Kioti

My son recently bought a 2004 RX8. Love the car and he is enjoying it. Being the good dad I am I am his mechanic. A few days ago the heat/defroster went haywire. I understand this is a fairly common issue in itself. Of course the windows fogged up and it was difficult to see to drive. About 2 days later he lost all power in the center of the dash. No radio, no lights in this section and and you cant change between AC heat etc. The fan will work and the air will become cool or warm but thats it. I have gone thru all the fuses inside and under the hood. All fuses are good. I thought about the resistors but with so much going on I can't believe that would be the case. Any ideas???
Thanks

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

With the key in the "ACC" position, try to push on the front bezel, right under the "1" and "6" buttons... any difference?

CaymanRotary

My guess would be an issue with the wiring. You can remove the radio easily with just a screwdriver. Inspect and make sure everything is properly connected. You want to inspect wires and the connectors. This video, while unrelated to your problem, will show you exactly how to remove the radio deck. This would be the first thing I would check after verifying fuses are good.

Kioti

He is in it at work right now. We will check that when he gets home. I had heard something about a face plate that powers all of that area. Is this testing that?

Kioti

Great thanks. I will check that out. I feel confident that its wiring related. The fuses are all good inside and under the hood.

CaymanRotary

This could also be the issue. There are screws on the side of the face plate. The plastic is thin there and prone to breaking. You can try to push it in a bit and see if the lights come back on.

Kioti

I haven't taken the dash apart yet but once I do is this face plate easy to see and get to once the plastic is removed. I assume its like a resistor board that sends power to all the functions in this area of the dash?

CaymanRotary

Correct. the screws are easy to locate, they are on the corners.

Kioti

Ok thanks!

Kioti

We tried the 1 and 6 plan and it didn't change anything. It will be Saturday before Ii have time to take the radio out and go that approach. I will try that and let you guys know what happens. Thanks so much for all the help!