Radio won't turn on/ LCD wont light up/ AC won't work
 

Hey All,
I just got a 2005 Mazda RX8 today, and proceeded to install a ipod integration kit into the car. I unplugged the battery completely from the car before starting, and completed every step. Once everything was plugged back in, i turned the car on, but nothing shows up on the LCD no matter what buttons I press, the radio won't turn on, and the middle nob where you turn AC on or off won't light up no matter how many times I press it. The fan nob works perfectly however, and i can hear the cd player when the car is turned on. Can somebody please help me solve this problem? I spent 3 hours figuring out how to dissasemble everything properly, now my whole front console seems dead...on the first day of me having the car :icon_no2:

Did you check the fuses?

I will later on today. Is this a common problem after installing the ipod integration? Funny thing is when the car is on, and the ipod is plugged in, the ipod announces that the accesory isn't optimized for the ipod, and doesn't charge.

push

Okay, I've checked all the fuses..and they're all fine. What other things could I do to fix this problem? I went through the process of removing the radio again today, and made sure all connections are good..still the same problem :( Having no radio and AC absolutely sucks!

I second this, I had a similar or perhaps the same problem when installing an Ipod integration kit. Make sure the face of the stereo(part that wont light up) is making complete contact with the rest of the unit. When pulling out :yesnod: the unit the front face may lose contact.

Push on the radio?

All this to fix the lcd not coming on, the ac and radio? O.o

If you have the unit removed or at least pulled out by a good amount, either remove the face and put it back on or see if its loose somewhere and try to push on it see if its helps.

Kinda noobish, but how do I remove the face? :P

I believe its only a few screw as shown here

http://www.whatsmyip.org/ipodrx8/6.php

ohhh so take the whole radio out and put it back in? :P ugh i'm kinda regretting even attempting this

I had the same problem when I pulled my radio out to do the DIY fix for no heat. Push near the top of the radio face. I believe the connections are just above(or below) the part you put the CDs in.

okay I will try that.

okay, pushing on the radio at any point didn't help anything.

Then you''ll have to pull the whole unit out (at least a little) like cfm251 suggests. The problem with the radio is, that face plate and the radio are two seperate units. The face has little connections (almost like pins) that connect directly the the radio. If the radio isn't sucured properly, it can actually side back and disconnect from the face. You'd be surprised how little movement it takes for them to loose contact. Honestly, it seems like more of a hassel then it actually is to pull the radio.

I feel your frustration tho, it took me more than 2 hours to find the problem, but only took 10 mins to fix.

allright, i will try that tomorrow. is there by any chance some tutorial on how this is done, or at least some direction? sorry i'm kinda new to this DIY thing :P

btw another question...the antenna cable...is it disconnected by unscrewing it...or just plain tugging it out? I don't want another problem to happen

The same DIY http://www.whatsmyip.org/ipodrx8/1.php Page 4 shows you where the screw are. In regards to the antenna cable, I not sure. I dont remember how I got it loose. But you dont have to disconnect the radio completely from the car to check if those pins are the problem. As long as you can pull the radio out a little, you can gradb the back of the radio and push ont the face plate. Try seeing if you have power to the radio before you put everthing back together.

Aslo, with the radio pulled out, it shouldn't take much force at all to see if those pins are the problem.

Has anyone had an issue with the electronics in the faceplate going bad and causing just the stereo and LCD to go out but not the heating/ac controls?

For the antenna cable, just tug it out.
I had the same problem when i tried to connect the auxmod. Only the a/c controls were working. It turns out that i had blown up the headunit. The lcd, cd player and faceplate, they take power from the head unit. If the head unit is blown up then all the above are not working except the a/c controls. I changed only the headunit and everything is perfect now!!
If you want more help just ask me!!

ok thank you all! I shall try that then. I now the head unit is probably fine because everytime i start the car, i hear as if a cd is stuck in the cd player...which brings another question o.O is it possible there is a cd jammed in there? cause i can't put in a new cd...

Well, i took the whole radio out, checked the 4 main screws, checked all connections...everything seemed good. I plugged the radio back in, still won't turn on! >:(

Is there anything else I could try? :( having no AC and no radio absolutely sucks!

You need to unscrew those 4 screws & unplug the LCD wire from the faceplate. Make sure that the 2 rows of metal pins are making a good connection between the faceplate and the head unit.

I have been having issues with my head unit too and I am sure your issue is the faceplate to head unit connection. Here's a way to confirm it. CAREFULLY strip the faceplate completely down to just the PC board and plug it into the head unit. this way you know you have a solid connection between the pins on the head unit and faceplate.

If you need more help shoot me a PM. I can even walk you through some of it over the phone or something if you want.

Good luck,

Ok I took out the radio and everything and checked to make sure it would seat properly on the two rows of metal pins. and connected everything back...strange thing is this time around, the faceplate lights up, but the ac, radio, and the lcd don't work :( i also tryed pushing together where the metal pins seat...but both of them are seated in quite snug...I will try dealing with this tomorrow...also is this the only thing left i can try with the whole making sure the metal pins seat perfectly?

I am having the same issue but I never unplugged any of the stereo cables. I checked them all by unplugging them and plugging them back in. Still nothing from the stereo or the LCD. The heat and ac controls work though. Any ideas?

My stereo is still broken. The dealership replaced the "audio control unit" but the stereo still would not function. They ended up doing a complete swap with a different RX-8 and all they got was a very faint sound from the stereo. They're going to make a second attempt at repairing it soon. Hopefully they'll figure it out.

Any luck with this? I'm in the same boat after doing the MP3 input - think maybe I've shorted something out with slopping soldering? Hoping I don't need a new head unit. Also sucks having no A/C as it's in the 90s here all week...

Have you removed the ipod intergration kit and tried to see if everything is working ok again?
If something doesn't work after you have fitted something new to your car, remove it and see if everthing is working ok without it.
If the radio/display and AC work again once you remove the item, you will know its not the stereo thats the problem, but more likely the item you fitted.
Some of these kits for aftermarket items like Ipod and the Metra kit are basically a good idea, but not necessarally that well made.

Turns out mine was caused by a short from sloppy soldering. Cleaned it up, and everything works fine. I had fan control and CD changer power too, so it looks like neither of those are regulated by the head unit. Hope this is somehow helpful.

Hey all. Just had this issue with my 2004 RX8 when I was adding an AUX port. The problem was the face plate connections, but I was the cause of the problem. While taking out the radio I forgot about the hidden bolt on the left side. I was being aggressive trying to get the thing out until I remembered it. :banghead: I discovered later (when nothing worked after reinstall) that I had bent the two metal tabs on the left where the screws go in to attach the face place. This was casuing the connector on that side not to seat properly. I straighted the tabs, benting them slightly back to give more pressure when attaching. This worked. All is right with the world and I have the AUX port that I wanted.

I think Dave H has the answer, I was having issues with my LCD display and after I installed the aux mod and made sure there was good contact between the face plate and head unit it got fixed. However, I discovered that the damn dealer had lost the "Jesus bolt", the hidden bold on the left side under the steering wheel. Since I had spend a lot of time installing the mod and fixing the contact problem, I just put everything back. Fast forward 6 months and this morning suddenly the LCD and the radio stop working, also the ashtray light, and the A/C controls flash and don't work, only the fan and thermostat. I had my phone plugged in and it was playing fine and I could control volume with the steering wheel controls. I'm pretty certain that the vibrations and not having the hidden bolt caused a broken contact between the connections. Based on my problem, I think the problem Idm0910 and others have is the loose contact. It is a pain to check but you have to make sure you retain contact when sliding the head unit back in. The face plate is really fragile, I cracked mine a little while fixing the contacts so be careful. There are many great guides on how to remove the head unit on this site, do a search. Good luck!

Finally I need a favor, does someone know the exact part number of the hidden bolt, or the exact type of bolt meaning length and width, so I can get a replacement. I'm sure not holding the head unit secure caused my problem and I cannot fix it until I get that bolt. My new dealer sucks when it comes to finding parts so I rather ask guys here. Thanks in advance!

Well, I found it here for those who might need it. https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...48&postcount=3

Hey i just tried to install an auxmod into my car. & something really bad went on. my ac wont work, stereo wont work, car wont start. PLease help asap. Is there something wrong with the face plate connections or something?
PLEASE HELP

You need to give people more details. Will it crank or is the battery completely dead? If all electric equipment is off you might have blown a fuse. More details, I find it really strange that the car won't start. All the other stuff is pretty common when dealing with the head unit, do a search and you'll find tons of details even in this same thread. Good luck!

I have the same problem. Iv been looking into how to fix it for 6 months. Have you fixed your problem and have some advice for me. Im about to buy a whole new unit.

Details again. Is it just the radio/AC/display controls? If that's your problem is probably the face plate and its electronic components. Mine is almost done (original 2004 RX-8, GT) since the screw mounts that hold the face plate to the head unit broke and the plate is pretty loose. When the display goes out I just press it holding the corners down and it comes back on. If anyone has a used, working, face plate for a 2004 GT, no disc changer, no GPS and is willing to sell it I'm listening to offers.

Got my iPod connector today for my 2004 rx8, did the installation easily then got into same situation. Came here read the posts and then assumed it would be a face panel issue. Get back to my car and really there is nothing wrong with the face and the whole unit. Put it back just for function check, to find out what works and what not. Realised, I expected the light to go on when I turn the key, but the light would only be turned on when the head light / fog light are turned on. How stupid I was. So for the functional check I plug all the harness in tight, then pushed the unit all the way in and pushing hard on the edge of the unit in. RX8 on the LCD was good and everything was working just fine.... What was my problem and why I thought I had the same problem and came here I don't really know now. However, just make sure the harness are righty plugged and then push the unit all the way in nicely for a check, maybe you would be as lucky as me. One bad thing in my installation was that non of the YouTube mentioned about that the gear knob maybe powered depending on your model... I have one and during the twisting in step one, it's gone, and it breaks at the very inside that makes it very difficult to fix, so I will live without power to the gear knob now, which isn't that bad, I think it is only an internal light thing. Hope this helps some people.

I just had this issue two times. First time, that little bolt that is on the left, within the dash, was gone. I put it on, no more issue. Second time, I removed the entire unit and everything was in one piece. There are these four screws that hold the faceplate to the actual radio unit. There are these gold looking pieces that are part of the plastic faceplate that were not seated in all of the way, the plastic was also cracked. I pulled all of these yellow metal inserts out, put some PVC glue onto them, and then reinserted them until the sat flush within the plastic. I also PVC glued the cracks. I let this dry for a little bit, put everything back together and now everything works just fine. :D

I have to push my unit so I could use anything. I added a iPod adapter and I lost the screws that hold the headunit. I've been pushing it to use the volume, AC, everything for the past 4 years. Anyone know where I could buy those screws? Lol. :(

AC radio and fog lights doesnt work Need Help
 

My catalytic converter was crack so i got replaced it. Then my ac radio and fog lights doesnt get power and turn on.


i need help please let me know if you guys had this issue or any ideas

Thanks to you all..

I am having a similar issue, I installed gauges, a defi unit that requires constant power, I turned the car on and they didn't work, check the room fuse, it was blown, I replaced it. Now my driver side door light (right hand side) says on all the time, the left door light doesn't even turn on, my dash says a door is open and my radio/climate control will not work, headlights and fog lights work, my hazard button on the center console above the radio works, any suggestions? I even removed the gauges and retraced everything and tried to see what would happen without the gauges installed, nothing helped.

Well I finally fixed my radio. I bought another replacement online and swapped it out. It did not initially work. I swapped the face plate and tried again. It immediately worked. I pushed the radio back in and as I pushed it in it shut off. I pulled it out and disconnected the faceplate and reconnected it to the radio. Inserted the whole thing again and voila. What I've learned from this is that the connection from the faceplate to the radio really really sucks. If i push on it at just the right angle the display starts going crazy. I'll be selling/trading the car in a few weeks and this will make it easier to get rid of.

I also fixed my problem, it was a bunch of different things for me. But as far as the radio and stuff not working, most of the time if you took the radio out, you did not reinstall the face plate back on properly. That is what also happened to me.

What really baffles me is that the dealership could not figure it out. Oh well....

I used to work at a Toyota dealer as a tech. A lot of things the dealer doesn't even know. True they are a dealership but that doesn't mean they are the know it all of solutions. They go by a set of procedures to diagnose problems. If they can't figure it out or it takes too much time they give it back, most of the time. The only thing they have compared to a privet mechanic is access to everything for your vehicle. But that doesn't mean they are better than the privet mechanic.

Push the radio using both your thumbs under the volume control and everything should be back on.

Were you able to figure out the problem?? I just bought a 2006 rx-8 and I plugged in an adapter into the back for the radio for my iPod and the face to my sterio isn't turning on. My AC works perfectly but there's no lights on and my radio won't turn on.