ok My buddy and I installed a new sterio the other day, on the way home from his house about 200 yards down the road my radio went off as well as the gauge lights. i checked all the fuses and the adio one was fried as well as the illum. i replaced both and now the radio works but the illum one fries right when i put a new fuse in. so we got out the multi-meter to test it. and when the switch is turned on we get a ground. . that's not good. . could this be the switch? My headlights work as well as the brake lights. but the gauges don't light up and i don't have any running lights. The radio does work. Any help would be great. thanks
Dom

 

sounds like a fried wire... did you ground something out? check your wiring bud...
sounds like a short. <-- thats what i meant to say originally but i couldn't think of the word.

 

yea i figured that. just wondering if the switch was prone to going bad or something. In short i was trying to get around going through all the wires . .it's gonna be like finding a needle in a haystck. . what fun. . lol oh and yea i did ground out some speaker wires but that shouldn't make any difference i dont beleive.

 

Please search this has been covered countless times.

Who ever installed the radio, hooked the Mazda factory radio lumination wire (Red/black) up wrong. Probably using it as a ground for the radio.

Take the car back to micky mouse install and have them do it right.

 

why do you have to be a dink about this? This is a forum, it is made to help people with there cars. The Rx7 is my car along with the countless other members of this forum, i'm sorry if i have burdened(sp) you by posting. If you feel as though this is not a problem that i should be posting about then close the post. Or just don't read the damn thing. You sure as hell don't need to reply so harshly. I'm not trying to be an ***, i know you know your ****, and i have purchased parts from you as proof but i don't see the micky mouse coments necessary. Did i call you any names? DaffyDuck maybe? Thanks for the help though, any other information would be great.
Dom

 

Sorry to offend you Dom, but this is very basic and comes up every couple of months. It is even covered in the FAQ for FC under wiring the radio.

Again sorry you feel slighted, but please search next time.