My 1994 Miata has a few projects that need to be taken car of before it meet my standards. One of the few things that needs to be fixed is the factory stereo. The speakers cut in and out, worse than Prius drivers in rush hour traffic. I decided to have Jeff Anderson of Miata.net (Google him), take a look at it – he’s the Miata OEM stereo guru, and if he can’t fix it no one can.
He’s kind of an underground phenomena in the Miata scene, and if you don’t know about him you won’t because he doesn’t have a website or doesn’t do any advertising (just great work).
In order to have Jeff fix my stereo, I had to take it out and send it to him. If you want to learn how to remove your stereo from the best, just go directly here: these are Jeff’s directions. Jeff wrote out directions, and they are amazing. But there are no pictures, and I’d like to bring his directions into 2016.
So keep on reading if you want to see my on how to remove an NA Miata stereo directions with pictures.
Step1 : Get your mise en place: String (to pull out the vents), philips head screwdriver, cleaning supplies, towel, tray to hold all the screws (they are all the same size for my 1994 Miata).
Step 2: Put the shifter in neutral. Unscrew the shift knob.
Step 3: Remove the center console using the philips head screwdriver. There are five screws you need to remove: two in the back storage unit, one under the cup holder, and two by the shifter (one on each side). And there is one plug near the shifter that needs to be unplugged.
Step 4: Remove the two center air vents. You will need string and a screw driver. First put the string into the vent, and it will drop down the back. Use the screw driver to pull it back through the front. Hold both ends of the string and pull hard. The vent will pop out. Don’t be scared to pull hard.
Step 5: Remove the center cover. There are three screws: two right above the vents that you just removed, and one on the lower left side. Pull the cover off, and you might need to use a little bit of force. Don’t take it all the way off since you will need to disconnect the plug that connects to the hazards/pop-up lights
Step 6: Remove the stereo. There are four screws: two on the left, and two on the right.
Step 7: Put everything back in the reverse order, and sit back and relax and enjoy your work.
Jeff knows his stuff. He and I exchanged a few notes years ago regarding a system to allow the stereo and a CB radio to share the speakers. I’d use it for a ham radio, of course. 🙂
A couple of notes:
1. I used a coat hanger bent in a tight “V” instead of a string to pull the eyeball vents. Push it in, hook the vent, pull it out. Much easier.
2. Be careful pulling the center dashboard piece. It’s quite brittle, especially after years in an NA, and will crack easily.
Voice of experience on both of these points!
Thanks for the feedback and comments!
Jeff is the man!