Alternator Whine!!! Pls Help!

[Rookie]

Ugh.... I had a 6cd pioneer changer installed a couple of months ago and I got the slightest alternator whine every once in a while but I never really heard it and it didn't bother me. I just had a pioneer XM receiver installed and the changer piggy backs off it so I can keep my factory deck. Now the whine is so bad!!!! It changes in volume with the music and is just flat out LOUD! The whine is only present when listening to XM and CD, not radio.

Any help would be really appreciated! I did a search and I am supposed to look for bad grounds? How should the XM and CD changer be powered up? Should they both hook directly to the battery with the + and -? Or should they follow another path? I am using the stock prewired cable to hook up the XM/CD to the deck.

Thanks all,
Pat

[jllphan]

So, do you have the oem changer made for BMW, or is it an RF modulated unit with a remote display (you said you had the oem deck, so it's one of the two)? And where does the XM piggy back into the changer lead?

Yes it's a bad ground, but I could help out much easier if I knew more about the aforementioned...

[Rookie]

Well my changer is actually hooked in the same way an OEM would be hooked in. The prewired cable from the headunit goes to a converter box that the xm plugs into. Then my changer plugs into my xm unit. Nothing is really modulated it just takes BMW speciality cable and turns it into a standard changer cable. Hope this helps?

[DaveW]

Check your wiring. Make sure the power cables and the signal cables aren't ran next to each other. I had the same issue and I had to completely rewire my system with the cables not run next to each other. Once I did the whine was gone. The current running through the power cables interferes with the line level signal cable.

Anyway, that's what fixed mine.

[jllphan]

Dave illustrates one of many potential causes for such an annoyance. Keeping signal cable away from power lines is a good idea.

I still don't quite have your entire install down. Do you have one of those Blitzsafe adaptors? Does it have two inputs (one for the changer and one for the XM) and an oem changer out? This converter box you have, explain.

If it's not merely an adaptor, is this box powered? If so move the black wire to a better ground spot.

[Rookie]

I am using a sound gate adapter that the xm unit plugs into. Because I am running a pioneer changer and a pioneer xm my changer plugs into the aux input on the xm. This way I can have both xm and a changer all on my factory deck. All I have to do is hold down the scan button for two seconds and it will switch from changer to xm. Kind of nice for a real stealth install.

I think I may have found the grounding issue, the ground wires from the changer, xm, and the soundgate all come together into one butt connector and then one wire goes to the battery.

I am not sure if this is the problem or if the issue is in the signal cable being run next to power. Does it matter if the source wire, ie changer preamp runs next to power or just line level to the speakers? The other thing that leads me to believe it is an issue with the signal wires is the fact that the whine is alot louder while listening to XM than it is with the changer.

Thanks for your advice guys, I will hopefully fix the problem this weekend!

[jllphan]

I didn't quite understand the last part, but I would say it's probably a culmination of the two. I would definately use a different ground spot for the soundgate, and one for the changer and XM. Those adaptors can be dirty and send ground faults through the other components. Also you want your speaker wire, and signal cable seperate from any power or ground.

[blp]

I have a similar install (OEM Bluetooth, OEM Sirius, Blitzsafe adapter into Alpine CD Changer)

With Bluetooth + CD no whine; Bluetooth + Sirius + CD =alternator whine

I have tried everything to no avail. Dealer recommends the OEM CD changer. Would rather not, obviously.

Blitzsafe claims it's not their adapter as it works w/o Sirius

Looking for a solution. Perhaps a filter between Sirius and blitzsafe. Any suggestions

BLP