Getting wire thru the firewall

'01 Corolla CE ...trying to get fat stereo wires through the firewall ...what's the best place and method to do this. My '97 was easy but the grommet on this thing is super tight. Any suggestions would be great.

Reply to
griffin
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Do you have a 5-speed? If you don't look under the lower driver's side of the windshield on the firewall. All Toys USED to be made with a place for the clutch cylinder even if the car had an automatic; however, on my '95 Tercel, there wasn't a pass-through. Or, VERY GENTLY!!!! pop a hole through the grommet, run a stiffer piece of wire through it, and feel for it on the other side.

Reply to
hachiroku

You know with everyone doing aftermarket stereos these days, you would think the car manufactures would start making easy wiring routes.

Reply to
Josh

Easy, I u se long tipped needle nosed pliers and poke it through the side of the gromment, then open the jaws, have a buddy stick the wire in the needle nose and squeeze down and pull it back through.

Reply to
MDT Tech®

That's a pretty nifty trick. I suppose if you don't have a friend to help you could try it with a pair of needle nose vice grips.

I've also used a piece of wire coat hanger with one end flattened in a vice to form a sharp point. Poke it through the grommet and then feed the wire back through the hole.

It used to be easy to drill through a blank spot in the fire wall, but cars are so crowded under the hood and the dash that it's almost impossible to find a clear spot.

As to the car manufacturers making easier wiring routes, there's really no incentive for them to do that. Even for emergency vehicles it's still an issue.

Gary

Reply to
Garys2

Gary, and if there is a clear spot, you cant get a drill in there! ;D

Reply to
MDT Tech®

Yeah. The Tercel was tough. But the Supra was tougher. I was able to put the power wires in where the clucth master would have been (and of course now I have decided I want a 5-speed...) but once it was IN the car it was tough! There's a LOT packed into a Supra. It was one of the longest installs I have ever done. Looks sweet; I still haven't powered the amps up. I have a JVC head end, an Optimus (Rad Shack) EQ I think was designed by Alpine (very similar internals...), a 100W/channel amp under the seat, a 265W bridgeable for the subs in the hatch, 5" MB Quarts in the rear and

6.5" Quarts in the doors. The speaker were definitely tough; I had to remove 3/4 of the interior to mount them!!! Running the wiring through the doors was a b-itch!!

Next week we power the amps...

Reply to
hachiroku

Ah ...nice trick. Normally I just use a fish with an oversized pin on the end, punch it through and then tape the wire to it to feed it through. I like this one better though. I was hoping for an alternate way without putting a hole in that grommet but I'm not at the point of not caring. Pokity poke poke I go!

Thanks for the tips guys!

Reply to
griffin

I've found when trying to poke stuff under the dash and through holes in grommets etc, a Bicycle gear inner cable is great.

It will fit inside most hoses you want to pass through (even small rigid boost hoses), is flexi enough that you can weave it round anything in the way, but stiff/springy enough that it won't just bend when it encounters something solid, but try to find a way round, and you can tape thicker wires to it once through, because they tend to be long enough to reach the engine bay and the floor of the footwell.

Reply to
Sleeker GT Phwoar

The 04 Sienna has rubber nipples that are cut then the wire can be run thru without new holes drilled. Wire grease is helpful.

Reply to
tz

For at least the last 4 years Chevorlet has been running power cables into the trunk of police package Impalas for the radio and video equipment.

C.

Reply to
C.

I was hoping for an alternate way without

What good is a grommet without a hole in it?

Greg.

Reply to
Greg

Isn't a grommet without a hole known as a plug?

Reply to
Ray O

Wow. This sounds excellent! I have one more wire to run in the Supra, and after running the wire through the driver's door, I don't expect the pass. door to be any easier. I have been putting it off until I could find a better method; this sounds like it.

As an aside, when I was a pup and running network cable, I sided up with this guy who had been doing it for a couple years. We went to a job, and he reaches into this great big canvas bag and pulls out a Radio Shack 4WD radio-controlled P/U truck. I asked what the hell he was doing with that. He connects the cable to a piece of fishing line hanging off the back of the truck, puts it up in the ceiling and starts running it around the electrical, chimneys, etc. Fastest wiring job I ever did!

Reply to
hachiroku

The grommet is sealed to the firewall and the wire bundle that is going through it has already expanded it to the point that no other wires will go thru ...especially larger ones ...hence I have to punch a hole through it.

Reply to
griffin

When I was running the gauge wiring for the pillar pod, the inner cable was thin enough to fit between the inner wing and the lower portion of the dash once the clip on trim was removed showing the gap. and it was real easy to get up through the firewall once I pulled the grommet out. Must get round to taking off the strut brace and slotting the grommet to get the hoses and wiring in, and the siliconing it back in place.

Now that is clever. I've heard of robotic "Ferrets" used when fitting cabling to underground ducts, or examing cables for breaks using a small camera on the front, but they cost loads (although cheaper than digging up the road each time).

Reply to
Sleeker GT Phwoar

...or a virgin grommet?... :)

Reply to
Gord Beaman

LOL! Good one Gord! I wish I thought of that one!

Reply to
Ray O

I'm about to go outside and punch a hole in there. Now it'll be a lot more fun to do ...thx for the thots ;p

Reply to
griffin

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