Molloy9874

So I have taken the plunge and get the Metra kit and steeringwheel kit as well. With a Kenwood DDX-419. Everything is hooked up Soddered and works perfectly.....execpt the HVAC does not work at all!!! The display works just fine showing METRA RX8, clock ect. but the fan does not turn on at all!. I have a light on the defroster, one on the fresh air and one on recirculate. I have called crutchfield and they are now sending me a new axxess box as they don't know what the problem is and I also called METRA and could not trouble shoot it. I have plugged the HVAC controlls directed to the AXXESS box without the extension wires and that did not work, I also do not have the hazzards working either. Any help would be much appericated. I have a 2007 GT with Bose System no navigation. Also I did use speakerwire to RCA if that makes any difference. Oh and the head unit works perfectly so I have no idea!

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the PM compliment, but my knowledge is really more of car audio in general. I just owned an RX8 for awhile, did a good deal of audio work on it, and have been on this board for a few years to pick up a thing or two. My installation was prior to Metra even designing the kit for the RX8. I've done a few other installs on customer's RX8s and I've installed hundreds of those Axxess boxes in various model vehicles. Case and point, I don't trust anything electronic Metra offers.

I'm very surprised Crutchfield is sending you a new Axxess box without you having to return yours first. Kudos to them. And it doesn't surprise me in the least that Metra was zero help.

I'll post more later. Gotta run.

Molloy9874

So now even further decided to just install biting my lip and better judgement with out hvac. Went for a ride and I get hot air blowing only when I'm moving and now a weird symptom of the dsc light on and the traction control light on. Tried turning the dsc light off with the Manuel Switch on the console with no luck. After driving for 20 minutes or so and both lights turned off. Got home checked and pulled all fuses and put back and no change but the lights are back on. I was good with no hvac but hot air in Florida not a good thing help!!

Molloy9874

Oh and crutchfield rocks, they are sending me a brand new install kit free of charge and when I did the initial order I order female RCA to speaker instead of male and they sent the right ones to me overnight at no charge and told me to keep the incorrect product as well. Wish they were a retail store local!!

Molloy9874

Also firebird you say you install for customers do you have a shop here in Orlando?? I'll come in if you do

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

The lights on the dash are normal. Happens every time you remove power from the car. If you turn the steering wheel all the way to the left, then all the way to the right, one should go out. The other goes out after a little driving.

Crutchfield has always had top-notch customer service, but damn, they're going way above and beyond for you.

I work in Melbourne now. If you wanted to make the drive, that's fine, but I'd rather not have to charge you any money for my help. Hopefully we can get it fixed via the message board or with the new Axxess box. If not, sure, we can meet up sometime.

Read over the instructions again carefully (especially page 7). Remember everything you unplugged. Make sure everything is re-plugged. If I remember right, there's a couple harnesses that plug back into the hvac/face area. Just like this one. ENSURE ALL HARNESSES ARE FULLY SEATED. That goes for the ones going through the Axxess box too. Inspect them to see if any pins slightly backed themselves out of the harness as you were plugging them in. Look for bent pins. Any chance you plugged the wrong harness into the wrong location? Metra warns that this may damage the interface and cause it not to work correctly, even after you correct your mistake.

Other than the HVAC issue, how does it sound?

Molloy9874

I really think its the axxess box I know for sure I did the install correct. I read through your original post "read here first" all 52 pages 2 times to make sure I did not repeat any errors that people have done in the past. All harnesses are in and fully seated as well so guess ill have to wait till Tuesday when the new box comes but if after that I can't get it I would like to come to your shop if that's ok with u?? Can't drive around with heat on! As for sound everything is good need to tune it properly though

Rotaman

As you are finding out the hard way, the Axxes box is really a piece of crap. Some of them seem to work, and some don't.
Here is a link to another thread regarding the same sort of problems. You will see what I did with my Metra kit in regards to the Axxes box.

https://www.rx8club.com/interior-aud...nstall-235500/

My Axxes box is still sitting in the box it came in, I was tempted to send it back, but due to the cost of shipping it to the US and back to NZ, I didn't bother.

Hope this is helpful

Rotaman

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like Rotaman had the same problems you're having. His, breakdown the factory headunit, extend the wires, and stash it elsewhere in the car method was what people did before there was a kit available for the RX8.

And it's nice to see someone agrees with me that those Axxess boxes are ****. They come with any kit for any vehicle that needs an interface like this. Another one, specifically, that pisses me off is the VW 9003 interface.

I'd be happy to tear into it and give it the once over, but I'm just worried there's going to be nothing I can do. I know these kits notoriously have problems. The RX8 kit is not something I normally stock, so I can't swap out the Axxess box for a third or fourth one if that's what it takes. And the last thing I want is for you to make the drive for nothing.

Rotaman

Hi firebirdude

One more thing that is worth mentioning, is the cables that are provided with the Metra kit for the fan and temp extensions, are worth checking very carefully.
I used these cables and have found that the male ends of these cables are prone for bad connections. If you check you will see that each of the wires on the male ends are covered with heatshrink, and they look fine, but I found on my cables that two of the connections under the heatshrink were not soldered very well and they basically were not connecting, even though they looked fine.
So even though I still think the Axxess box is crap, it may also be that things are not working properly due to bad connections with the provided cables.
So its probably worth checking each of the wire connections to make sure they are ok before throwing the Axxess box in the bin.
Hope this is helpful when you next have an Axxess box problem.

Rotaman

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Thanks. But the RX8 kit is one of only a couple that use tiny cables like that. Most of them just come with two large 10-12 pin harnesses that plug into each side. I've seen the pins back themselves out of those a time or two.

Stars25

iTrader: (1)

When driving, you'll have air blowing even when the air is off if you have the air circulation button chosen to be the fresh air rather than recycle.

I'm in the process of having to buy a new metra kit just because my axxess box has decided to quit on me after a year of working. I'm also in the Orlando area.

Molloy9874

Ok should have posted earlier but got the new box and low and behold everything works just fine. I've got it all hooked up and as of right now no problems! Thank you all for your advise this forum has yet to let me down!!

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Nopstnz8

iTrader: (6)

Ok guys. Been following countless threads for months and have almost given up on trying to fix this issue, but I am selling my car in the coming months and need this fixed. I have had my metra kit about a year now and didn't notice till this past winter that my temperature control didn't work (everything else works fine). I checked my connections, flushed my heater core, did the climate control DIY fix on two separate units, and even purchased a new climate control unit, to no avail. For the last 6 months, I've had the climate control flap pin disconnected and just open and close the flap to switch between hot and cold. I only get one extreme or the other, but it's livable.

Now back in December, I had my access box switched out as I was certain it was the cause of my climate control temp not working, but after swapping in the replacement, nothing changed. The other week I swapped in that third climate control unit, and checked all my connections on the axxess box to make sure nothing was loose, but everything checked out and my issue hasn't changed. I believe its either my axxess box that's bad again, or on the the cables that connects from the climate control to the axxess box is defective. I think I might try swapping them later this week to see what happens.

IDK what I should do because I feel it will be a nightmare trying to get the axxess box swapped out again just so I can receive yet another faulty unit. Anyone have any suggestions as Metra apparently sucks *** and doesn't even supply replacement units to send out to customers in cases like this.

Nopstnz8

iTrader: (6)

Bump for info.

Nopstnz8

iTrader: (6)

Hard to believe no one has solved this issue...

Stars25

iTrader: (1)

Try hooking up the entire metra kit like normal EXCEPT for the climate control extension harnesses. Most likely you're going to have to unplug your aftermarket radio and just clip in the metra faceplate with the empty hole. That way you will be able to use the short harnesses that extend from the AC unit itself to plug into the respective AC plugs on the axxess box.

I thought my axxess box was faulty so I purchased a new one and it turned out one of my extension harnesses were messed up. So I just am using the one non-faulty extension harness I have left and just extended the stock harness for the temp ****.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

So you got your problems fixed Stars?

Stars25

iTrader: (1)

Yeah after PMing you about having you re-wire the harness it occurred to me that I could just extend the stock harness since that is just splicing and soldering wires together which is basically where my capabilities end lol

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

AWESOME. Glad you got it figured out.

Though sad that a friggin 10 cent run of wires would be the problem with your $150 kit.

Stars25

iTrader: (1)

Yeah the lack of quality merchandise is surprising for a $150 kit, but I'm just glad that I only had to spend $12 to get another axxess board from another member to figure out that the box wasn't the issue instead of spending the money on a whole new kit to figure it out!

On a side note, what gauge is the wire for those extension harnesses, is it 22 or 24 gauge?

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

I really don't know. I'm sure either is likely fine. On a short run like that, even 24 gauge should be good up to an amp (22awg being even more so). I can't imagine the juice on those wires being more than 250mA tops.

Nopstnz8

iTrader: (6)

Glad to know it is indeed the POS cables like I was guessing Stars25. Should i contact Metra to try and get a set of replacement cables? I'd prefer to get the new cables as where my axxess box is mounted, and for the future, it's just easier. Definitely going to be playing around with the cables to troubleshoot now though.

Stars25

iTrader: (1)

You can contact Metra if you'd like but you're not going to get any assistance or additional cables from them. They don't sell items separately nor do they offer any type of repair service.