Ok, so I got my Protege from a dealership, and someone jacked the aftermarket radio that was in it because the power lock relay didn't work and no one bothered to lock the doors.
The night after I got the car, my brother gave me a newer 626 CD player/radio. The CD part doesn't work, but that doesn't matter to me. The other problem was that it didn't have mounts for the Protege, so it was snapped into the radio surround, and under acceleration it popped out and that sucked.
So then I get a Protege radio from a junkyard. It worked, but my front speakers were blown. After the 2 new OEM Mazda speakers were installed, it worked but the driver's front channel didn't.
My brother gave me a 90-92 626 radio(he has stacks of radios but mostly '86-'89 626/MX-6 and stuff) and it worked but a few days later it died.
Then he got me another one from a junkyard but it was completely dead, though I did get 55 cents out of the tape part...
Then he gave me a Miata radio. Works great, till this morning. It doesn't sound powerful but it was good. This morning it didn't turn on, and then later on it did. So I'm done playing this game over and over again.
Junkyard day today, and I was determined to find some Mazda radio that would work and sound good. I was thinking first gen 929, but 929s are generally rare in junkyards.
First yard I found a MX-6 GT with the super-rare electric equalizer. Got that, but it doesn't plug into the Miata or Protege radio. It'll work with a 626/MX-6 one though.
Yard 2 and there was a 929S. Radio, with graphical equalizer!! Teh awsem. Getting it out sucked, well, because we thought it would be like any other Mazda where the surround snaps out and the mounts for the radio are there. Well, it's not. After prying on the metal surround piece, bending crap and breaking some of the dash plastic. Then we look way behind it and there's some bolts. Freggin hell, bolts. Once the bolts came out so did the radio. But I had scratched the face of it. So we continued up and down the aisles(Fug a Vtec if you're reading it's UWI) and what do you know, another 929S. So we got the radio out in a minute. The equalizer is mounted below the radio but I was just going to put it in the cubby at the front of the center console. So I got the radio, equalizer, the mounts, and the surround piece for $17 or so.
Got home and I plug the radio in. It sounds amazing! Rich sound, plenty of power, and the equalizer makes a big difference!
So I'm going to use it. Only problem? Taking the radio and equalizer off the mount, they aren't supposed to be separated. The connecting wires are short and the equalizer uses the bottom of the radio as a cover so there's no top metal cover on it. Fixable though. All I gotta do is get some wire, and solder all the damn wires to make them longer. I test-fitted the MX-6 equalizer in the cubby, it's the same size as the 929 one, and it *almost* fits but I'll have to widen the inside of the cubby. So I'm stuck on the Miata radio til I can work on the 929 one, since the 929 radio won't work without the equalizer.
I'll post pics when I'm done. If I do this right I can keep the cup holder!
The night after I got the car, my brother gave me a newer 626 CD player/radio. The CD part doesn't work, but that doesn't matter to me. The other problem was that it didn't have mounts for the Protege, so it was snapped into the radio surround, and under acceleration it popped out and that sucked.
So then I get a Protege radio from a junkyard. It worked, but my front speakers were blown. After the 2 new OEM Mazda speakers were installed, it worked but the driver's front channel didn't.
My brother gave me a 90-92 626 radio(he has stacks of radios but mostly '86-'89 626/MX-6 and stuff) and it worked but a few days later it died.
Then he got me another one from a junkyard but it was completely dead, though I did get 55 cents out of the tape part...
Then he gave me a Miata radio. Works great, till this morning. It doesn't sound powerful but it was good. This morning it didn't turn on, and then later on it did. So I'm done playing this game over and over again.
Junkyard day today, and I was determined to find some Mazda radio that would work and sound good. I was thinking first gen 929, but 929s are generally rare in junkyards.
First yard I found a MX-6 GT with the super-rare electric equalizer. Got that, but it doesn't plug into the Miata or Protege radio. It'll work with a 626/MX-6 one though.
Yard 2 and there was a 929S. Radio, with graphical equalizer!! Teh awsem. Getting it out sucked, well, because we thought it would be like any other Mazda where the surround snaps out and the mounts for the radio are there. Well, it's not. After prying on the metal surround piece, bending crap and breaking some of the dash plastic. Then we look way behind it and there's some bolts. Freggin hell, bolts. Once the bolts came out so did the radio. But I had scratched the face of it. So we continued up and down the aisles(Fug a Vtec if you're reading it's UWI) and what do you know, another 929S. So we got the radio out in a minute. The equalizer is mounted below the radio but I was just going to put it in the cubby at the front of the center console. So I got the radio, equalizer, the mounts, and the surround piece for $17 or so.
Got home and I plug the radio in. It sounds amazing! Rich sound, plenty of power, and the equalizer makes a big difference!
So I'm going to use it. Only problem? Taking the radio and equalizer off the mount, they aren't supposed to be separated. The connecting wires are short and the equalizer uses the bottom of the radio as a cover so there's no top metal cover on it. Fixable though. All I gotta do is get some wire, and solder all the damn wires to make them longer. I test-fitted the MX-6 equalizer in the cubby, it's the same size as the 929 one, and it *almost* fits but I'll have to widen the inside of the cubby. So I'm stuck on the Miata radio til I can work on the 929 one, since the 929 radio won't work without the equalizer.
I'll post pics when I'm done. If I do this right I can keep the cup holder!
