Alternator whine through radio - how the eck do you fix it!!

[dave_s13]

So, car is a 2006 Toyota Celica VVTLi - 65k miles.

Problem is the sodding stereo whines like a mutha when tuned into a radio station. Symptoms thusly:-

- Pitch is related directly to engine speed
- Varies in volume seemingly based on atmospheric conditions - can vary from midly annoying to needing to be turned off.
- Completely disappears with CD on
- Worse on radio 4 - how am I supposed to keep up with womans hour!!

So far all I've tried it attaching a bit of wire to the earth side of the FM aerial in the back of the unit and attaching that to the chassis - no joy.

Can someone post up some practical advice on what to do, where and how to do it please.

Most grateful.

Other than that it's a fabulous car, engine it a joy, I just don't want to hear it over the top of Winifred Robinson.

[dave_s13]

Thanks for the responses chaps.

Apart from a Parrot kit that I fitted the car it's completely standard. It whined before the Parrot btw.

Re the filters linked to on ebay...I can't see ebay at work, can someone post up a picture....where/how exactly are they fitted??

[dave_s13]

TonyRPH said:

.99% of issues were cured by running an earth wire from the back of the radio to the bodywork (the closer to the battery earth the better).

I can even remember in some really bad cases, we would disconnect the earth wire in one side of the aerial, to break the earth loop that this was creating.

Currently the aerial plug that terminates into the back of the radio has wire attached to the ground and this is then attached to a solid looking bit of the cars structure....no difference.

Plug looks a bit like this
My wire is attached to tubular casing bit, not the central prong.

CraigyMc said:

Question:
Does a portable radio, powered from its own source (so not on the car's power) have the same interference or not?

• If yes, then the alternator (or something else, but likely the alternator) is generating a lot of electrical noise and no amount of suppression will cure it. Replacing the dodgy part will.

• If no, then look into the other things.

How hard is it to get a portable radio?

C

I can try this, i've got a portable radio on my desk - I'll try it at lunch.

jones325i said:

So what you've got is essentially the engine sound augmentation that BMW are using now.

Yes, but it doesn't really sound like an M5!

lestershaw said:

if you have an i phone connection on your head unit, then just stream the radio stations from an app such as "tune in radio" which is what i do?

It's a workaround, I'll give you that....a rubbish one though

[dave_s13]

big_boz said:

I would be checking the earth on the head unit first.

No such thing as a daft question is there?

How do you do that then?

[dave_s13]

big_boz said:

TonyRPH said:

dave_s13 said:

big_boz said:

I would be checking the earth on the head unit first.

No such thing as a daft question is there?

How do you do that then?

I thought that had already been done? As per:

dave_s13 said:

Currently the aerial plug that terminates into the back of the radio has wire attached to the ground and this is then attached to a solid looking bit of the cars structure....no difference.

That's not the main earth to the head unit, that's some sort of a ground for the ariel, which i must admit i have never heard of before. The Ariel plug should be stand alone and probably on the opposit side of the bck of the unit to the ISO plug

Well I've had the unit out a couple of times, once to fit the parrot and another to fit that connection from the aerial to earth...which did nowt.

All the wiring seems to be in good condition, all connected up using the standard connector blocks and a Parrot ISO adapter thing, nothing's been cut. Bear in mind the whine was present pre-Parrot.

I've ony had the car a few months, my dad bought it new and when asked did say he noticed it but never bothered him (older, deafer). Hence can't really tell how long it's been present.

It does seem signifcant to me that the whine is not audible when playing a CD. Got to be something to do with the antenna doesn't it???

[dave_s13]

CraigyMc said:

How did the portable radio test go?

Is the whine audible when the car is live, but the engine isn't running (like, position 1 of the ignition?)

C

Sorry, not done it yet.

The portable radio I have at work is mains only, it takes a battery but only does the clock, assumed it powered the thing. I'm going to take it home and try there.

Will report back.

Cheers.

[dave_s13]

lestershaw said:

lestershaw said:
if you have an i phone connection on your head unit, then just stream the radio stations from an app such as "tune in radio" which is what i do?

DAVE S13 SAID: It's a workaround, I'll give you that....a rubbish one though :-)

i think for me its more than just a rubbish workaround. on the way to and from work i listen to LBC all the way. i am fairly sure the signal to the phone and then the bluetooth to the radio is as good as fm, not sure about DAB. But with the phone app i can pause the radio stream, say if i pop into the shop and dont want to miss the news or the travel. its a little more trickier to dive about various stations i you dont like whats on there, but thats more than countered by the fact you arent restricted to the few channels your radio can pick up, you have the choice of listening to lots and lots more channels and if you have a parrot head you can use your phone as handsfree as well. most people want to listen to music from their iphone/mp3 at some stage so whats the difference, especially if you have unlimited data on your phone, £15 a month + free minutes and texts from the 3 NETWORK
for me IMHO i think using the radio is the workaround, albeit a rubbish one :-)
Lester

Edited by lestershaw on Wednesday 15th May 09:31

I don't own an iPhone. It is a rubbish workaround, you shouldn't have to piss about with anything to listen to the radio in your car.

I've not had chance to do anything else with it yet but will test with the radio tonight.

[dave_s13]

Right. I've tried an fm radio inside the car and that didn't whine at all.

Also double checked when just playing cd and with alternator under load (lights, screen, heater, hazards) and there is no hint of the whine.

Ideally I need to check with another head unit. Fortunately (or unfortunately) and my other car is a toyota corolla verso so I may be able to pop that out to check if it's the head unit rather than the duff alternator.

[dave_s13]

Baryonyx said:

dave_s13 said:

- Worse on radio 4 - how am I supposed to keep up with womans hour!!

I had this one night in my A8 in very heavy rain. Got into the car and the stereo was whining. When I opened the throttle, the pitch increased! Very bizarre! Stopped for petrol on the way home and when I switched the engine back on it was gone.

It was quite irritating as I couldn't hear the radio at all!

It is significantly affected by the weather actually. Clear sky's and it's not half as bad, overcast drizzly stuff and it's much worse. Weird!

[dave_s13]

Mr2Mike said:

Is this an original ground point, or has the wire been added by someone? It's not normal to have a separate ground on the antenna cable at the head unit end.

Added by me, in the hope it might do "something"....it didn't.

There's an OE head unit come up on ebay anyway, I'm going to try my luck and see if I can get it cheap.

I can't be arsed taking the other one out of the other car, that one works perfectly, I'll only break it.

[dave_s13]

Update.

Managed to win a second hand oe unit on ebay for cheap.

No more whine!!

The replacement is from an older car but exactly the same and cosmetically perfect.

Result

Edited by dave_s13 on Wednesday 5th June 20:32