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Run power wire from battery through firewall

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Old 04-19-2003, 01:21 PM
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tonkadog
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Default Run power wire from battery through firewall

I did this after the fact, but as you can see I was able to run 2 4 guage wires with no problem. I don't think 2 0 guage wires would be any different.


remove the battery cover
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010001.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 01:24 PM
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tonkadog
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Remove the one fastener that holds down the 'engine area trim piece'. This will allow you some room when cutting and running the wires through the gromet in the next step.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010002.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 01:28 PM
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The picture doesn't show it too well, but on the other side of the fuse block, there is a big wiring harness that runs through a black rubber gromet. I used a sharp utility knife to cut an 'x' below the wire harness. Make sure you don't hit the harness by accident. Lift up on that trim piece if you need to. I was able to fit a flash light on top of the battery - let me see what I was doing and allowed me two free hands to do work instead of one holding up on the plastic.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010003.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 01:30 PM
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now, on the passenger side, pop off the door sill trim piece.
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Old 04-19-2003, 01:31 PM
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remove the kick panel
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010005.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 01:33 PM
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Now, push your wire through the hole you made from the engine side. Putting yourself in a strange contorted position, you will be able to see the wire on the other side (in side the car). Pull the wire through.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010006.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 01:35 PM
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Pull the rubber door seal off from the bottom of the car body.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010007.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 01:38 PM
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Now lift up the carpet and run the wire along the door sill and up the door pillar. On the door pillar (with the plastic cover peice removed) you will see holes where you can pass the wire through to the glove box area. Put it back together in reverse order.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-p1010008.jpg  
Old 04-19-2003, 09:16 PM
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alphared
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Just want to add a pic of what I did. The same way, but shows what gromet your talking about. Tie wrap the fuse holder to the cable and connected the 4awg to the battery post. Oh, its easier if you remove the 'engine area trim piece'. Just pop the second pin out near the top. Pull up the rubber seal and slide the whole thing out. This'll give you plenty of room to work with.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-imga0850.jpg  

Last edited by alphared; 04-19-2003 at 09:25 PM.
Old 04-19-2003, 09:20 PM
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alphared
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Heres one with the plastic back on and safety cap. Had to cut a slit in the cap so that it'll close flush with the new lug. The cable is pretty much hidden, I could wrap some more wire loom on it to make it look totally stock.
Attached Thumbnails Run power wire from battery through firewall-imga0857.jpg  
Old 04-20-2003, 09:16 PM
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msink
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Thanks for the pics guys. I am going to install a laptop in the car. For now, I just need power for the laptop and the screen. I have a cigarette lighter adapter for the laptop from Lind, its very nice. The screen comes with an AC to DC plug/adapter (Xenarc) so I need a new adapter to run straight DC. With the battery lines run from above, what do you recomend I put on the other end? Could I just create 4 cigarette adapters here? That seems to be the more common way to run things or get adapters for.

Would this be a lot better than simply using the existing lighter adapter, and splitting that with a 2,3, or 4 plug splitters?

Links to supplies would be nice too.

Thanks,

Mark
Old 04-21-2003, 02:56 AM
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alphared, nice pics - great addition!!!
Old 04-21-2003, 02:58 AM
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Originally posted by msink


Would this be a lot better than simply using the existing lighter adapter, and splitting that with a 2,3, or 4 plug splitters?

Sounds like that would create a nice little mess right out in the open. If you were to run off the battery and do you splitters under the glove box - all would be out of sight.
Old 04-21-2003, 02:49 PM
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This is for a PC, so its not going to be seen anyway. All will be behind driver or passenger compartment.
Old 04-21-2003, 04:51 PM
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alphared
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Did you run the power cables in the cable tray on the passenger side? Since it was empty I used it.
There are two of them, a straight one and an angled one near the back.
The straight on was easy to run (ran a 4awg and a pair of 12awg speaker cables) The 2 cables (same size) fits pretty nice, any more or thicker would cause a problem.
The angle one is hard to run thru, had to pop the whole thing out to run the cables thru.
But man it is nice when it is done. I wanted to do the same on the driver side for the speaker cable, but that tray was filled already.
Old 04-22-2003, 03:06 AM
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Yeah, I used the tray to run the wires on the passenger side. Like you said, easy. As for speaker wires, I ran them up the center console, to the left of the parking brake and shifter. May want to check that out.

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=26620
Old 04-22-2003, 02:55 PM
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Scafremon
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Since my current plan is only to power a PC, is there a good reason why I should run a power wire from the battery, as oppossed to just picking up a 12v position from the fuse box under the dash? Since I also need to run a wire from my ACC to the computer, I was thinking that maybe the easiest thing to do is just pick up both these points from the fuse box. Does this make sense?
Old 05-05-2003, 11:40 AM
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icepop456
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Originally posted by Scafremon
Since my current plan is only to power a PC, is there a good reason why I should run a power wire from the battery, as oppossed to just picking up a 12v position from the fuse box under the dash? Since I also need to run a wire from my ACC to the computer, I was thinking that maybe the easiest thing to do is just pick up both these points from the fuse box. Does this make sense?
Depends on the computer and fuse ratings. A computer can draw a decent amount of current off the 12V supply (+/- 30 Amps) during peak loads. I highly doubt the red or yellow wires in the dash can supply this amount of current in addition to the other equipment already tied on to it.

Tim
Old 05-14-2003, 02:53 PM
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This thread was extremely helpful in running a power wire into the cabin.

Thanks a lot guys....keep up the good work!
Old 05-21-2003, 09:39 PM
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anyway you can show how/where to connect the remote lead wire to the fuse box or where ever you connect it. i've always gotten confused about that part. but these pics of the battery wire helped too. i want to get my box in but have been too lazy. but i need to get to it soon cause it's just sittin in my room doing nothing.

thanks

jon


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