Hello all, I’m sure this has been discussed a thousand times here already, but I am looking for possible solutions. I am in the process of restoring my 2000 discovery 2, and I decided to put an aftermarket stereo in. All connections are solid from radio to harness. But I am getting an alternator whine from the speakers when stereo is powered on, as if there is a ground loop. I decided to put an aftermarket stereo in because I started getting alternator feedback from the stock stereo, and figured the stock one had went to crap after taking on water for years due to leaky sunroofs…. Not the case. I have cleaned negative battery terminal and all grounding areas associated with the negative lead. Still nothing… I took the amp out, and disassembled it a few days ago to see if that had possibly gotten water in it, and it looked just fine as far as I could tell. no corrosion or blown traces on the board.

The way I’m looking at it right now, I either need to buy a replacement amp, or replace the alternator itself.

does anybody have any tips or suggestions as to why/how I can fix this alternator noise?

 

Are you using the ground in the harness? I would ground the after market head unit direct to a source. Under the steering wheel/access panel is a good ground bar source. When I installed an after market unit I would get that hum sometimes. I could adjust the passenger seat forward or back with the switch. It would stop the hum. Drove me crazy! Its been awhile so I don't remember the workings of the factory system. I believe it doesn't ground like most after market systems regardless of the type of stock setup. Shortly later I ripped the factory amp /speakers/sub out and rewired the system with new after market components.

 

Maybe try a signal isolator between the stereo and amp? That is on my to do list, but not tried yet.

 

[QUOTE=Windycity_rover;926779]Are you using the ground in the harness? I would ground the after market head unit direct to a source. Under the steering wheel/access panel is a good ground bar source. When I installed an after market unit I would get that hum sometimes. I could adjust the passenger seat forward or back with the switch. It would stop the hum. Drove me crazy! It’s been awhile so I don't remember the workings of the factory system. I believe it doesn't ground like most after market systems regardless of the type of stock setup. Shortly later I ripped the factory amp /speakers/sub out and rewired the system with new after market components.[/QUOTE

as of right now it is grounded using the harness. I will stop by Lowe’s after work today and grab some extra wire, and report back with an answer.

curious as to why moving the passenger seat would fix your hum issue..? I wonder if I am having a related issue. My passenger seat took on a lot of water as the car sat for years, and it had a swamp of water in the back pocket of the passenger seat, so the chair rails are seized, or the motor has given out on the passenger seat. so I am unable to move it back and forth right now. I will look into that after work today as well.

 

It was wild that the power switch cut it out. Drivers or passenger. Pass. was easier to move while driving. The discussion link below is one I had saved and that gives some insight from a knowledgeable source on this issue.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...install-31128/

 

stopped by Lowe’s after work Friday, bought some 16GA cable and grounded the stereo to the bar under the steering column, no more noise!

 

I found it. The NVX 4 channel Line Output Converter.

I have a 1994 Disco1 with amp and have been trying everything on the market to eliminate the alternator whine. When I hooked the NVX up with the Metra adapter there was no whine. I just had to connect the harness and NVX. No running wires, no bypassing the amp. I tried all the ground loop, ferrite magnets, line in suppresser, the recommended Scosche, and direct ground wire to the battery. Nothing worked except the NVX.

Metra 70-9400 Radio Wiring Harness for Land Rover/Discovery
NVX XMICROLOC4 | 600W 4-Channel Speaker Cable to RCA Adjustable Line Output Converter with Remote Turn On Trigger

 

Semi related question. I have the stock audio system.

When I put it in reverse the radio gets a ton of static, any ideas? It does not really bother me, but if there is a fix it would be nice.

thanks