Ok as im sure many of your have encountered this problem so im going to give a good write up on how to do it. I will do a tech article when i get my digi cam at the end of the month.

Basically pull back the carpet from the drivers side footwell so you can get access to under the centre console and behind the pedals. Now this isn't the best place to put cable through but i didn't have much choice in trying to get 4 gauge cable through the firewall. If you have an automatic you will notice the selector cable passes through the firewall under the centre console. It will be a rather larger grommet. Simply make a small incision keeping away from the selector cable and the edge of the metal, its not hard. Once you have made the incision push your cable through from the inside of the cabin through to the engine bay, its much easier this way to find a grommet from the inside and push the cable out.

With the cable pushed through its simply a matter of sticking your head under the bonnet and look for the cable. And bingo bango.

You can use any grommet you like, its just finding them is tricky. With the carpet pulled away its not that bad. Just make sure you think before you cut, are there any electricle cables close by? Are there any hoses at the other end? Whats this grommet for? Are there any moving parts on the other side that might rub against the cable. Finally, where can i tie my cable up to in the engine bay. You want to make sure its secure.

I hope that helps. If someone think's if missed something by all means add to this... im very tired and can't think straight. But the key is to push the cable from the cabin to the engine bay. Dead simple huh?

Hope it helps. :wink:

I bielive there is a fuse on battery end how do I pass is through ?

How do you pass the fuse through the firwall? Is it allready on the power cable, as in did you buy an amp pack? I would chop it off and put it back on once you get the cable through the firewall.

would it be easier just to pass it from other side ?

If you can find a grommet it would be easier (goodluck) but its much easier to push wires from the cabin out

Blake I'm just woried if I cut 5mm cable it would be prety hard to solder it back together.

Can't the fuse be taken off?? Most just screw on screw off... If not then you have a problem your going to have to do it the hard way and go from the engine bay into the cabin...

Blake, I just took my car for service and tune-up. I asked mechanic to run wire for me through the firewall. What he replied is that there is no grommet and he have to drill through firewall and install new one.

What do you think about that?

There are grommets, i can gaurentee you!

Ok get an old coat hanger, do what is said in the first post and pull back the carpet and find a grommet, slice through it. Push the coathanger wire through and when ti protrudes into the engine bay, simply attach your cable to the wire (just tape it or tie it well so it won't slip off) then pull the coathanger and the wire through into the cabin.

Now thats thinking!

But your definatly don't have to drill.

I'm just wondering to go through so much trouble would it be easier just to buy rubber grommet and drill firewall

It would be more work that way but if you think tis easier go for it!

I'm not sure if the firewall has changed that much from model to model, but on my 2001 TJ, there was a nice big rubber thing on the passenger side of the car where all the cables from the fuse box ran through ....a great big bunch of wires about an inch or so thick all taped up in black electrical tape.

The rubber thing was like an L shape protruding out of the firewall so that the wires in the engine bay ran parallel to the firewall. To put my power cable through, I simply carefully drilled a small hole into the rubber thing and pushed my cable through from the engine side, into the passenger foot well, then went inside the car and pulled it all through.... piece of piss, took me about 5 minutes. 10 minutes if you include the time it took me to remove and replace the air filter so I had a bit more room to move in the engine bay. If I had a digi cam, I'd take photo's for you, but... I don't. :?

I spend an hour yesterday just to find grommet. May be because my model is 98

If you are that worried and unsure... get the pro's to do it. It was cost a bomb, but most guys with give you a warranty on the install, that way if something goes wrong you can take it back and get then to fix it at their expence.....

I had the pro's do mine and haven't had a single problem.... they did however drill through the firewall, and rather than use a new gromet, used a relatively heat proof silicone to seal it up. Had in done bout six months or so ago, so I'd imagine if I was to have a problem, I'd have had it by now...

Steve

Basically pull back the carpet from the drivers side footwell so you can get access to under the centre console and behind the pedals. Now this isn't the best place to put cable through but i didn't have much choice in trying to get 4 gauge cable through the firewall. If you have an automatic you will notice the selector cable passes through the firewall under the centre console. It will be a rather larger grommet. Simply make a small incision keeping away from the selector cable and the edge of the metal, its not hard. Once you have made the incision push your cable through from the inside of the cabin through to the engine bay, its much easier this way to find a grommet from the inside and push the cable out.

With the cable pushed through its simply a matter of sticking your head under the bonnet and look for the cable. And bingo bango.

Hope it helps. :wink:

Not sure if this is the one you are talking about? :?
http://www.geocities.com/km2127793/footwell.JPG
(no direct link allowed to geocities, so don't click, copy and paste instead)
Mine is a TF Magna... the photo was taken from the driver's footwell.

guys, I am a proffessional car audio installer and I can tell you there are definantly grommits in the firewalls of ALL magnas. I ran 2 gauge wire through my 2000 TH. There is a BIIIIG one that you could fit 5 power wires through if you wanted in the passenger side of the engine bay. This comes out just behind the pass. kick panel. there is also a small one near the drivers kick panel and there should be room in the grommit on automatic models that is usually used for the clutch pedal assembly. Trust me guys, and I'm not saying that you aren't capable of doing it, but if you can't find a simple grommit in a firewall then you shoulc definantly leave the whole job for the proffessionals. I have seen some abortionate work come into my workshops over the years and its not worth ****ing it up yourself risking damage to your audio equipment, your vehicle or YOURSELF...

TIP - if you cant find a grommit, and don't know how to find the polarity of your speakers b4 hooking them up DONT EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO DO THE JOB.... pay someone who knows what they are doing and more than likely will give a lifetime warranty on their work....

well said shacky. =D>

it is better to get the pros do it and u will probably find that the quality of the system will be alot better than if you did a home job (unless u do it 100% right)

I suppose I'd disagree and agree at the same time... I really believe in doing installations yourself, but mainly because I see car modification as a learning experience... If, at the end of the day, all you want is a modified car, go ahead and pay someone else to do it... Personally, I see half the fun in doing it myself so at the end of the day, I can look back and see exactly what happened... I can be proud of how far I've come, but also see the failures that have occurred which will be costly reminders of what can happen... I'd like to think that I would be the sort of person that would like to modify a car and enjoy doing so even if I wasn't going to keep it in the end, or it was someone elses car... Reality is, however, I'm rather hesitant, which is why I keep pushing for doing things yourself so that people learn...

I am tired of certain individuals (and I'm not referring to anyone here) who are all attitude because they have an loud, expensive, audio setup, yet they don't know what they've even got... (By this I mean people who keep referring to their crossover as an amplifier and call their amplifier an equaliser......) I don't know it all, I don't pretend to know it all... I want to learn and my opinion is diy is the best way to go if you are prepared to pay the price for your own dumb mistakes. If you don't want to learn, but you just want a system, go to the professionals.. they will take care of you, but what you do from there is up to you... I know a lot of nice, humble people who will freely admit they don't know what they've got... Others that are willing to learn... Then others that do have a nice system and boast about it even though they had no part to play in it...

Sorry if I seem a little anal (again...) but yeah... Those people just tend to tick me off.. If you can't find the grommet, go take yourself to a professional, or learn... read... talk to others about it... but be prepared for things to screw up... hey, whatever satisfies you in the end, whether it's the complete system or it's the knowledge you've accumulated... =)

i see it as if you a farily competent then do it yourself...that is true..you lern by doing it yourself and by the mistakes you make...but there are some people who just dont have a clue and therefore need to go back to theory b4 practical.

Here is another suggestion guys; drop in to your local audio retailer and ask to speak to one of the installers. I am more than happy to give suggestions to ppl and answer any questions that they may have, as i'm sure most installers are. Thats how I learnt, asking questions. I don't mind if a guy comes in and asks the most stupid question you could ask (and I have had A LOT like that) I will always point him in the right direction. It doesnt matter if you are asking for tips on how to run cables through the firewall, how to make a 6 inch speaker fit in a 5 inch hole, how big a sub enclosure should be, how many subs and in what manner they can be run off an amp, the installer should be pretty cool on helping you out. The one thing we usually don't do is give out the wiring colours of decks and factory wiring looms, (cause essentially, thats what we're getting paid for) btw guys, if you have any questions feel free to send me an email @ shackyc@hotmail.com

why isnt my logo comming up?? :cry:

yeah its weird how images show to some people and not others or they dont appear at all...

I drilled a hole in firewall :)

Did you see my post in the other thread about this?

.... check out: http://members.iinet.net.au/~allenc

Thats for a TJ Magna though