I have some questions about my stock Clarion sound system.

How do I set the radio stations, to the buttons, the memo button?

How come if the volume is on, and I turn off the power on it, to lower the power antenna, my rear speakers make a low popping/crack noise?

Whats the "pro" button on the cassette player?

I have stock speakers in the rear, and Jensens in the front, and the front speakers are really quiet compared to the rear.

What are the two Clarion electrical box things underneath the storage compartments, some sort of power boosters?

And how does the cassette player work, as soon as you push a cassette in does it automatically turn on? I dont have any cassettes to try.

Thanks.

 

Go to the station you want, hit the memo button the press the key you want to program it to.

I believe the pro button reverses the direction of the tape but I don't ever use it.

Yes the front speakers are really quiet on all the stock cars.

The tape deck starts playing automatically when you insert a tape whether or not you have the unit on.

I've never seen any 2 boxes under anything but haven't ever taken anything apart to look.

The crackling is Satan trying to communicate through morse code.

 

If it is a GSL, those are probably the front and rear amplifiers.

 

"The crackling is Satan trying to communicate through morse code."

Now this is one valuable piece of information, I've been trying to figure out why my otherwise perfectly behaving Clarion stock system makes that crackling noise when I turn it off. Satan, you say?

Should I be worried?

 

Not unless you are playing judas priest backwards
rmmsrputpsppssmmamrrrsssV8smpsinrrspmyourspsmmppps rrrsprx7smsmsmsmmpprrrrssrrmmsms

 

Should be able to adjust that with the front/rear fade using the joystick.

Dual amplifiers.

 

So does everybody's rear speakers make a noise when they turn off the power to the stereo?

 

Well, since were on the topic of the stock stereo....
I noticed an odd thing the other day.

The head unit in the dash has both fader and balance controls, pre- joystick.

It seems that the balance works, but I only get sound in all the speakers when the fader is centered front to back or in the front speaker position. If its set to the rear, I get nothing.

The weird part is that the joystick works to fade front to back, and side to side but the fader in the dash doesnt work.
Is this how it comes, or has there been some crazy wiring done? Seems like the indash fader is completely useless, except for cutting off the sound when set to the rear position? Thats not right is it?

 

"So does everybody's rear speakers make a noise when they turn off the power to the stereo?"

Well all three of my 84/85 GSLs have had this nasty habit. My RX7 friend Mike told me once that the contacts for the on/off/volume ****/switch need to be cleaned. He said this was fairly easy to do but I haven't tried it yet.

 

I have noticed this as well in my '84 SE...But also the balance is entirely uneffective on my head unit, too. I also get big "pop" from the rears when turning off the head unit...Just a complication of old amplifier technology I think. (no soft start/stop circuits). What I want to know is how to make the big round cables that connect all three parts of head unit and run to amplifiers and fader joystick, converted into rca jacks so I can replace only the tape deck with a simple silver cd unit and replace both factory amps, and keep the joystick and factory EQ and radio. Maybe even a simple cd deck from another Mazda (newer ~early-mid 90's) that had a premium sound system with a simple cd deck; like ours have the tape deck. Anyone done this? I don't want to change the OEM look too much or at all, but who still listens to tapes?!?

 

"Whats the "pro" button on the cassette player? "

Maybe for Dolby Pro Logic? Lots of older tape decks had a dolby button. I had a 7 with this system in it many years ago, too long to remember.

Sevens4me,
If you are prepared to hack up those DIN cables, then you might as well go ahead with an aftermarket deck and ditch the little clarion amps and those cables altogether. A newer deck alone most likely will put out more power than the factory one with its dual amps. Many new ones also have fully adjustable illumination (my Blaupunkt does) so you can make it match the color of the factory gauges & lights. If you are intimidated by the prospect of wiring it up yourself, consider buying from Crutchfield. They will give you the cables that match your factory ones, making it pretty much plug and play.
I fully understand the concept of keeping things stock, but IMO sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet if you want to enjoy today's technology in a 22 + year old car. For example, even a 90's cd deck wouldn't have provisions for hooking up an Ipod. Yeah, you could go with a RF transmitter for it, sure. But if you're complaining of hearing odd noises out of the speakers now, you will really hate the alternator whine those things pick up!

 

My 85 GSL does the same thing too, I think mazda used the same head unit in the 84-85 S and GS model rx7's. so when the DIM cable is plug in the deck know there is a fader joystick is there. the S and GS had no fader joystick by the E-brake so it use's the one on the deck itself. I may be wrong

 

sevens4me just get an old school cd to tape adapter the one with the tape with the wire hanging out of it that way you can just plug in a I pod and go

 

Section 15 of the 85 FSM has 12 pages covering the audio system. Iirc, the Owner's Manual covers the systems operation. Each rear speaker has it's own amp under the bins. Single front amp is behind the panel under the glove box. Hopefully one of these days, the Owner's Manual will be posted online next to the FSMs.