Anyone else hearing a high pitched whine though the stereo while accelerating? My car is almost 2 months old. I'm not sure if it was like this from the onset or if it is a new problem that I just started to notice.

Anyway, I hear it when listening to CD, XM, and iPod. Even if I unplug the iPod from the power jack and audio input jack, I still hear the whine.

Especially notice it when accelerating during a quieter part of a song - then it's all I hear after that. Very noticeable.

 

had it since i bought my 04 tsx. only really noticable at 70+mph, though, and only when on the gas.

 

been thinking abut buying a grounding kit and voltage stablizer, but dont know if it will help

 

You have alternator whine. Did you do any stereo upgrades or amp upgrades? This is a common problem in after market system, when teh ground is bad. If this is happenning int the stock system, then it needs to be fixed by Acura.

 

Exactly.

 

nope. had it since day one with all stock parts.

 

I hear something like you described even when my stereo if off -- albeit I'm not sure it it's really coming from the speakers or not. It's not very loud and doesn't quite sound like classic alternator whine -- similar but deeper in tone.

 

ditto.

You'll probably notice the whine getting "faster" as you step on the gas. Once you let off the gas, you'll notice the whine kinda "winding down".

 

it actually stops when i let of the gas at times. it is either on or off (with pedal) most of the time. it has become a part of my car now and just goes into the background most of the time except at a silent moment between songs/scenes.

 

I have noticed the same problem with my 2005 TSX (stock radio). It is especially obvious through the AM radio. It is really funny because in high school I remember my friends $300 '68 Nova did the same thing. I never thought I would have the same problem 20 years later in a $26k car. Hopefully it is a problem that Acura can easily fix for us.

 

Should I post up my ghetto DIY grounding cable guide? It doesn't have the capacitors, just the ground cable that you make yourself. In it I grounded my alternator casing. It could help you guys if it is the alternator causing the whine. I notice the whine when the radio is off, I think it's more of a moving part.

 

yeah, it's really hard to pinpoint. it even whines when the stereo is off (still stock). sounds like it's coming from center console, but my ears are not what they used to be. couldn't hurt to post up the DIY. thanks.

 

The manual transmission in my '06 whines a bit in 3rd and 6th gears. At first I thought it was the audio system but upon closer inspection it is indeed from the transaxle.

If it isn't your transmission, it really does sound like you are describing a ground loop problem. The audio components are unable to reject electrical noise, for whatever reason. It is unusual to see electrical issues like that in a new Japanese car.

 

Yea, that is what I was afraid of and have been in denial about for a while. With mine anyway there is no doubt that it is this type of problem. I can turn to an "unused" AM station (to avoid the distraction of voices etc), turn up the volume, and when I accelerate the whine gets louder and louder, and will completely cut off instantly if I kill the power to the radio. Guess I better take it in finally.

 

Here's my DIY that I posted on another Honda forum. Please forgive the use of mm instead of inches since I am from the underside of the globe. And for those who can't convert, 10mm = 0.4 inch, roughly.

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Acurazine take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk! If your car explodes or you lose your radio station presets which you forgot to write down beforehand because I did not tell you to, or in the worse case, lose your radio security codes it is not the fault of Acurazine or me.

Aim: Everyone spends $120 or more for that capacitor grounding kit thing. Do they work? I have no idea. Do I want to spend $120? Maybe not (because I am tightass). Do I want to mess around with something ghetto? Hell yeah!

Required: Sockets that fit the bolts you want to take off. I used 10mm and 12mm, 4 gauge wire (why so thick? Because this is ghetto! Choose a colour you like), ring terminals/connectors for 4 gauge, negative terminal connector (optional), pliers, scissors, wire clippers (recommended), soldering iron & solder (optional), silicone spray (optional)

Steps:
1) Measure the length of cable that you require for a section. Let's start with the negative terminal to chassis since it is short and easy. Measure it and then mark it on the cable with a little snip.

2) This is the difficult part. Cutting it. Cutting 4 gauge wire using wire snippers is not easy..... Plus the cable is too thick to fit into the plier's wire cutter. Best would be to use a lock cutter. Had to use both hands to cut. Anyway, you know what a wire being cut looks like... right? Right?????

4) Ok, you've cut it somehow without accidentally snipping your pinky off (hey, it's the same thickness as a 4 gauge cable!). Now get your length of cable and your ring connector ready. Aren't they pretty?


3) Take your wire and strip about 10mm off the end using your scissors. Why scissors? Because the wire is too thick to fit into the pliers or wiper stripper! After this step, I fit the sheath of the connector over the cable, just so I don't forget and only realise it after crimping the connector on. But hey, if it happens to you, then it's ok. Why? Because it is ghetto! Just put the sheath in through the other end of the cable. But that's a bitch to do because the sheath is so tight..... oh so tight......


4) Now, this is an optional step but I recommend it. Soldering! It's fun to solder. Didn't you do this in your school's workshop/electronic classes? Except that you are not dealing with 1 strand of wire. You're dealing with a 4 gauge! So that puny soldering iron won't do. Time to break out the big guns!!!! If you don't have big soldering irons.... (well I didn't), then use a small butane soldering iron instead. Why do I solder? Because once you solder it, the tip is stiff, and when you crimp it the connector is less likely to fall off. Stiff tip, won't fall off. I am starting to like it already. The unsoldered cable is soft and the connector fell off after I crimped it. Soft is not good. Why do you think the little blue pill is selling so well?


5) Get the tip very hot, and then put solder to the cable and heat them up! Heat heat and more heat! Make sure the solder melts and soaks in between the strands of wires. Oh, and don't burn your fingers or clothes. Burning flesh smells like roasted squid. Yummy! Oh.. and it hurts too.


6) Let the hot tip cool down. Then take the connector, widen it a bit using pliers. Put the cable in and squeeze the bugger tight! Pay no attention to the ghetto scratches and the flaking gold plating.


7) I sprayed a bit of silicone lube onto the connector and exposed wire. Why? So that it slows down corrision. Well, at least I hope it will. Then pull the sheath over the ghetto part so that it is hidden and all you see is a professional job!


8) Now, repeat for the other end if you need it for both ends. Once it is done, it's time to install it into your car! Now.... what stands out the most in my engine bay..... AH HA! That weak tiny cable from the negative terminal to the chassis. Look how dull and thin that 8 gauge cable is! Take it off!!! It''s connected to the chassis by a 10mm bolt.


9) Take the bling bling replacement and put it on. For the terminal I used, it accepts a 4 gauge cable without a connector. So just solder the end and put it in. Tighten down until you feel the pleasure... Then, take the other end and connect it to the chassis. Oh and watch the teensy weensy sparks too. Now... doesn't that look bling? Hmm, I should up the shine in photoshop....


10) What? Did I hear you ask if that's all??? Is that all? Is that all?? *Runs and prepares another cable* OOOoooh... let's ground that alternator. The alternator is fun, because there is an accessory belt nearby. If you have it the wrong angle, your nice grounding cable will be shredded by the belt. So make sure you plan your ground wire's location. I bent the connector so I could have the wire pointing towards the radiator. (ooooh, another heat source). There was one bolt on the alternator that seemed to hold the alternator to the block. So I just HAD to take it off! Hahhaa.. (no, the alternator did not drop off the block) It was a 12mm bolt btw. And a huge one at that. Of course the hole had to be too small for the shaft to fit in. In this case, there are no drugs to make the shaft smaller, so I used a dremel to widen the hole instead. Easy peasy. Look at how happy it looks now with a bolt through its hole.


11) And a very important thing to do is to make sure that the cable does not touch any hot surfaces. Even the metal on the radiator is mighty hot. So it is time to enlist the help of my leeeeetle friend... Mr. Cable Tie. Look at the pic! It's so stealthy that you can't spot the cable or Mr. Cable Tie!!! Well, they are there somewhere having fun. Just route the cable through and attach it to the same ground point on the chassis that you connected your negative terminal to. No point wasting extra cable if you are already using gooooold plated connectors (which are your only choice when working with 4 gauge cable because they are so bling).


Well, that's it for today. After this, I'm going to ground my head to my block (to make me a blockhead) and then connect that to the transmission case which then connects to the thigh bone... I mean negative terminal.

I have been told that soldering before crimping is a no-no. Well, if you can manage to get the connector to hold tight to the unsoldered cable, then do it that way.

There is a more important ground point as well, underneath the intake cover. Take off the cover and you'll see 1 bolt with electrical connectors on it. That's the ground point for all the car's electronics, ECU, sensors including those for ignition and VSA! I am going to ground that point directly to the negative terminal next.

 

i have the whining noise with my 04 AT tsx. mine's from the engine / transaxle / i don't know where but it has nothing to do with the stereo. i took it back to the dealship a few times and they agrees that the noise is there but they couldn't locate where is it from.. Plus the noise doesn't get worst or louder cause it has been there for at least 50000 km and it sounds the same. Now that my car is hitting 93000 km, and my warrenty will be out after 7000 km.. i'm really frustrated

 

Do the brand new 5AT TSXs have the same noise? I notice the same thing with a 1994 CD Accord. So I think it might be a characteristic of the gearbox manufacturer that Honda/Acura uses.

 

I don't think the tsx made that whining noise when its brand new.. I start to notice the noise when the car has 40000 km and it keeps making the same noise until now 94000km.
im not a happy camper and i won't ever buy a honda nor acura due to their poor service.

 

It is best to bring your car to another dealer to diagnose the problem. Over here a few years back, other dealers had no idea about the creaking sound from the rear. My dealer ordered a piece of diagnostic equipment from Honda japan to find the source (and they fixed it). So different dealers will go to different lengths to help solve your problem.