[4x4high]

It's been many years since I've had a good stereo system and that's all about to change here shortly. I recently installed a new Alpine deck CDE-175BT and just last week I ordered a Rockford Fosgate P1000X5 amp, RFC1D 1 Farad Digital Capacitor, RFCB140 140 amp circuit breaker, T1650 6.5" 2 way coax speakers, T1692 6"x9" 2 way coax speakers, Kicker Free air KFM104 subs, and a complete Fosgate wire install kit.

 

[SSJason]

I'd love to see pics! I'm getting ready to put in a new system in my 96DCM as well. Need to deal with a rear oil leak first then decide what head unit to go with (single din or double).

 

[4x4high]

Finally made a new baffle board and mounted the subs and test fit to make sure everything was going to fit correctly. Now I just need to remove the back seat and drill some mounting holes to hold the baffle board and install the inserts into the baffle board before I can cover it with trunk liner material to finish it off.

 

[4x4high]

A little further progress today. I built a metal bracket that will keep the hinge covers in place properly and also be the mounting location for the board that will hide everything from the trunk opening forward except the portion of the spare tire that will protrude through the backside. Next will be to make a template so I can cut said board and install it.

 

[Frasierraheen]

Looking great so far, I cant wait to see the final result. Please keep the pics coming

 

[4x4high]

Figured I'd give an update. The project got put on hold for now since the wife blindsided me with "she wants a divorce". That along with the rain and no indoor space to do anything put it on hold for now at least until I get some sunny weather to work with.

 

[4x4high]

Well I'm back to working on this stereo upgrade. Started by pulling the driver door panel off so I can mount the speaker adapter.


Not sure why these pics rotated once uploaded, sorry about that I don't know how to fix that.

I started off by using an existing hole in the door skin to install a 1/4-20 Klik Poly-nut insert. Next I had bought a pair of speaker adapters so I now laid it in place and used the new mounting hole and proceeded to marking the other 3 bolt hole locations. Now I removed the adapter and drilled the next 3 holes and installed the Klik Poly-nut inserts in those locations as well. Now I bolted the adapters in place and then mounted the speakers to the adapter with a Boom Mat between the speaker and adapter. Next I reinstalled the door panel only to find out the adapters I bought won't work with the speakers I'm using because it pushed the speakers too far out towards the door panel and they hit the door panel pretty bad. So I removed everything and used the adapters as templates to make some new adapters that were flat rather than the roughly 5/8" extended ones I bought. Now that the new adapters are made I bolted everything back together and this time the speakers clear without any issues. I did need to cut some of the inner door skin to clear the frame of the speakers.

 

[4x4high]

Finally finished up my stereo system yesterday. Since I haven't had a system in so long I was obviously listing to it LOUD most of the day, unfortunately late last night Ieft a friends house and noticed a whine with the stereo not so loud. This is frustrating and now need to figure out how to get rid of it. Any ideas?

 

[Frasierraheen]

Finally finished up my stereo system yesterday. Since I haven't had a system in so long I was obviously listing to it LOUD most of the day, unfortunately late last night Ieft a friends house and noticed a whine with the stereo not so loud. This is frustrating and now need to figure out how to get rid of it. Any ideas?

Check your grounds and ensure they ground to clean metal, gound loop noise is an ear sore.

Are you running a amplifier, if so check the grounds and make sure the RCA'S aren't running along side power wires this can also cause whining.

Is the whining engine depicted or a stead whine. Engine electrical noise, the whine increase as engine speed does. If so do the big 3 and grab a ground loop isolator.

 

[4x4high]

Check your grounds and ensure they ground to clean metal, gound loop noise is an ear sore.

Are you running a amplifier, if so check the grounds and make sure the RCA'S aren't running along side power wires this can also cause whining.

Is the whining engine depicted or a stead whine. Engine electrical noise, the whine increase as engine speed does. If so do the big 3 and grab a ground loop isolator.

Yes I'm running a 5 channel 1000 watt Rockford Fosgate amp. I still need to recheck my ground wire. (This problem only started AFTER installing the Amp so it could easily be a ground issue with the Amp).

RCA's are running next to passenger side trans tunnel and power wires are running along passenger side rocker panel (inside of car).

Whining is related to engine RPM (as RPM's go up so does whine)

Already am running the big 3 from Gary at Innovative Wiring.

What is a ground loop isolator and where do I get one?

 

[gbhs72]

Just a quick search brought this up. https://www.ebay.com/b/ground-loop-isolator/bn_7024803441 I'll wager you can find one local but at a higher price. It will be available sooner though. I hope this stops your whining.:wink2:

Mark: Snowman-33

 

[Frasierraheen]

I usually keep a few 3.5mm rca cables and female adapters to isolate defective components. If you wanna check the amp grab one of these 3.5 mm RCA's from Walmart and disconnect the RCA from the headunit and connect these. Crank the car and use your cellphone to provide music to the amp. If it still whines, then you have isolated it the amp, if the whine disappears then start going back towards the headunit.

 

[4x4high]

So you're saying to run that cable in the lower pic from my cell aux to the RCA adapter then into my amp and play music through my cell and see what happens?

 

[Frasierraheen]

Yes, that way you will bypass your head unit and RCA, to check and see if the whining is coming from the amp or your headunit. Sorry for the late reply I'm in South Korea and it's a 13hr difference.

 

[4x4high]

So as long as I disconnect ALL of the RCA's to the amp from the head unit I only need to run a single 3.5mm AUX to RCA adapter into one of the inputs and check for the whine correct? I'm assuming if there is a whine it would happen from ALL inputs?

 

[Frasierraheen]

Yes if it whines from the 3.5 then check the amps grounds, or the amp could be defective. If no whining then reconnect the RCAs and head up front and disconnect from the deck and use the female connectors with the 3.5 and check for and whine. If it whines then replace the RCAs. If not reconnect the headunit and if it whines, check the grounds and the rcas output on the headunit

 

[4x4high]

Thanks, that's a big help in diagnosing this thing. This morning I removed the ground wire at the frame and cleaned very good down to bare metal and reattached the ground wire with no change in the whine. I also read that the ground for the amp should be separate from the ground for the capacitor but my ground wire leaves the frame then goes to a junction block and continues over to the capacitor so I'm about to separate those grounds to eliminate that as being an issue as well.

 

[4x4high]

Yes if it whines from the 3.5 then check the amps grounds, or the amp could be defective. If no whining then reconnect the RCAs and head up front and disconnect from the deck and use the female connectors with the 3.5 and check for and whine. If it whines then replace the RCAs. If not reconnect the headunit and if it whines, check the grounds and the rcas output on the headunit

Well I did as you suggested (at the amp end) and no more whine, now I need to pull the lower dash so I can get the deck out and use the female connectors and check from the deck side of the RCA's back.


Pulled lower dash to access deck. I removed all the RCA's from the head unit and one at a time I went from cell phone to RCA's and still no whine, I'm guessing now it must be a ground issue with the head unit. The deck wiring is what was already in the car (previously had an Alpine deck so same plug as my new Alpine) now I will go ahead and install the wiring that came with my new deck and make sure all of the connections are good and I'll also add a secondary ground to the case of the deck and see if that fixes the issue.

 

[juniorwatson]

Finally made a new baffle board and mounted the subs and test fit to make sure everything was going to fit correctly. Now I just need to remove the back seat and drill some mounting holes to hold the baffle board and install the inserts into the baffle board before I can cover it with trunk liner material to finish it off.

Thanks for posting this picture. I'm in the process of doing something similar, and really like the two additional lights you have.
Do you happen to have a make or manufacturer's P/N for them; a source and price?

I've always thought the trunk can very well use some -REAL- lighting back there, and it looks like your addition should work well.

Thanks!

 

[4x4high]

The trunk light is the original on the left side and all I did was install another original on the right side and then installed some LED's in them. It is really pretty bright now.