upstatebob
Member
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege
For months my wife and I had been beating on the radio to make it operate but that method no longer worked so I decided to pull it and have a look see. Several threads here alluded to the methodology needed to achieve extraction but none that I could find were precisely specific to the 5 hole per side radio in our 2002. One thread (it may have been on another forum) stated incorrectly that the top 2 and bottom 2 holes were the ones which needed the removal keys. As the pictures show the top hole is not relevant to removal.
The needed 4 keys can be made from 1 coat hanger... cut off the hook, then cut the remainder in half, then each of those pieces in half again. Fold these 4 pieces into a u-shape 1" to 1 1/2" across. Grind a bevel into each pair of tips as shown.
Carefully pry out the 2 side cover strips with a small screwdriver. Insert the keys such that the bends are slightly closer to the radio center line than the tips are. Push the keys in an inch or so until they bottom out against the back of the clips as shown. Hook the bends with your fingers and firmly pull all 4 pairs away from the center line of the radio. This levers the clips inward and helps lock the keys in for the outward pull. Maintaining the lateral pressure, slowly and firmly pull the radio outwards.
Having removed the unit I eliminated the connector and wires as the cause of the crackling static. Striking the unit a moderate blow with my hand partially restored functionality. Sadly I announced to my wife the probable demise of said unit and a ballpark replacement cost in the neighborhood of a c-note. She chawed for bit, ruminating on this information, then spit and said with her usual wit and natural engineering prowess, "Why don't ya hit with a hammer?"
I nodded and grabbed my rubber mallet and applied 2 precisely placed "adjustments" to the side of the unit. Seems to be working fine now.
The needed 4 keys can be made from 1 coat hanger... cut off the hook, then cut the remainder in half, then each of those pieces in half again. Fold these 4 pieces into a u-shape 1" to 1 1/2" across. Grind a bevel into each pair of tips as shown.
Carefully pry out the 2 side cover strips with a small screwdriver. Insert the keys such that the bends are slightly closer to the radio center line than the tips are. Push the keys in an inch or so until they bottom out against the back of the clips as shown. Hook the bends with your fingers and firmly pull all 4 pairs away from the center line of the radio. This levers the clips inward and helps lock the keys in for the outward pull. Maintaining the lateral pressure, slowly and firmly pull the radio outwards.
Having removed the unit I eliminated the connector and wires as the cause of the crackling static. Striking the unit a moderate blow with my hand partially restored functionality. Sadly I announced to my wife the probable demise of said unit and a ballpark replacement cost in the neighborhood of a c-note. She chawed for bit, ruminating on this information, then spit and said with her usual wit and natural engineering prowess, "Why don't ya hit with a hammer?"
I nodded and grabbed my rubber mallet and applied 2 precisely placed "adjustments" to the side of the unit. Seems to be working fine now.
