Cables and boxes under dash

#1

I need to know what I need to keep, and what not.
Pics are great.
I don’t want to cut the wrong cable/box and run into an electrical/tech issues.
Thank you!!

#2

I think the rules are pretty specific. I can’t recall any cables that I tossed other than the speed control and the door dong/chime box

#3

there’s also some stereo wires that can be deleted

#4

BETO wrote:

[quote]I need to know what I need to keep, and what not.
Pics are great.
I don’t want to cut the wrong cable/box and run into an electrical/tech issues.
Thank you!![/quote]

If you don’t have access to the Bentley Manual for the color coding, I wouldn’t go cutting into a bunch of wire. Read through the list of what can e removed as far as "boxes" under the dash and only take out what’s mentioned. You aren’t saving much weight so if it’s stuff that’s in the way, just zip-tie it up under the dash somewhere.

#5

I do have the Bentley manual (which I think it sucks compared to other manuals), and I read the rules.
I just wanted to know what should be removed, if anything.
I said ‘boxes’ since I’m no electrician/mechanic, so I don’t know the proper names.
I guess I am on my own.:frowning:
Thanx.

#6

I’ve heard plenty of stories about people deciding to thin their wiring harnesses to the bare essentials, only to not be able to start the car any more. I’d suggest avoiding the temptation to "clean things up" and just leave things alone. If it ain’t broke…

Sasha

#7

Good advice. All I removed was the stereo wiring and related stuff (antennae, amp and speaker wiring).
Ed

#8

I would wait to see the 2007 rules. A previous statement here was that any wiring attached to an item that is removable by the rules is also removable. There may be some elaboration on that in the 2007 rules based on some comments Carter made a few weeks ago.
cheers,
bruce

#9

I did the same - except for the stereo wiring, everything else is still under there, and/or wire tied to the cage or floor. I have no elec problems and want to keep it that way B)

#10

BETO wrote:

[quote]
I just wanted to know what should be removed, if anything.

Thanx.[/quote]

Nothing "should be" removed. It’s all optional and unless specifically mentioned, you can’t pull it anyway. So heater box, controls, etc all have to stay. Not much else under there. Give you an example of why I say "leave it alone:

  1. When removing the stereo and associated wiring I came upon the factory AMP in the truck. Unbolted it and, in my haste took a big "snip" at all of the wiring running to it. Guess what, a bit later, I figured out that I had no tail lights. Pulled the amp out of the truck and found that the box attached to it actually was the rear lighting controls. So, 45 min. and a burn from my soldering iron later, I had spliced the necessary 20 or so wires back together.

  2. Went to pull the car out of the garage for the first time after doing the timing belt (of course it was snowing!). Went to put up the power windows but they wouldn’t work. This on the heels of closing the sunroof (which is on the same circuit). After a 1/2 hour of looking at wires, the Bentley book and contemplating my navel, I started tracing the green/yellow power lead back from a window switch. Found that Blue/Yellow is the power to sunroof and had power, G/Y didn’t. Traced each back under the dash until I came to each of them with a black, female plug attached lying there. I "think" that the circuit was somehow routed through the stereo or something because I can’t figure out what joined them. I cut the ends off and spliced it together and now it works just fine.

Point is - screwing around with the wiring can lead to time wasted. Let it be.

#11

I agree. Don’t pull the wires out. I did and wish I’d spent the time elsewhere. I didn’t run into any issues, but that only because I was fearful I’d cut the wrong wire…

:unsure: is it the red one… or the blue one? :unsure:

In the end you end up with a pile of wires that to add up to much weight.

Resist the urge and move on to the next thing on you list.

#12

We’re only removing wires that are:

  1. Allowed (via components that can be removed)
  2. Are easily unplugged at a connector…we’re not stripping the harness, way too time consuming and there is little, if any, reason to do it.
#13

OK, I removed one box, and now I put it back since it said MOTRONIC on the box and I figured it was important.
How about the alarm box?
So, you need to keep the amp in the trunk? How about the electric antenna?

#14

The good posts here show why we did the "unless it is specifically mentioned…" thing. I don’t think I have removed any wires. All the stereo wires are still there (ends taped-off), the speaker wires are still there, and my car runs great.

9.3.13.21. The interior, including carpeting, seats, headliner (to include the leading plastic panel), console, radio/cd/cassette/navigation systems…

The electric antenna and amp are part of the "radio system".

Carter

#15

Carter wrote:

[quote]The good posts here show why we did the "unless it is specifically mentioned…" thing. I don’t think I have removed any wires. All the stereo wires are still there (ends taped-off), the speaker wires are still there, and my car runs great.

9.3.13.21. The interior, including carpeting, seats, headliner (to include the leading plastic panel), console, radio/cd/cassette/navigation systems…

The electric antenna and amp are part of the "radio system".

Carter[/quote]
don’t want to be a pain, but that’s actually 9.3.13.22
I asked about the amp since somebody mentioned rear lights didn’t work without, so I was wondering about the antenna as well.
I haven’t removed any of the cables, just checking if there is something under the dash I should move for the dash bar to fit.
has anybody mounted the dash bar above the dash? Is that even possible?

#16

Oh you’re not being a pain. I want people to tell me if I make a mistake.

I’ll have to look at the numbers again.

Hunt-and-peck is only so good.

:wink:

Carter

#17

BETO wrote:

[quote]

I asked about the amp since somebody mentioned rear lights didn’t work without, so I was wondering about the antenna as well.
I haven’t removed any of the cables, just checking if there is something under the dash I should move for the dash bar to fit.
has anybody mounted the dash bar above the dash? Is that even possible?[/quote]

I mentioned the lights and that’s not because of the AMP, it’s because when I pulled the AMP, I wasn’t looking closely and didn’t notice that the little module bolted to the AMP was not part of the radio system, but rather the light system. You can pull the AMP and the bolt the taillight module back in the car.

As for the bar, there are a couple cars with them installed but most that I can see have had to modify something under the dash or just didn’t worry about the fact that their bar covered the flap-system that directs the air around inside the car. I guess it cuts off your defrost, but that really shouldn’t matter as you can use dish soap as an anti-fog and the defrost would be of limited assistance in the wet anyway since 1) your windows are open and 2) you don’t have the A/C compressor circuit to dry the air.

#18

erupert66 wrote:

[quote]BETO wrote:

Oops…I thought AMP was the stereo amplifier. Wrong?

Carter

#19

Carter wrote:

Oops…I thought AMP was the stereo amplifier. Wrong?

Carter[/quote]

No, I think you got it right. There is a separate module mounted by radio amp, that is part of the rear lights (brakes) system that shouldn’t be removed.

Igor

#20

Igor wrote:

[quote]Carter wrote:

[quote]

Oops…I thought AMP was the stereo amplifier. Wrong?

Carter[/quote]

No, I think you got it right. There is a separate module mounted by radio amp, that is part of the rear lights (brakes) system that shouldn’t be removed.

Igor[/quote]

Igor’s got it. The Amplifier in the trunk is behind the hinge mechanism. Along with it is a box that is mounted to the amp. it’s the part that shouldn’t have come out but in my haste, I just assumed that the large bundle of wires going ot the amp was all associated with sound. Again, back to the main topic, should have just let the plug lay there. At least when I figured out that my tailights didn’t work, I could retrieve the module and plug it back in instead of having to tin a bunch of wires back together.