ccrooks

So I finally got around to finishing my Metra install tonight. It looks like more stuff doesn't work than does Symptoms: Radio, AXXESS box and AWCS box powered and grounded through radio wiring harness (verified connection to chassis ground - checked out good) I have a Bose system, so using the RCA outputs instead of the harness speaker outputs Hazards do not work Radio has power No speaker output HVAC Fan works HVAC temp unknown (didn't work before, I tried the DIY fix, didn't run the car long enough to verify functionality) HVAC mode selector does not work Steering wheel controls do not work From all of this, I'm wondering if a) i honked something up majorly with the wiring harness or b) i have a bad AXXESS box Anybody have any thoughts? Anything would be helpful at this point.

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ccrooks

Nobody? It feels like i forgot to plug something in... But there's power, so...

04MazdaMan

check your fuses.

ccrooks

fuses were all good. everything's working now - the only thing i forgot to do was plug in the remote turn-on wire for amp power. i guess that makes sense for the speakers not working since i'm going out the RCA's and i have a bose system, but it doesn't explain why nothing else on the metra kit was working... unless something else in the metra axxess box uses that same power form for excitation

dunno. but everything's working now, so yay

RXR8TD

Sorry to hear you are having issues with this kit...I had many of the same problems, and the instructions are less than clear, and vary with the brand of radio you are installing.
Here are some tips you can try, which did get mine working (after about 10 hours of dicking around with it!)

1. First and foremost..solder all your connections!! Tape and quick connects are a no no. If they are all soldered and heat shrunk, you know you have good connections!
2. Make sure you have a wiring diagram for the radio you are installing, and for your factory radio harness...sometimes you have to move a pin or two, and it helps to know what each one does.
3. Your Bose system has a built in AMP. You MUST connect the blue/white wire from the METRA harness to the blue/white (usually) AMP ON power wire from your aftermarket radio. 9 times out of 10 this is the issue.
4. Check all your grounds! Then when you are done, check them again!! If it has paint, glue, grease, whatever on it...it is not a good ground.
5. Double and triple check that you don't have positive and negative leads to the speakers crossed, this will generate a fault code in most radios and it will not play.
6. The extension harnesses to the FAN and TEMP switches are the same..but make sure you plug the right ones into the box that came with the kit...if you mix these up, you can easily fry the digital relays that control these functions, as they are controlled by ref. signals with very specific wave functions.
The Hazard switch is self explanatory. If it does not work you have a loose connection, or broken solder/internal connections from rough handling (did you gently remove it, or just Hulk smash the thing off the factory radio?)
7. I shouldn't have to say this..but if you did not disconnect your battery (shame on you) then check your fuses! It is entirely possible that you monkeying around in there popped a couple.

As a side note, if it makes you feel better, my steering controls still don't work, and it is hooked up per the specs. basically it is a bullshit product, and my only major complaint with this kit. I will be getting my 70 dollars back for it tho.

I hope this Helps! I will do my best to answer any questions you may have about the RX8.

Chris Ryan

Can you help me with mine ? my grey scrolling wheel for fan and temp arent working beside that everything is fine...

Rotaman

All I can say is the Axxess box that comes with the metra kit is rubbish. I know some people seem to have no trouble with it, but plenty of people do have problems getting it to work at all.
Here is what I did.
( first of all I better say that I use to be a car stereo installer and had my own business )
( I had read that there were problems with getting the Axis box to work the AC/heater controls. ), but I thought I would go a head and buy the Metra kit anyway as I did not like the factory stereo head unit.
So after I had fitted the Metra kit and everything was all in and working, so I thought. When I tried to use the A/C and heater, they did not want to work properly.
The fan control would not work at all and the heater would stay on full heat all the time, but the rest of the control worked ok.
First I thought I had done something wrong, so I checked all the wiring, all was ok.
So I pulled the stereo out and connected up the factory stereo again to check that all the controls were still working ok, and yes they all worked fine.
So my conclusion was that the Axis box was faulty. I guess I could have tried to send the kit back and tried another Axis box, but because I live in New Zealand, I was not prepared to pay for the postage back to the US.
So What I ended up doing was to strip the original stereo down to the two main circuit boards that are inside the stereo/front panel.
Once I had the two main circuit boards,I had to do a fair bit of rewiring to get the two circuit boards to work together and be able to lay them flat, one on top of the other. I made up a box to fit them into. I then found a place in the car to fit the box. I also had to extend the factory stereo wiring to be able to plug it into the new control box. I also had to extend all the wiring from the box back upto the A/C heater controls etc.
So now I have a better stereo in the car, and the original stereo circuit boards control the A/C - heater etc.
This was my way of fixing the Axis box problems. Its not the easiest way to do it, but it does work properly.
By the way my Axis box has the latest firmware and still doesn't work properly.
Hope this is helpful.
Here are a couple of photos of what I ended up making





As you can see I used the cables supplied with the Axxess box and also used the original cables that plug into the factory stereo to plug into the circuit board sockets. ( These you can't see in the photos )

Regards

Rotaman

RXR8TD

I had a thread for this somewhere...essentially, the main cause of non working speakers(no output after Metra install) is not hooking up the blue wire from the aftermarket harness to the power amp input on the factory harness. You may have to move the pin or jump the wire.
The H-VAC controls are very sensitive, and can be tricky. The factory radio must be taken apart oh-so gently to avoid damage to the soldered circuits, they crack easily. The harness must be grounded, and an additional ground must be run directly to the chassis ground from the black wire coming off the aftermarket harness (circuit ground and chassis ground are NOT always interchangeable--it has to due with resistance/impedance)
DO NOT MIX UP the fan control and temp control circuits!!! The aftermarket harnesses are the same, but the ports are different. You will damage these circuits if you put power to the radio and they are mixed up! This is the most common cause for the HVAC to fail.
As far as the steering controls...garbage. They do not work without serious hacking and pasting. I never could get this stupid thing to work...it is a piece of ****. The metra kit is great, just don't bother with the steering controls...the instructions are crap for both tho..so I hope this helps.