I've read the other posts on alternator whine so no need to refer me to them please. I installed my 10" L7s this past weekend and they are making awful noises when I turn right, hit bumps, or just out of no where. I ran my RCAs and power wire down opposite sides and the RCAs are good quality. I noticed I also would have this problem with my F150 before I installed them into my 01' 4Runner and I'm tired of it. I also have a Hifonics Brutus 1500BXD.

1st Q: Where did most people ground the amp on 3rd Gens? (I attached mine at the rear seatbelt)

2nd Q: Would grounding the the negative terminal of the battery help? (Read this in an online article, as I'm planning on doing the Big 3 in the future)

3rd Q: Could this be ground loops from the RCAs? (Should I buy an ground loop isolator, cause it seems like the easy fix)

Thanks for the help. All is appreciated as I hope to solve this problem during the weekend.

 

1) first mistake. Make a new ground. Shave off any paint, and tap into the sheet metal from there.

2) no

3) once you fix your ground, check how tight your RCA cables are. If your music sounds fine until you hit a bump, they may be loose.

 

I'm saying I shaved off the paint already and grounded between the seatbelt and the chasis. I've installed a couple of systems so I have a general idea how to go about this. Does anyone else have any advice? Where did you ground your systems in your 4Runner?

 

Your RCA's are picking it up from somewhere. Or maybe the radio is not grounded well. You might want to pull out the RCA's, route them over the seats temporarily just to see if that cuts down on the noise. Or there could be a cut or bad shield on one of them.

 

your rca and power cable are on opposite sides correct? Using cheap RCA cables can also cause "alternator whine"

 

this may sound bad(no pun), try thumping your amp with your fist.if the noise occurs, its your amp. alot of times solder connections will crack and become intermitant.also try wiggling the rca jacks into the amp(rca`s still conn`d) quite often the points where the jacks solder onto the board need to be resoldered.i`ll keep an eye on the thread to see how it goes. what kind of awful noise is it?