Hey folks, this thread is here to help all of you that are having trouble deciding on how you are going to run your wires for your amplifier and sub install. And the fact I do, is because I was searching these forums like a mad man yesterday, when I started my install at about 3:00. I was trying to figure out HOW EXACTLY AM I GOING TO RUN THIS 4 Gauge wire through my car!!!!. So I searched forums, Talked to my EVOm Buddies, and searched some more. After lying underneath my seats, looking for grommets near my clutch, on the driver’s side, I was starting to get frustrated. I kept asking around, and people told me, and about the Grommet, on the passenger side, when looking under your hood, right behind your shock, the far back left of your engine compartment, and the wire will lead right under the glove box... I was thinking about all of my choices... Drilling through the firewall, Going through the fender wall, and FOLKS Let me tell you, Going through the Fender wall IS NOT THE "PROPER" In any way at all to go, For the fact that if that wire is cut from your door opening and closing, you can short circuit your car, leading to ALL of your Pricy electronics, and subs to go bye bye. If you feel that is going to be the best that way, suit yourself because an electrical short IS NOT GOOD .

GETTING THROUGH THE FIREWALL - The toughest for most, but now its easy

But this is the right way... other than drilling, or if any1 has found something that works for them. But let me tell you, this was honestly the easiest way. Ok, so basically the way I wired my power cable was, you have to look In the Far left part of your motor compartment, LOOK BEHIND YOUR Passengers strut tower... or right above where you would mount the left strut bar, on the top of the shock. I WILL GET PICTURES, Anyways... Look RIGHT BEHIND THERE, and far left... you will see a grommet or like I call it a "little black thingy" It will be rubber and about the size of a penny exactly. And LUCKILY, This grommet will lead RIGHT above your passenger side door sill to the just right and under your glove box, but its 100% hidden, Just take off the side "kick" panel, with the one hand screw, and the other where you have to push it...and pops right off. I just pulled it hard and it popped out. To get the grommet out, TRY pulling the grommet with pliers hard outward, I know it will be awkward, but it’s worth it... and if that doesn't work, push in... AND POP, you’ll see the fruits of your success and you are now closer to running your power cable. GOOD JOB, now have a friend, or some1 stick something through the hole, I used my brother’s finger, and it was clearly visible with a light, and you will understand how to run the wire. So next, I took the fuse off of my 4 gauge monster wiring, and started wiring it through, the back of the engine compartment, right now u can see some of my red 4 gauge wire showing in the engine compartment, but they’re 100% fine.. I have it electrical taped to a part of my engine compartment so it doesn’t slosh around and what not. So I took the cord, ran it through the back side of my engine, what ever works for you. Its not rocket science... just push the wire through the hole from the grommet, Check under your glove box to make sure its running through, then repeat the process till you have all of your wire laying on your passenger side floor. Mine was very simple and was like "butta".

Getting your wire through the doors, and TOO YOUR TRUNK!!

Next, you will have your cable wire all by the door sill and your passenger seat. From now on, they’re many other threads that lead you through the steps to get into your trunk, but I will tell you anyways. Pop your passenger side door sill, or the "plastic thing" right about where you get in the door. It pops right off, and follow the wire right though. And I just popped the seatbelt holder, well you will see it, and it’s the only thing in your way to getting your cord "hidden" to your back seats. So that snaps right off easy too, don’t worry, putting it back on is about just as easy. And you may need to pop off your rear passenger seat door sill too. Which is very easy and you just pull it off also. WELL actually, you will need to pop off your back seats. WHICH IS SUPER EASY FOR all of those who want to know. Basically grab your back seat cushion on the bottom next too your floor, I will have pic's up soon, and pull up, DO it for both sides, and your seat comes RIGHT up and will be in your hands. Go put that seat away for safe keeping then, and now you should be able to wire your 0,1, 4,8 and so on gauge wire through your front sills, through your seatbelt piece, your back door sills, up the seats and right in your trunk. I personally just put my wire underneath where the back seat would be put down and ran it right under my back seats, under the part where they fold down, it goes right Underneath, and too your trunk compartment. You will see your power cables, and you will feel good . VOILA!!! VOILA!!! YOU have your power wire in the back of your trunk. Now you can either put it under your carpet, or drill holes in the wood, under your carpet, if you want to do a super clean install.

Getting your RCA cables, your Remote lead wire, and for me, the BASS controller

AND FOR THE RCA CABLES, The REMOTE Lead turn on wire, and the BASS BOOST wire, DO the SAME THING (in a nutshell ), all the way up too the front door sills, and then you should be able to get them up too your deck, or which ever way you want too run them to get in your deck. If you have any sort of a brain, it should be a piece of cake. I will be putting mine under the carpet, along the part where my seat goes. Its more of a personal preference of how you get it up they’re. But a little tip. get all those 2 or 3 wires laid out, pop your back door sill thing up, your seatbelt piece, and your drivers side door sill, and VOILA!! You have all your radio components too making your amp powered on, and ready to bump. The center console is very easy to get out, and they’re hundreds of threads on how to get it un-done. If you want to know...

hit me up on AIM - OwNaGe Al


Remember, TAKE OFF YOUR NEGATIVE TERMINAL BEFORE MESSING WITH ANYTHING ELECTRICAL IN YOUR CAR. The #1 Objective is to Stay safe....... and have a bumpin' system

Alright, for all of you who just read this; I wish you good luck with your amp install... I am ALWAYS ON aim for any1 who needs help. I have a 2003 lancer oz. And would be willing to help any1 with anything they need. SO LET ME KNOW!!! AND GOOD LUCK!

I WILL HAVE PICS UP Within the next 3 days. Thanks guys.


Oh, and for any who want to know... My audio system.... 2 12" Kicker L7 Subs, in a custom tweeter box, All monster 4 gauge power, and Rca's. Powered by Kicker 850.2 amp and 2.4 Digital Power Acoustik Cap.

 

Hey Administrator or mod... maybe some one can move this too the AUDIO section.

My thread has been edit'd 3 times now, for the sake of spelling errors. But Hopefully I have not missed anything.

Also for the sake of one day being stickied.

PICS ARE UP!

The Engine compartment, where I lead my power wire from... havent connected it, for the fact of havent gotten my deck yet.





This is where the grommet is loacated, behind the passenger strut tower.





This is the EXACT GROMMET I USED, and the size too my hand



This is where the grommet will fall from, and where your power cable will go, and the scew u have to twist off





The passenger side kick pannel, TAKEN Off, where i led my wire



This is a sideways pic, showing the seatbelt cover, which you have to take off to run your wires.... i took pics after i installed, so i left that on, just took kick panel off so you can see where i ran it



NEXT, Pop off your back seats, by pulling up from where that book would be from, on the bottom of the seat. It pops right up, then Pull off this Rear passenger side kick pannel... MY wires are under it right now



This is where your wire will lead out too... and Woopie! you got it.



Then a pic of all my wires, RCA's Power, Remote lead and bass controller.



NEXT, you have to wire all of the rest of the wires, AND DO THEM ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF YOUR POWER WIRE! Just like this, on the Drivers side, As long as your seat is off, pop the rear kick panel off, just like you did the other side



Take the seatbelt cover off, and then the drivers front kick pannel, and this is where my wires are!! Waiting for the deck to come... I will run them most likely under my carpet where my seat is bracket'd then up the center console... I will take pics of that when i have installed, but theyre are MANY MANY Threads on how to take that off. GOOD LUCK, I hope this helped

 

Hope this helps...

 

The pictures posted by OZLancer, May not be the hole i used, but another hole somewhere, the Grommet I went through led along the far right of passenger side ( see pics ) and led right to the kick panel.

 

Good review and picture steps. One way I might suggest, there is a predrilled firewall hole on the driver side under the dash. This was what I used and it's the same with pretty much all cars I've installed on. And I can't stress how important it is to disconnect the battery if it's your first time. I've shocked myself once and it's enough considering I do installs at Best Buy. Excellent review though!!

 

Ah, I always talk to a best buy installer from my area, he told me to look around the drivers side, and i did... it was VERY Frustrating, especially for the fact that i have a manual transmission, and the clutch and everything, very hard to see. Even with a flashlight... But thanks

 

Good info. Im replacing the amp in my car with a larger one so i get to replace my 8 guage with 4 guage and was planning on going threw the firewall this time.

How long of wire did you need to go from the battery down the passenger side of the car and into the trunk?

Also have any of you all done the big 3 upgrade (larger alt to batt wire, larger ground from block to frame and frame to battery. I think i typed the ground wire part correctly) Im planning on doing the big 3 on my truck but didnt know if anyone had done it on their lancer? if so what guage did you use and how many feet did you need.

 

Hmm for the length of the power cable... considering the fact im using a cap.. I bought the setup used, so i cant tell you, it was the length of the car + about.... 3-5 feet APROX. Just guessing... take it on the safe side, get enough to be SURE, good luck and post your system when u get it up

 

I don't know if the 02-03 cars have it, but my 04 has a large grommet (2"x3") over on the driver's side between the inner and outer fenders. Accessible only if you remove the plastic fender liner. There's a bundle of wires that goes through it already, but there's plenty of room for more. It comes out behind the dash, by the fuse box.

I ran my power cable from the battery to the fuse holder (mounted on the battery tie-down, and then between the inner and outer fenders, through the grommet (I made a hole in the grommet by stabbing it in an X-pattern with a knife) into the car. Under the hood, you only see 10 inches or so of the wire before it disappears. Inside the car, I ran it along the driver's side, under the scuff plate. There were some plastic clips there that it fit into as if it were made to hold it. All the way back to beyond the rear seat cushion, then through a handy hole in the back seat support and into the trunk. The overall run was several feet shorter than if I'd run it over to the passenger side, and I also don't have a big power wire showing in my engine bay.

The RCA and remote turn-on wires I ran under my center console, under the 8 inches of carpet on the center hump, and then under the rear seat cushion to the trunk.

EDIT: pic

 

Yes you can do it that way, and if u dont want the cords showing just hide them behind the firewall... well i mean my big red 1, u can just tuck it behind, because uk how u ca sorta pull it out, yes that grommet is theyre too, the 1 by the outside fender wall where mitsu runs all of its factory wires. But you have to take off the fender panel. I didnt really want to do that

 

You don't have to take off the fender, just the plastic liner in the wheel well. I ran the wire between the inner and outer fenders to get from the battery to the grommet, but it was stiff enough to just feed it through without taking the fender off.

 

great write up!

 

Do you have a pic of where the wire comes through/grommet in the engine bay? I can't seem to find it. Or just a description, under airbox, whatever . . . Thanks

 

Thanks guys just finished the power wire tonight. I have a 0ga and it fit perfect through the hole on the far left of the passenger side. Everything thing else will be done this weekend.

 

Could someone post a pic of where to find the passenger side grommet on the inside of the car? I could see it in the engine bay but I could not find it on the inside. I took the kick panel off and looked all around the glove box and could not see where anything would pop out. I did notice I had a panel on the bottom of the glove box that might have been blocking my view, but I couldn't find a way to get it off. It had these screws that expand once they are pushed through the hole and I couldn't get to them to pop them out.

Any help is appreciated as I have it running through the fender at the moment which is bad. I plan to install a sub amp later and will probably re-run everything and I would like to do it right the second time.