Shock Sensor Install - Easy
 

Here are my notes from installing the shock sensor this evening. The entire job took about 20 minutes maximum.

Kit Contents: Instructions, Shock Sensor, Wire harness, wire taps, zip ties.

Here is a closeup of the Shock Sensor itself (sorry it's a bit blurry).

You remove the plastic panel near the passenger side footwell. Here is what the back side and clips look like.

Here is another shot of the panel, showing the piece that sits under the plastic doorsill, and its clip that goes under the rubber weatherseal.

Here is the passenger footwell with the panel removed.

On the 14-pin connector (up high - top right of photo) use pliers to snap 1st wire tap onto BLUE/RED wire.

From the sensor harness, snap the RED wire's male connector onto the wiretap.

Note: In this photo the connector is NOT seated fully. The sleeve must contact the rear face of the wire tap, and should audibly snap.

Still on the 14-pin connector, snap another wiretap onto the BLACK/YELLOW wire.

From the sensor harness, snap the ORANGE wire's male end onto the wiretap.

Move to the lowest visible connector - the 5-pin ground connector. Attach a wiretap to any BLACK wire on this connector.

From the sensor harness, snap the BLACK wire's male connector onto the wiretap.

Now locate the 24-pin connector for the keyless entry module. It is the center of three, vertically placed connectors. Snap a wiretap onto the BLACK WIRE WITH BLUE STRIPE.
Pay close attention, because there is also a blue wire with a black stripe.

From the sensor harness, snap the BROWN wire's male connector onto the wiretap.

Your completed connections should look something like this.

Plug the sensor harness into the shock sensor and zip-tie the sensor to the far bundle of wires (keep the sensitivity knob pointed for easy adjustment). Use the other zip-tie to bundle your loose wires.

The completed work, with footwell panel reinstalled should look something like this. Adjust the sensitivity as required.

Dang, Wayne, already got the '8 all hooked up! :)

I wonder if that shock sensor is a commonly-available aftermarket unit - might be able to find it cheaper.

How much was it from Mazda anyhow?

Dale

I paid $55 at the dealership, and saved $75 by installing it myself. Cutting the pennies to justify to the wife dropping coin on the factory service manual. And to justify the upcoming tint job.

can you scan the directions and post them?

Pardon my ignorance.. what does the Shock Sensor do?

Sure, but gimme a day or two - really busy right now. The only reason I didn't scan initially is because the sensor comes with the instructions, and my remarks were meant to supplement said instructions.

The shock sensor detects shock/impact to the vehicle and trips the alarm when such a shock/impact is encountered. In many cases, it let's you know when it is storming outside when the thunder trips the alarm (people leave the sensitivity too high).

So I guess you need the alarm to get the sensor? I don't think my car has an alarm. I really don't know :shrug:

Try this procedure:

Roll down a window.
Close the doors.
Lock the doors with your keyfob.
Reach in through the window and open or unlock the door from the inside.
If the car goes apeshit, then you have the perimeter alarm.

You don't even need to leave the car. If you remove the key from the ignition and use the remote to lock the doors while you're still inside the car, the alarm will sound when you try to exit the vehicle. I speak from personal experience. :)

Yeah, I read that in the manual. I didn't try it but I don't think I have it.

Stated in the canadian specs the GT comes with an alarm the GS does not :(

I'm thinking about getting an alarm, but then I think it's useless. Once someone breaks in, it's too late anyways.

They would have to fiddle to defeat the ignition kill. And they have already done damage to the car in some way at that point anyways.

The best theft deterent is the flashing red light that blinks when the key is out.

I will try that trick tonight but I don't think it will go off. I wonder how much it is for the mazda alarm.

Or another question is, I wonder if it's easy enough to get an aftermarket version that works with my current keyfob and door locks/trunk etc.

Thanks for this info, waiting for the feature to be avaialbe, I just may try it myself and save the install charge too!!

Plus, I really do not like people working on my car for stuff like that.

A little off subject, has anyone experienced a rattle form the sun roof? When driving in the city, the interior roof cover vibrates alot, and I think it is the lighting that is rattling. Noise does not change if I open, close or tilt the roof or the sun shade.

Any ideas? It drives me crazy!!

doug

B-Nez,
Props for the install pic and additional data! You just saved me $85 that a dealer was going to get tomorrow!

Best Regards

All GT's have the alarm system

That's WAY off topic. :D But I recall reading a looooong thread months ago, where a lot of people had that complaint. Try a search; maybe it contains some solutions.

Great job with the instructions! You saved me money as well! Great pics and instructions.

Any difficulty getting the side panel off or back on? I know how cheesy those plastic clips can be sometimes! I havent looked at it yet, but if you have any other tips with the panel, the rest shoudl be a breeze!

How do you like the shock sensor now that it is installed?

Timisw,
The side panel just kind of pops on and off. Kind of hard to describe in a step by step set of instruction. Darn thing came off and went back on so easy that I am not sure I could tell you were I tugged or pushed…
I know that you posed the question about “how much do you like it” to B-Nez and I am sure he will favorably reply soonest, but I followed his lead and installed mine without trouble (much) and it’s functions work as advertised. I have left mine on “high” sensitivity and plan to adjust as needed. (Unlike the install pic, I placed my shock sensor IAW the provided instructions along the wire harness inline with the blower fan and can access mine to adjust the settings without removing the side panel.) At it’s current settings (highest) if you try to access the car by lifting up on the door handle and then let it go once you find out it is locked, then the alarm with go off…(my 5 year old found this out while trying to get his fruit drink out of the car). Additionally, if you tap on the front headlight covers the alarm will sound. Obviously, this high setting will be problematic during thunderstorms and I will fine tune this over the next couple of weeks.
There is a slight delay from the time of impact until the alarm goes off (approx 1 sec or long enough for you to think…”it is not going to HONK, HONK, HONK”…it works). One word of caution……read B-Nez’s and the provided instructions carefully, as the 24 pin connector is way up in the dash and do not get fooled by the connector that will be staring you square in the face during the install. While you will wish a hundred times it was the right one, and it even has a “brown” wire, etc…..it is missing the biggest clue being displayed by the correct connector, and that is a big yellow sticker indicating the keyless remote.
Thanks again to B-Nez for the initial info and pics….Regards

Maybe the Mods can move this thread over and make this an official DIY thread

Thanks... going to order it on Tuesday. With these instructions its going to be an easy $75 that they dont get for an hours worth of work that really only takes 20 to 30 minutes!

RX8 Pusher,
How do your arm your alarm? :) .

Here's why I'm asking - I found that with my shock sensor set at maximum sensitivity, if I tried arming the alarm by pressing the door lock switch inside the car prior to exiting the car and closing the door, the alarm would not arm (hazard lights would not flash). I guess the sensor was outputting "shock present" due to the vibration of the car during/after closing the door, and the alarm logic does not like to see that when going from unarmed to armed state - so it does not arm.

Arming the alarm by pressing the lock switch on the fob after closing the doors worked fine - so I'm guessing that you use the fob.

Would you mind trying locking with the interior lock switch and let me know if the alarm arms or not please?

I realize this is a non-issue if the fob is used to lock/arm the car. I wish the alarm system was designed so it delayed momentarily after the door was closed so as to not get confused by the door closing vibration.

Here's a thought for you on keep your sensor at maximum sensitivity: When I installed my shock sensor, I decided to wire a bypass switch into the sensor circuit in case it went off during thunderstorms - but I don't have the sensor set to maximum sensitivity anymore because of the no-arm with interior door switch issue. At its current sensitivity setting, the alarm has not gone off during storms, so I have not used the bypass switch. The bypass switch allows the sensor output to be disconnected from the alarm system.

Depending on the frequency of thunderstorms, it my get tiresome to have to flip the bypass switch ..... so probably fine tuning your sensitivity setting as you mentioned is the better option :D.

Another forum member mentioned that their alarm had gone off serveral times and a neighbor got pissed and egged the car.

rx8cited

Quick Question...

If the Shock Sensor sets the alarm off, how long does the alarm go off for? Is there a setting or does it keep going off until EVERY neighbor is armed with an egg?

Sorry for the delay in my response - we just moved into our house and got the bulk of the unpacking done.

1) Installation: Do note that the units now shipping are a bit different as to have the diode kit. So my instructions may be off. I suppose they are still good to give you an idea of how simple it is and what to look out for and avoid. Someone posted updated instructions on here somewhere...I recommend searching for that.

2) How do I like it? Well, I had it on min. sens since it was an original unit that clicked and flashed while driving. I finally had the dealership install the diode kit, but now it won't trip the alarm no matter what I do. Someone suggested they may have reversed the diode and it's a simple fix. I haven't had time to mess with it due to the move, so for now it hasn't been functioning as far as I know.

I need a little assistance. I believe I installed the first two taps incorrectly. I used the wires that go up to the middle connector towards the top (one would connect to the red of the sensor). I believe where I wanted to install the taps is the wires coming out of the bottom of the "14-pin connector" that seemed to really only have 5 wires coming out of it. It was terribly more difficult to install them where I did. My plan now is to buy more taps, install them to what I believe to be the correct wires before I plug the sensors into them. Actually I think I plugged the very first tap to yet another incorrect wire. It got very frustrating- I studied the instructions and the pics here before trying to mess with it. I gave up after at least an hour of messing with it. It sure looked simpler in the pics- but they can't show everything.

It sounds like you're not looking high enough into the footwell. Get your head up in there with a flashlight, you'll find it - it's a monster. At the top of the photo below is a bundle of 14 wires going to the connector. The connector with the lever-looking thingy on it is not the one. Look even higher and further back...it's closer to the firewall.

About 3 minutes from page 3-23 of the Owner's Manual.

Here's the egging story .

rx8cited

I put this unit in about 6 weeks ago. I've been having an awful time with False alarms. No vibrations or anything, I have it turned all the way down, and it will just go off by itself. It's happening daily at least.

Has anyone else had this happen or know of a possible cause?

0) What happens if your alarm is armed and you hit the windshield lightly with your palm?

1) Double check that the sensitivity control knob is turned all the way counterclockwise to minimum sensitivity. Arm the alarm and hit the windshield lightly with your palm.

2) If alarm did not go off, you're onto something. If that caused the alarm to go off, repeat step 1 with the knob all the way clockwise to maximum sensitivty.

3) If the alarm did not go off - hmmm - left is right and right is left? If it still went off, set knob back to counterclockwise position and recheck your sensor installation/wiring. If you find an error, go back to step 1. If no wiring/install error, maybe a bad sensor unit?

rx8cited

Day 4, new upgraded shock sensor w/diode, max sensitivity, 3 storms and only 1 false alarm ……..no eggs!

RX8cited,
I tried the door lock test that you asked for. My alarm is acting like yours and will only arm with the use of the key fob. Manually locking the door will not arm the alarm. Fortunately, you pointed this out to me before I learned the lesson myself.

B-Nes,
Thanks again!

RX8Daniel,
I am sorry to hear that you are having problems. I can only suggest this approach (the way I did it): read the entire provided instruction booklet and prep all of your kit by placing the connectors on the diode and the additional clip on it as well, then refer to B-Nes’s excellent DYI instructions and compare the instructions with the colored pictures. Make some notes if you need to, then go to the car and identify the different wiring harnesses. (They are the high one’s not the easy to reach low ones…except for the grounding wire) Draw a picture of that if need be and then return to the color pictures and reference the instructions or make colored prints of the pictures and reference them at the car. The hardest wire for me to reach was the brown wire for the diode coming out of the key remote connector and there is a big yellow sticker identifying it. The drawing of the diode with the instructions is somewhat misleading, as that wire does not hang down but is stretched tightly into the wiring cable harness. Good luck and keep us posted.

Shock Sensor owners,

If anyone here has the pre-diode fix version of the Shock Sensor Installation System Wiring Diagram (it's one page from the shock sensor kit installation instruction booklet), and can scan / post it for me, I'd really appreciate that.

I'd want to see how it differs from the diagram I have which includes the diode fix.

Thanks,
rx8cited

PS: RX8 Pusher, thanks for posting your results to my requested test.

RX8Daniel,
How is that shock sensor DIY coming along?

I recently installed the upgraded kit and would like to say that the experience was both horrifying and painstaking. In order to spare you from my account of the installation filled with colorful languages, I just want to point out a few important areas for those brave (or foolish like me) enough who wish to tackle this supposedly "DIY" project.

For starters, the blue/red & black/yellow wires are found on the white 14pin connector, which sits to the right of 3 vertically placed connectors looking from passenger seat to the kick panel. The blue/red wire can be somewhat tricky since there's a similar colored one. Next, the diode preparation should be done exactly described as on the instruction, while only closing up one side of open tunnel on the red gizmo. The brown wire the diode connects to is found on the largest connector that sits in the center of 3 vertically placed connectors. The connector is the control module for keyless entry system, which is marked by Visteon yellow sticker. As other members pointed out, the brown wire is extremely taut and short that is surrounded by a bunch of wires further limiting your access. It took me forever to identify, cut (while saying prayers), and hook the diode to the brown wire using the gizmos on both ends in proper orientation (keyless entry module & vehicle harness going into firewall). I have slim fingers and still found the space to be a major problem as I tried numerous positions to make the connection, ie: lying on my back against the side of passenger seat & door rail. Lastly, the black (grounding) wire can be any of those found on the semi-transparent-white connector sitting closest to the door opening all the way to the right. I can scan the instruction but it's useless as far as I'm concerned.

Godspeed!

Thanks for the pics & posts about the shock sensor install. I did it today (actually my 15 year old son did it for me, I just supervised) and it went very smoothly. It took about 1/2 hour. I have the new sensor with the diode. With successes like this one, we are ready to move on to other mods!! :D

mm

Sensor wiring........
 

For Mr. RX8cited, here is a (crappy) scan of the wiring of the 'first edition' sensor, that falses all the time.

Sorry about the quality, the paper is very thin, and I suck at cleaning up images!

S

Re: Sensor wiring........
 

Hi StealthTL,

Thank you, thank you! :) I guess patience does pay, eh?

Lemme' guess, you ended up at this thread after seeing my reply to apaul in the Canada Forum?

Thanks again - the image quality is good enough for my needs.

regards,
rx8cited

Thanks great instructions, I had it installed and working in 20mins.

Did something change for 2006 models?
 

I've tried following these instructions and failed miserably. I can't seem to find any of the described connectors. The only one I can find is the one with the black ground wires.

Does anyone know if they changed the locations of the wiring connectors in the 2006 models? Better yet, has anyone done this install on a 2006 RX-8?

Oraycle.....not sure what the problem is, the instructions had mine working with minor problems. I have to admit I tried to connect to the wrong wires the first time due to my own lack of attention. Made a copy of the instruction the second time and had no issues when I decided to follow the instructions.

Cheers

As I mentioned, I suspect the problem is something changed in the 2006 model. I'll try posting some pics so you guys can see what I'm talking about, but the right side of the passenger footwell only has 2 white wire connectors. One I've identified as the black ground wires. The other one right next to that is the one that has the misleading , but wrong wires. It looks different from the posted pictures (does not have the grey lever thing), but it is in the same locaiton. Looking up above those two connectors, I was expecting to find the described white connectors (either the 14 wire one or the 3 vertically placed ones), but there are NO other connectors up there.

As I mentioned, I'll post a pic later so you guys can see what I'm talking about. But if anyone has done this install in a 2006 and can confirm or refute that the wire connectors have moved, I'd appreciate it.

Pics of 2006
 

Attached are the photos of the right footwell in my 2006 RX-8. The first photo shows the 1st large white connector that used to have a grey lever on it. Obviously, it has changed slightly from previous years. Next to that connector is the one with the black ground wires.

The second picture shows further up above the 1st large white connector (it partly appears at the bottom center of the photo).

The 3rd picture shows even further up above the 1st large white connector.

Reading the earlier posts, I was expecting to find a 2nd large white connector somewhere above the 1st one. And also 3 vertically placed smaller connectors. But as you can see from the photos, there are no other white connectors above the 1st large white one.