When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’m just finishing up dealing with mice chewing through a speaker wire in my ‘81. I spliced the wires back together and everything worked great. The car started right up and the sound system sounded great.
Tonight I went to start the car and the battery is dead. I wanted to charge it tonight and put the trickle charger on it. As I was walking away, the speakers started to howl.
Can splicing speaker wires together incorrectly discharge a battery?
Can it cause the speakers to howl? Probably not because it sounded great the other day.
Why would the speakers be howling?
Any ideas on how I can charge the battery without the speakers howling?
I am afraid the mice did more damage than you have uncovered. If the control on the radio is off, there will be no power to the speakers. You will need to look deeper into areas where the wires had been eaten, look for place where the jacket is torn and the copper could be touching metal.
What radio head unit (or amplifier) do you have? If you have a modern head unit/amp installed and you are using the stock speaker wiring, you may have an 'issue'. The stock radio had common electrical ground with the speakers...so (-) speaker terminals were electrically grounded to the chassis. Modern radios/amps have speakers using a 'floating ground' are none of them are grounded to the car's chassis. I am just sharing that info with you to include that with your investigation. Without checking YOUR speaker and radio wiring, there is no way for anyone to resolve that issue from our computers.
It’s a professionally installed two year old Kenwood head unit with new amp, speakers, subwoofer and wires.
After I spliced the wires together I tested the system and it sounded great. After that I started dressing the wires and must have messed something up. There’s a kill switch in there too so maybe that has something to do with it.
I’m not an electronics guy so the best I can do is look at stuff and hopefully notice something. At least I know that my splices aren’t the problem.
The installer didn’t leave any extra wire in there so maybe I tugged a little too hard on something.
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post.
If the stereo is working fine- there's no issue with that part of the speaker wiring.
What will draw power is if the amp is staying on continuously-That would also cause a humming/howling noise when you hook up a charger.
What I would do- disconnect the remote wire ( it's a blue wire with white stripe) at the amp. If that stops the noise- I'd find what that wire is connected to.
Let us know-
Richard ( actually worked for Kenwood back in the day!)
Last edited by Richard454; May 5, 2021 at 09:10 PM.
Look at the smaller gauge blue wire zip tied the the red/black power wires (see pic)
Connected to "remote" input.
When that wire has +12V - the amplifier will turn on. I'd disconnect that wire-make sure it doesn't short out-
Then see if you still get a sound out of the speakers when connecting the charger.
If that's the case- that wire is incorrectly wired to a constant on source- and you have to trace it at the radio and see whats up.
Hey Richard,
I made it back to the car this morning. It’s killing me not being able to drive it with the good weather here.
This is where I am at. I disconnected the thinner gauge blue wire from the AMP and you were correct, I put the charger on the battery and there isn’t any howling.
If that blue wire had been connected incorrectly or damaged, shouldn’t the howling have been happening all the time? After I spliced the visible damage, different wires, back together the car fired right up and the system sounded great. The problem started after I zip tied the wires together.
It looks like I’ll be pulling out the carpeting next to trace that wire. The mice used the floor insulation to make their nest so maybe they chewed through that wire. I hope it doesn’t come to pulling the dashboard.
OK- so we know that wire was staying on all the time- that will cause the drain on the battery. For some reason that blue wire is connected to a constant 12V source now.
The wire should be connected to the back of the radio's blue / white stripe power antenna/remote output.
I'd first look at the back of the radio and try to find that wire. See if it's been connected to the wrong wire there- as that's what it looks like has happened .
Richard,
More time spent on the '81 tonight but it wasn't fruitful. I spent a little time trying to get the radio out of the dashboard but I couldn't figure it out. I did get the plastic trim ring off. I hopes it's not held in there with the four star screws in the corners because the installer stripped them. (Does anyone know how to get a two year old Kenwood radio out of the dash of an '81?}
While I was poking around, I noticed that the dome light and floor lights weren't on so I tried to start the car and it's DEAD. The amp is still disconnected and I charged the battery after I disconnected the blue amp wire.
I just don't get it. It fired right up and the radio sounded great after I spliced the damaged wires back together.
Do you still think it has something to do with the blue amp wire? Is there a duel parasitic draw?
Charging/Stereo Problem
