help me save time - where do you guys run power wire thru the firewall?

[hamiltonaudio]

generally speaking, is it on the passenger or driver side? I haven't taken a single panel apart on this cars inside...and I haven't looked yet.... Pretty crammed up engine bay, so I thought I'd ask those who've been down this road already...

Gonna be running 1/0 awg in a 96 four door....

bmoney

[matts]

take a big ol' drill bit and make your own. least what i did in the '99.

[bandit307]

If your gona drill your own make sure you know whats on the other side before you do so. Or you might wana kick your own ass afterwards.

I cut a small hole in the gromet underneith the steering shaft gromet ran it through there.

[VanishingImage]

Theres a decent sized hole up by the lower corner on the drivers side by the windsheild. Might be possible to squeeze atleast an 8 gauge wire through there.

[MantaGreen97]

Okay yeah here's one piece of information you don't want to go without, lol...

Don't drill in the lower corner by the driver's side windshield for anything larger than 4 gauge, lol. And if you drill there be very careful. Maybe I'm just stupid but I drilled there and unfortunately cut through and upset the firewall seam which created a leak that I didn't even notice for a year which caused all sorts of problems, LOL. Was a real headache to fix too.

(8 gauge wire is quite simple, just poke it throgh the existing hood release cable grommet thingy and you're good.)

For anything bigger, like the 0 you're planning on, you're going to have to drill lower down on the fire wall. Also I'd seal it up with silicone on either side of the grommet because otherwise water is going to leak in. Battery is on the driver's side so it would be easier to make a hole on that side.

96-98 is pretty bad for finding a place to put wire through, IMO.

[nice96gt]

There isn't a grommet on the 92-98 GA. This is where mine went through and I had no problems what so ever with it leaking and it wasn't near any major components. Don't mind the mess though...lol.:D This pic is old anyways.

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=454078

[hamiltonaudio]

I got er through no problems...but interestingly when I drilled the hole through the firewall (just below the column) there is double metal...and water came oozing out ??????? out from between the layers....

then I disassembled the car and found that underneath the carpet the floor was wet....investigating showed me the dirty water-run marks down the firewall from up in the drivers side corner....up in and around where that large connector goes through...

I found a couple spots where the firewall seams meet that were rusty and could easily let water in....its right where the hood would allow water to pool underneath.... it seems the connector and small grommet (looks like hood release cable) are not leaking...but rather a fold of metal.....

anybody else out there have this issue? water leaking in from the top of the firewall? For now I sealed the area I could get to with sealant....in hopes more doesn't come in...

bmoney

[nice96gt]

I have had the same problem with mine. I know others have also. It can become quite the mess if you don't take care of it that's for sure. The joints of metal was poorly attached in different locations where water run-off occurs everytime it rains/snows, thus causing rust and eventually a hole or more. That's all I would suggets is to seal it up and hope it doesn't become any worse.

[MantaGreen97]

Originally posted by hamiltonaudio
I found a couple spots where the firewall seams meet that were rusty and could easily let water in....its right where the hood would allow water to pool underneath.... it seems the connector and small grommet (looks like hood release cable) are not leaking...but rather a fold of metal.....


Yep! That's it. That's exactly what I was talking about, lol. Most people that develop a leak there have it develop due to rust. Myself, I caused my own leak, LOL. But yeah that's a common occurence when the car has some rust in that area :(

It's quite difficult to seal properly... When you seal it up, be sure to use a garden hose and test it for leaking. Pull the carpet back and dry the firewall area under the pedals and then spray water really good outside the car, in that area. Go back in the car wait a few minutes and watch. If you see water coming down, it's still leaking :mad: You can also reach up on the firewall up to the area where the leak is coming from to see if more water is coming in (be sure to dry it before spraying the water).

Don't assume you've sealed the leak just by visual means! It took me about two days of sealing and waiting for it to cure then spraying water, then seeing it continue to drip water. Very frustrating! I kept at it until it was completely stopped. I had to take of the wipers, the air inlet grille and was tempted to disassemble the wiper motor and wiper transmission because space was very limited in that area. I ended up not having to fool with the wiper motor but taking off the wipers and air inlet grille was a must.

[hamiltonaudio]

There is no doubt about where its coming in...I can see the rusty-red streaks running down the firewall, around the curve and onto the floor. Following the streaks goes right up into the corner almost, in the vicinity of that large wiring harness that goes through there.

meh - at this point I'm not concerned...thats a spring time project. I've got plenty of experience fixing water leaks on cars...hahah

bmoney