questions about my 2 nakmichi cd500's

[rotormotor 10+ year member]

well i got a couple of these headunits installed in my miata and rx7 this weekend. everything went smoothly (including the bose adaptor in the rx7). the head units sound amazing, and the look/backlighting matches the cars very well. i have two concerns that i wanted to ask for your advice on.

the first is that the backlighting on the HU's is NOT dimable, but nakamichi's spec page on their website says it is. i was a bit pissed when i discovered this as i now have a glaring headunit when i dim everything else in my car (which i usually do).

the second (and most important) problem is with the antenna up/down lead from the cd500's. in the manual it states that the antenna will be raised and lowered when entering and exiting TUNER mode. all that happens for me (in both cars) is the antenna raises when i turn on the HU and lowers when i turn it off. i drive around constantly with the cd player running and dont want my electric antennas up constantly. is there anything i can do or is there some other setting on the HU that im missing? is it possible that they are BOTH malfunctioning in that way?

thanks very much guys, heath //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

didnt connect the dimmer wire. Youll probably just have to live with the antenna.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

Sell the Mazdas.

 

[rotormotor 10+ year member]

didnt connect the dimmer wire. Youll probably just have to live with the antenna.

there is no dimmer wire in the nakamichi harnesses. thats the problem. as far as the antennas i cant stand to drive with them up constantly. i barely even use the radio. if theres no fix for it i'll have to install an override switch in both the cars. i was hoping someone with a cd500 had some insight into these problems.

 

[rotormotor 10+ year member]

Sell the Mazdas.

and buy what, a ford? yeah i love going in straight lines....... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

and buy what, a ford? yeah i love going in straight lines....... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Nope, not a Ford either.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

Both Miata's and RX7's are fantastic cars...

Anyway.

 

[rotormotor 10+ year member]

so back on topic, was i the only one stupid enough to buy a nakamichi? no one else here having the antenna problem with their cd400/500?

 

[tee 10+ year member]

so back on topic, was i the only one stupid enough to buy a nakamichi?

No?

 

[GSRswapandslow 10+ year member]

did you hook the power antenna up to the power antenna lead? are you sure it was the right blue wire?

and for the dimmer...if the manual says it's got one...then it prob does, keep looking

as for the ford comment........mazda is owned by ford now...and depending on teh year...your miata probably has a LOT of ford parts in it already

rx7's ****, unless you get rid of the rotary. the miata...cool cars, can't wait to buy one sometime

 

[rotormotor 10+ year member]

did you hook the power antenna up to the power antenna lead? are you sure it was the right blue wire?
and for the dimmer...if the manual says it's got one...then it prob does, keep looking

as for the ford comment........mazda is owned by ford now...and depending on teh year...your miata probably has a LOT of ford parts in it already

rx7's ****, unless you get rid of the rotary. the miata...cool cars, can't wait to buy one sometime

yeah, both antennas are hooked up correctly (tripple checked). i also have a bose setup in the 7 so if the wires were switched it would power down my amps in CD mode and id have no sound. also, there is no illumination wire in either of the harnesses (however nakamichis website tells me that they are "dimmable"). these were both brand new units... theres nothing missing and the harness is definitely correct. from what i can tell, nakamichi is listing features for this HU that dont exist. maybe they are both typos, but since their website and user manual are the only source of info on these HU's thats the only conclusion i can come to.

as far as everything else they sound absolutely amazing. i have stiff suspension in the miata and im getting many more skips on small bumps than the factory HU, however the rx7 with stock suspension hasnt skipped once.

lastly as far as rx7's "*******" id have to strongly disagree (and not just cause i own one). the handling is to die for, the aerodynamics are awesome, they look pretty good, and most cars out there cant keep up to save their lives. when brand new wrx's, corvettes, cobras etc cant pull on my 13 year old (nearly) stock rx7 i really have to seriously question your statement that they "****" . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif i will say that they are not particularly reliable, have a tendancy to overheat, and the motors dont last much longer than 90K miles before you need to rebuild them.... but overall they are pretty impressive cars and have a ton of potential for much higher horsepower. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

-heath

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

lastly as far as rx7's "*******" id have to strongly disagree (and not just cause i own one). the handling is to die for, the aerodynamics are awesome, they look pretty good, and most cars out there cant keep up to save their lives. when brand new wrx's, corvettes, cobras etc cant pull on my 13 year old (nearly) stock rx7 i really have to seriously question your statement that they "****" . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif i will say that they are not particularly reliable, have a tendancy to overheat, and the motors dont last much longer than 90K miles before you need to rebuild them.... but overall they are pretty impressive cars and have a ton of potential for much higher horsepower. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

-heath

Still a rice burner.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

yeah, both antennas are hooked up correctly (tripple checked). i also have a bose setup in the 7 so if the wires were switched it would power down my amps in CD mode and id have no sound. also, there is no illumination wire in either of the harnesses (however nakamichis website tells me that they are "dimmable"). these were both brand new units... theres nothing missing and the harness is definitely correct. from what i can tell, nakamichi is listing features for this HU that dont exist. maybe they are both typos, but since their website and user manual are the only source of info on these HU's thats the only conclusion i can come to.
as far as everything else they sound absolutely amazing. i have stiff suspension in the miata and im getting many more skips on small bumps than the factory HU, however the rx7 with stock suspension hasnt skipped once.

lastly as far as rx7's "*******" id have to strongly disagree (and not just cause i own one). the handling is to die for, the aerodynamics are awesome, they look pretty good, and most cars out there cant keep up to save their lives. when brand new wrx's, corvettes, cobras etc cant pull on my 13 year old (nearly) stock rx7 i really have to seriously question your statement that they "****" . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif i will say that they are not particularly reliable, have a tendancy to overheat, and the motors dont last much longer than 90K miles before you need to rebuild them.... but overall they are pretty impressive cars and have a ton of potential for much higher horsepower. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

-heath

I strongly believe that the motor is the weak link. Everyone likes a smooth revving motor, especially one that can make it to ~9k rpms. But the rotorys lack torque, and once you get above the 400hp mark you might as well start filling oil every time you fill gas.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

you'll probally have to go with a switch on the power antenna leads...I have a 96 Miata with the 1.8 it is a very fun lil car to drive...not an everyday car for me...but something just to zip around in every now and then zoom zoom zoom...lol

 

[rotormotor 10+ year member]

Still a rice burner.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif



//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

i probably shouldnt ask... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif but youre driving what?