# Snaking wires through the door



## Vestax

How to snake new wires through your door..... a question that came up quite frequently recently, so I thought I did a little tutorial on how to do it. 

Disclaimer:
(Obviously, every vehicle is going to be different. The vehicle I'm using as a demo is a 6th generation Honda Accord, a somewhat average car in difficulty. Other vehicles require you to drill a hole in the inside because there's actually a double firewall before it gets to the inside. In some german cars, like VW's, will have a molex plug stopping you from running the wires in. In that case, you would have to drill a hole from there. From there you would need a skew driver or an offset drill bit. If you ever give up, you can always ghetto rig it and drill a new hole. Make sure you use a grommet and a conduit to protect the wires.)

1.) First step is to obtain tools. You can use either a pick up tool with claws at the end, or an antenna or huge zip tie with electrical tape to snake the wires. You can use a coat hangar but I tend not to because it can easily strip a wire in the door jamb. Fixing these wires will be a *****. You can use any tool that follows this concept: a long bendable tool (not too bendable) with something to hold the wires as it goes through the door jamb. 

In this tutorial, I'm using my old antenna and electrical tape. 









Now it would also help to have a panel popper with a long neck or a flat screw driver. So you can pop off the molex plug or door jamb off.

2.) Roll up your windows, take off your inner panel door, take off your speakers, and your kick panel (and running boards if necessary). Most cars are really easy to do but if you ever get stuck, you can always go to www.carstereohelp.com.










3.) Pop off the door jambs. The one that attaches to the door, you can easily put your hand through the speaker hole, reach towards the inside, and pop that one off. The one that connects to the car, you should a panel popper to pull that one off. 










Here's the panel popper pulling on the door jamb...


















4.) Now that you have the door jamb off. You will now use your snaking tool. I like to tape the 16 awg wires so that there is no "flap" onto my snaking tool. This way, it goes through the door jamb smooth. In this demo, I'm wiring 2 pairs of 16awg through the door jamb. I don't want to wire both at the same time, because knowing my car, there are literally already 12 wires going through the door jamb. So what I do is wire only 1 set of wires through. After I have snaked it, I would tape the new wire so that it "follows the leader". 

Here's what it looks like when you have successfully snaked the wire through the door jamb:










5.) After you have snaked it through the door jamb. You now want to pull the wire all the way through until you have enough slack to leave inside the door. Then with the same concept, you should snake the wires through the hole that leads inside the cabin. You should be able to pull the wire from the inside. If you can't find it, then it's because of the disclaimer I listed above. 

After you have successfully snaked the wires, put back the door jamb and start on the other side using the same methodology.  Easy as 1,2,3 isn't it? ... :blush:


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## corrado

good post.....this should be a sticky....


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## alphakenny1

nice i actually bypassed the door jamb . i didn't have any tools to get through the door jamb. i guess i should go get a snaking tool.


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## Pseudonym

all i did was split the gromet the wires go through enough for my wire to fit through and sprayed some wd40 so the wire would slide through and voila. done. 

then again, i have a jeep cherokee with a straight-through design between the doors and the cab.


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## bobditts

thats good info but i had to drill a hole when i ran my new wires. At the time I didnt know how to use the extra slots on the molex. damn koreans


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## OldOneEye

Great write up, a few things I would add:

Sound deaden after you run the wires, it will make it easier.

Also, if you don't have a snaking tool, you can use a coat hanger In fact in some applications it might work better (you bend it to where you want it to go, in some cars getting the wire past the double metal in the Kick panel can't be done with that snaking tool).

Juan


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## Pb2theMax

This flexible snake comes in real handy for running wires through the door jamb and other areas. It's flexible, but stiff enough to push through grommets and stuff.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=365-546


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## cvjoint

I ran 4 pairs/door of wires through my sith gen. 3 pairs being 12 awg and the other a fat monster cable 16 awg. I used soap instead of the wd40 and unscrewed the 'door retainer' (from a lack of another definition...it's in the center of the last pic in your demo), it alows the door to open fully and access the door jamb a lot easier.


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## foley316

Another snake option is solid core wire from home depot. You can get a thicker gauge and it will hold up better when spots are tight. The only negative is to get it straight again you will need a vise.


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## FoxPro5

Nice how-to.

I've pulled two pairs or 12 awg through mine. The pain is cutting out the unused slots in the plasic plug. You need a good exacto-knife, Dremel, or a sharp drill bit. Time consuming but worth it.


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## jschrauwen

Thanks for the How-To!!


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## poochieone

excellent post indeed!
can't stress enough the need for lubricant (vaseline, silicone spray, WD40 or equivalent) for those tight spots. sometimes you may need to spray some into the passage way and onto the wire/apparatus. only apply when you are ready to snake through... makes it easier to handle before hand.


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## amator

great heads up mate


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## stormtrooper

Good how to , thumbs up


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## Whiterabbit

guys, check your cabling closely. I noticed in a Tundra that ALL cabling through the door terminated inside the kickpanel to two molex plugs.

pop those off, and the grommet was maneuverable to the point where I could fish anything through the grommet by hand from speakerwire to RCA heads or more. no tools necessary.

I couldn't believe how easy it was.


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## fit_tuner

camry's are a *****...


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## apt

the guy in this thread suggests using soap and water for lubrication as opposed to WD40. i would just to be safe.

http://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53660&page=2&highlight=molex


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## Megalomaniac

old thread i know, but this is a great how-to. thank you


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## WrenchGuy

I use an old bicycle brake cable jacket it works awesome. A little vasoline on it and its a breeze!


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## Thumper26

i think suburbans are one of the easiest. they have a 3" diamater boot going from door to cabin, and only 1/2" bundle of wire. it's a big open hole on both ends. you don't even have to take the boot out. i cursed my civic after helping a friend install a stereo in his suburban.


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## hibuhibu

Spray some grease into the grommet and you can run your new wire fairly easily especially when the space is very tight.


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## 6APPEAL

Great write up. I use an old wire clothes hanger. I cut the hook off and curl one end into a tight hook on the wire. I then wrap a little electrical tape around it to hold the wire in the hook. A little liquid dish washing soap works wonders.

The back doors of my truck use a molex plug in the door jamb, major PITA.
John


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## OldOneEye

hibuhibu said:


> Spray some grease into the grommet and you can run your new wire fairly easily especially when the space is very tight.


Not sure you want to do that. Not sure the jacketing on your wires wants to be covered perpetually in a petroleum product.

Juan


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## hibuhibu

OldOneEye said:


> Not sure you want to do that. Not sure the jacketing on your wires wants to be covered perpetually in a petroleum product.
> 
> Juan


Never had a problem myself, but if you are worried I guess a dishwashing soap and water will do wonder.


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## Unrthdxdream

i always just use a coat hanger... works for me.


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## redcalimp5

Thanks for the information, it's really helpful!


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## Vestax

Guys try to avoid running wires like this. (see pic below). I had another installer show me this. This was done at a local big box (not gonna say who.)


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## Whiterabbit

professional.


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## Vestax

Whiterabbit said:


> professional.


What's even worse? The installer was trying to get power locks through the doors...... which could've been tapped inside the cabin.


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## dBassHz

Whiterabbit said:


> professional.


That picture makes baby Jesus sad  

What I'd like to figure out is how to properly run power cable from the engine bay to inside the car. The boot that covers the hole has no access point. And how do you use those little grommets?


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## dawgdan

OldOneEye said:


> Not sure you want to do that. Not sure the jacketing on your wires wants to be covered perpetually in a petroleum product.
> 
> Juan





hibuhibu said:


> Never had a problem myself, but if you are worried I guess a dishwashing soap and water will do wonder.


Use lube.  I had some free samples of some cinnamon stuff that we never used. Water soluble, so it's safe on rubber.


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## Thumper26

lmao.

"honey, do you know where the KY is?"

"oh my, in the middle of the day? wait, where are you going???"


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## low_end

omarmipi said:


> That picture makes baby Jesus sad
> 
> What I'd like to figure out is how to properly run power cable from the engine bay to inside the car. The boot that covers the hole has no access point. And how do you use those little grommets?


a punch and a drill are your best friend. i have drilled through the firewall a couple times and its a pain without the right bits. i believe ive seen someone mention a step bit set i believe it is called.

but anyway, you can use the existing wire routes as a basis as to where you can drill safely. afterall you want to be very careful. to be sure you can take a punch and hammer an indent and if its visible on the opposite side of the firewall your good to drill. 

also, what little grommets are you referring too?


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## dbTroy

lubing up the doors.. you guys crack me up


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## drocpsu

omarmipi said:


> That picture makes baby Jesus sad
> 
> What I'd like to figure out is how to properly run power cable from the engine bay to inside the car. The boot that covers the hole has no access point. And how do you use those little grommets?


My car had another rubber boot running from inside the engine compartment through the firewall and into the cabin up in the dash (behind the glove box). The engine bay side was completely closed off because it was connected directly to the plastic wire condiut that covers the wires in the engine bay, but i was able to cut a hole in the boot just large enough to feed my power wire through.

I was able to use the existing wire passthrough in the firewall, so I didn't have to cut any new holes.


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## OldOneEye

They ran wire through the drain hole?

Juan


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## NeverEnuffBass

For getting wire into the doors I use one of the big 3ft zip ties from home depot. Cut off the locking end, drill a hole in it and tape the wires to it, saved me a lot of time and it won't puncture a door boot.


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## Zakerid

I like to use Windex when running wires. It lubrucates, after a few minutes it dries. I also use a wire hanger when running wire through door jambs , just bend a tight loop on the end you are pushing to prevent scratching insulation or peircing the grommet.


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## n2audio

I had a real hard time with my Contour. It has the boot that's terminated at the door. I had to drill a 3/8 hole right through the center of the connector being careful not to damage any of the contacts that were on about a 3/4" diameter. Luckily it worked out.


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## keithace

screw my civic (97)...had to run door locks and speaker wire...i am not looking forward to running the power window wires...driver side...easy...passenger side...no good...


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## Unrthdxdream

lol and thats why you don't buy imports.... my truck has identical conduits on both sides...


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## vmaxnc

I didn't read every post on here but I saw someone mention WD40 as a lubricant. I've always used Windex. Compared to WD40, it's cheaper, smells better, actually helps in cleanup, and evaporates much more quickly. You can also get some traction on the wire even where it's been sprayed-can't do that with WD40 or any petro-based lubes.


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## goodstuff

How would you handle something like this....it's not a normal boot as you can see...there are big plastic boxes with tape at the end on top of the boot...I'm sure I could get the tape off but could never get it wrapped around the bottom of the boot the same way again...they go way further into the doors than I can reach which I'm not sure is obvious from the pics....I'm going active and I need another set of wires for my tweeters...that's the only reason I want to do this....anyways here's the pics ,the first two are tilted sideways///thanks.


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## vmaxnc

goodstuff said:


> How would you handle something like this....it's not a normal boot as you can see...there are big plastic boxes with tape at the end on top of the boot...I'm sure I could get the tape off but could never get it wrapped around the bottom of the boot the same way again...they go way further into the doors than I can reach which I'm not sure is obvious from the pics....I'm going active and I need another set of wires for my tweeters...that's the only reason I want to do this....anyways here's the pics ,the first two are tilted sideways///thanks.


Three options-

Use the grommet in the pic to run the wire through. Be sure the wire can't be crushed due to it's position on the door frame.

OR

Go through the kick panel, pull the molex connector either into the kick panel or push it out so it's between the door and the car. Most of the time you can then drill through it, then fish your wiring through. You may have to use a Dremel tool in the tight space of the doorframe. It's tedious but can be done.

OR

If you're really lucky that harness disconnects at the car side. It's been years since I did any install but I remember some Hondas, for instance, where the door could be competely taken off the car in about 5 minutes, since they used modular harnesses.

As I said this will take some time but it can't be done and it will all go back together.


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## goodstuff

You know, I never thought about that grommet because I see it every single day and I guess I didn't think of it as being an option. I think I will go that route first...

Oh and if I posted this in the wrong section I apologize...it seemed relevant to the discussion at hand.


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## vmaxnc

goodstuff said:


> You know, I never thought about that grommet because I see it every single day and I guess I didn't think of it as being an option. I think I will go that route first...
> 
> Oh and if I posted this in the wrong section I apologize...it seemed relevant to the discussion at hand.


Just be careful of where the wire ends up. Will it get crushed in the door? Will it be visible? Will it get stretched every time you open and close the door?


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## pikers

goodstuff said:


>


I was thinking in this case one could simply poke their finger through a rust hole and run the wire through there.


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## OldOneEye

Might be talking out of turn (or based on way old knowledge) but when I did my acura back in the day, I looked at that and wondered why they did it that way.....

To make it easier to put the car together. Conversely, I would imagine you could probably unplug it as well (might have to pull your front tire though and pull down the splash shield in the wheel well to do it).

I would vote for using what the factory already has first, even if its more work.

I would also suggest cutting off that dynamat that pokes out from around the door panel. 

Juan


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## 88sinz

looks nice. do i have 1 post yet? lol i need to ask a question. grrr lol


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## wowthatnice

Vestax said:


> How to snake new wires through your door..... a question that came up quite frequently recently, so I thought I did a little tutorial on how to do it.
> 
> Disclaimer:
> (Obviously, every vehicle is going to be different. The vehicle I'm using as a demo is a 6th generation Honda Accord, a somewhat average car in difficulty. Other vehicles require you to drill a hole in the inside because there's actually a double firewall before it gets to the inside. In some german cars, like VW's, will have a molex plug stopping you from running the wires in. In that case, you would have to drill a hole from there. From there you would need a skew driver or an offset drill bit. If you ever give up, you can always ghetto rig it and drill a new hole. Make sure you use a grommet and a conduit to protect the wires.)
> 
> 1.) First step is to obtain tools. You can use either a pick up tool with claws at the end, or an antenna or huge zip tie with electrical tape to snake the wires. You can use a coat hangar but I tend not to because it can easily strip a wire in the door jamb. Fixing these wires will be a *****. You can use any tool that follows this concept: a long bendable tool (not too bendable) with something to hold the wires as it goes through the door jamb.
> 
> In this tutorial, I'm using my old antenna and electrical tape.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now it would also help to have a panel popper with a long neck or a flat screw driver. So you can pop off the molex plug or door jamb off.
> 
> 2.) Roll up your windows, take off your inner panel door, take off your speakers, and your kick panel (and running boards if necessary). Most cars are really easy to do but if you ever get stuck, you can always go to www.carstereohelp.com.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 3.) Pop off the door jambs. The one that attaches to the door, you can easily put your hand through the speaker hole, reach towards the inside, and pop that one off. The one that connects to the car, you should a panel popper to pull that one off.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the panel popper pulling on the door jamb...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 4.) Now that you have the door jamb off. You will now use your snaking tool. I like to tape the 16 awg wires so that there is no "flap" onto my snaking tool. This way, it goes through the door jamb smooth. In this demo, I'm wiring 2 pairs of 16awg through the door jamb. I don't want to wire both at the same time, because knowing my car, there are literally already 12 wires going through the door jamb. So what I do is wire only 1 set of wires through. After I have snaked it, I would tape the new wire so that it "follows the leader".
> 
> Here's what it looks like when you have successfully snaked the wire through the door jamb:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 5.) After you have snaked it through the door jamb. You now want to pull the wire all the way through until you have enough slack to leave inside the door. Then with the same concept, you should snake the wires through the hole that leads inside the cabin. You should be able to pull the wire from the inside. If you can't find it, then it's because of the disclaimer I listed above.
> 
> After you have successfully snaked the wires, put back the door jamb and start on the other side using the same methodology.  Easy as 1,2,3 isn't it? ... :blush:


Thanks, this guide help me alots.

Do you have any instruction how to run the amp power-cable thru firewall for Honda Accord as well?


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## goodstuff

pikers said:


> I was thinking in this case one could simply poke their finger through a rust hole and run the wire through there.


It's dirt, not rust, that's in the fenders...lol. I ran the through a hole in the door and then fished it though a hole I found under the carpet the kick.


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## 8tz

any ideas on how to bypass that molex connector and drill the wires thru the doors instead? i'm needing to waterproof the drilled holes and haven't a clue what to do. i don't have room to drill thru the molex, there's no empty space.


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## vmaxnc

8tz said:


> any ideas on how to bypass that molex connector and drill the wires thru the doors instead? i'm needing to waterproof the drilled holes and haven't a clue what to do. i don't have room to drill thru the molex, there's no empty space.


The molex connectors will pop out of the doorframes,maybe that will give you enough room to drill through. They may already have holes in them, so all you'd have to then is get the wiring through the rubber boot.


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## arrivalanche

What i do for cars that have a decently small rubber track is squirt a little WD-40 into the end that im starting from and the wires slide through VERY easily. try it some time.


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## arrivalanche

8tz said:


> any ideas on how to bypass that molex connector and drill the wires thru the doors instead? i'm needing to waterproof the drilled holes and haven't a clue what to do. i don't have room to drill thru the molex, there's no empty space.


you can usually use a dremmel or something to trim a notch in the side of the plug giving you a little room to get it through. You wont be able to run anything too big, but thats just how it goes.


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## tr0y_audi0

Same Teq just drill a hole & pop a gromit


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## CRD

Damn , you guys had it easy compared to the Mazda molex connector.

I had to drill a exact hole to pass the wires thru the plug. This female plug connects to a male plug on the frame of the car. no way around it. Making the plug CLICK was the hard part.

So far this was the most time consuming mod I had to do on my install. But WORTH IT


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## tr0y_audi0

CRD said:


> Damn , you guys had it easy compared to the Mazda molex connector.
> 
> I had to drill a exact hole to pass the wires thru the plug. This female plug connects to a male plug on the frame of the car. no way around it. Making the plug CLICK was the hard part.
> 
> So far this was the most time consuming mod I had to do on my install. But WORTH IT


yeah played with that one too..
good fun..


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## capnxtreme

Mad props on the molex.


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## Greg_Canada

Vestax said:


> Guys try to avoid running wires like this. (see pic below). I had another installer show me this. This was done at a local big box (not gonna say who.)


LMAO, on my buddys car (who just wanted it done, it was a POS he didnt care about) we just drilled holes in the door panel and in the kick panel and left alittle extra wire as slack when the door opened. when the door closed, you wouldnt notice at all. (yes it was a $500 beater)....
no problems.. lol...


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## Illusus

I did my mazda3 last month; it went pretty smoothly...but, anybody get their arm stuck under the dash when installing? This was the second time that had me convinced I was going to have to yell for help.
I didn't have enough room to get my hand to the angle I needed so I folded my wrist, did a little shoulder roll thing, slid my elbow along the floor and pop! my hand was just where I wanted, but then... I shifted my body a bit and must have thrown off the geometry enough that I couldn't get my arm back out, no-matter how slowly and methodically I tried and, I was getting pretty ****ing uncomfortable. I looked around for something I could remove with a flat or phillips screwdriver, they were the only thing near me but, nothing. Finally, a deep breath, hard tug and a bad bit of rugburn and I was a free man. 

The other time I was wearing a wristwatch while giving the dash a little reacharound.


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## pikers

Greg_Canada said:


> LMAO, on my buddys car (who just wanted it done, it was a POS he didnt care about) we just drilled holes in the door panel and in the kick panel and left alittle extra wire as slack when the door opened. when the door closed, you wouldnt notice at all. (yes it was a $500 beater)....
> no problems.. lol...


No excuse for such activity


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## satsloader

*Molex, on door, or kick side?*

I haven't tackled my new Mini yet, I didn't realize there would be a Molex connector on one of the ends of the insulation boot. Is the Molex connector typically on one side or the other? My boot has the small round end on one side, and the big rectangle end on the other. I'm guessing the Molex is on the big rectangle end?

I just got my order from Knukoncepts. In it was 40 feet of the 12ga. twisted bi-wire speaker cable ( 4x12ga. ). With the nice thick clear insulation, this stuff is like 2.0 power wire. I don't think even Astro-Lube is gonna help .

I imagine I'll have to strip the insulation just short of the boot, and snake each pair individually?

Bill in P.G.


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## Lothar34

dBassHz said:


> What I'd like to figure out is how to properly run power cable from the engine bay to inside the car. The boot that covers the hole has no access point. And how do you use those little grommets?


Something like this?:
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&Webpage_ID=3&CAT_ID=35&ObjectGroup_ID=738&SO=2


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## What?

2004-2008 F150's are built in multiple plants. Some use traditional rubber boots. Others (where mine was made) use molex connectors. Just depends upon where it was built. The 2008 F250/350 also have molex connectors. We removed the doors to run wire through a hole we drilled in front of the molex connector. Drilling the molex plug is a great option when it can be done.


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## Ge0

Anyone ever snake a wire from passengers compartment into the door of a 2nd generation Durango (2004 to 2008)? I looked at this when I first got the vehcile 2 years ago and said **** it. I ended my cable near the door jam and use the factory wire to pass into the door and make connection to the speaker. Lazy but somewhat effective.

This has been bugging me lately. The only speakers in my system that do not have cabling I would be proud of are the damn midbasses. So, I took another looksie today. I don't see how the **** they ever fished wire through there to begin with. I've done perhaps 20 cars in my carrier and have never seen anything ike this. I might have to drop the fuggin dash just to get at the entryway into the door grommet.

I'd come through from the door side, but, I was an idiot and sealed that sucker up with multiple layers of sound deadener a year ago.

Suggestions?

Ge0


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## borgs

Planning to install a 8awg speaker cable to the door.Any ideas how to do it?


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## Vestax

borgs said:


> Planning to install a 8awg speaker cable to the door.Any ideas how to do it?


In most cases, this would be extremely difficult. It would be better to make a new like-door jamb hole and connection. What car is it? 8awg is already overkill for even subs...why do it for speakers? Unless you're putting high powered subs in the doors?


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## Vestax

To all wanting to upgrade speaker wires to the doors, keep in mind, you probably won't hear the difference audibly for most drivers as stock wiring is often sufficient. If you think there's a difference... try connecting new speaker wires directly without going through door. If you're picking up an extra 1db at 80hz... good for you.. but all that effort isn't worth the pain.


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## Dr.Telepathy SQ

tr0y_audi0 said:


> Same Teq just drill a hole & pop a gromit


I know this Molex all too well. Chysler 300. 

I HATE running door wires. Almost willing to pay someone else to do it. Did a car one time, and had such an issue with the doors that I just just said hell with it and made kickpanels for my friend.


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## Cioffdaddy

I would use something like this instead of a coat hanger to avoid scratching things up.


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## tr0y_audi0

Cioffdaddy said:


> I would use something like this instead of a coat hanger to avoid scratching things up.


a 36" Ziptie is cheaper
the Super33 tape is the expensive part


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## SSCustoms

tr0y_audi0 said:


> a 36" Ziptie is cheaper
> the Super33 tape is the expensive part


No kidding!! I saw that DEI had a wire fishing tool listed so I ordered one to try it out. I was pissed when I got it and realized that it was a long ziptie with the end cut off. Live and learn, I guess!


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## Pseudonym

so ladies and gents. i realize theres alot of talk about molex plugs and all, but what does one do when the molex is waaaaaay up in the dash? anyone ever run wires into a mazda protege's doors (2002)?


























heres what i see when i peek under the passenger side dash. cant see ****. same when i pull the glovebox out.


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## ealvar

This might seem kind of weird.... but it works better than anything else I've tried!

Circular knitting needles!










A while back I was looking for a wire coat hanger to snake wire, but my girlfriend insists on wooden hangers so I was out of luck.

She did have, however, a few knitting needles and they looked like they would work perfectly. 

Fastest wire snaking I've ever done.


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## finbar

Some wire lube, Ideal Yellow 77, helps a bunch. Sparkys call it boy butter, you'll know why if you ever see 'em pull rabbit. Also good for lubing taps and drill bits.









I've seen it at home depot, electrical dept, <$10 for the squeeze bottle.


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## BigAl205

Another option that worked for me is to tie a piece of fishing line around a small piece of foam, stick it one end of the rubber boot, and use a shop-vac to suck it thru. Once it's there, use the string to pull the wire thru.


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## Pseudonym

so no experience with a protege?


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## g-s2k

Excellent write up! A lot of great info here


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## Notloudenuf

BigAl205 said:


> Another option that worked for me is to tie a piece of fishing line around a small piece of foam, stick it one end of the rubber boot, and use a shop-vac to suck it thru. Once it's there, use the string to pull the wire thru.


That's smart, I wish I had thought of that.  :surprised:


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## BigAl205

Notloudenuf said:


> That's smart, I wish I had thought of that.  :surprised:


Unfortunately, it doesn't work that often because wires and stuff gets in the way. I just posted it as food for thought  
It works great on conduit.


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## IBcivic

no need to buy cable lube for such a short pull....alot of dish soap in water does the same job . the sparky's stuff is water based too... the older ''butter'' was yellow and sustained flames.... i've seen many a pail catch fire ,when electricians would leave an open pail below,where my welders would be working.


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## finbar

stinky06 said:


> no need to buy cable lube for such a short pull....alot of dish soap in water does the same job . the sparky's stuff is water based too... the older ''butter'' was yellow and sustained flames.... i've seen many a pail catch fire ,when electricians would leave an open pail below,where my welders would be working.



Here ya go,
http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pdfs/products/msds/yellow_77_msds.pdf


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## Zakerid

stinky06 said:


> no need to buy cable lube for such a short pull....alot of dish soap in water does the same job . the sparky's stuff is water based too... the older ''butter'' was yellow and sustained flames.... i've seen many a pail catch fire ,when electricians would leave an open pail below,where my welders would be working.


I posted earlier in this thread. I have always used Windex... Works great and evaporates when done.


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## pikers

Just don't ever surrender and give your cart over to any installer paid by the car/job. I had one installer reprimanded a few times for tapping into factory wiring with aftermarket (to run to crossovers, etc)--all to avoid running new stuff through the door jambs. "Wire doesn't make any difference anyway"


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## tr0y_audi0

If you had time & tools pull the door..




Pseudonym said:


> so ladies and gents. i realize theres alot of talk about molex plugs and all, but what does one do when the molex is waaaaaay up in the dash? anyone ever run wires into a mazda protege's doors (2002)?
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> heres what i see when i peek under the passenger side dash. cant see ****. same when i pull the glovebox out.


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## Pseudonym

tr0y_audi0 said:


> If you had time & tools pull the door..


i thought that may be the solution. ill be using factory wiring then. thanks for the reply.


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## sigma6

I have some electricians in my house today snaking wire floor to floor through conduit. They are using wax type furniture. Gonna steal some and try it.


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## bigaudiofanatic

I did my 03 honda civic it was cake, considering back when I did my first install it was in a 96 honda civic with those plastic wiring plugs in the rubber boot. This was just the boot I used some armor all or the real name megiars next generation tech protect. 

Ran stainless steal wire threw


















Pulled Wire threw


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## bigaudiofanatic

Pseudonym said:


> so ladies and gents. i realize theres alot of talk about molex plugs and all, but what does one do when the molex is waaaaaay up in the dash? anyone ever run wires into a mazda protege's doors (2002)?


UM you tie into the speaker wire behind the dash and run it that way. Been doing it for years works just fine.


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## sigma6

Yesterday I was running wire under carpets, seats etc and came up with a new trick for this. I was looking around for a suitable snake and found some of that yellow (nylon?) strapping used to beef up packing cases. The bit I found was still a loop and it gave me an idea. I creased it flat and did my snaking with that. It's like a zip-tie in that, being a ribbon it flexes somewhat in one direction but is very stiff in the other direction.
Once I was through to where I taped my wire to just one side of the loop, and then clothes-lined the wire through, while my loop stayed in place. IOW, attach the wire to once side of the loop, pull that side through while feeding the other side back. This way I could run RCA, power etc. one at a time rather than trying to drag one huge bundle through at once, reusing the same loop over and over.


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## gymrat2005

Kudos to the OP...I have a 2000 Accord and with your instructions it took me about 15 minutes per door to get wires snaked through. Saved me money, time, and a less than acceptable arrangement had I had to do something else. I actaully had an installer tell me he would have to take off the fender and door to get the wires through the factory jam.


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## Vestax

gymrat2005 said:


> Kudos to the OP...I have a 2000 Accord and with your instructions it took me about 15 minutes per door to get wires snaked through. Saved me money, time, and a less than acceptable arrangement had I had to do something else. I actaully had an installer tell me he would have to take off the fender and door to get the wires through the factory jam.


Thank you sir... I'm glad it helped you.  Tell that installer to find another career that lazy mfer LOL... I've worked 6 years as an installer and I will always challenge myself as long as it's feasible. 

At the time when I wrote this tutorial, I didn't realize it'd help people. I would've done something more detailed as I've done a lot of speaker wire runs through doors.... but I never had a camera with me when I did it


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## simplicityinsound

here i will add my method. used to have a tool specific for this, the screwdriver type of deal that has a hollow rod in it, so you jam this thing in there, and feed wires out one end, out the other, and pull through and remove the tool. but it only is good for 16 guage or smaller wire.

nowdays, do this. take a chopstick, tape wire to it, coat it with a bit of vaseline, push it through, grab the other end with pliers, pull it through, done.


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## Vestax

simplicityinsound said:


> nowdays, do this. take a chopstick, tape wire to it, coat it with a bit of vaseline, push it through, grab the other end with pliers, pull it through, done.


"Notes to self - do not use Bing's utensils when eating dinner there next time."


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## simplicityinsound

too late, that knife you used to eat that steak last time at my place? That was used to scrap factory sound proofing off of doors. as well as random crap residue from under seat cushions


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## miphonematt

Ha! I have the same Panel popper tool! Snap-On, right? That thing has found itself several uses over the years


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## DJSPANKY

Good info. I use a long skinny flat tip screwdriver to pop the boot off. Also- check out the electric section at your local Home Depot or Lowes. There you will find a wire snake specifically designed to fish wires through tight spots. They also have a lube made for this very thing. I've never used the lube, but the snake works great.

Another idea- and this may not be for all- is to remove the etire door. If you do that you'll have all the room you need to fish the wires through. You just need to remember to unplug the plastic molex connector if there is one. You still might have to drill a new hole into the molex connector, but again, plenty of room to work. I've done this before on a Mazda MX-3- took less time to remove the door, run the wires, and re-install the door than it would to try to fish it through the boot.


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## don_chuwish

simplicityinsound said:


> nowdays, do this. take a chopstick, tape wire to it, coat it with a bit of vaseline, push it through, grab the other end with pliers, pull it through, done.


Taken out of context that is just... eeww. :laugh:

- D


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## fight4life28

Thank you so much. I was just wondering how to do this in my honda accord. You just saved me a bunch of time trying to find some way to get it threw.


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## Carbomb3750

Good write up man.


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## underdog

Unrthdxdream said:


> i always just use a coat hanger... works for me.


Had to many bad experiences.
I like 10 gauge electric wire. 
Stiff and flexable plus electical tape sticks well to it for the pull part


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## simplicityinsound

i use chopsticks  i wrote about it in the article i wrote last year:

5 Alternative Tools for Car Stereo Installs - How-to - Car Audio and Electronics


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## josserman

Thumper26 said:


> i think suburbans are one of the easiest. they have a 3" diamater boot going from door to cabin, and only 1/2" bundle of wire. it's a big open hole on both ends. you don't even have to take the boot out. i cursed my civic after helping a friend install a stereo in his suburban.


Wow I have the complete opposite experience. My Honda S2000 was easy as cake. My WRX newer hatch version was the biggest PIA I've ever dealt with. Took me 3+hrs, and my hands are destroyed 2 days later.


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## deesz

I use the long about 38" zip tie for hanging signs. I cut off the end of it. Its long, flexible, not sharp so you dont have to worry about cutting any wires. I will spray windex on it. I like windex or window cleaner because its not to strong, its slippery as hell and dries fast with out leaving a oil behind like wd40


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## mht_v10

I used a thin metal shirt hanger , worked pretty well


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## benchambers80

mht_v10 said:


> I used a thin metal shirt hanger , worked pretty well


same


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## tseng2394

nice but i usually use a coat hanger which works like a charm


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## deesz

Put grommet back in and we're done.


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## zinophile

Thanks for the nice how to. Much appreciated.


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## Hyperguy

I just did this in my Tundra. The front doors were fairly easy but the rear doors were a serious pain!


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## ahardb0dy

Surprised no one mentioned this tool, I have 2 of them in different sizes, this is made for going thru rubber plugs but may be useful in some door applications:

Electricians Pliers & Sets: Accessories - Matco Tools

To use it, you insert the tool thru the rubber plug, feed your wire thru the handle until it is on the other side of what ever you are going thru, than pull the tool out, the larger one will fit 4 Gauge.


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## hpilot2004

I have a 2004 Honda Pilot EX and successfully pulled new 16 gauge into my front doors. Materials used was:

1- 48" Zip Tie purchased from Lowes. (they sell as a pkg of 10 I believe)
Windex window cleaner for rubber boot lubrication.
Electrical tape.

Technique used was:

-Pull off the interior door panels and kick panels.
-Pull the rubber boots off at both ends.
-Take your zip tie and find the hole leading out of the kick panel and push the zip tie through there first and then go through the boot from the top down, you will be pulling the new wire from the door to the inside of the car, making sure to lube the boot with Windex (use liberally).
-Once you get the zip tie through the boot, you can now attach both sets of 16 gauge wire with electrical tape to your zip tie and pull through the boot and into the cabin.
-Finally put on all trim panels back on.

This process probably took me a half an hour to do both front doors. Plus, there is no plastic molex plug leading into the kick panel.

This was a fairly simple process to do.


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## Atlanta007

Great info here. I just ran 2 sets of 16 gauge wire into each door through the rubber boot. I used the long zip tie (24" maybe?) and silicone spray. 

I managed to do it with only releasing one side of the boot. The silicone spray is a big help in pulling the boot loose from the door jamb and getting in successfully back into the jamb without damaging it, especially on my older car since the door don't open that wide and there is very little space to get your hands in there to mess with the rubber boot. 

The only issue I really had is sometimes the wire would slip off of the zip tie as I was pulling it through. I just had to use a good bit of electrical tape to make sure it was secured to the zip tie and sort of push the existing wire loom to one side or the other to make room as I was pulling it through. 

Thanks for the pointers.


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## Z-Roc

yea that's project i need to take on lazy for it


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## deesz

Atlanta007 said:


> The only issue I really had is sometimes the wire would slip off of the zip tie as I was pulling it through. I just had to use a good bit of electrical tape to make sure it was secured to the zip tie and sort of push the existing wire loom to one side or the other to make room as I was pulling it through.


easiest way to keep the wire from slipping off the zip tie is to wrap tape around the zip tie once before wrapping it around the wire with the zip tie. 
this will allow the tape to grip to the zip tie so it will not want to slide.


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## mn-mazda-guy

What year and make is this? It sounds like a Mazda. thanks



CRD said:


> Damn , you guys had it easy compared to the Mazda molex connector.
> 
> I had to drill a exact hole to pass the wires thru the plug. This female plug connects to a male plug on the frame of the car. no way around it. Making the plug CLICK was the hard part.
> 
> So far this was the most time consuming mod I had to do on my install. But WORTH IT


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## chiragh

Guys help with this connector ! 

How do i pass wires through this , this is from Volvo S60II !!


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## chiragh

No help ?


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## hpilot2004

What gauge is your speaker wire? Looks to me like your molex connector does not have any unused area to run new speaker wire through, you may have to use factory wiring, which is not a bad option. But contact Simplicity In Sound, members here. They do high end work and could be a viable resource for you.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/members/[email protected]


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