SwampGas

Been trying to get a wire through the grommet above the e-brake for the last 2 hours. My hands are cut to pieces (blood all over my floor mat), scraped, dirty, etc...and no wire to the engine.

Is there some secret to doing this? I've poked a countless number of holes through it...big screwdrivers, little screwdrivers...each time checking to see if it came through. It did.

The wire won't go through...and it won't go through if I tape the wire to a screwdriver and shove it through...

How did you guys get past it?

SinnedTL

tie it to a coat hanger...not at screwdriver...

my99tl

hmmm, maybe you can bend the wire over a flat head, giving a couple extra feet of slack, so you're actually pushing 1 bent piece of wire thru (twice the thickness), after its thru, pull out the slack ?!?!?!?

Know what I mean Vern?

SwampGas

So, in other words, there's no easy way to do it, and I'm probably going to have to pay someone $300/hr to put a power wire in for me?

my99tl

RU kiddin, its a snap!! U said you got the screwdriver thru right?? well, put wire tightly over the tip with both ends back in your hand, slip tip thru, Go into engine compartment and pull wire out... pretty easy

SwampGas

It won't go through...the screwdriver will go through by itself..but not with the wire taped onto it.

I think I damaged the grommet, too...it's not flush against the metal on the engine side anymore.

..and I thought this would be easy, since removing the rear seat was a snap...

my99tl

try a smaller gauge wire (18AWG) ???? (for?)

SwampGas

18 gauge powering a 400 watt amp? hehe...

BTW, it sparked, I smelled burning electronics, and the instrument panel backlights don't work.

Perfect. What kind of story can I make up to get Acura to fix it?

my99tl

400W/12V= 33.33 Amps...

15 AMPS 14 AWG
20 AMPS 12 AWG
30 AMPS 10 AWG
45 AMPS 8 AWG
65 AMPS 6 AWG


Are you using 8 AWG wire , approx. 0.130" thick??

pianoman41

Just check your fuses for the interior lighting. You may have shorted out the circuit. Easy fix. Don't forget fuses are located both on the end of the dash on the driver's side and under the hood. I think the dash lighting fuse is under the hood. I hope you're connecting the wire to the battery *last*. Always work from the component to the battery, never the other way around.

payyourtoll

Man, this is so easy, here's all you have to do

1> Get a long philips screwdriver and push it thru the grommet to the other side. Once it's thru, wiggle it a bit to loosen up the hole

2> get a wire hanger, straighten it out, stick thru the firewall so both ends can be seen (one in bay, one inside).

3> duct-tape the power wire to the end of the hanger that is inside the car. TAPE IT TIGHT AS HELL AND TAPE IT UP THE HANGER.... NOT JUST WHERE THE WIRE IS.

4> Go to the engine bay and pull it thru.

As far as your bloody hands, sparks and electrical burning scents, UNPLUG YOUR BATTERY !!!

payyourtoll

And use at least a 4awg wire for a 400 watt amp. You'll have no problem getting even a 0 awg thru the grommet.

digitalgm

thats good to hear because I am doing 0/1 gauge ....

SwampGas

Ok..I found the fuse...it was the one under the hood called "small lights". What the hell kind of name is "small lights"? Wouldn't it logically be called "instrument panel", which is what the one next to the steering wheel is called? Must be a bad translation

Anyhoo, the stock sub doesn't work now either...and all I did was use wire tappers on the 2 wires inside the brown wire...I even reconnected the shielding because I had to cut it to get the wires apart...

...and you guys thought I was kidding when I mentioned I couldn't change the headlight in my old '88 Legend :yack:

daverman

I think what you need to do is to take a break right now to regain your composure. You're probably too frazzled with all the cuts and problems that you're going to make it worse if you go on.

I have a limit set to detect fatigue: if I make three stupid mistakes in a short period of time, I will drop whatever it is I'm doing, lean back and take a 15-minute break.

Nate

The secret is to use soap or Windex, something non-oily that can dry up, and a coat hanger. It is still a biatch!

payyourtoll

excellent advice

SwampGas

Is there a secret as to reaching the grommet?

I can't see it from the inside since it's so far up...I can barely reach it from the inside.

I can kind of see it from the engine side...and kind of reach it.

Every time I poke through from the cabin side, it doesn't go through far enough to get pliars down to grab it...everytime it pokes through from the engine side, I can't reach up in there and grab it. I'm praised for having large manly hands by the wifey...but it certainly isn't for car work

my99tl

nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.... wooo woooo woooo wooooo... boink, doh!!!

Hope everything went better after the 6 pack