i'm trying to run the power wire from my battery to the interior of my car (90 eclipse). last nite after giving up on finding an existing hole to run power wire thru, i drilled a couple of pilot holes. i say couple because the the 1st hole i drilled (from the interior passenger side footwell area) did not show up in the engine compartment!! i used a small bit size (~5/32" or so) and drilled right thru. poked a hanger wire thru at least 10" or so; looked in the engine compartment for it, but could not see it!! FROWN
i am not sure if the hole was drilled in some pocket on the engine side of the firewall or what. i'm pretty sure it did not go in the tire well area tho. HAPPY
anyway i drilled another hole closer to the center of the car & slightly lower, but SAME RESULT!!!??? i have no idea where this hole leads to. i saw NOTHING in the engine side even after poking hanger wire several inches thru. what gives!?!?!?! i feel like a dummy or something. this should not be that hard! MAD
i located what i thought was a clear area in engine compartement side just below battery level and its corresponding side in the interior; drilled and got nothing. if i could fit the drill in the engine side i'd drill from there, but as u probably know, it ain't enuff room to get a drill in there.
can someone please tell me exactly how YOU determine the best area to drill thru the firewall? or better yet, has anyone ever done this on an 1st generation eclipse before?? please help!!
Replies (9)
uochronos on 05/28/2004 13:12:53
not sure on an eclipse but i knwo on several cars i have done there has been alot of stuff on the passenger side like air conditioning and what not making it hard to find a wire on that side.
i suggest finding something on the engine side like for instance the clutch cable or steering wheel and use those things as sort of a map so you can compare on both sides and find out right where you are at in there, sometimes from inside it looks really high but in the engine compartment thats really low and vise versa.
kj on 05/28/2004 13:30:56
gotcha chronos. maybe i'll try measuring the disctance from thee steering mechanism over to get a horizontal reference. i used a tape measure to get an approximate vertical height on both sides of firewall & kinda eyeballed the horizontal location. i placed a screwdriver on top of dash in what i thougt was alignment with desired hole location from interior, but i guess that wasn't good enuff. i'll try again this weekend using a more exact horizontal reference. thx!
swez on 05/28/2004 14:05:06
Be carefull as you drill so you don't hit a heater core, brake lines, gas line etc.
Also, since you mentioned a very small pilot hole size, the bit may not be long enough to get through the fire wall. Into the fire wall, but not through it as some firewalls have an air space between inner and outer walls. A longer bit may be needed here, to get you all the way through both walls.
Otherwise, you are on the right track. Just map out your entry and exit points and install rubber grommets in each hole to prevent wire chaffing and an eventual short.
Swez
PS Many use a strong light source to find the pilot hole after drilling.
kj on 05/29/2004 10:07:34
thanks folks. i finally got it to work last nite. swez you were DEAD ON!! it seems the firewall (on the passenger side) is actually two separate walls with an air pocket between them. this pocket (separation) is what was confusing me. after drilling thru the 1st wall i thought i was (or should be) in the engine bay, but i wasn't i was in this pocket - between the walls.
the pocket was ~4" wide. too small for the pilot bit to penetrate, but not too long for my 1/2" drill bit. after confirming a horizontal & verifying my vertical reference points/distances, i drilled thru one of the existing holes with this larger bit and VOILA! came a few inches beneath my battery as i had hoped! (no swiss cheese result!)
not my only problem is being able to fit a grommet in that wall in the engine bay. it's too far down for me to reach with my hands and i can not access it from the car interior because there is the interior firewall there! lol...oh well. i might be able to fanagle something to seal it to some degree.
thanks again for all your help.
swez on 05/29/2004 10:34:05
You may have to climb under the vehicle to insert a gromet into the outer firewall entry point. Use a jack stand off the frame to support the car is you have to go under same. For safety sake, give the car a good wiggle to insure the stand is stable on a main support like frame or cross beam. No injuries here please.
CAUTION: Do not rely on the tire jack only. Use a frame jack to take the weight. A car falling off the jack stand can injure or kill.
Also, the other pilot holes you drilled, can be fill with silicone sealer to prevent water leaks. Just a dab will do ya. No wet floor boards or carpeting this way.
Good work,
Swez
kj on 06/2/2004 08:52:04
thanks again swez. i was able to fit the engine side firewall grommet thru the interior firewall hole. it took some manuevering and skill with two long screwdrivers, but i got it done. btw, i had already tried jacking the car up and going underneath it, but there are too many obstructions to even see the hole from there let alone get to it.
i got the grommet on by placing it on the power wire then pushing it as close to the hole as i could by hand then finally forcing it in place with the two screwdrivers. :>)
after i reconnected the battery, a fuse blew! lol! i think i may have a grounding problem unrelated to this install because the car was blowing this same fuse BEFORE i ever replaced the amp. oh well, troubleshooting continues...
anyway, thanks again for your help.
swez on 06/2/2004 10:00:34
Sometimes, it is easier to install a grommet by fishing a wire (hanger) from the inside, through the holes and then attach the grommet to wire with a few loops and a washer in same.
Then, pull back on the wire and gently pull the grommet into place. After the grommet is seated, use the same wire to pull your wire into the cabin area. If the cable and fish wire are too large to pull into grommet, use a small gage electrical wire or nylon string, attached to fish wire and then attach the main cable to the electrical wire. Basically, you are threading a needle eye with graduated pulling tools.
Grommet setting tool below:
Knot------flat washer--grommet--------fish wire
Graduated cable pull below:
Cabling---------string/wire----- fish wire
Bet you already figured that out... but others will read this too and find it helpful.
Swez
ttocs on 06/2/2004 11:12:32
I have cussed at that car for that problem as well. It is tight up there but i do remember going through on the pass side. Next time you are looking for the holes you drilled, shine a light through them and then you might be able to see them. A dirty engine compartment will hide a small hole very easily. IF that does not work I like to get a bright primary wire (yellow or white) and fish it through the whole and see if I can find it.
kj on 06/2/2004 13:47:58
dayum good idea swez!! i like the stiff wire with grommet & washer attached idea. that would have worked. now i know for ext time!! thx again for your extremely helpful insight!
ttocs, the reason i could not find the hole i initially drilled is because there were essentially two firewalls to drill thru. (unbeknownst to me) i had only drilled thru the 1st one. after drilling thru the second wall i could THEN see the hole. lol!
i am not sure if the hole was drilled in some pocket on the engine side of the firewall or what. i'm pretty sure it did not go in the tire well area tho. HAPPY
anyway i drilled another hole closer to the center of the car & slightly lower, but SAME RESULT!!!??? i have no idea where this hole leads to. i saw NOTHING in the engine side even after poking hanger wire several inches thru. what gives!?!?!?! i feel like a dummy or something. this should not be that hard! MAD
i located what i thought was a clear area in engine compartement side just below battery level and its corresponding side in the interior; drilled and got nothing. if i could fit the drill in the engine side i'd drill from there, but as u probably know, it ain't enuff room to get a drill in there.
can someone please tell me exactly how YOU determine the best area to drill thru the firewall? or better yet, has anyone ever done this on an 1st generation eclipse before?? please help!!
Replies (9)
uochronos on 05/28/2004 13:12:53
not sure on an eclipse but i knwo on several cars i have done there has been alot of stuff on the passenger side like air conditioning and what not making it hard to find a wire on that side.
i suggest finding something on the engine side like for instance the clutch cable or steering wheel and use those things as sort of a map so you can compare on both sides and find out right where you are at in there, sometimes from inside it looks really high but in the engine compartment thats really low and vise versa.
kj on 05/28/2004 13:30:56
gotcha chronos. maybe i'll try measuring the disctance from thee steering mechanism over to get a horizontal reference. i used a tape measure to get an approximate vertical height on both sides of firewall & kinda eyeballed the horizontal location. i placed a screwdriver on top of dash in what i thougt was alignment with desired hole location from interior, but i guess that wasn't good enuff. i'll try again this weekend using a more exact horizontal reference. thx!
swez on 05/28/2004 14:05:06
Be carefull as you drill so you don't hit a heater core, brake lines, gas line etc.
Also, since you mentioned a very small pilot hole size, the bit may not be long enough to get through the fire wall. Into the fire wall, but not through it as some firewalls have an air space between inner and outer walls. A longer bit may be needed here, to get you all the way through both walls.
Otherwise, you are on the right track. Just map out your entry and exit points and install rubber grommets in each hole to prevent wire chaffing and an eventual short.
Swez
PS Many use a strong light source to find the pilot hole after drilling.
kj on 05/29/2004 10:07:34
thanks folks. i finally got it to work last nite. swez you were DEAD ON!! it seems the firewall (on the passenger side) is actually two separate walls with an air pocket between them. this pocket (separation) is what was confusing me. after drilling thru the 1st wall i thought i was (or should be) in the engine bay, but i wasn't i was in this pocket - between the walls.
the pocket was ~4" wide. too small for the pilot bit to penetrate, but not too long for my 1/2" drill bit. after confirming a horizontal & verifying my vertical reference points/distances, i drilled thru one of the existing holes with this larger bit and VOILA! came a few inches beneath my battery as i had hoped! (no swiss cheese result!)
not my only problem is being able to fit a grommet in that wall in the engine bay. it's too far down for me to reach with my hands and i can not access it from the car interior because there is the interior firewall there! lol...oh well. i might be able to fanagle something to seal it to some degree.
thanks again for all your help.
swez on 05/29/2004 10:34:05
You may have to climb under the vehicle to insert a gromet into the outer firewall entry point. Use a jack stand off the frame to support the car is you have to go under same. For safety sake, give the car a good wiggle to insure the stand is stable on a main support like frame or cross beam. No injuries here please.
CAUTION: Do not rely on the tire jack only. Use a frame jack to take the weight. A car falling off the jack stand can injure or kill.
Also, the other pilot holes you drilled, can be fill with silicone sealer to prevent water leaks. Just a dab will do ya. No wet floor boards or carpeting this way.
Good work,
Swez
kj on 06/2/2004 08:52:04
thanks again swez. i was able to fit the engine side firewall grommet thru the interior firewall hole. it took some manuevering and skill with two long screwdrivers, but i got it done. btw, i had already tried jacking the car up and going underneath it, but there are too many obstructions to even see the hole from there let alone get to it.
i got the grommet on by placing it on the power wire then pushing it as close to the hole as i could by hand then finally forcing it in place with the two screwdrivers. :>)
after i reconnected the battery, a fuse blew! lol! i think i may have a grounding problem unrelated to this install because the car was blowing this same fuse BEFORE i ever replaced the amp. oh well, troubleshooting continues...
anyway, thanks again for your help.
swez on 06/2/2004 10:00:34
Sometimes, it is easier to install a grommet by fishing a wire (hanger) from the inside, through the holes and then attach the grommet to wire with a few loops and a washer in same.
Then, pull back on the wire and gently pull the grommet into place. After the grommet is seated, use the same wire to pull your wire into the cabin area. If the cable and fish wire are too large to pull into grommet, use a small gage electrical wire or nylon string, attached to fish wire and then attach the main cable to the electrical wire. Basically, you are threading a needle eye with graduated pulling tools.
Grommet setting tool below:
Knot------flat washer--grommet--------fish wire
Graduated cable pull below:
Cabling---------string/wire----- fish wire
Bet you already figured that out... but others will read this too and find it helpful.
Swez
ttocs on 06/2/2004 11:12:32
I have cussed at that car for that problem as well. It is tight up there but i do remember going through on the pass side. Next time you are looking for the holes you drilled, shine a light through them and then you might be able to see them. A dirty engine compartment will hide a small hole very easily. IF that does not work I like to get a bright primary wire (yellow or white) and fish it through the whole and see if I can find it.
kj on 06/2/2004 13:47:58
dayum good idea swez!! i like the stiff wire with grommet & washer attached idea. that would have worked. now i know for ext time!! thx again for your extremely helpful insight!
ttocs, the reason i could not find the hole i initially drilled is because there were essentially two firewalls to drill thru. (unbeknownst to me) i had only drilled thru the 1st one. after drilling thru the second wall i could THEN see the hole. lol!
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