so, an update on a bit of this. I got my photo and zoomed in on the parking sensor control box, and realised that there is an ‘ADJ’ with ‘plus’ and ‘minus’ sign next to it. I managed to locate a jewellers screwdriver in to a screw (although the actual screw head was out of sight in the box!). Turning it fully towards the positive, I’ve got the sensors working. Thought it might be a volume control and that I could adjust it down a bit, but as soon as I turn it away from fully ‘on’ the sensors stop sounding.
So I’m happy to have sorted that mystery out!
So now it’s just the mystery of the loose cable by the boot hinge, and whether I can improve the reception of the radio…!
It’s to plug the brake light into off a genuine Mazda boot rack. The jumper wire is there when the boot rack is not fitted so that the OE brake lamp works. I can’t quite make out what’s what from your photo but it looks as though someone has disconnected it and perhaps put it back to standard. If you follow the wire behind the trims it should go to a fuse and then plug into a white connector that’s part of the standard wiring harness.
The wiring issue I came across before was at the audio unit plug not the aerial plug.
I’ve just had a look at my aerial, and it looks exactly the same as yours, except the radio works just fine. One cable is a thin coax, the other is the power.
There will be a join in the cable behind the panel on the right of the driver’s foot-well. The second bit of cable going to the radio should have the thicker coax with the colour coded power wire splitting off to another single wire connector. It might be that this last one is not plugged in.
I’ll be checking mine soon enough. The radio sometimes sounds as though it’s underwater (gurgly/bubbly) and sometimes is quite fuzzy in places I thought I’d get good reception. On the other hand, I’ve bought an aftermarket stereo and am anticipating the DAB signal to be considerably better, and I’ll be checking out my FM antenna cable under the dash when I get round to this install - will report back then and see whether it’s a radio issue for me vs an antenna issue.
Any thoughts on removing the trim panel in the drivers footwell? There is one of the simple push fit buttons near the bottom which comes out, but there is then a fixing behind somewhere near the top that I can feel with my fingers, but don’t want to force and break? Is there a nack to this bit being disengaged? Once that’s done I’m imagining it slides out from under the door trim panel along the bottom edge. Searched the web but can’t see an explanation…
Lift off the drivers scuff plate (it just clips in), pull off the U-trim at the lower front of the door opening, and you will be able to see through the gap between the front side trim panel and the door frame. It took me all of half a minute to have a look to check. The connector is visible there, as is a normal trim pin that can be levered out with the usual plastic tool. It carries on with the same kinds of wires as at the Aerial end. I don’t know why the manual says blue for the wire, unless there is a colour change somewhere near the radio and I’m not taking out the working radio to have a look.
But if you are getting some signal, that connector by the door will probably be OK. My suspicion is that the power lead is not plugged into the back of the radio.
So, the last thing is to try the power lead at the back of the radio. Ho hum, another effort to remove the trim around that I guess!
One thing I noticed is that when the sat nav screen is showing, top right has the round indicator that it has traffic data. I read in the instructions that this is either full green, partial green, or a blinking green arrow, to indicate whether it has up to date information for your route, and if it’s not locked onto a radio station to get it, the green arrow is showing.
All I see is the green arrow showing - presumably that means it can’t locate a radio station with traffic data?
(I guess I may not have understood all of that right, so apologies if this is incorrect!).
I am getting some radio stations (2, 3, 4 and local BBC), but by no means all I would expect (no classic, and picking up a version of Radio 1, but not recognizing it when saved as such)
Have you tried removing the glove box or at least dropping it down (catch on the lhs) and see if you can feel the aerial connection into the back of the radio unit? Is it pushed right in?
On my 3.5 (2010) the aerial connects at the bottom left hand corner (viewing from the front) so you’d access from the glove box side. It’s all pretty tight in there so go gently.
Don’t know what year your MX5 is but there are some guides as to radio removal if you need to go in from the front. Early and later models are slightly different.
I’ve had mine out a month ago for the ‘CHECK CD’ alert on the display.
My model is 2013 Venture Edition, with the SAT NAV unit.
I’ve tried to see what’s what via the glove-box removal as recommended, but no joy, it’s just too tight in there to see or feel for any issues!
I’m not sure how easy it is to get the side trim off the 2013 to remove the screws (and bolt?) to remove the unit and check cables at rear. I saw on a youtube clip someone saying models from this year have additional screw fixings beneath the gearstick trim that need to be removed to get side trims (either side of radio) off. This may be the point at which my diy expertise runs out!
A lot of aftermarket radios have the option to turn the power to an aerial pre amp on or off ( on the blue and white wire I seem to remember ) my Pioneer system has. I remember checking for 12 volts at the connector at the aerial base when I fitted the Pioneer unit, and yes, it was switched on and off when selected on the radio.
Does your system have this option?
My radio/nav is not aftermarket really - it’s standard in the Venture Edition MX5’s. So I don’t think it is likely to have the option to turn the power to the aerial on and off, but I wouldn’t know where to find out if it did - it’s not showing in the manual!!
Sorry, I read Roadster Robbies post above saying " the OPs unit is not a factory fit unit and has a patch lead " so I assumed it was an aftermarket unit. Sorry
i haven’t read the whole thread but have you checked the 12 volt feed at the aerial base?
Very good point. I should have thought of that (getting old and stupid) it is one of the first things to try.
Dig out the voltmeter, unplug the lead from the aerial base, switch on the radio, and measure the voltage coming from the lead on the plug’s single pin connector (not the coax) with respect to ground, such as a handy bolt head.
If you have the 12V then:
either the aerial amp is duff, (expensive)
or the aerial stub is duff, (try another - such a bit of wire or a long screwdriver)
or there is a bad connection from Aerial stub to base, (Servisol Super 10 might help here)
or there is a bad coax connection somewhere between aerial and radio, (most likely behind the radio)
or the coax has been pinched and damaged somewhere, (most likely behind the radio)
