground points in the back of their cars and if anyone has had similar ground loop problems what they did to fix them. Any help would be appreciated.

Re: Best ground location for amp in '06 convertible

PostPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 12:10 pm
by Aotoyota
are the RCA running next to the power cable?

they should be as far apart as possible.

also try to unplug the RCAs from the amp and rev the motor.
if its that, it possibly could be your ground. I grounded mine
on the bolt that holds the cupholder things on the left side of
the trunk. i grinded the paint until it was bare metal. then used
a locking washer and the factory bolt. no noise here.

Re: Best ground location for amp in '06 convertible

PostPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 11:24 pm
by corlon
has the noise been there the whole time or is this something new that just happened? is this an amp for subwoofers or full range speakers?

Re: Best ground location for amp in '06 convertible

PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:26 am
by gmendonc
power cables are run on driver's side and rca's are run on passenger side so I don't think that's the problem. I will, however, try unplugging the rca's from the amp to verify if that's where the whine is coming from. I just assumed it was coming from the amp because that's where I see most people have problems with ground loops. I will also try to move the ground cable to the same place you have it and use a lock washer.

Yes, the noise has been there since I installed the amp and upgraded speakers. It's a 5 channel amp that drives an 8 inch polk sub and 4 full range speakers(2 Clarion SRG6932R 6x9's & 2 Kicker KS600 6x5's)