JumpyRoo

I'm installing a new Pioneer head into my Rex (It's an 88 SE) and have encountered this strange problem with my door speakers. Simply put, they don't play. Now I'm replacing all my speakers anyway, but one of the door speakers did play in my car with the old Diversity tape deck. I pulled the back speakers and gator clipped my new speakers to the old wiring and yeah, those are working through the wiring harness and the new CD player (the new player lights up, powers up, and plays)... but the single front door speaker that was working (I haven't cut the door speakers yet... Anyone have any advice for taking off door paneling? I may ask this in another post) isn't working now. This leads me to think that my harness isn't sending to the front speakers.

I'm this close to leading new wires (descreetly) to the door through the back of the console under the dashboard.

Also, does anyone know how to make that power antennae hook up so I can still make it go up and down? I hear the Mazda's wire is negative and needs to be relayed--I'm a little confused in this process. Furthermore, the CD head doesn't even have a place in its wiring harness for a power antennae. Can I just mount a button on the dashboard for that or something?

DavyTailpipes

You can use the BLUE amp turn-on lead from your new deck or even the RED ignition wire to power the antenna.

Icemark

No, that won't work on that car, the power antenna is a negitive trigger on the RX and most other mazdas.

You will need a relay, on the bottom of the relay will be numbers next to the pins/terminals. here's how you wire it:

85 and 30 to ground. 86 to the power antenna output from the car radio (generally Blue or blue/wht from most aftermarket radios, or 12 Volt + from a switch you install). 87 to the power antenna lead in/from the car.

If there is an 87A or 87B on the relay you will not use that terminal.

Turbo Rx-6

It is possible that the power antenna output from your radio will not have enough amperage to activate the relay. Even though it is a twelve volt output, it is a low amperage output, and I have ran into situations, especially with JVC brand head units, where it just would not energize the relay. A 12 volt relay unlong with 12 volts, does require a certain amount of amperage to change states from open to closed or visa versa.

You will waste time thinking that the relay is defective and changing it to another, when in fact the radio provided lead is the problem. IF that happens to you, follow the same wiring layout above, but instead of using the radio power antenna lead, run a fused lead from a 12V source, through a switch, to the 86 terminal.

You will probably be okay with the radio lead but just in case.

Icemark

JVC power antenna and Amp outputs are rated for 100Ma, that should be able to run two relays. If it is not, then the output has been burnt up, and the transistor in the radio will need to be replaced.

Turbo Rx-6

I had this problem withtwo seperate brand new rightout of the box JVC Head units.

I thought it was strange also, as I had never encountered this before. And spent extra time changing the relay, thinking it was defective.

Icemark

Typically the JVC radio doesn't use any protection of the turn on circuit so yes if you had a bad relay or a loaded coil on the relay it could have caused that.

FYI: Brands like Alpine, Sony, Eclipse, Panasonic in all (but some of their very entry entry level) radios have a small shunt resistor that offers protection in case of grounding the turn on lead, while on.

mad_rx2

Well, i have a little to say

Im not saying audiobahn have the highest ranking spl car or anything

BUT

Audiobahn, make the Loudest (single) car woofer in the world,

with an amp power to match the rms this subwoofer is the loudest, the biggest and the baddest, single sub out there on the market
THE audiobahn AWT 34

650oz Double Stacked Strontium Magnets | Power Handling: 5000 watts R.M.S. | Frequency Response: 10Hz – 400Hz | Efficiency: 88.9dB | Bolt Tight Motor Structure | PHAT 2 Inch Foam Surround | Titanium/Aluminum Cone | 5 Inch 4-Layer AVS Voice Coil | Dual 2 Ohm Voice Coils | 1 Ohm or 4 Ohm Operation | Mounting Dimensions: Depth; 12 Inch Diameter; 34 Inch H AWT 34 buy audiobahn

If anyone disagree's and has a link to a louder, bigger badder sub, please leave a reply

Thanks every one

www.audiobahninc.com

JumpyRoo

Whoa, thanks for all the replies. I bought a universal antenna... Hirschman, I think it's spelled. I'm betting this uses a positive trigger wire so am I correct that I won't have to use the rely? I soldered the Power Antenna wire with the stereo ignition wire (red). But can you guys tell me now... how on earth do I get that old monstrosity out of the trunk, and is there something to bolt this new one to in its place? Also, which is better, the remote amp wire from the stereo, or the ignition wire?

Icemark

EEEK, no

The red wire on a Hirshman needs to go to 12v constant. Not ignition. This way the antenna goes down when you turn the ignition or radio off. With it wired to the ignition you must first turn the radio off, then turn the ignition off, if you want the antenna to be down while the key is out of the ignition switch.

The green (or white) from the Hirshman goes to the power antenna out put from the radio or the power amp output (if there is not a dedicated power antenna lead). Generally Blue or Blue/wht on most aftermarket radios.

The factory antenna removes, by undoing the 10mm bolts first, then unscrewing the fender nut. You will need to pull back the interior cover panel to get to the bolts and access hole.

You will need to remove the jack to get the antenna out of the hole. Try and re-use the antenna bracket though, it will save you time and make a more secure mount for the Hirshman.

Don't forget to ground the hirshman body with the black wire that comes in the kit, or you will get poor AM reception.

JumpyRoo

Hmm, I see. Yeah, I'll resolder those wires tonight. Glad I haven't installed the stereo yet. I'll get on the antenna tomorrow... The car's outside and it was raining today.

Thanks a whole lot.

JumpyRoo

So... wait. There *is* a "12v ignition" wire on the wiring harness... it's red (red on the stereo, but blue for the antenna, I think this is a source of confusion...). But what I want, I guess, is to solder this (the blue power ant wire in the wiring harness) to the yellow constant power wire that leads directly to the battery? Is that correct?

Icemark

Yep, aftermarket radios (that follow ISO standards) use yellow as the 12+ lead, and red as ignition.

Power antenna companies do not follow the ISO color standards. they often do follow german standard colors, such as Red is 12 volts constant and green is switched.

Icemark

BTW, next time instead of routing the wires all the way forward, back at the factory antenna plug is also the switched lead and constant 12volts.

The 12volts constant at the factory plug is the Lightgreen wire.

The lead that runs to the radio plug is the lightblue/yellow.

JumpyRoo

Hold on a second, Mark. As luck has it, I wasn't able to fully install the antenna tonight. I just removed the factory one. So walk me through the process for wiring the antenna as best you think is *correct:* You say to wire the antenna to the back, yeah, that's what I'm doing. I don't want to run a whole new set of wires. I cut the Mazda wires to the old antenna and now I believe (god it's late right now, I should just write this post tomorrow when I can be sure of the wire colors....) I have three wires to deal with that led into the old antenna: A yellow one, a brown one, and a white one. (I really hope I remember this correctly, I'll let you know tomorrow) Then of course, the actual antenna port and the ground. I am confused now and it would be great if you could make a distinction between the wiring plans for the head unit itself and the wiring plans for the back of the car.

Front of the car: The typical RX-7 harness contains a "Power antenna" wire. It's blue. My Pioneer unit (which is now dead, BTW, but I'm hopefully getting that fixed tomorrow) does not have a wire for the power antenna, so I believe you said that I should solder that blue "PwrAnt" wire to the yellow constant 12v Memory wire, correct? Because the system remote control wire from the CD player does not have enough power to send the signal?

Back of the car: This is where the brown, yellow, and white wires live. They confuse me. The new antenna is Hirschman, German, hopefully using the German standard you mentioned: It has a white wire, and a red wire. Tomorrow I can provide details from the wiring diagram, but the wiring diagram is hardly that detailed... which is why I am writing this :P

This new antenna is universal, so I assume I can put this in where my old antenna was, wire it up as it was, and not have to install a relay because the charge for the signal should now be postive, just like it is from the head unit, even though it uses the preexisting wiring system, correct?

I doubt that any of this has to do with my CD player no longer turning on. It just complicates the problem because, obviously, I can't test the antenna without a working stereo. It worked two weeks ago. I pulled the harness to rewire it for the antenna and now it's not working. But maybe the CD player just broke while it was being moved around in the house.

Thanks so much

-Colin

Icemark

I am sorry I was confusing you. These colors are what you will find at the factory power ant plug in the drivers rear quarter panel.

in the front you should find:

Mazda Stock Ltblue/White hooks up to the red ignition lead of the aftermarket stereo.

Mazda Stock LtBlue/Red hooks up to the yellow constant 12volts wire of the aftermarket stereo.

Since you are removing the stock antenna and stock radio, you can just wire the power antenna output or amplifier turn on output to the Mazda LtBlue/Yellow in the radio harness. Then hook up the LtBlue/yellow at the stock power antenna plug to the White wire of the hirshman.

If you are keeping the stock power antenna a relay needs to be wired:

Black wire of the aftermarket stereo goes both to ground and 85 & 30 of a extra relay to run up the factory power antenna. I like to use the 10mm bolt under the center console side front access panel as a good ground source.

The Mazda stock LtBlue/yellow wire to 87 of the extra relay for the power antenna.

The aftermarket radio's Blue or Blue/white power antenna output goes to 86 of the extra relay to run up the factory power antenna.

Now if the aftermarket radio doesn't have an antenna output or a power amp turn on output, then you should take the white wire of the Hirshman to accessory in the factory antenna plug, but your Hirshman power antenna will go up every time you turn on the ignition/accessory.

Hope this clears it up a little.