So after searching the forum to no avail, I decided to ask. According to PAC's website, and Crutchfield, this steering wheel adapter works ONLY in the 2004 8's. Has anyone installed it in a 2006 and if so are there any special install instructions since according to PAC this one is only for the 04's? I did find several instances on the forum of people mentioning an install, but most of them don't have the year of their car in the post or signature, and the ones that did were 04's. Thanks, and Happy 2010!

 

it's not only for 2004, it should work fine in the 04-08 series (probably in the 09-10 series as well).

 

It works just fine in my '05.

 

QFT

 

Just installed (1/3/10) in my 07 with an avh3100 dvd. Instructions aren't that great but after reading one too many forums on this topic I finally got it right. Talked with Pac-Audio and the tech said that the pac swi-ps for Mazda works for all Mazda's with the 24 pin connector which should be all RX8's 05 and up. I believe the 04 has a 16 pin connector. Bought the switch (new blue box model) from Crutchfield.

Wiring: White goes to pin 9 (green w/ white stripe), red goes to 12v Switched (should be the only wire on the same row as the large black ground, non-Bose factory harness), black connects with pin 10 wire (red w/ black stripe) and both black and pin 10 wires need to tee in to large black ground wire on the factory harness.

After you get the wiring right, programming takes less than a minute.

 

I didn't find anything tough about it. Wire up power and use the white wire for signal. Done and done.

 

Slightly off topic, but I am trying to do this too. Where is the cable I am supposed to tap into? I didn't see one behind the stereo.

 

Not sure I understand what your asking. The only cable to deal with is the wired remote cable on the other side of the pac swi. If this is what you mean, there should be a 3.5mm socket on the back of the aftermarket radio that the cable plugs into.

 

I have the PAC device but I cant find what I plug into inside the car, I know where to plug in on the deck but not the part in the car (Ihave an 04 btw)

 

It's color to color with the corksport kit. I could only assume it's the same with the Metra kit. Red to ignition, Black to ground, and white signal wire on the Pac unit to white in the Metra harness. Be sure you're not using the solid white that's next to the white/black. This is the front right speaker + wire. Not what you're looking for.

 

IIRC, the metra kit doesn't have a lead for Pin 9, you'll need to tap this wire on the other side of the connection.

 

Metra cheaping out once again...

 

Kinda disappointed with the metra wiring as well. Throwing in a couple extra wires wouldn't be a tall task. That, and my display freaks out and clock cant keep time even though I supposedly have the latest software.

Getting the pac connected to the factory harness wires was a tedious venture, at least for me. Ended up just cutting pin 9/10 wires and soldering extra wire to them since they aren't connecting to anything on the metra harness. Cringed when I did it, but made it much easier to work with and gave me a few more locations I could mount the pac.

boarderjosh- is your factory harness 14 pin or 24 pin?

 

All the RX-8 Harnesses, Bose or base are 24 Pin.

My MX-5 has the same 24 pin connector, luckily the HVAC controls aren't integrated. What I did when I installed my DDX-514 and PAC SWI-JACK was to buy an extra Metra Harness, then take the pins out of one of them giving me a full harness to use. That way I didn't have to cut/splice any factory wiring.

 

Good thinking.

For some reason I was under the impression that 04's had the 14 pin. Oh well.