So I upgraded all the wiring in my system today. It was worth it 10000X. I had some alt. whine that used to come and go and I thought that maybe I would get rid of it today but no dice. I currently have my grounding point by the back of rear seat, where that structural plate is. ON the bottom of that plate are two bolts. If you have a 4th gen then you know what i am talking about. Anyway, i sanded down behind th plate and used the existing bolt an put the o ring on there. I guess its not a good grounding point after all. I want to make a new grounding point but I am scared to just start drilling anywhere. What is the best grounding point in the back of a 4th gen?? Keep in mind I am using 0 gauge and the o ring is pretty fat. I was thinking down my the seatbelt would be good, but the o ring does not allow it, ore can I place the o ring on top of the metal triangular seatbelt harness that holds the belts in? Thanks If you have pics of your grounding point that would be great.

 

try the spare tire well. don't have a 4th gen, but that's where i grounded my amps in my 06. make sure you don't drill into anything important though.

 

if you've sanded down your ground at that location, and you're still getting whine, is probably something else - RCAs, or even maybe the amp itself. been there

 

I put my ground right onto the same bolt the seatbelt is on.

 

check your other wiring... invest in some good quality rca jacks, and good quality speaker wire... also you might wanna try grounding the rca jack to the chassis of the radio. i did this in my 5.5 gen and it took all my noise away.

 

make sure you sanded the area properly. I always take the seatbelt out and use a wire wheel to clean off the black paint top and bottom of where the seat belt attaches, i also then use a belt sander to sand down the paint of where the bolt goes through. That is an excellent ground because it is thick metal too

 

dcman,
I did what you suggested. and I STILL am getting alternator whine. Whats more, I am now getting this sound that is very similar to when a camera flash starts up when I start the car. ANd this is even when I take the face off the radio so tha amps arent even turning on at that point to have sound come through the speakers. I dunno if its the starter, the alternator or what. I am going to try the shorting plug route tommorow. I don't understand why this is happening b/c this is pretty good equipment. jl/soundstream amps and a kenwood excellon deck. The cables are good sheilded goldquest cables. No walamart juml in the chain. WTF!