Audio Systems: Car Ground, pontiac sunfire, rca cables

Question
A few months ago I began having problems with my stereo.  All of a sudden there would be no sound at all.  The stereo faceplate (2004 Kenwood MP3/CD with flip face and 4(?) pre-outs) was still registering sound (images on face flash to music) but there was no sound, after about 10 min the sound would come back again, not a fade in but abruptly.  At first I assumed that it was a problem with my amp as it was a cheap Sony explode so I thought that it was over heating.  Then the sound just stopped all together and wouldn't come back.  I checked everything possible including the ground, I even completely redid the ground, fuses are good, wiring is fine etc.  So then I bought one of Kenwoods new 800w 2/3/4 channel amps incase it was the Sony and still have the same problem so it can't be the amp.  It's not the deck as I've had it tested but it was suggested to me that maybe my car is not grounding itself properly so the stereo won't ground to the car, and I've noticed that everytime I get in or out that I recieve a shock and have heard that that is a sign of bad grounding.  What are your thoughts on the situation and is there a simple solution?  It's a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire that's unfortunatley on it's last legs so it has a unibody not a frame to ground to.  Maybe I am not grounding it in an optimal area?  Any help would be really appreciated as I am going crazy with no music.

Thanks

Answer
Tamar,
First off, this time of the year is a prime time for static electricity and this is why you get a shock when you get out of your vehicle! You can eliminate the shock by holding onto the metal door as you exit your vehicle. As for the stereo sound problem, the ground to the stereo is OK or the stereo wouldn't function. The problem is either a defective connection in the stereo itself or a connection problem with the RCA cables to the amp. If you are not using speaker wires from the stereo to send sound to the amp, make sure that none of the speaker wires are shorting together or shorting to the chassis ground/case of the stereo. With the sound coming back abruptly, the problem may be due to the amps in the stereo over heating possibly because one of the speaker wires is shorted. A shorted speaker wire will cause the amp/s to over heat and go into a thermal shut down and then they will work again after it cools off.

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net