Where are you grounded?
08-11-2003, 09:34 AM
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Where are you grounded?
Alright, I have a 99 Integra sedan, and I just put in two amps. (RF Punch 250a2 and a RF 400a4). I spent the entire afternoon trying to find a decent grounding point...........and I am still catching a lot of noise. At first I tried to just ground it to some sheet metal in the trunk.......not good. Then I tried to mount it down by the spare tire.........no better. Then I took out the rear seat and mounted it to a bolt that holds the back of the seat in place........better, but still not great. Then I tried to mount it to where the seat belts are attached, but the bolt is way to big for my ring terminal (Stinger gold plated ring terminal connected to 4 ga grounding wire).........right now I have it mounted to the metal next to where the seatbelts attach.......it is marginal at best.......what should I do? Any suggestions? Is there an easy fix for this? And before anyone suggests sanding the paint and stuff away to get a "clean" fit, I already did that. TIA.
08-11-2003, 01:57 PM
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It sounds like you have tried more than your fair share of grounding points, most which should have been fine. One question that comes up is how "clean" was that ground point?
What I mean is where the ground's ring terminal is contacting the body of the car, make sure to scrape away at the surface of the metal to remove anything like paint, so you are connecting with bare metal.
I have my amp grounded to a bolt that hold the taillight assembly to the body and it seems to work fine.
Otherwise, you might need to look into a ground loop isolator??
Good luck.
What I mean is where the ground's ring terminal is contacting the body of the car, make sure to scrape away at the surface of the metal to remove anything like paint, so you are connecting with bare metal.
I have my amp grounded to a bolt that hold the taillight assembly to the body and it seems to work fine.
Otherwise, you might need to look into a ground loop isolator??
Good luck.
08-11-2003, 02:32 PM
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Why don't you jsut drill a small hole into the body then ground it to there unsing a sheet metal screw. Scrape off the paint and then run a short gorund. Make sure you don't run your rcas and power wire next to each other. I picked up alternation noise form the wires behind the deck. After they were moved away form the harness for the c/ heater controls it helped a lot.
08-11-2003, 09:06 PM
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Are you grounding both amps to the same spot? if so maybe try two different spots or try one at a time. if all else fails maybe try grounding to the battery with the same gauge wire as your positive.
08-11-2003, 09:09 PM
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08-20-2003, 10:10 AM
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PLEASEEE DON"T EVER USE A GROUND LOOP ISOLATOR!!!
that is the band-aid way of doing it...
if you are still getting alot of noise coming from a clean connected ground, then maybe it's not your ground. how did you run your RCA's? what kind of RCA's are you running? are they directional? are you getting engine whine that goes according to your RPM or is it popping noises?
btw, try to keep your ground as short as possible. 2 feet is pretty damn long. most of those places you mentioned are potentially good grounds. i usually scrap the paint off the floor and drill into it. just make sure its not the fuel tank you're drilling into. Good luck!!! :thumbup:
that is the band-aid way of doing it...
if you are still getting alot of noise coming from a clean connected ground, then maybe it's not your ground. how did you run your RCA's? what kind of RCA's are you running? are they directional? are you getting engine whine that goes according to your RPM or is it popping noises?
btw, try to keep your ground as short as possible. 2 feet is pretty damn long. most of those places you mentioned are potentially good grounds. i usually scrap the paint off the floor and drill into it. just make sure its not the fuel tank you're drilling into. Good luck!!! :thumbup:
08-20-2003, 09:11 PM
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The seat belt bolts are probably the best grounding points to go to. Like they said before, clean any paint away with a burnisher, ground all amps to the same place to eliminate any ground loops, and make sure your RCA's are at least 18" away from the pos. lead running from the battery back.