speakers in car crackle when car is turned on

[QueBert]

I technically have my whole system hooked up, it sounds great when the car's off, but when I turn it on my front speakers crackle badly. I unplugged the RCA's from the amp so it's not that. I also had the speakers re-wired a few years ago for the same problem, it helped it somewhat but not a lot. Neighbor said it's probably the ground wire, but the rear speakers sound fine. I'm stumped here, what can I try to fix this?

 

[jlee]

Are both sets of speakers running off of the same amp?

 

[QueBert]

Yes, it's a 4 channel amp, I unhooked all the wires and am going to re-wire it again right now to see what happens. Don't think it's the head units ground because I would think if 1 speaker would crackle, they all would (should) Don't think it's the amp because my last amp did the same thing. And I don't think it's the speakers, because it only does it when I turn my car on. But UGH, since I can't figure it out maybe I'm completely wrong here

 

[BlackTigers]

Do you have the power wires running on the same side of the car as the signal wires?

What head unit do you have? Some have problems with the RCA's not being grounded on the back of the HU, it's a free, 15 minute fix.

 

[QueBert]

By signal do you mean rca's? those are running on the same side as my 4 gauge power. My head unit is a Panasonic cq-C9901U, a few years ago, well 2005. But when I got it, it was a pretty highly rated deck.

1 other question for anyone, I was re-wiring it this morning, had it on for maybe 30 minutes at low volume while I figured out which speaker wires were which so I could get my RCA's hooked up right. After I was done I tried to start my car and it wouldn't start. 2000 Taurus, with a battery that's less than a year old. It hasn't had any car stereo stuff hooked to it until this week. Amps claim 124x4 and 400, the 400 watt one has some BS sounding label that says "400 watts + 400 watt subsonic" or something. They're Performance Teknique so I wouldn't be surprised at all if they're barely putting out half their rated wattage. I wouldn't think 30-40 minutes at low volumes (less than 1/3rd) would drain a battery. Should I be worried here?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: QueBert
By signal do you mean rca's? those are running on the same side as my 4 gauge power. My head unit is a Panasonic cq-C9901U, a few years ago, well 2005. But when I got it, it was a pretty highly rated deck.

1 other question for anyone, I was re-wiring it this morning, had it on for maybe 30 minutes at low volume while I figured out which speaker wires were which so I could get my RCA's hooked up right. After I was done I tried to start my car and it wouldn't start. 2000 Taurus, with a battery that's less than a year old. It hasn't had any car stereo stuff hooked to it until this week. Amps claim 124x4 and 400, the 400 watt one has some BS sounding label that says "400 watts + 400 watt subsonic" or something. They're Performance Teknique so I wouldn't be surprised at all if they're barely putting out half their rated wattage. I wouldn't think 30-40 minutes at low volumes (less than 1/3rd) would drain a battery. Should I be worried here?

The RCAs should always run apart from the power cable.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: QueBert
By signal do you mean rca's? those are running on the same side as my 4 gauge power. My head unit is a Panasonic cq-C9901U, a few years ago, well 2005. But when I got it, it was a pretty highly rated deck.

1 other question for anyone, I was re-wiring it this morning, had it on for maybe 30 minutes at low volume while I figured out which speaker wires were which so I could get my RCA's hooked up right. After I was done I tried to start my car and it wouldn't start. 2000 Taurus, with a battery that's less than a year old. It hasn't had any car stereo stuff hooked to it until this week. Amps claim 124x4 and 400, the 400 watt one has some BS sounding label that says "400 watts + 400 watt subsonic" or something. They're Performance Teknique so I wouldn't be surprised at all if they're barely putting out half their rated wattage. I wouldn't think 30-40 minutes at low volumes (less than 1/3rd) would drain a battery. Should I be worried here?

The RCAs should always run apart from the power cable.

Well they're on the same side, but not running together, the power is underneath the frame and the RCA's are inside along the floor panel. Is that still too close?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: QueBert

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: QueBert
By signal do you mean rca's? those are running on the same side as my 4 gauge power. My head unit is a Panasonic cq-C9901U, a few years ago, well 2005. But when I got it, it was a pretty highly rated deck.

1 other question for anyone, I was re-wiring it this morning, had it on for maybe 30 minutes at low volume while I figured out which speaker wires were which so I could get my RCA's hooked up right. After I was done I tried to start my car and it wouldn't start. 2000 Taurus, with a battery that's less than a year old. It hasn't had any car stereo stuff hooked to it until this week. Amps claim 124x4 and 400, the 400 watt one has some BS sounding label that says "400 watts + 400 watt subsonic" or something. They're Performance Teknique so I wouldn't be surprised at all if they're barely putting out half their rated wattage. I wouldn't think 30-40 minutes at low volumes (less than 1/3rd) would drain a battery. Should I be worried here?

The RCAs should always run apart from the power cable.

Well they're on the same side, but not running together, the power is underneath the frame and the RCA's are inside along the floor panel. Is that still too close?

I don't know what the recommended distance is...I run them down opposite sides of the car.

Your power cable runs outside of the car? I'd be concerned about it getting damaged by road debris/etc.

 

[brblx]

you need to do some serious reading on installing car audio if you've run your batt cable both near the rca's and outside the car.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: brblx
you need to do some serious reading on installing car audio if you've run your batt cable both near the rca's and outside the car.

I didn't install the power cable, Circuit City did that when they installed my system about 5 years ago. I was actually unaware of how it had been ran until this morning when I checked to see if it was next to the RCA's. I'm going to be pulling it out and re-running it. They ran it along the wheel well and it's exposed underneath the body. I knew places like CC weren't known for having great installers, but I figured they did a good enough job. I guess not lol.

 

[funboy6942]

Bad ground on the motor, there should be a strap going from motor to body of car, OR, bad spark plug wires causing high resistance and your stereo/amp over exaggerates that poor ground or wires by you hearing crackle or "sound" unwanted through your speakers.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: funboy6942
Bad ground on the motor, there should be a strap going from motor to body of car, OR, bad spark plug wires causing high resistance and your stereo/amp over exaggerates that poor ground or wires by you hearing crackle or "sound" unwanted through your speakers.

I will look into both of those, now that you mention sound in quotations, I remember when I had my old amp if the volume wasn't that loud I'd hear a whuring sound when I accelerated and it would get louder the faster I went.

*EDIT* I actually got all the way under the car, apparently the power wire's just exposed for about a 2 feet section and then it's ran on the bottom inside of the door where it's supposed to be. Apparently they were too lazy to drill a new hole in the firewall. the exposed part isn't even covered with that black loom shit. Now I have to yank the wire up and find a hole in the firewall to run it through. I'm really glad right now that Circuit City is gone or I would bitch at them to hell for this. The ironic thing is it took for forever to get my stereo installed. I'm talking multiple days, one of which they had it all day. I have a Ford with the Mach system, and upgrading it to an aftermarket HU + amps is a PITA. I know a few other stereo places around here wouldn't even touch my car lol.

I re-ran the RCA's on the opposite side, hopefully that'll help the crackling noise.

 

[jlee]

The whine varying with RPM is indicative of a bad ground.

 

[brblx]

i would definitely pull the power wire, check it for any damage, then run it through the firewall and under a door sill as per typical installations. i doubt you'll have any interference issues with the signal cables on the other side of the car.

since the signal going to your amp is low level (unamplified, low voltage), it's very sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which a thick copper cable can supply in spades.

also, 30 minutes at a reasonable volume should not kill your battery. i would have the battery checked- if you run by the parts store, i believe most will check it with a conductance tester for free. you should also check the charging voltage at the battery when running.

 

[QueBert]

brblx - will do, a question I'm a electrical n00b. I have a volt meter and want to check for a drain when the car's off. This morning my car wouldn't start after the 40'ish minutes the stereo was on while I tuned it. But a bit ago (5 hours later about) it started fine. I shut it off without driving it and it wouldn't start a few minutes later. I'm guessing that's because the battery was too law and I should have drove it on the freeway for a few miles to get the alternator working. Assuming the battery tests ok, and seeing how it started after sitting for a few hours. I'd have to eliminate the alternator as bad right? The battery seems to charge the longer it sits. Any ways I thought I'd ask this before I headed to Pep Boys, it will take awhile for them to test it. And maybe by the time I get back somebody will have more advice for me. I'm pulling my hair out here. About having my voltage tested can I do that with a volt meter or do I need to have Autozone or some auto store do it?

I'm about to go have the battery tested, I pulled off the terminals and cleaned the bit of acid that was around them. and scrubbed the terms and the connectors down with a toothbrush and a bit of Coke, amazing how Coke chomped thru the acid like it was nothing lol.

thanks for your help guys, I'm trying really hard to figure all this out on my own but it's new to me and I'm finding out I have a lot to learn. 4th stereo I've hooked up in my cars, never had a problem with 1 until now. So I never had to troubleshoot and figure out why shit was going wrong.

 

[brblx]

are you saying the car wouldn't start, then you left it alone (not running), came out later, and it started? 'cause that's not a battery issue, as they've rarely been known to charge themselves. if the car wouldn't crank at all (exactly what noises it make when you tried?) and then turned over fine later, i would be looking at something else, like a bad ignition switch or starter relay.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: brblx
are you saying the car wouldn't start, then you left it alone (not running), came out later, and it started? 'cause that's not a battery issue, as they've rarely been known to charge themselves. if the car wouldn't crank at all (exactly what noises it make when you tried?) and then turned over fine later, i would be looking at something else, like a bad ignition switch or starter relay.

you're right, the battery tested okay. If I remember correctly, it turned over a few times I shut it off, and when I tried again it didn't make any noise. When I went back later it started, I drove it around the block to see what would happen, it was fine. When I got home I tried turning the radio on, without any volume, it came on, shut off the car after about 5 minutes. Tried right away and it click-click-clicked. When it's dying the power windows and door locks work, and my stereo still works. I tested it by putting some volume my stereo. Also my headlights seemed to be on full, it was day time so I couldn't tell 100%, but they didn't look dim.

What's puzzling me is I've had zero issues for a long time now, and as soon as I hook up my stereo shit starts to go haywire. Even with my limited auto knowledge, it seems it would have to have something to do with the stereo/amps.

 

[brblx]

if it's making a loud clicking sound, that's the starter solenoid try to engage, but it can't, because it's either a) broken or b) doesn't have enough juice. probably the latter.

you may have an existing issue that the stereo is exacerbating. or it could be completely unrelated- cars do weird things. i would make sure battery terminals and starter connections are clean and tight, and check the voltage at the starter b+ terminal while cranking. if it's low, check voltage drop across the starter cables while cranking. you place one meter lead at one end of the cable, and another at the other end. the meter reads the amount of voltage difference between those two points. if the cable or connection is bad (and the battery is good) you will seeing a higher than normal drop in voltage across the cable. anything more than maybe half a volt is definitely a problem. check between the battery positive terminal and starter b+ terminal, the battery negative and the chassis, and the chassis and the engine.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: QueBert
brblx - will do, a question I'm a electrical n00b. I have a volt meter and want to check for a drain when the car's off. This morning my car wouldn't start after the 40'ish minutes the stereo was on while I tuned it. But a bit ago (5 hours later about) it started fine. I shut it off without driving it and it wouldn't start a few minutes later. I'm guessing that's because the battery was too law and I should have drove it on the freeway for a few miles to get the alternator working. Assuming the battery tests ok, and seeing how it started after sitting for a few hours. I'd have to eliminate the alternator as bad right? The battery seems to charge the longer it sits. Any ways I thought I'd ask this before I headed to Pep Boys, it will take awhile for them to test it. And maybe by the time I get back somebody will have more advice for me. I'm pulling my hair out here. About having my voltage tested can I do that with a volt meter or do I need to have Autozone or some auto store do it?

I'm about to go have the battery tested, I pulled off the terminals and cleaned the bit of acid that was around them. and scrubbed the terms and the connectors down with a toothbrush and a bit of Coke, amazing how Coke chomped thru the acid like it was nothing lol.

thanks for your help guys, I'm trying really hard to figure all this out on my own but it's new to me and I'm finding out I have a lot to learn. 4th stereo I've hooked up in my cars, never had a problem with 1 until now. So I never had to troubleshoot and figure out why shit was going wrong.

That may very well have been your problem right there. :thumbsup:

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: QueBert
brblx - will do, a question I'm a electrical n00b. I have a volt meter and want to check for a drain when the car's off. This morning my car wouldn't start after the 40'ish minutes the stereo was on while I tuned it. But a bit ago (5 hours later about) it started fine. I shut it off without driving it and it wouldn't start a few minutes later. I'm guessing that's because the battery was too law and I should have drove it on the freeway for a few miles to get the alternator working. Assuming the battery tests ok, and seeing how it started after sitting for a few hours. I'd have to eliminate the alternator as bad right? The battery seems to charge the longer it sits. Any ways I thought I'd ask this before I headed to Pep Boys, it will take awhile for them to test it. And maybe by the time I get back somebody will have more advice for me. I'm pulling my hair out here. About having my voltage tested can I do that with a volt meter or do I need to have Autozone or some auto store do it?

I'm about to go have the battery tested, I pulled off the terminals and cleaned the bit of acid that was around them. and scrubbed the terms and the connectors down with a toothbrush and a bit of Coke, amazing how Coke chomped thru the acid like it was nothing lol.

thanks for your help guys, I'm trying really hard to figure all this out on my own but it's new to me and I'm finding out I have a lot to learn. 4th stereo I've hooked up in my cars, never had a problem with 1 until now. So I never had to troubleshoot and figure out why shit was going wrong.

That may very well have been your problem right there. :thumbsup:

I would love for that to be it, but with my luck I doubt it will be that easy. Although I have played the stereo for awhile since, and stopped and started the car like 10 times and it's all good so far. *fingers crossed* my sub stopped working tonight though, so I guess if the power problem was fixed, I got a new problem to troubleshoot WEEE! I love cars.

 

[hanoverphist]

i just had a similar problem with my truck. i had already cleaned thhe terminals tho, so i was stumped. until i saw some green on the wire itself, just at the edge of the insulation. turns ouot the cable had corroded inside the insulation. i pulled the terminal apart, cleaned the cable itself and put it all back together. no probs with starts since then. it was weird like yours, sometimes it would start, soometimes it would act like a bad battery or starter

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: brblx
if it's making a loud clicking sound, that's the starter solenoid try to engage, but it can't, because it's either a) broken or b) doesn't have enough juice. probably the latter.

you may have an existing issue that the stereo is exacerbating. or it could be completely unrelated- cars do weird things. i would make sure battery terminals and starter connections are clean and tight, and check the voltage at the starter b+ terminal while cranking. if it's low, check voltage drop across the starter cables while cranking. you place one meter lead at one end of the cable, and another at the other end. the meter reads the amount of voltage difference between those two points. if the cable or connection is bad (and the battery is good) you will seeing a higher than normal drop in voltage across the cable. anything more than maybe half a volt is definitely a problem. check between the battery positive terminal and starter b+ terminal, the battery negative and the chassis, and the chassis and the engine.

Mr. Expert I have another question, I got up this morning and my car started instantly, I was hooking up my 2nd amps (2 channel) rca's and turning the car on and off while I tuned it. I'd have it off for no more than maybe 5-10 minutes at a pop. Then I'd restart it, because I was paranoid lol. I did this maybe 4 times, each time it started instantly again. The last time I tried it though *click click click* so I pulled out my voltage meter to check the voltage like you suggestion, it must have blown a fuse because it stopped registering anything after a few minutes of messing with it. I don't have spare fuses right now and no way to get to the auto store to get more (yet)

A neighbor came over to help, I tried to start it *click click click* this happened twice, the 3rd time no sound at all. I tried the horn and it made a soft beep and cut off after a fraction of a second. Seems my battery is dead, power doors and windows are still working. Is there anything else I can try until I get a working volt meter. At this point I've given up on the stereo and disconnected the fuse from the battery and don't plan on re-hooking it again. As much as I love music I don't want to mess with this knowing I probably won't be able to figure it out.

Originally posted by: hanoverphist
i just had a similar problem with my truck. i had already cleaned thhe terminals tho, so i was stumped. until i saw some green on the wire itself, just at the edge of the insulation. turns ouot the cable had corroded inside the insulation. i pulled the terminal apart, cleaned the cable itself and put it all back together. no probs with starts since then. it was weird like yours, sometimes it would start, soometimes it would act like a bad battery or starter

Really? It's worth a shot, I did buy some new terminal cover thingies. I might try this, I don't have anything to lose here.

 

[BATCH71]

Worst case scenario, try a direct wired connection to the negative side of the battery. I had an amp with a ground loop whine that made me F'ing nutz until I ran a dedicated ground to the battery. Every install is different. I have had plenty of good ones and a few .WTF'ers

BTW the ground loop ended up being one of the amp screw mountings to the car did not have the plastic insert so the chassis of the amp was grounded on 1 of 4 mounts. A real pain in the ass.

Good Luck!

Dave

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: BATCH71
Worst case scenario, try a direct wired connection to the negative side of the battery. I had an amp with a ground loop whine that made me F'ing nutz until I ran a dedicated ground to the battery. Every install is different. I have had plenty of good ones and a few .WTF'ers

BTW the ground loop ended up being one of the amp screw mountings to the car did not have the plastic insert so the chassis of the amp was grounded on 1 of 4 mounts. A real pain in the ass.

Good Luck!

Dave

Thanks, but actually with the problems and me not being able to pin point, I unhooked the fuse from the battery and won't be re-hooking the stereo up again. Hopefully whatever problems I've had over the past 3 days will be gone now the stereo is disconnected. If it's still giving me problems I'll have to take it to someone who's good with electrical systems to troubleshoot it. I don't think at this point I'm brave enough to re-hook up the stereo. A guy on Taurus Club is telling me "don't worry, just leave the car running when you have the stereo on you'll be fine!" I see that leading me to a bad battery and/or Alternator really quick lol.

I didn't have a lick of problems before this stereo *knock on wood* so hopefully without it, I can go back to being problem free.