[Engine Whine]

Most engine noise is related to one of three things: Power/ground cabling and connections, RCA cabling and placement, or vehicle charging system problems.

You should be using the correct-sized power wire for the current demands of the equipment you're using. We recommend at least 8-gauge power and ground cable to power each amplifier you use, although we'll recommend running 4-gauge if you have more then two units due to the dynamic power requirements some amplifiers have. Plus, with 4-gauge, you'll have the opportunity to add more amps later without having to re-run power cable. Your ground cable should be less than 18" long, the same exact size as the power cable, bolted directly to a solid, thick steel part of the chassis which is scraped clean of any paint or primer for best possible grounding. Your positive power cable should be attached directly to the vehicle's battery using a high-quality battery post adapter, and must be fused within 18" of the battery itself. To avoid unnecessary noise, you should also add an additional ground cable, at least the same gauge as the power cable, to the negative (-) side of the battery and bolt it directly to the frame within 12" to 18" (this gives the vehicle a better grounding plane). Inside the car, the head unit of the vehicle must NEVER be grounded to the factory wiring - always ground your head unit to the same place your amps and other audio components are grounded. It's best to use a distribution block for this.

Your RCA's need to be run separately and away from any power cabling - like the power cable for the amplifier or any factory wiring harnesses. You shouldn't be running your remote turn-on wire with the RCA's; you should run your remote turn-on with an additional ground wire, so that you can ground your head unit to the exact same place your amplifier is grounded, and all power cables should be run down the opposite side of the vehicle from your RCA's. Your RCA's should be a high-quality type like our Connecting Punch Gamma-geometry or twisted-pair cables, and you need to make sure they're not pinched or there's not a screw run through them accidentally.

The car's alternator or battery may also have a problem. If you've loaded down the alternator for too long, it might be starting to fail, and will cause unwanted noise through the audio system. Additionally, a failing battery can pass noise through to your system too, but this is less common. To be absolutely sure, we suggest taking your vehicle to the dealer or an auto parts store that can load-test your battery and alternator - they can determine if you're having major problems. If you're simply not getting enough power to your system anyway, it would be a good idea to upgrade your alternator to a higher-output model for best performance.