Celica Forums General Discussion General 2000 GTS Head Unit Install Help

Hello! New here. Had a '91 Celica in the 90s. We just purchased a 2000 GTS for my son. I installed an Alpine deck with Apple Car Play. I even successfully wired the e-brake. However, I am getting terrible feedback and it is crazy loud. Like volume 2 is too loud (and I like loud music). I suspect it is because of the factory amp that it is wired to.

I thought I could do this myself, however I am beginning to lose faith.

Is this an easy fix? Help!

Thanks in advance.

Sharon from Denver

Alternator Whine
Alternator whine is the granddaddy of car stereo noise. The most common and the most annoying. Alternator whine will be heard as a high pitched whine that will rise and fall with the engine speed. Most of the time this is caused by a poorly chosen ground for a piece of equipment. It is usually cured by grounding the equipment directly to bare metal on the chassis rather than an available factory ground bolt as is often used to save time. You'll also need to make sure your charging system is in top condition and that your connections between the battery and components are secure as well as the integrity of the factory ground strap, an often overlooked component. You might also consider switching your RCA cables to a twisted pair model. Twisted pair cables will usually be less prone to noise than their coaxial counterparts.

Proper Grounding
Most non-equipment related problems in car audio are the result of poorly chosen ground points. Always check the integrity of every connection including the battery, head unit, amplifiers and signal processors. Any part of the audio system can bring noise into the system. In general your connections need to be secure (grounds should be to the chassis), the charging system should be in top condition and all factory connections (battery posts, ground strap, alternator connections) should be secure. You may need to increase the size of your factory ground if you install a very large stereo system. It should also be noted that the negative battery post is usually a terrible place to ground car audio equipment. All of the ripple (noise) from the alternator and other items in the vehicle travel to this point. If you choose it as a ground point then you are inviting all of these elements into your sound system.

Grounding Locations, Overview Diagram
https://celicahobby.com/forums/ubbt...rounding-locations-overview-diagram.html

Grounding Locations, Engine Bay Diagram
https://celicahobby.com/forums/ubbt...unding-locations-engine-bay-diagram.html

Grounding Locations, Inside / Interior Diagram
https://celicahobby.com/forums/ubbt...g-locations-inside-interior-diagram.html


edit: If your issue is feedback rather than a whine (or hum), your new head-unit could be to blame.