very strange alternator whine?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=117711
Printed Date: July 12, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Topic: very strange alternator whine?
Posted By: RT_TT
Subject: very strange alternator whine?
Date Posted: November 13, 2009 at 6:04 PM
just did a big install in a 95 Buick Riviera, Eclispe deck and 6x9" , 1 Alphasonic 12" sub, Soundstream tarantula 2000.1 sub amp and a soundstream 800.4 High end amp with Bravox carbon 5.25 " components up front, The prpblem is that ther is alternator whine, and only from the front right tweeter, I checked all conections tested the ground and swapped amps and deck, all speakers are isolaterd from the chassi as well as the deck, crossovers and amps, This is where it gets strange, the whine continues after disconecting the tweeter from the crossover,so there is no connection to the audio system at all. I have never experienced this before and don't have a clue as to what it could be
Replies:
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: November 13, 2009 at 6:13 PM
We had the same situation in a Bonneville of the same era. You could hold the tweeter in your hand with the wires still bread tied as it came out of the package, get it close to the car and the noise was there. Back away from the car and the noise went away. It too was the front right tweeter. I have no idea if they figured out the problem or not. I will inquire tomorrow and see if they came up with a solution.
Posted By: RT_TT
Date Posted: November 13, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Did you find a solution , such as any shielding or anything?
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: November 13, 2009 at 6:26 PM
I talked to the store manager, and as far as he knows they were not able to find a solution. I also found out that it was a LeSabre. Must be a Buick thing.
Posted By: RT_TT
Date Posted: November 13, 2009 at 9:33 PM
Thanks for the update, I guess I will have to try some more experiments.
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: November 14, 2009 at 4:28 AM
If you have any luck, please let us know what you figure out. I wil still check with the installer Monday. We even tried a new pair of tweeters, simply cut a hole in the packaging to allow us to hear the tweeters, placed inside the vehicle while still in the package, and they too had the noise. The only way I found to make the noise stop was to short the speaker terminals to each other. This of course will not be a useable solution for you. I tried shorting the wires together at the end of the supplied wires, the noise diminished but was still very noticeable. Shorting the wires beyond the supplied capacitor was the only way we found to quiten the noise. DO NOT SHORT THE SPEAKER WIRES AND ATTEMPT TO PLAY THE SYSTEM. I only shorted the wires to see if we could get the noise to go away. We experienced this problem about a year ago, I was not about to post anything about it, figuring I would get a whole bunch of Yeah Right or whatever responses.
Posted By: el ranchero
Date Posted: November 14, 2009 at 11:29 AM
sounds like there is inductance between the cars magnetic field generated by the car engine, and is being picked up by thetweeter, what is you make like a aluminum foil cover for the tweeter i might blck the magnetic field? ------------- rocker
Posted By: j.reed
Date Posted: November 14, 2009 at 1:34 PM
el ranchero wrote:
What if you make like a aluminum foil cover for the tweeter it might block the magnetic field?
I have heard this works to keep the aliens from eating your brain too. LMAO
This is a first I have heard of such a thing. Very interesting problem. Surely there is a way to shield it but, you have to find the source first. You need to post a video of this one. I would love to see this with my own two eyes. ------------- 
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: November 14, 2009 at 6:13 PM
I just talked to the installer that did the car, he said that it still has engine noise on the front right tweeter. If the car comes back I will attempt to video it with the pair of tweeters still in the packaging. Is your tweeter mounted in the door? Ours is an additional tweeter mounted at the top of the A Pillar.
Posted By: RT_TT
Date Posted: November 18, 2009 at 2:47 PM
The tweeter is mounted in the door, but I get the same interference up high as well, I was able to get the noise taken care of by making an aluminium cup about 2" across and mounted it behind the tweeter so it sit's inside of it, I also wrapped the speaker wires in aluminium foil shiny side out and then, also made a shield for the crossover out of aluminium. The mystery noise is gone now except on start up it makes a small hiss then dies off.
Posted By: keep_hope_alive
Date Posted: November 18, 2009 at 5:57 PM
is it from a factory speaker used for chimes and announcements? i.e. not from the aftermarket system at all?
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Electrons behave like waves on monday, wednesday, and friday, like particles on tuesday, thursday, and saturday, and like nothing at all on sunday.
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