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View Full Version : Amp power run from battery to trunk - PICS!

Schooner
08-02-2005, 12:08 AM
After reading several different threads on different sites... weighing my options carefully... here is how I ran my amp power cable from the battery to the trunk.

Here's what I bought for this project.

1. A Scosche wiring kit (Walmart). Neat little kit. Has a nice built in adaptor that holds a standard automotive fuse (as opposed to the tube type)... came with 20ft of 12 AWG power, RCAs, an activator wire, a 2ft (?!? - useless) ground cable, some very cheap (crappy) crimp connectors, "O" ring connectors as well as fork connectors.

2. 20' of slit heat resistant tubing. Only needed a little over 10' (probably could have made due with 10')... but I always take the 'better safe than sorry approach to these things. I used this tubing just about everywhere where I though that the cable may even have a remote possibility of rubbing against something.

3. A 200 Watt 'Rampage' (Audiovox) subwoofer tube with built in amp. I know, you guys are laughing... but 200 Watts is enough for me (for now).

I also bought electric tape and some other junk. My fish tape proved invaluable during this little project.

Anyhoo... the first step for me was to fit the wire into the heat resistant tubing.

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00580.JPG

Next it was time to remove the inner wheel well covering and mud flap in order to gain access to the unused auxiliary moon roof drain plug. Here's what I was greeted with...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00579.jpg

I knew to expect this because I had seen mention of it on here before I started... but I must say I am not impressed with this design flaw. This is the sort of thing that leads to preliminary rusting. For shame...

*NOTE* - the rubber plug is that elusive 'unused plug' that everyone seems to be looking for...

Moving along.... I found a space to run the cable near the driver's side turn signal. I routed the cable around the fuse box (I actually have the amp fuse in the fuse box) and then around this corner. Basically, every portion of the cable that exists outside of the cabin or trunk area should have heat resistant tubing on it. Also, this tubing should be loosly wrapped in electrical tape to prevent the cable from falling out.

Here you see how I wrapped up the cable...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00583.jpg

Here you see how I ran the cable into the wheel well...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00586.jpg

Here you can see how I fished the cable from the engine compartment into the wheel well...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00585.jpg

Here is what the tubing looks like when it is run through the plastic gromet...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00590.jpg

Note that I cut as little out of the centre of the gromet as I could. This way I have a nice snug fit that will make it harder for water to get through. Also note that I installed the tubing with the slit facing down as it enters the gromet. This way if any water has made it's way into the tubing it will have a chance to drain out before entering the cabin. After this picture I also completely covered the tubing in electric tape from about the top of the wheel well down to about 1/2" away from the gromet. I also siliconed the inside of the tubing where it passes into the cabin as well as around the outside of the gromet. This is important as the last thing you want is water coming in to this part of the vehicle.

Here is my rather unelegant solution to getting the cable into the cabin through the plastic cup.

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00591.jpg

I noticed a hole on the back of the cup under the bottom connector. I took a pair of pliars and 'opened' this hole to pass the cable through it. I then put some electric tape around to smooth out rough edges.

I am afraid that from this point on pictures get rare. Essentially all I can add here is that I didn't (completely) remove any of the trim pieces along the bottom of the cabin. I found it was possible to simply pry them up enough to pull the cable along. I used tubing near the front door and through the middle column as there are metal brackets everywhere that could cause trouble. The only problem with that is that now the trim piece on the rocker panel near my driver's seat doesn't go back the way it was. I can easily hold it into place, but there is just enough pressure there to pop it out of place slightly. I thought about removing the tubing... but I noticed that Hyundai used tubing through parts of this run as well so I thought it best to leave it in. I think that some crazy glue will fix it (I know, not ideal but a solution). Just a dab at each end and one in the middle ought to be enough to hold it down.

Running the cable through the back portion of the car was a snap. Once you get past the middle column you are pretty much home free. I used my fish tape to pull the cable from the rocker panel up to the side of the seat. I also found a great ground location behind the driver's side rear passenger seat. At first I simply put the rear seats down and pushed the side padding (where the rear driver's side shoulder strap comes down) and found this to be sufficient for pulling the cable. But, when it came to hooking up the ground, this wasn't enough room. If you pull back some of the seat padding on the bench near this side piece you will find a single bolt that can be removed to take it out. Simply wind out the bolt, pull up on this padding (careful with the seat belt) and you're open for business. If you take a quick look you will find the ground bolt that I am talking about. It's hard to miss. I think it might be used for the rear defrost.

Anyways, also in the area you will find the spot where the wiring harness enters the trunk. Hyundai has filled this hole with a foam padding (I suppose to prevent fumes and such from getting into the cabin). There are two tie-wraps on this foam on the trunk side. You'll have to cut them to pull your cables through. Here's a pic:

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00594.jpg

That's really about it. Now that I have done it once, I can see that it's pretty straight forward. I am not sure how Hyundai techs would look upon my using the moon roof drain plug to run a power cable into the cab... but it's a LOT easier and a LOT less risky than going through the main hole in the firewall (or drilling a new hole).

Let me know what you think. Feel free to request a certain picture... when I have time I will snap it for you.

Cheers

Schooner
hyunelan2
08-02-2005, 12:18 AM
Some of the best detailed pics I've seen of the 'fender well option' for running power. Good job.
johnblaze94
08-02-2005, 04:32 AM
WTG schooner!! Thanks for the help.
ryan s-b
08-03-2005, 10:02 PM
does any one have any suggestions for running 1/0 ga. wire??? (think the size of a quarter in diameter) i see these tutorials but i don't think the space is going to allow for such massive wiring. any input would be much appreciated!

thanks!
SuperGLS
08-03-2005, 11:14 PM
Nice work. I'll get this up... tomorrow most likely.

And if I haven't officially welcomed you already... welcome to EXD.
Schooner
08-03-2005, 11:38 PM
That big? I would say either in through the main hole in the firewall or you'll have to drill a new hole and gromet it...

I would lean toward drilling a new hole just to avoid damaging the main harness... but drilling is also pretty risky. Unless you thoroughly inspect everything to make sure that you won't hit anything. From what I hear, drilling through the wall takes little in the way of actual force... so be careful not to press too hard it that's what you decide to do. Last thing you want to do is go too deep and drill through something important.

Man that would be tough... because a cable that thick isn't going to be easy to work with. You can't bend it like smaller cables. It's going to be hard routing it under the dash and into the rocker panel...

I don't even want to know why you need such a large cable... :-D

Nice work. I'll get this up... tomorrow most likely.

And if I haven't officially welcomed you already... welcome to EXD.


Thanks! I just went through and cleaned up my spelling mistakes.. :-)
hyunelan2
08-04-2005, 07:42 AM
IMO, rather than trying to run a wire that thick, add a 2nd battery to the trunk (or relocate the existing) and you can get by running something a little smaller back up front to power the car. I don't know what kind of system you're building, but 1/0 seems like overkill to me.
felixr
08-04-2005, 08:52 AM
yeah you would def want to just go with another battery in the trunk in your case . . . nice write up schooner, welcome and all that other stuff
Schooner
08-04-2005, 09:31 AM
IMO, rather than trying to run a wire that thick, add a 2nd battery to the trunk (or relocate the existing) and you can get by running something a little smaller back up front to power the car. I don't know what kind of system you're building, but 1/0 seems like overkill to me.

Just out of curiosity, what gauge would you need to run for the battery? Would you run two wires (pos. and ground) or would you ground the battery to the frame? I would think that you would want to run two... but I could be wrong.
BigMix
08-04-2005, 09:37 AM
Run 4ga to the back battery and get your ground from the back dont run a ground that long it wont do you any good.
SuperGLS
08-04-2005, 11:35 AM
It's up:

http://www.elantraxd.com/DIY/amp.php

Now, if that isn't quality service I don't know what is.
BlueRush
08-04-2005, 11:58 AM
I ran 0 gauge through the center grommet in the firewall, then removed the heater tube that runs to under the drivers seat to make room for the wire to run. It's not the easiest task in the world, but worth it to get it done right the first time and not have any problems in the future.

Also, if you put a second battery in the trunk, like I did, You will MOST DEFINATLY want to run 0 gauge from the front batt. to the rear batt. because all the power for your system HAS to come through that wire to get to the rear battery, and 4 gauge WILL NOT carry that much amperage @ that distance.

Keep in mind that you will want a 200 amp battery isolator between the two to keep the rear battery from drawing down the main battery when the vehicle is not running. Just so you know, the isolator should be triggered by an accesory wire that only has voltage when the vehicle is running, not when in the accesory position, or it will still drain the front battery down. I've seen people hook it up to the remote turn on lead from the headunit, and that's just as bad, because when the radio is on, it'll draw current from the front battery still.

front batt. -> 0g -> 200amp fuse -> 0g -> 200amp isolator -> 0g -> rear batt -> 0g -> 200amp fuse -> 4g -> amps, caps, and whatever

I have 3 amps, a 1f capacitor, a 50f batcap, and a redtop battery in my trunk, and that's more or less how I set mine up.
Schooner
08-04-2005, 12:47 PM
I feel so proud... my first post on the forum made it to the DIY page...

It's a special moment... kinda emotional *sniff*

:D
BlueRush
08-04-2005, 02:01 PM
LMAO, good **** huh!
ryan s-b
08-04-2005, 03:10 PM
i disagree with you on relocating my batt. to the rear since i will be making the "big 3" wiring upgrade and a rear batt. would mean longer runs of wire which need to be as short and fat as possible. how many watts rms are u pushin with those 2 batt's? and one more thing is that i believe if the 2 batt's are identical one will not drain the other.
BlueRush
08-04-2005, 05:42 PM
Relocating the battery to the trunk is not what I would recommend, unless weight distribution is an issue, ie...autocross.

What is the "big 3"?

It's not so much a consern of RMS wattage, but of Peak Amperage. I have 210 amps of current draw total, and that's for 1620 watts RMS.

The battery that is @ a lower voltage will draw current from the other battery. So... If your car is off, and you have the key in the accesory position, w/o the isolator, you WILL drain both the batteries down equally. With the isolator, you will only drain the rear battery down until the amps turn off because of a lack of voltage. Your headunit will still be drawing current from the front battery, but not at the rate that the rear battery is being drawn down.
ryan s-b
08-06-2005, 11:49 AM
the "big 3" is an upgrade u can do to avoid having to add a second battery or HO alternator. basically, you are beefing up ur car's electric system by replacing the engine block to ground, the batt. to alt., and the batt to chassis wires with 1/0 ga. wiring. this dramatically decreases strain on ur electric system by allowing ur alternator to work less to recharge your batt.

i would recommend this to u blue rush, with ur 2 batt. setup ur alt. must be working overtime!
BlueRush
08-06-2005, 03:32 PM
Good point, but that is not gonna help all that much in getting the voltage to trunk in high powered system. I have 4g grounds for my engine and battery, and I'll be running the alt. to battery wire with 2g. At those short lengths, 0g is really kinda overkill, ecspecially @ the origonal alternators amperage level. but it will keep these things from being the weak point of the system.
01elantra4dr
09-12-2005, 12:02 PM
I started a thread about that tube how did it work out for you? (The rampage tube)
Schooner
09-26-2005, 10:46 PM
I started a thread about that tube how did it work out for you? (The rampage tube)

The tube is actually pretty decent... for the money. I think I paid $60 for it. I can't say that I went wrong. I wasn't looking to have blaring bass... I just wanted to fill in where the factory speakers leave off. It's enough to give the mirrors a little shake.. but I haven't heard one rattle from the trunk yet (like many others here make mention of).

For the price, the Rampage tube gives a good bang for the buck. :)
jayupark
09-27-2005, 12:21 AM
I can't see the pics...
sportiva
09-28-2005, 09:39 AM
On my '05 GLS Hatchback, I found an alternate way to get a power wire in the cabin without removing the plastic fender liner. There is an unused 3/4" hole covered by a rubber plug just ahead of the front of the driver's door's edge. You can see it by opening the door wide and look in the gap between the door and fender.

I used a 2' length of steel wire with a hook at the end to feed and pull my power wire in. I simple poked a hole in the rubber plug and fed the wire through. The wire enters the cabin just below the fuse box, and there is no need to remove the left lower kickpanel and the group of block connectors housed in the plastic cup. I only had to feed a 16 ga wire for fog lamp power, but looks like you can feed a much thicker wire, if desired.

Another bonus of using this rubber plug for entry is that it sits more than 18'' off the ground away from the fender, so there should be no water going in from the ground. However, the plug needs to back in completely to prevent rain draining down along the inside the door.

VB
01elantra4dr
09-30-2005, 01:55 PM
On my '05 GLS Hatchback, I found an alternate way to get a power wire in the cabin without removing the plastic fender liner. There is an unused 3/4" hole covered by a rubber plug just ahead of the front of the driver's door's edge. You can see it by opening the door wide and look in the gap between the door and fender.

I used a 2' length of steel wire with a hook at the end to feed and pull my power wire in. I simple poked a hole in the rubber plug and fed the wire through. The wire enters the cabin just below the fuse box, and there is no need to remove the left lower kickpanel and the group of block connectors housed in the plastic cup. I only had to feed a 16 ga wire for fog lamp power, but looks like you can feed a much thicker wire, if desired.

Another bonus of using this rubber plug for entry is that it sits more than 18'' off the ground away from the fender, so there should be no water going in from the ground. However, the plug needs to back in completely to prevent rain draining down along the inside the door.

VB

Any pictures
Mikey7047
10-14-2005, 10:47 AM
Here you see how I ran the cable into the wheel well...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00586.jpg

Here you can see how I fished the cable from the engine compartment into the wheel well...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00585.jpg

Here is what the tubing looks like when it is run through the plastic gromet...

http://netfire.dyndns.org/Home/DSC00590.jpg



Alright, I kind of understand this...BUT, one thing...That tubing looks like it could hit the wheel at any time? Do you pull it tight? And I'm not quite sure how you fished it from the engine compartment to the wheel well or where it comes out in the wheel well?
Mswyld
10-26-2005, 10:07 PM
does any one have any suggestions for running 1/0 ga. wire??? (think the size of a quarter in diameter) i see these tutorials but i don't think the space is going to allow for such massive wiring. any input would be much appreciated!

thanks!


yes if you look at the battery there is a hole to get throught to the guard poke it through the same way as shown i did this last weekend it took me the whole day!
menallychllngd
10-27-2005, 06:06 AM
does any one have any suggestions for running 1/0 ga. wire??? (think the size of a quarter in diameter) i see these tutorials but i don't think the space is going to allow for such massive wiring. any input would be much appreciated!

thanks!

i think ure best option is to bring the line down through the fender like he did and then ride up those side skirt tubes to the back fender and see if you can bring it up somewhere in there. if you can't get in from the front of the rear well then am thinking the best spot to bring it into the trunk is throug the air flap on the drivers side underneath the rear fender. but somehow you have to get it over the wheel well.
2loud2k2xd
10-27-2005, 06:58 AM
http://www.elantraxd.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5063

this is a daul battey diy guys. i would strongly recommend following this guide. super...is it possible to incorp[orate this into the zDIY mainpages. it got lost and over the last month or so, this has been brought up 4-5x. thanks dave.

and you cant run 1/0ga thru the fender. the diamater is about the size of a quarter and will not bend good around corners. and the possibility of cutting the power wire is great when running power wires like this. this is BAD and could cause major electricle problems if it gets cut.
megamanfre
12-28-2005, 03:36 PM
I ran mine through that lil wire cover thing thats near the top of the firewall, centered. Then ran the whole thing straight through the back through the center under the carpet. It was a HUGE pain in the ***, but its really nice and stealth. Only problem is, I need to do it again cause my dumb *** cut the wire before sending my car back to the dealer to repairs. Ill probably just end up bridging it with a second fuse, so its easier to remove if I need to.
FirePenguinz
05-14-2007, 07:21 PM
why did you decide to go through the wheel well?

when i did this i made a little hole near the windshield in the firewall and run all of my electrical stuff through that grommet.

anyone else do that?

oh, and lol 200W, that is funny. 60 bucks aint bad though...
bdiggy
05-14-2007, 11:12 PM
^^^Ummm... dude, you did see the original post date of this thread, right?
Munky
05-14-2007, 11:18 PM
^^^Ummm... dude, you did see the original post date of this thread, right?

No kidding. Lol.