Drivers Side Speaker Wire Routing

[cherrybomb]

Hello All,

I'm planning to run new speaker wire to all my doors, from a 4 channel amp.

My question is, does anyone have a write-up, or pictures of running speaker wire into the drivers side door? It's got that "fancy" setup with the big plastic casing etc, and it's not very clear how one would run wire through it.

I was hoping someone had done this already, and I could follow their lead.

Otherwise, I think I'll be posting a writeup of how I did it when it's all said and done.

And BTW, I did search, but couldn't come up with anything that had a description of a solution, or any pictures, just lots of people mentioning how difficult it was or would be to run wires there.

Thanks in advance!

 

[scucci]

Found this for ya.
http://www.etraxx.com/pdf/Run_wire2doors.pdf
Scucci

 

[cherrybomb]

Found this for ya.
http://www.etraxx.com/pdf/Run_wire2doors.pdf
Scucci

Hey Scucci,

Thanks for this. I've seen a couple similar write-ups on other cars, but nothing specific to the X. Looks like the procedure will be similar though.

Interestingly my factory service manual CD doesn't really have anything useful about the wiring to the doors, at least, not that I've found.

When I dig into this project, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and write it up for others.

 

[scucci]

Hey Cherrybomb,
here is one on a Mazda with the same molex connector as an explorer.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~78731~PN~1

Scucci

 

[cherrybomb]

Hey Cherrybomb,
here is one on a Mazda with the same molex connector as an explorer.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~78731~PN~1

Scucci

Hey Scucci,

Thanks again for the links. I'd actually seen that mazda one before, but the molex is definitely different.

I actually started work on this yesterday, and got totally flumoxed. I can't seem to figure out how to get into this stinkin' thing! Is it a plug that disconnects somehow? Is there a secret panel I must remove? What's the secret?

 

[mikeinri]

Flummoxed... Now there's a word you don't hear every day! Does go with molex, I suppose...

Anyway, I have no clue, but I'm looking suspiciously at that thing that looks like a tie-wrap or clamp of some kind in your picture. That might only separate the halves (rubber wire cover from plastic housing, but might be a place to start seeing what's inside.

Can't really tell by a pciture, but it almost looks like the top can be separated, and there is a piece of plastic acting like a hold-down clamp, if you see what I mean. Try taking a small screwdriver and poking and twisting to see if there's any movement between pieces/seams, that might give you an indication of how/if it comes apart.

Have you had the door panel off yet? The fasteners could be installed from inside the door.

One other suggestion, if all else fails, try to find one in a junk yard and see if you can get that one apart. Maybe you'll get lucky and it will be already partially removed so you can see what you're up against.

Mike

 

[cherrybomb]

Thanks for the suggestions Mike.

I've actually already snipped that off, and pulled the rubber off, and poked around a bit before posting. Nothing terribly obvious there.

I have a strong suspicion that it's some sort of two piece plug, but I'm having a hard time deciphering it.

Also, I do have the door panel off, and there are no fasteners inside. There are two 7/32 bolts that hold it to the door from the outside. The bottom one, is "behind" the rubber boot, which is part of what leads me to believe that it's a two piece plug. I've tried tugging on it, twisting it, etc, with no real luck.

I WILL defeat this durn thing.. At least, I hope so!

 

[mikeinri]

If you're truly at your wits end, you could open it up like a sardine can with a dremel tool and glue it back together when you're done.

Sort of like taking out your frustrations with a bigger hammer, sawz-all, etc. without quite as much cleaning up to do later.

Good luck, let us know how it comes out!

Mike

 

[CDW6212R]

Guys, that's an easy connector. It's just like a PCM, get a 10mm socket, and loosen the bolt directly on top. That bolt holds the two halves together securely.

FYI, there are many extra available connector holes that you can use to add wires. I would recommend acquiring the needed two pairs of factory connector ends with 14 or 16 gauge wires. I'd connect your speaker wires to those four ends, and plug them directly into those two connectors.

I've been through my entire 1999 set of 10 harnesses while rebuilding my Limited. It's an adventure, good luck.

 

[cherrybomb]

Guys, that's an easy connector. It's just like a PCM, get a 10mm socket, and loosen the bolt directly on top. That bolt holds the two halves together securely.

FYI, there are many extra available connector holes that you can use to add wires. I would recommend acquiring the needed two pairs of factory connector ends with 14 or 16 gauge wires. I'd connect your speaker wires to those four ends, and plug them directly into those two connectors.

I've been through my entire 1999 set of 10 harnesses while rebuilding my Limited. It's an adventure, good luck.

Thanks for the info CDW. I assumed that the cover for the bolt was part of the overall plug.

I went back to it fresh this morning, and discovered that in about 2 minutes, the rest was childs play! I ended up just running speaker wire through the existing holes, rather than using the stock connectors. I am a bit short on time, so maybe some other time I'll go back and use the "official" connectors.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[CDW6212R]

Very good, I didn't know if there is enough slack/space available to feed wires loosely through them both. I'll think about that when I do my speakers. Regards,