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I doubt it's because your ground is too long. You could have a "ground loop" problem. That's when there is too much resistance along the ground path between the signal source (head unit) and the amplifier. Usually, good grounds at each location will resolve the problem. However, sometimes there just isn't a good path for the ground to travel through the body/frame of the car.
The cheap solution is to run a small wire (18ga is plenty) from the ground wire on the head unit to the ground connector on the amp. Many RCA cables have this small wire in between the two coaxial leads, so you don't have to run a seprate wire. Accordingly, many amps have a small screw right above the RCA inputs, specifically for this secondary ground connection.
If you don't feel like running another wire from the head unit to the amp, you can purchase a Ground Loop Isolator from Radio Shack. It plugs in-line with your RCA cables, and it resolves most ground loop problems.
The cheap solution is to run a small wire (18ga is plenty) from the ground wire on the head unit to the ground connector on the amp. Many RCA cables have this small wire in between the two coaxial leads, so you don't have to run a seprate wire. Accordingly, many amps have a small screw right above the RCA inputs, specifically for this secondary ground connection.
If you don't feel like running another wire from the head unit to the amp, you can purchase a Ground Loop Isolator from Radio Shack. It plugs in-line with your RCA cables, and it resolves most ground loop problems.
