Just did, and it's still the same, somehow there are even less lines now...

but the soldering did fix my temperature control, but now I got no display... not sure if I wanted this tradeoff =(

 

How are you getting the head unit itself out. I got the hidden Bronze bolt out, and took the two inside screws out that attach to the head unit, but the unit itself is not coming out, even a half inch.

I can't grab it from the top, but I have been grabbing it from the bottom, it is not budging, but it is bending. I feel like if I really yank on it, I am going to crack something.

It seems like the tabs holding the unit in are stuck. Any tips on clicking the tabs, the trim between the unit and the car is so tight on the sides I cannot even stick a credit card in between. Or should I be looking for something else causing this?

 

I just noticed that my car was stuck on cold, the connection seems to be loose or something, i can push the button and the a/c number will change but as soon as i take my hand off of it, the number goes back to zero. I still have a warranty with Mazda so i'm going to take it in and see if they'll fix it.

 

You have to give it a little yank on one side first while holding the other side for stability, see if this youtube helps? shows at the last couple seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG77cRRaWPM

 

[QUOTE=zeddy;3949513]You have to give it a little yank on one side first while holding the other side for stability, see if this youtube helps? shows at the last couple seconds.

Thanks, that helped, got it out pretty quickly after I was able to move my fingers under the right side, pop it out, and then pop the left side out.

 

I did it yesterday and the heater is working perfectly. (it was stuck at either 0 or 16, it would change if i dial but takes about half a minute). Thanks!!

Just some note, as the guy in the first page said, it would help if you remove the 4 screws and remove the metal bracket blocking your access to the annoying bolt. Also I broke the bezel between the faceplate and the radio. So be careful when you are pulling the radio out. Try to grab the radio instead of the faceplate..you should be able to reach the lower metal bar of the radio if you have long fingers...if not, cross your fingers..

also the hold power button + hold scan up trick does not work on my car. I don't know why... the screen would light up every letters/graphics it has...like a light bulb check. Maybe I did some wrong?

 

Never got an answer huh ? I'm in the same boat . Guess I should just do the suggested soldering and see what happens

 

Ok - pulled it all apart only to find the circuit board is vastly different for JDM models . The temp control pot is totally different . I re-soldered the pot connections to the board but found that did nothing .
So i went with plan B . Shoved a hose up the core and that did the trick !

 

Nice... Wonder if there is a socket behind the 04-08 models to plug in a sound wire input...

 

To check using the scan/power button...do you have to disconnect the connector to the a/c amplifier? In the repair manual it says to, but not sure which plug i have to disconnect and getting either of them out is a tight squeeze.

 

You don't have to disconnect anything. Just hit both buttons while the car is on.

 

fixed the **** and it is now functioning as it should. I did find the real problem...the linkage between the air mix actuator arm and the motor that controls it broke off. The long bolt is still fine, just the plastic piece that it connects to on the end of the actuator arm. Don't even know what something like that is called? I'm gonna try and find a wrecked 8 and yank it out of there, unless someone has one?

 

For anyone who is having trouble finding the bolt: There is a small wedge shaped gap in the plastic. If you shine a flashlight through it and look around, the mysterious bolt will appear. Also you can go straight at it with a long ratchet extension. It will put your ratchet pretty much right under the steering column. I used the electrical tape trick mentioned in the threads to prevent losing the bolt into oblivion. Much thanks to all who contributed to this thread that saved me hundreds!

 

Im gonna try to fix this next weekend...... Just thought id ask is there a thread on here that has the rx8's in order of manufacture date? iv'e searched but didn't find anything... ive got an rx8 made in june of 03 and would like to know how early she is.

 

Thanks to the OP for gathering all the information . I did this repair tonight (among others), and in places where the factory service manual was a bit vague I was able to refer to the article listed to clear things up. Needless to say the repair went very well. Thanks again.

 

Fixed it! however i had a bot trickier time...... one of the previous owners had glued the control ***** on. lol however from the pics given i could tell where the bad joints were so I just melted thru the plastic back, cleaned up the melted plastic with a dremel and hit the connections thru my "port hole".
And I had no problems with the hidden bolt..... after breaking it loose i simply reached my arm up thru and took it the rest of the way out with my fingers...... no losing it. I did however loose my 10mm socket when it popped off and fell somewhere.

 

Another happy customer. Thanks again for a well documented fix.

Has any found the right bolt to replace the lock for the radio? The previous owner did the favor of loosing it.

 

This is awesome . . . dealer quoted me $500 bucks to replace the heater control unit. Now I jst need to find a friend with a solder iron.

 

My rx8 radio volume ****, power button, preset buttons, and scan won't respond. The radio still plays and can be adjusted using the steering wheel controls. At the same time the ambient temperature display is not working, and the ac control is only blowing hot air.

 

This thread helped me figure a way around my problem till I get the radio gear I am wanting. So i dont have to take the dash off more than once. So thanks =)

 

Great guide. Hardest part was finding the hidden bolt. After 30mins of looking I realized it was missing (seriously).

Getting the radio unit out is a pain, pull from the bottom and you'll feel a pop, then hold the left side while prying the right (lightly) and you'll see if move out a bit. then wiggle and left should pop out.

Getting to the circuit board was common sense. The instructions do not detail what you need to actually do but they provide the right steps to get reasonably close. Someone who has never worked with electronics before may have trouble here but just trust your self. The hardest part was pulling 2 plugs without giving the wires slack which I ended up having to slack them anyway. They are tucked under clips and I really didn't want to unclip them but it is needed. The one control will fall out when you remove the board, the other will only partially fall out. Not sure if it's normal or not but whatever.

It turns out the previous owner tried to fix it and soldered the wrong connections. There were massive solder deposits on a few connections (all of which were incorrect). The bolt to the radio was missing. 1 clip under steering console was broken and the carpet near there was cut a bit since I guess they tried to find the bolt.

After everything my temperature control cycles from 0-16 properly.

 

quick fix... push power button and up then find which direction makes it go to 16 and wedge something in to make it stay there so i can drive to work and not freeze my *** of at 18 degrees outside! thanks wingnut!

 

Thanks for the DIY!!! Just used this to fix my pot! Also the stick shift **** is really heavy for it's size, I was surprised


Here's a really good video on the stereo removal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG77cRRaWPM

 

You pushed the up button on the left side. The right up button does the A/C

 

Awesome DIY!! Thanks!!!!! Saved me from freezing everyday.