If you are reading this article, you are probably fed up and annoyed with the constant or erratic whining noise that comes from your speakers every time you accelerate while cruising down a highway or while trying to beat the evening traffic madness.
This can leave you feeling quite embarrassed and flustered, and it also takes away from the fun and joy of having an excellent car with a great stereo system.
There are various sounds your stereo can produce when it is not functioning correctly, such as hiss, a static sound, or whining noise from speakers when accelerating. Each sound can point towards different and varying causes.
If you are sure that you hear a whining noise from speakers when accelerating, you will most likely deal with engine noise or alternator whine. This noise is picked up and introduced through the power and ground wires connected to the receiver, and if the engine is the culprit, you are likely to hear a whining or clipping sound.
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The Pitch Usually Tends To Vary With Speed
We all like driving around with a wonderful sound system in our cars. If you enjoy good music and high-quality sound from a nice vehicle radio, you don’t have to become an audiophile to appreciate it. However, there is a common technical fault that may be rather bothersome, and it is just that you will occasionally hear engine noise coming from the speakers.
A pretty typical problem when installing an aftermarket radio or amplifier in a vehicle is engine noise coming through the vehicle’s sound speakers. Typically, the whining sound associated with the noise becomes louder as the engine’s rotational speed is raised.
In this post, we’ll go through the many reasons why speakers make whining noises as you accelerate, as well as how to remedy them.
Car speakers that generate high-pitched noises are most often caused by the alternator whining, the most prevalent source. In most cases, this is caused by an improperly grounded vehicle radio or by voltage interference in RCA cables, among other things. In addition, when the engine RPMs grow, the high-pitched noise emanating from the car speakers becomes more noticeable.
Causes of Whining Noise From Speakers When Accelerating
The usual and typical cause of the engine noise traveling through or getting picked up by the stereo system is usually because of the ground. A typical 12V system will have a 12 volt+ end and 12 volt- end. More often than not, a manufacturing company might ground all or most of the instruments present on the dash at one location.
Such a method works fine for the manufacturers but not so fine for car stereo fanatics and lovers. Whenever we connect and install a brand new stereo system, we might often do it with the help of an installation wire harness.
The role of the wire harness is to match up precisely to the car’s wiring. Therefore, you are most likely receiving your power as well as the ground from the fuse block and a common ground location.
The whining noise is also known as the alternator whine generated from loose or intermittent ground connection and bad ground location.
Non-Alternator Engine Noise Problems
It is possible to pick up additional engine noises unrelated to the alternator if you already have an external amplifier connected to your vehicle. They won’t be whining noises, although it can be the case in some rare cases.
A bad amplifier ground is nearly often the cause of this problem, which may be resolved by ensuring that the amplifier is correctly grounded. It may also be necessary to isolate the amplifier or add a noise filter in some instances.
Other Noise Problems
The majority of the components and cables in a car audio installation have always had the potential to contribute unwanted noise, making it difficult to determine which component or wire is causing the problem.
The problem may be with your antenna or antenna connection if your speakers only complain when you’re listening to the radio but not when you’re listening via your smartphone or other wired connection.
In addition to patch cables, underground cables and other components can pick up undesirable noise. In the case of speaker wires and patch cables, relocating them so that they are sufficiently separated from power cables, and other possible noise sources would solve the problem. Ground problems are frequently resolved by thoroughly cleaning the ground area to establish a strong connection.
Why Are Car Speakers Making High Pitched Sound?
Alternator whining is the most common cause of high-pitched sounds in car audio systems, accounting for around 90 percent of all occurrences.
Alternator whine is a term used to describe the sounds produced by your car’s audio system due to interference caused by power cables in the audio signal wires.
There is a simple technique to determine if alternator whining is present in your car audio system or not. If the high-pitched sound grows while you speed and decreases when the car runs slowly, the problem is caused by the engine.
You’ll need to figure out what’s causing this problem before you can fix it. That will be covered in further detail in the next section.
The Problem May Be With The Wiring Or Component Connectors
The first step is to determine what is causing the problem.
Check the earth/ground wire on your stereo first, and then all other wires linked to the car sound system after that. The alternator ground, its alternator-to-battery interconnection, and the speaker cables are all included in this category. If the whining continues, check the connectors on all the other components to ensure they are all properly connected.
The no-cost, low-cost option for determining the source of the stereo’s whining is to examine faulty ground connections on the speaker. If this procedure does not completely eradicate the whining, a multimeter should be used to verify each component individually.
Also Read: Car Stereo Has Power But No Sound From Speakers
Loose Wire Connection
Loose cables can cause various difficulties with in-car audio, ranging from simple interference to the possibility of a fire. Due to the obvious electric current traveling through the system, loose power wires can be quite harmful.
A frayed or dangling connection should not compromise your audio system. In addition to causing irreparable damage to your speakers, this can also cause permanent damage to your amplifiers.
Inadequate Grounding
The electrical pulses of extraordinarily low voltage convey the audio signal from the circuit to the speakers. Audio cables transmit the electrical impulses from the speakers to the receiver. Because of the electrical charges generated by the engine, the wires can sometimes pick up on these charges, resulting in an unwelcome noise referred to as “ground noise.” This problem may develop if the negative part of the wire is not properly linked to the vehicle’s body.
Noise By Radio Antenna
Whining noises in your car’s audio system might be caused by an antenna or an antenna cable. It’s not difficult to locate. If you listen to the radio and hear whining, but not when you listen through an MP3 player, there is an issue with your antenna or antenna cable, which must be repaired.
Faulty RCA Cables
The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) created color-coded wires in the early 1940s, which were widely used. They are responsible for transmitting audio signals towards the various components of your car system. A broken audio wire may pick up engine noise or perhaps a whining noise from the speakers when driving at high speeds.
Faulty Speaker Wires
The connections that link the amplifier to the speakers and the cables that connect the speakers are not always insulated. It is also possible that poor-quality speaker wiring might cause engine noise to be heard through speakers.
Solutions to fix whining noise from the stereo system
Let’s look through the possible and easy steps you can take to eliminate the whining noise or alternator whine before deciding to take it to the mechanic’s shop!
Before trying out any solution, you must check the ground wire and ensure that it is adequately connected to the car’s chassis with good contact to clean metal. Improper grounding is a common cause of most stereo system noise issues.
Solution #1 – Insert a muting plug
One of the standard solutions you can try is to try and eliminate the head unit as the origin of the annoying noise by unplugging the RCA cables from the amp. After which, you can try to insert a muting plug, i.e., by shorting the RCA plug to the connectors.
Such a method usually eliminates any sort of noise originating from upstream units of the amp, namely the equalizers and the crossovers. In case the noise appears to have been stopped, then you would need to inspect different units near or around the amp.
Begin by plugging in the RCA cables originating from the head unit to the amp directly, and following it by turning on the engine. In case the noise seems to have been eliminated, then the problem lies within an intermediate unit. But in case of the noise returns, you might be dealing with an issue in the head unit. You should acquire the help of a mechanic to proceed further.
Solution #2 – Change the ground location
The fastest and the most holistic solution would be to figure out and locate a new ground location for the component. It is ideal to have it near bare and clean chassis metal.
Most of the time, manufacturers will install whichever factory bolt they might find handy and seems to work at that particular point in time, but it might lead to issues in the future. Factory or manufacturer chosen bolts are not necessarily a bad or poor source, but in the case that the bolts are being used by various electrical parts as ground, then it could be a leading cause of the noise.
You can find a good ground location with the help of a multimeter. Ensure that the meter is set to check and look for continuity, and you can verify that the meter is appropriately set by carefully touching one lead end to another. This will give you a beeping sound from the device, which is an indication of continuity.
Begin by clipping one of the lead ends to a nearby known good source of ground for trial purposes and then move on inspecting the inside of the dash cavity.
Note: If you decide not to find a new ground point, it is essential to ensure that the factory bolt meets the required criteria for noise-free ground.
Find The Source Of Noise
Because the engine should not be the only probable source of interruption, you may want to double-check that the engine is causing the problem.
To find out, first, turn on your car audio with the volume turned up to the highest setting while the engine is running to see what happens. While accelerating, you may even hear a whining noise coming from the speakers. Now is the time to turn off the engine. If the noise goes away, you may be certain that the engine is the source of the problem.
Depending on your preference, you may either place a noise filter here between the alternator and the car battery or place a noise filter in the power cord of the head unit to eliminate noise from getting from the alternator towards the head unit.
In any situation, the alternator will continue to make noise, but noise filters will block the noise, and speakers will not emit whining as a result.
Solution #3 – Installing the ground loop isolator
You can attempt another method if you are comfortable with your tools and knowledge of the vehicle, if not to acquire the assistance of a mechanic.
You can try using a device called the ground loop isolator which is good to use on RCA cables. It is essentially a tiny box with 1:1 ratioed transformers within it, and it breaks apart the electrical connection created by the RCA cables and employs something else known as magnetic coupling.
Such a mechanism helps reduce noise as the music signal is an AC type of voltage, whereas the noise is another type of voltage known as DC voltage that will not pass through the transformer. It is essential to keep in mind that due to the quality of the isolator, it is not unusual to compromise on signal quality, so choose your isolator wisely.
Read our article on Battery Light On But Alternator Is Charging.
If the ground wire of your car audio system is not correctly connected, it might result in alternator whining. Check to verify that all connections are properly grounded to the bare metal surface.
In several cases, you may notice that the ground connection is properly connected, but the car audio system continues to malfunction. In such instances, it could also be due to ground loop interference.
Ground loop interference occurs due to faulty wiring and an inadequately grounded audio system in a car. Simply said, this means that separate components of the car audio system are grounded in distinct grounding surface locations.
Ground loop isolators are one method of getting rid of this interfering signal. Using this method, you will isolate the ground potential and prevent noise from accessing your audio system.
Usually, a straightforward remedy may be found to resolve the engine noise issue. Change the placement of the stereo grounding.
Depending on the stereo, there will be between 10 to 16 wires flowing out of the stereo and into a wire harness clip behind the stereo. Between both the stereo and the very first wire harness clip, you would need to cut the ground (black 12V-) cable to make room for the other wire harness clips.
Solution #4 – Noise Filter
When everything else fails, you may turn to a noise filter to efficiently eliminate engine noise from your speaker system. These handy gadgets, also known as ‘ground loop isolators,’ are made up of two parts: a coaxial plug with such a cable and a filter unit with a socket.
The process of installation is straightforward. Insert the coaxial connector into the stereo socket and attach the RCA wires from your speakers to a stereo socket just on the unit. That’s all there is to it. As a result, you will want an adapter cable with a stereo plug across one end & two RCA sockets on another to connect your RCA cables to your noise filter. You would obtain this adapter cable from every car parts store.
Solution #5 – Correct The Amplifier Cables
The cords in your car audio system might become tough to operate if you have amplifiers in your system. If you make even the slightest error when wiring everything up, you will end up with a high-pitched sound that is uncomfortable for most people.
Take care to ensure that all of the connections are accurate and well-supported. Also, be certain that the speaker cables do not come into contact with one another and that the amplifier does not come into contact with the grounding surface of the car audio system.
Solution #6 – Fixing The Electrical System
If your vehicle is older and has not been serviced in a while, you could have ignition noise. It’s a clicking noise that becomes louder as you go faster and faster. An engine tune-up may be required, including resistor-type spark plugs, protected carbon-core spark plug wiring, a distributor cap, and a coil assembly.
If the noise persists, it is possible that your ignition system is not properly grounded and is transmitting impulses to other components such as your air filter, hood, exhaust system, and so on. Grounding one of the underparts will likely eradicate the noise.
Consider grounding each component separately while your sound system is turned on and the car is running. A component of your car’s electrical system may be grounded, and this may help to reduce the noise. A braided ground strap should make the ground permanent if this is the case.
The “Big Three” upgrade is a highly effective solution for electrical system noise that has been around for a long time. With this, your system’s signal-to-noise ratio will increase due to improved current flow and more stable voltage levels. As previously stated, it also protects against loose or restricted ground connections, which are major causes of noise.
Conclusion
The whining noise you hear every time you accelerate is known as alternator whine and can be pretty embarrassing but relatively simple to fix, either by yourself or with the help of a mechanic. Usually, the source of the issue is a problem with the ground location that you can handle by changing the ground location.
You can also install a good-quality ground loop isolator to eliminate the noise if the origination of the noise is determined. Either way, it is nothing to lose sleep or thousands of dollars over!
With this information, you should be able to comprehend how car speakers take up car engine noise. As you can see, you don’t need to be an expert in vehicle stereos to figure out how to fix this problem. Engine noise in speakers should be eliminated simply by following the instructions in this guide. On the other hand, if your car stereo doesn’t turn on with ignition, you might want to read this article.
We look forward to having this post be informative and entertaining. Please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions, as well as any questions you may have, and we will get back as soon as possible.
FAQS
Why do my speakers make a squealing noise whenever I accelerate?
The alternator in your car is one of the most prevalent sources of speaker whining. The noise likely fluctuates in pitch or strength as the engine RPM changes, and interference from the alternator output is a potential noise source. Place a noise filter between the alternator and the battery to reduce background noise.
How can you get rid of the alternator whine when installing a vehicle amplifier?
It is typically possible to isolate the problem to the head unit by unplugging the RCA wires from the amplifier and placing a muting plug into the RCA connections. Noise originating from components upstream of something like the amplifier, including such crossovers and equalizers, is also eliminated due to this process.
