opening door electrical connection

[jrobie79]

going to install a new stereo in my 99 XLT and was wondering how to take apart the electrical connector in the door, the cylindrical one as I would like to run new speaker wire as well. I see a 10mm nut in the middle of it, but it doesnt seem to hold anything.

I would run it next to this piece and just zip tie it, but I figured while im in there might as well hide the wires.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

That cylindrical connecter is a big plug, I don't think you can run any wires through it.

 

[jrobie79]

i could kinda see up in it and it seems like there might be some open space where I could put a 5/16" drill through it, just cant seem to seperate the top and bottom halves

 

[jrobie79]

bump

 

[fixt]

The 10mm bolt is captured to the top part. When it releases the bottom part of the plug it turns free, you may see the bolt rise. The bolt doesn't come out though.
Wiggle the bottom of the plug downward while prying out gently on the little tabs you see toward the top until they slip over the keeper tabs.
When it separates you will see a large red female plug and that's it. I don't think there is room for a 5/16 anything inside the plug but you might as well look and see.
It's similar to an Amphenol type plug internal construction.

The wire bundle fills the inside of the rubber boot pretty well and exits behind the driver kick panel, you can see that part. But there's some sort of brace or cover something under the kick panel making the actual penetration very hard to get to. I had this apart soldering a window/door lock wire (grn pink trace)that has a tendency to break inside the boot. It's tight in there, a PITA for soldering the wire inside the boot anyways.
They don't like extra wires in there

I sure wouldn't go poking drills around it. That's asking for unnecessary grief I believe.
You'll see what I mean.

 

[bobflood]

going to install a new stereo in my 99 XLT and was wondering how to take apart the electrical connector in the door, the cylindrical one as I would like to run new speaker wire as well. I see a 10mm nut in the middle of it, but it doesnt seem to hold anything.

I would run it next to this piece and just zip tie it, but I figured while im in there might as well hide the wires.

+1 to what fixt said. I was just in that assembly this weekend to repair a broken door lock wire inside the rubber boot on the body side. The 10MM top bolt is a captured bolt - when you turn it, it pushed the female side of the plug downward. Once it stops moving, you just reach in and pull the body side plug down and out. The wire bundle is pretty dense and there is realy no place to drill new holes in the connectors.