recently installed kicker amp and sub to my aftermarket Eclipse Navigation system...i have engine noise....its mostly noticeable when the headlights are on...wires are not run on one side as everyone is accusing me of...tried a noise filter...but engine noise still there...any solutions? reason? suggestions? comments? thanks people!

 

Most likely a gound issue, try relocating the ground somewhere else. also make sure the power wire is away from the RCA's.

 

check your ground on the deck and amp

 

With good RCA's it shouldn't even make a difference... I run my ZN6 RCA's alongside my power, and have no feedback.
Well, I do have feedback... but that's a whole different issue right now. [:@]

 

be sure you have a solid ground. the best way would be to make it as short as possible and have bare metal to bare metal contact. That should solve you problem

 

sometimes it helps to ground the amp and the deck at the same location

 

It's easy to say it's a ground.... but it's not necessarily that easy to locate which ground is causeing the problem.You would need more information before you can make a suggestion. So let's check a few things...

First, is this engine noise comming through the subs? That's very rare (especially if you are using the x-over properly, engine noises tend to be higher frequencies than subs will produce) -you have some serious problems, probably an alternator believe it or not.

Second, if the noise is not in the subs but in the mids and highs, do you have another amp in the system? If there are two amps and maybe up to three sets of RCA's then the probelm is probably a ground loop or bad RCA cable or even the source unit (the eclipse). With the car and system on, unplug the RCA's one set at a time (try it in different orders too). When does the noise go away? This could help point you to a problem area. Sometimes when I have a problem with multiple RCA's creating ground loops I solder a wire to the shield of each cable then ground them to the back of the head unit.

Third, if you are only running the one amp (for subs) and you are getting engine noise through the Mids and Highs that are powered off the Eclipse head unit you probably have a bad head unit or a shorted speaker wire.

Fourth, if you are running amps to power all your speaker and unplugging the RCA's doesn't make the noise go away then you most likely have a bad ground on the amp(s) or your amps are damaged.

So as you can see, this may not be just simply re-grounding a wire, I'd really need more information about the design of the system. Post up the details or PM me for more help. GL

 

Easy: don't turn the engine on!

Actually, I don't know much about car audio, but I have set up several 2 meter rigs in my house and noise (interference) is always an issue. From transformers to flourecent lights to the microwave, it always sucks. Try a couple of ferrite EMI supressors, you can get them at local do-it-yourself electronics shops. They can sometimes do the trick, and they don't cost much.