Ground Q/A sticky

I don't know if anyone added this yet, , i don't have time to read all the posts.  But iv kinda done some ground testing.

What i have noticed on 75% or more occasions is that when an amplifier is grounded just enough for it to work, , but still not properly, , you will get constant static shocks when exiting your vehicle.

You get this when you don't scrape away paint, but the ground is just enough from the screw itself , or when its rusted.

So if your getting zapped often, ,time to clean your grounds.

First off-

My problem:

To fix this, I bought the Soundgate AUXNISS ( http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=610 ) that plugs into the back of my Bose HU. The cable from the iPod dock plugs into the Soundgate box and the .mp3 now sound like I was playing a CD. At the same time, I installed the PAC AOEM-NIS2 so I could add an additional amp and sub in the trunk. That works fine and the sub sounds awesome.

However, I have a horrible alternator whine/engine noise ONLY when playing the iPod.  This is only when the engine is running. The Soundgate box does not have any grounding wires nor does the iPod/dock. Is there a way to ground either? The Soundgate box is powered via the Alpine amp in the trunk. Should I try to power the Soundgate box a different way? The amp seems to be grounded ok, though I may move it to a different location. I've had quite a bit of discuss on my Maxima board but we aren't installers and can't think of the reason. One guy suggestion ground loop isolators, but from I've read on here, those only seem to band-aid a problem rather than isolating and fixing it.

Any help/info would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks,

Eric,

Quiet!

There is one red and one yellow wire from the AUXNISS that (per the supplied instrustions) are supposed to be connected to +12V, which I thought was odd. So one of these wires should be a ground wire? The only other wires from the AUXNISS are part of a harness that plugs into the changer port on the back of the head unit. I'll look over everything again.

Thanks.

Well, I just got an email back from tech support @ Soundgate and both the yellow and red wires are power wires. One is constant power, one is switched on power. The gound is in the 12-pin harness that goes to the HU, so they share a common ground.

Anyone know how to isolate the ground wire in the 12-pin changer harness? (2001 Nissan Maxima GLE w/ Bose)

Rule of thumb : Keep grounds less than or equal to 3 feet. No need to say more !

My momma always said that there was exceptions to every rule - lol

In this case it is called resistance on the ground return. It equates to this. You eat a sub and then someone sews your buttcheeks shut, get the drift? Electricity is an algebra equation, what you do to one side you must do to the other. It is not about the size of the metal used in the chassis of the vehicle, it still must be connected to the ground of the battery. It is about the resistance through the chassis, it's crappy weld joints, glued together unibody panels, tack welded seatbelt bolts (and similar) that all add up to a high ground return resistance.

The proper way to ground a system is to ensure that the ground return resistance is as low as possible, best to be below 1/2 ohm. If the return cannot be made to co-operate by means of threats, thrown tools or all adequate and proper grounding procedures (known as the BIG 3), then it is best to run the ground direct to the battery.

hey whats going on.   i just installed a Cd player and amp in my truck.  ive had everything hooked up for a week.  there wasnt the first problem.  tonight on the way home my amp stopped working.  i checked the fuse, it was fine, even put a new one in.  i checked all the cables, nothing is lose or disconnected, i even pulled my cd played to make sure the blue remote wire wasnt disconnected. 

after all this i noticed that when i start my truck, the amp turns on for a second then turns back off, i checked the ground and when i touch it to the ground it comes on but goes back off, so im not sure what it could be. a side note:  the amp wasnt hot, no wire terminals werent burned or melted. soo i dont know.  any help will be appreciated.