Ok, so i'm a complete stereo nOOb, and i need some help. I've been searching, but can't seem to find a thread that covers me.

So, i've got an 04 with a single CD player. I've been trying to integrate an in-dash Sirius unit, so i purchased a 6-CD changer with a sat button from EBay

upon trying to install it, i got the AC controls working fine, but i can't get any activity out of the CD Player itself, nor can i get any display on the LCD display.

after exchanging a few emails with the guys i got it from, they say that they know it works because it was the only RX8 6CD Stereo they'd had in the past few months, and they had it playing CDs in the shop for a couple days before they packed it up and sent it off.

They also said that they think my problem is that the single-CD unit is internally amplified, while the 6-CD unit has an external amp.

1st, does that make any sense / is it at all true?

2nd, if it is true, what else would I need to make it work?

thanks in advance. again, sorry for my complete ignorance in the area. this is the first time i've mucked with stereo stuff at all.

 

It would help to know what kind of system you have and the firmware.
Do you have the 9 speaker BOSE or the standard radio? To find out the firmware With the radio ON press the text & 1, but not exactly at the same time. Depress TEXT a split second before ' 1 '. RX-8's with early firmware have limits on how you can mod it.

 

how would i differentiate between having the bose and the non-bose in my car? is there a way to look on the headunit itself?

also, wouldn't the firmware only have to to with the head unit itself? so i'd need to know the firmware of the one i'm installing to know if thats the issue, not the one i'm taking out, and i can't find the firmware of the one i'm installing because i cant get it to display anything.

 

A Bose RX-8 will have an amp like the one below in the trunk under the deck lid. Its near the light, if you have a spare it will be behind it. Installing a head unit from a Bose RX8 into one that isn't might pose some problems.

 

awesome, thanks. i'll check after work.

im 95% sure i've seen that, or at least something that looks a good deal like that, in my trunk when i was running the sirius wires. so this might be a case of a non-bose unit being put in to a bose system. if that's the case, what, if anything, could i do to make it all work?

 

The tweeters next to the side mirrors with the big word "BOSE" on them might be a give away too.

 

Secondly, if you installed a baseline stereo into the Bose system, you'd still give audio output. But it would just be distorted. We've had this happen to several folks on the board in the past.

And if you're installing a Bose radio into a baseline system.... I would still think you might get SOME audio out of the speakers. Just very quietly. Either way... the CD player is going to play. The LCD should display something. Is it powering up at all?

 

it doesn't appear to be powering up at all. its certainly not outputting to the LCD, and pressing AF/FM and just turning the volume up doesn't give any static.

so in theory ALL stereos should at least be able to power up in AND configuration of RX-8?

the other factor is that i don't know what year the 6-CD came out of. it's got a SAT button, so it must be 05-or-above, and the AC controls are glossier than the ones in my 04, but i don't know the significance of that.

 

Did you purchase just the CD changer or an entire stereo headunit?

 

I know we've had a member have his headunit replaced at the dealer. Upon him leaving the dealership, the audio out of the speakers was highly distorted, so he brought it right back. They then realized they had installed the baseline headunit when infact he had the Bose system.

 

entire head unit: AC, Stereo, Faceplate all as one unit.

 

I have been to the GIGANTIC dealership there in Champaign and they do good work.. If all else fails go to them...

 

o'brien? i've had lukewarm experiences with them.

also, i'm a DIY kinda guy.

 

did u disconnect the battery?

If no check the fuses.

Sounds like its not plugged in all the way or you do not have it grounded.

 

expo1,
my firmware is version 9.50. what is this telling me? also, I have the bose system but i can't find 9 speakers, only 7 near as I can tell. I figure, there should have been speakers in the side panels in rear seat. Looks like they would fit but there are no grills there. what gives? was there a 7 speaker set up with bose? While on the subject of audio, it seems as though i have a cd player as apposed to a 6 cd changer. However I have a face plate that shows a 6cd application. whats up with that?

 

I had that with Bose as well.

 

ok, i looked, and i do indeed have Bose. which pretty much debunks the "single CDs are internally amped" thing i guess.

they mentioned a lack of ground too, but this one is failing to run of the same plug that the single-CD currently is. anyone know which pin on the back of the stereo is the ground so i can figure out whether it's getting power or not?

also, are there any internal fuses on the CD player at all? and does the 6-CD use an additional fuse that the single doesn't for some reason?

 

My 8 was built 5/2003 and my head unit firmware is 9.53, yours must be a real early unit. I first thought you were trying to add the SAT feature to your existing head unit and I know that most of the nice additions will not work with early firmware units. But you later said you were trying to install a complete head unit you purchased elsewhere. Did you put back the old unit to confirm it still works? As for the speakers.

1) Center Channel in the center of the dash near the window x1.
2) Tweaters in the a piller on the doors x2.
3) 9" Subs in the doors x2.
4) coaxal (2 speakers in one) 6x9s in the rear behind the seats x4.

 

i couldn't tell from your post if you noticed but the guy you quoted wasn't me. just want to make sure there isn't any confusion.

yeah, the old stereo is in the car currently and working fine. the order pretty much went:

old stereo in the car and working fine
new stereo in the car and not working
undo and redo all the plugging in, new stereo not working
plug different plugs in to the old stereo to confirm which one provides power, old stereo working
plug just that plug into the new stereo, new stereo not working.
stomp around a lot in frustration
reinstall old stereo, which is working.

 

Thanks expo1, I didn't know that the rear's were 2 speakers in 1. duh.. I had to send the unit I bought back. I was going to install it but it turned out to be the exact unit i had in the car. It too was a cd player not cd changer. I reinstalled the original "player" so I'm still looking for a stock 6 cd "changer". My question now becomes, is the face plate I currently have going to be compatable with a cd "changer" or am I going to have to replace that too also will the firmware have any affect on the install?

BTW, my build date is 7/01/2003. Odd that mine was built after yours and my firmware is 9.50. it would seem logical that the numbers should increase with later builds. ???

 

so, does anyone know what part # i need if i want a 6-CD that is compatible with both my Bose and Sirius? is it a different part # than the other one? cause online i'm only ever seeing one part number associated with the 6-CD changer anywhere.

 

I called John Finger Motors, the local Mazda Dealerhip here in Greenville and they told me the part # is GJ6D-79-EGX. $525.00. I don't think they understand the confusion with the player/changer situation. I was told when I bought my car that it had a 6 cd changer. Of course it wasn't so I went back to where I bought it and negotiated a $300.00 settlement for misrepresenting what I bought. I thought this was equitable. I've got feelers out to obtain the 6 cd changer. Nothing yet.

 

A real quick test is on the face plate of the radio there will be white writing that should say multidice or have a picture of 3-4 dics stacked together.

 

^ is that for the bose compatible or the non? or are they the same?


if they're the same, does anyone have the wiring diagram for the stereo so i can figure out why this thing isn't powering?

 

Hve you searched 6 CD ???
there is a thread with a guy that has factory 6 CD player for 100 bucks.

Serch to save money.

I bought one from him 3 years ago.