Piston Slap: An Update (and a Request!)

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

Sajeev writes:

That’s right people: I need more user-submitted queries to keep this series alive!

The same rules apply, just about anything besides the “Help Me with my First World Problem Car Purchasing Dilemma” is on the table. If you’ve seen it on an automotive message board, let’s tackle the issue here. I need your content!

sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com

No more begging, let’s get back to Craig the Audiophile looking to cancel his noise-cancelling Grand Cherokee:

Craig concludes:

I wanted to give an update on my ANC woes. I found a solution! It costs $249 (at Crutchfield) and is a CAN Bus enabled factory radio bypass. Not trying to turn it into an advertisement, but here is the link.

It’s basically a man in the middle attack on your radio, and extracts the unaltered audio (this is a big deal as the factory system is tuned to be about +30 db from 50-300hz) coming from the radio along with all your warning chimes, turn signal indicators, voice over features, etc, and pipes that out to six normal RCA outputs.

The downside is that you must leave the factory amplifier hooked up, but it does extract a clean, unaltered signal and allows you to provide your own amplification and equalization preferences. Since the ANC is activated through the factory amplifier, I no longer hear the bass drone. Anyway, hope this helps anyone who has the same problems…

[Image: Shutterstock user severija]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Land Ark Land Ark on Dec 08, 2017

    I'll send you something this weekend Sajeev. Hopefully you'll find it worthy.

  • Cimarron typeR Cimarron typeR on Dec 08, 2017

    I was researching the Mustang EB, and apparently all you have to do to cancel fake engine noise is remove the microphone under the headline which held only with 2 large magnets.Of course , you lose noise cancellation too

  • Redmondjp Redmondjp on Dec 08, 2017

    You want to know what other vehicle that you would have never guessed, also has Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)? My recently-purchased 2007 Honda Odyssey EX-L. Its purpose is to cancel out the sound of the shuddering engine when the loathed cylinder deactivation (VCM) is engaged. No joke! Anything to get that last 0.5mpg, right?

  • Olddavid Olddavid on Dec 11, 2017

    It grieves me to see this space with only 5 comments three days after publication. In the same vein as me reading TTAC once a week, your life has probably evolved to a completely different place than the guy who once had as many as three posts weekly, and damned entertaining ones at that. I think perhaps the Merkur project tapped you out. Anyone with the fortitude to restore to operation an obscure four door Euro model is missing the moderation gene. I say that as a fellow sufferer. I am rapidly approaching the declining benefit phase with my Mark VIII and LeMons is beckoning as an alternative money pit to my six car "fleet", so I am obviously not a source of advice or sensibility. Maybe my search for the $500 special could re-energize my faltering ideals? Did the family take delivery of the GT? I would be interested to hear if the performance and balance can overcome the strangled soundtrack of a turbo six.

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