ccrooks

couldn't find any rca-to-speaker wire cables at fry's... bought the components from radio shack - looks like i'm making my own!

ccrooks

plugged everything in and nothing but the power is working. no sound, no hazards, no steering wheel controls, no a/c controls

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Check all your fuses and also ensure that your "remote turn on" wire (blue/white) is connected properly. Without this, the Bose amp will not turn on.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

And I guess I've changed my mind. I'm going to hunt down the resistors, some PCB wire connectors and some PCB and solder something together for us. Give me a bit, but we'll see how it turns out.

ccrooks

I'll check. Wired to ti other blue /white I'm guessing...

ccrooks

got it working, apparently the blue/white wire was the key to EVERYTHING, lol... it was the only thing i connected and everything started working

bad news is that i now have a whine coming from the engine.. guess it's time to visit radioshack!
i need to take it apart anyway, since I forgot to connect the steering wheel controls... and the dimmer isn't working :o

mbentley

iTrader: (1)

Nice I'd either be interested in the end result or would just be curious what parts you will be using for this. I'm always interested in tinkering with stuff so this would certainly be something new and fun to try out.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Glad you got it figured out. Sorry to hear you have engine whine, but that's what this thread is all about. lol

I picked up the resistors last night so now I'm just hunting down a chunk of PCB and some PCB wire connectors at reasonable prices. I'll solder everything together and test it out on my home receiver. Then I'll make a few more for you guys. Keep in mind these will just be components hand soldered on a PCB. You'll still have to insulate it from touching other electronic pieces/ground. Wrapping the whole thing in electrical tape would probably be fine. Should be much easier this way versus twisting resistor leads together, soldering, then insulating four loose sets of them.

Munchy

iTrader: (2)

I had the engine whine problem as well when running RCAs. Tried 2 other grounding points and same problem. Listen for buzzing when you open and close your doors as well.

I just ended up not using the RCAs.

ccrooks

well, i got everything working and i'm happy. to "fix" the engine whine, i did the ghetto fix method of wrapping the RCA shields with copper wire and connecting them to the head unit chassis. there's a little bit of a whine now, but i can't hear it over the combination of music/engine, even at low volume

thanks for all the help, firebirdude

ccrooks

Update: the whine is still there, but fades when the car warms up. Definitely strange, but I am overall still satisfied

yeyo_racing

fbd, were you able to make any of these?

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

**** no. Had to fight with the damn Chinese parts suppliers I ordered from. They say they shipped my parts, but couldn't (or wouldn't) provide any proof. I finally get them weeks later and the PCB is the wrong one. Speaker wire connectors wouldn't fit onto it. Sat on my desk for a few days while I decided what to do.... then I just gave up. I was just going to do it as a favor to everyone, but it turned into a huge waste of my time.

John Finney

So got my kit installed. Yep have the engine whine. Cant get my DVD player to play (Dual XDVDn9131) but thats a diff story. Also now my heat wont stop blowing. Any ideas??

cybrmage

Try installing a ground loop isolator (such as a PAC SNI-1, GS Audio GL301, Scosche ES034, Boss B25N or similar), between the head unit and the vehicle harness..

Did you remember to remove the 3 transport screws from the top of the unit before installing the deck?

I will assume that you mean that the HVAC system will only provide heat regardless of the position of the temperature dial. This will happen if you cross-connected the fan and temp cables, if the HVAC control panel has bad solder joints, or if you got a defective Metra controller. If you mis-connected the cables you can fry the controller. If the cables are connected properly, then you should try the heater fix DIY ( https://www.rx8club.com/do-yourself-...ontrol-158200/ ). If that still does not work, then you probably have a DOA/failed controller (contact the place of purchase for a warranty replacement).

If you meant that the fan won't stop running (fan control dial not functioning), you need to check the connector to the fan contol on the back of the HVAC panel.

yeyo_racing

Ok, I will be doing this once I receive my HU and components purchased. I have a question thou. What if I use 68 ohm resistors in series and a 15 ohm in parallel instead of the suggested 62 and 18? Will there be any noticeable difference?

Radio Shack only has 68 ohm and a 15 ohm locally.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Nah.

Funky

Just a PSA, as I installed my Metra Kit today. I was able to keep steering button functionality by simply connecting the green/white connector to the Steering Wheel Key (+) wire on my new head unit harness. Just had to map the buttons on the steering wheel to what I wanted in the new head unit's settings.
I think modern head units can interpret the steering wheel button presses just fine. All I need to finish the install is an antenna extension as mine couldn't reach into the new head unit.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Nice!

SWC depends on the brand head unit. The no name Android based units seem to have this built in. Also Sony head units. To my knowledge, Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, and Alpine do not.