My '11 BU is almost undriveable due to a constant 17k-17.5k pitched noise while the radio is on (can be heard even when the radio is at 50% volume) and the car is running. I get a headache after about 10 minutes. The noise goes away if the car is turned off. Has anyone expierenced this and found the issue. It has been verified at 4 dealers but they are all scratching their heads on the source. I am very close to going lemon law on a car with only 700 miles on it. So far they have replaced the radio, the alternator, three wiring harnesses, and they say the coils are fine. Any help would be grateful.
Constant High Pitched noise
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Your radio (or amplifier) is picking up emissions from unshielded and partially shielded electronics, but where? You have all these control units that are basically computers communicating over high speed LAN.
What trim level is your Malibu?
What major options?
Which radio band (AM, FM, XM, etc.)?
Respond to volume conrol?
Respond to the mute putton?
Present when playing CD?
Present with key in ACC?
Present with interior lights on or off?
Emitting from all speakers?
If it were me, I'd start pulling fuses to see if I could isolate the culprit. Say, start with the rear compartment fuse block (there's nothing you need there when not moving).
I have had that problem from the first day I got my 09 LT1...I have also had the radio replaced. After taking a stethoscope to the radio, I actually think it is coming from the a/c controls. No answer from the dealer...unfortunatly for me I am a service advisor there. Haha, crap.
LTZ V6 A6
Sun Roof
BOSE / XM
higher volume just masks the sound
did not know there was a mute button
yes or the radio or talk on the bluetooth
yes
yes with all lighting options - changing electrical load does nothing
hard to tell - sounds like it is all around the cabin
It is at the dealer now and a factory electrical guy is looking at it. The Service Manager has taken a special interest in my vehicle. There is a hushed whisper in the service dept that Chevrolet may want the vehicle back and will be issuing a replacement vehicle; I will accept a replacement with glee but it is unconfirmed at this point. I will be putting my foot down when they start thinking about taking the dash apart as I will not accept a new car that rattles over every bump. Lemon law is also another option but we are not there yet.
The mute button (the same button for the Bluetooth) is on the steering wheel. With the key in ACC certain components are powered down or go to sleep and thus can be eliminated. I was just wondering if the noise isn't strictly coming from the front upper speakers where the turn signal clicks come from. Although I'm really curious on what it turns out to be, it's probably best if they get you an exchange.
if it's the same thing you're talking about, i've had it on mine since day one. mine's a 2010 1lt and it is such a high pitch that most people i ask to listen for it, can't detect it; some do. it drives me insane, but i find that it comes on when the auto lights kick in and the dash dims. however, when i manually dim the dash cluster, the high pitch note goes down acting like a volume button. i just put up with it as i intend to replace the stereo anyway; if i keep the car!
Mine is always there when the radio is on. Turn off the radio and it goes away completely. If I am on a call with the bluetooth with radio off it returns. And interesting enough if the radio is off, not on the bluetooth, and turn either turn signal on it will return. If I want silence while driving I need to turn off the radio, not answer the phone, or use my turns signals; what a wonderful product chevy has given me.
With that info it's clear to me that the sound is generated only when the amplifier has to be used, i.e.: radio, phone, signals. All of those require the amp to be powered for the sound to be generated.
Like SS has asked before, and which you have answered, no matter the volume when the radio or BT are in use, and no matter any other load, the sound is a constant dB level and pitch. It would seem that the amp itself is generating the noise, either through the speakers or from one or more components it is built from.
My '09 and this '11 both have a similar noise from under the hood when the key is in ACC or RUN. It's not audible inside, but can be heard with the hood up or down. There's an electronics package between the battery and the radiator support that the noise comes from. It makes me think it is something like a power transistor or IC that is being cycled somewhere around 12-20,000 times a second, and the power running through it is such that the switching/cycling is audible.
I would hazard a guess that your amp is having the same issue. To me it just screams cheap stuff. I've never heard any other car do this, ever. And to have it coming from more than one component suggests to me that GM contracted with a manufacturer to supply certain parts to meet certain criteria, but either that criteria didn't include audible noises or they chose not to worry about what they've discovered.
Since my noises are coming from under the hood and don't bother me while operating the car I'm not gonna do anything unless there's some kind of recall or TSB. I hope they find the source of your noise and get it corrected before it drives you completely nuts!
I am waiting to get a service loaner from the dealer I bought it from as they refuse to get me a rental car (which is in my warranty paperwork as a option for the dealer) so they can look at it along with the rest of the substantial list of other things wrong. It has been to 3 other dealers that have confirmed the issue is there in writing but cannot find the cause. This will be number 4 and by my state's law I can file a Lemon Law claim. I have had a recording of the noise made by my oncologist and it falls under the catagory of hearing damage with long term exposure so I have a firm position to fight from.
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My '09 Colorado had the same issue with a high pitched whine. Dealer couldn't find it. I went into the wiring and when I disconnected the Onstar receiver the whine quit. Plug it back in and it restarted. I have since pulled it out of the truck as I don't subscribe or need the service. You might have them check that part of your radio.
Finally got the amplifier replaced but the dealer had to pull major amounts of teeth to do so. Guess what?...... it did not fix it!!
I brought up the idea of the Onstar being a possible fault but they refuse to disconnect the unit as it is "vital to the operation of the vehicle"; they are absolutely clueless about the cause of the issue and that includes the level 3 and 4 techs at the Chevrolet tech line that the dealers' has access to. I am going to have to get hands on with the service department and get the needed test equipment and a trained specialist sent to the dealer. Had a oldsmobile with a carburetor issue that nobody could fix so they want to send it to a test track in New Jersey till they found the issue and deliver it back to me; guess what I said no and the car still has the issue to this day.
I brought up the idea of the Onstar being a possible fault but they refuse to disconnect the unit as it is "vital to the operation of the vehicle"; they are absolutely clueless about the cause of the issue and that includes the level 3 and 4 techs at the Chevrolet tech line that the dealers' has access to. I am going to have to get hands on with the service department and get the needed test equipment and a trained specialist sent to the dealer. Had a oldsmobile with a carburetor issue that nobody could fix so they want to send it to a test track in New Jersey till they found the issue and deliver it back to me; guess what I said no and the car still has the issue to this day.
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There is a bulletin that applied to GM vehicles up to 2010 that involves installing a noise suppression filter on the battery voltage circuit of the onstar VCIM due to a whine that would transmit through the speakers and increase with RPM. I know yours is a 2011, but maybe it is possible the problem continued. I agree with starship on pulling the fuse and seeing what happens, there's no problems with doing it. Just with the fuse pulled no one can track you
. Oh, the bulletin number is 07-08-46-002D if it can be found online somewhere.
. Oh, the bulletin number is 07-08-46-002D if it can be found online somewhere.I found the earlier, revision B of the bulletin if it helps. See http://cid-54465800aad91b49.office.live.com/self.aspx/pub/TSB^_07-08-46-002B.pdf.
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Yep that's the same bulletin just revision C added up to 2010, so it is possible that problem may have continued. It is the same part number too.
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The OP states the noise is at ~ 17 to 17.5K Hz. That is a frequency that is near the upper limit of human hearing (18K Hz). In the real world there are very few adults that can hear a sound that high due to hearing damage. Mechanics work in a very toxic noise environment and most of them have some hearing loss. If it is true that he is hearing this noise it is highly probable he may be the only one hearing it. It is damn difficult to fix a noise problem if you can't hear the noise and are only guessing at what the other person is complaining about.
I used to be one of those few people that could hear the frequencies the OP is talking about. The high voltage oscillators (17K Hz) in the old CRT TV sets used to drive me crazy when I was in a certain distance of them. My wife couldn't hear it and couldn't understand what was bothering me.
Bill
I used to be one of those few people that could hear the frequencies the OP is talking about. The high voltage oscillators (17K Hz) in the old CRT TV sets used to drive me crazy when I was in a certain distance of them. My wife couldn't hear it and couldn't understand what was bothering me.
Bill
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I know what you're talking about. I couldn't go into an area where multiple TV's were due to the squeal. I am almost 50 and can still hear those high sounds.
Ditto, and ditto. I've been able to hear them my whole life. Sooooo glad I have an HD TV now!
There's a noise up in that range and quite a bit louder coming from under my hood any time the key is in ACC or RUN (with engine running or off). But when I get in the car I can't hear it so I don't worry. I figure it's just the noise the electronics are making out there.
There's a noise up in that range and quite a bit louder coming from under my hood any time the key is in ACC or RUN (with engine running or off). But when I get in the car I can't hear it so I don't worry. I figure it's just the noise the electronics are making out there.
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