FACTS:
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Did not realize that the ground wire in the factory harness goes in one side and does not come out the other!!!!

I installed my Alpine 9813 HU a while back using the Circuit city Metra wiring harneses (two of them) which is how Circuit City installs their head units with no splicing.

My HU is obviously NOT grounded as I used the existing harness wires in combination with the Circuit City harnesses.


The Symptom:
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The problem I'm having is that I have the alternator whine sound every now and then through my speakers which can be VERY annoying.


The Question:
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Will grounding my head unit properly fix this problem?

I've heard that the main cause of this issue is usually poor grounding and this appears to be the case.

Looking for anybody with experience with this type of problem.

Thanks!!

 

You must ground it to something metallic behind the dash. I never use the wiring harness. I am about to put a HU in my car as well, but can tell you from experience that it can sometimes make a huge difference.

 

Ok, well I grounded the ground wire from the harness to a metal spot in the center console and the whining noise appears to be gone now.

WTF?!?!? Why the hell doesn't the factory wiring harness ground wire actually go anywhere? That is SO STUPID!

Well, I hope that this fixes it, but if anyone has had the same problem or is having the same problem I am VERY interested in hearing from you.

 

The stock setup usually relies on the antenna to supply the ground. This usually works okay with the factor setup but not with the aftermarket units.

 

Well I regrounded mine to serveral spot but seem to end up with some whine.. Not as much now but still some.
Also I'm running an amp so that makes it a bit worse.

 

Mine has been whining since my initial install, but as soon as I ran the ground wire from the HU to one of the four bolts around the shifter for a ground, the whine is GONE!

I too have an amp, but I am certain that the amp ground is solid. I used one of the existing holes in the back floor area underneath the strut. I found a bolt that fit the an existing hole with threads.

Good luck.