In car neons

LEnano · Aug 5, 2009

I want to install neons under my seats and under the dash on both driver and passenger sides, but i don't know how to bring the wires from the interior to the battery (&i dont know how to connect them to the battery

) so i dont get wires all over the place and how to hide them AND how to add a On/Off Switch to all of this, anybody nice enough to help ?

(kind of a nub

)
THANK YOU

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

ahh nice. I was a mobile installation specialist for about 10 years before I started working on rockets

Do you have the lights already? If so maybe you can provide a picture or a model number so I can look at them. What I am getting at is, I've installed my fair share of amps under the seat and the way we do it is, we make a small incision in the carpet, maybe < 1" long and run it under there to the channel that runs under your door sills. From there it's a strait shot to the dash and through the firewall to the battery. Depending on how much current the lights pull, you may not need to take it that far and can just run it to a power source from the fuse panel.

LEnano · Aug 5, 2009

Well see, the thing is i wont buy them till i find out how exactly to do it cuz i dont wanna lose my $ and i dont want it in the fuse pannel cuz there will be wires everywhere and im already using it for my cellphone charger, plus a dude over internet showed me the lil hole that u put the wires threw to get to the battery and his is a 2007 i think and mine is a 2009 and i dont have the same **** he does, plus hes in europ and his drivers on the right and i pulled up the carpet like he did and did not see what i see on his car
link :

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

LEnano said:
Well see, the thing is i wont buy them till i find out how exactly to do it cuz i dont wanna lose my $ and i dont want it in the fuse pannel cuz there will be wires everywhere and im already using it for my cellphone charger, plus a dude over internet showed me the lil hole that u put the wires threw to get to the battery and his is a 2007 i think and mine is a 2009 and i dont have the same **** he does, plus hes in europ and his drivers on the right and i pulled up the carpet like he did and did not see what i see on his car
link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1DwachaLw

Ok there are a few problems with this idea. If you run the wire to the battery, you have to find a grommet and go through the firewall. I don't specifically remember but I believe on this car, there is no easy grommet for you to get to without drilling a hole. As far as the fuse box goes, you don't have to go strait to it, you can tap into one of the lines coming from it if you do your research. I currently have my wideband, radar detector, and remote start all running from my fuse box and if you looked under the dash, you wouldn't know a wire was out of place. whatever you decide to do, be sure you fuse the wire no more than 12" from where you get the power source. I'm sure the kit you will be buying will have one so you can always cut it off when you go to splice more wire in and put it back on the end.

Also; are you looking for light sticks or just something that will light things up down there? are the lights gonna be exposed or not? all questions that need to be answered :bigthumb:

LEnano · Aug 5, 2009

i want light sticks, and i dont want em exposed i want to only see the light. So i have to drill a hole if i want to bring it to the battery ?

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

LEnano said:
i want light sticks, and i dont want em exposed i want to only see the light. So i have to drill a hole if i want to bring it to the battery ?

Most likely. Usually on cars like that, you can find special holes or grommets used for that but it takes significantly more work to achieve. I usually only go through the firewall if I'm installing high current cable for amps or other electronics like inverters. www.the12volt.com is a great place for knowledge on stuff like this. Find the sticks you are looking into purchasing and I'll be able to provide more information. Local automotive parts stores tend to carry stuff you might want and if you have any issues, you can return them there. Kragen, autozone, places like that.

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~103974

there is a nice breakdown for the wiring under the dash that you can tap into. If you want the lights to be capable of being turned on without the key, you will likely tap into the red/orange located in the ignition harness. If you want to have to have the key in the ignition so you don't accidentally leave them on, you will be looking at the pink/white. The advantage of these is that they are fused on top of the fuse that comes with the lights.

SpooledCSRT · Aug 5, 2009

LEnano said:
i want light sticks, and i dont want em exposed i want to only see the light. So i have to drill a hole if i want to bring it to the battery ?

You probably don't need to do the extra work and pull from the battery directly. In my previous car, I was running a full street glow kit , interior street glow in the trunk and under dash (ricer, i know... shut it). All these were running off interior power sources (dome, cig, accessory, etc).

You should be able to run the bars off the cig lighter power no problem. Just make sure you dont pinch any wires reinstalling panels, as this could cause a short and blow a fuse. Another option is to run it to the fuse panel and set up its own fuse. I've never done this, so I don't know the steps personally. Side note, where is our interior fuse panel? (I haven't even looked for it yet! haha).

Hope that helps! :bigthumb:

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

SpooledCSRT said:
You probably don't need to do the extra work and pull from the battery directly. In my previous car, I was running a full street glow kit , interior street glow in the trunk and under dash (ricer, i know... shut it). All these were running off interior power sources (dome, cig, accessory, etc).

You should be able to run the bars off the cig lighter power no problem. Just make sure you dont pinch any wires reinstalling panels, as this could cause a short and blow a fuse. Another option is to run it to the fuse panel and set up its own fuse. I've never done this, so I don't know the steps personally. Side note, where is our interior fuse panel? (I haven't even looked for it yet! haha).

Hope that helps! :bigthumb:

should be at the end of the dash when you open the door (pure speculation but if I know my dodges... lol)

UN4GTBL · Aug 5, 2009

SpooledCSRT said:
You probably don't need to do the extra work and pull from the battery directly. In my previous car, I was running a full street glow kit , interior street glow in the trunk and under dash (ricer, i know... shut it). All these were running off interior power sources (dome, cig, accessory, etc).

You should be able to run the bars off the cig lighter power no problem. Just make sure you dont pinch any wires reinstalling panels, as this could cause a short and blow a fuse. Another option is to run it to the fuse panel and set up its own fuse. I've never done this, so I don't know the steps personally. Side note, where is our interior fuse panel? (I haven't even looked for it yet! haha).

Hope that helps! :bigthumb:

the only fuse panel i know is under teh hood.

And it seems to me that there is a hole on the left side of the car where the clutch pedal is that goes into the engine bay...

SpooledCSRT · Aug 5, 2009

STUDLEE said:
should be at the end of the dash when you open the door (pure speculation but if I know my dodges... lol)

That's where it was on my old car, so I thought the same thing... However, it doesn't look to be there, unless its under the dash, which would be redonkulous.

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

UN4GTBL said:
the only fuse panel i know is under teh hood.

And it seems to me that there is a hole on the left side of the car where the clutch pedal is that goes into the engine bay...

This. Usually you can squeeze a wire into the main harness but I NEVER advise this unless its a last option (i.e. no place to drill) and you are VERY experienced at doing this. I've actually seen someone try this and in order to do it, you need to feed a fish line (old antenna) from the engine bay to the cab. When they shoved the sharp antenna into the grommet near the wires, it pierced and connected the ignition, 12v, and starter and the car actually started! :scared:

LEnano · Aug 5, 2009

Well thats the thing i absolutely want them to the battery i dont care about all the work i have to go threw all i want is lights under the dash and seats + not have wires exposed cuz its ugly and annoying, so i gotta drill a hole, bring it to the battery and the on/off switch thing how does that work if any1 kno's ? :S

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

LEnano said:
Well thats the thing i absolutely want them to the battery i dont care about all the work i have to go threw all i want is lights under the dash and seats + not have wires exposed cuz its ugly and annoying, so i gotta drill a hole, bring it to the battery and the on/off switch thing how does that work if any1 kno's ? :S

Well this can be easily achieved without going directly to the battery and the risk is greatly reduced by NOT going through the firewall but if you still want to do it like this, you will have do:

Drill a hold in a location under the dash through the firewall. Check BOTH sides of the firewall (cabin and engine bay) to make sure it is clear of wires, lines, and engine components. If its a double firewall like a lot of new cars, your gonna have a hell of a time. After the hole(s) are drilled through the firewall, your going to have to fit a rubber grommet in there (can buy from local automotive store) and put a hole in that for the wire to safely pass through. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP OF THE GROMMET! I have seen cars literally burn to the ground because people decide tape or no grommet will suffice. After you do this, you will need to route the wire around the engine parts (keep away from moving parts) and fuse it no more than 12 inches from the battery. You will also probably need to buy and change the battery terminal to fit the wire onto it. Once this is done, you can route the wire in the car. DO NOT HOOK THE WIRE UP TO THE BATTERY WHILE ROUTING THROUGH THE CAR. Once you get it routed through the panels and under the seat, you can connect it. Have fun doing this __ amount of times for each light. If you wanted to, you could run a larger wire and tap the wires off of that once you got it into the cabin and under the dash but those connections are more weak points and possible danger points for each additional line to each light. Good luck!

LEnano · Aug 5, 2009

"Well this can be easily achieved without going directly to the battery and the risk is greatly reduced by NOT going through the firewall "

How ?

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

LEnano said:
"Well this can be easily achieved without going directly to the battery and the risk is greatly reduced by NOT going through the firewall "

How ?

by using one of the many wires that are already run from the battery into the car via the harness like I said earlier lol. You would be surprised at the outcome with some electrical tape, zip ties, and the right wire routing. When I used to install alarms, I had to install them so when you looked under the dash, you couldn't even tell the car had one and that was anywhere from 15-30 wires so I know it can be done for a few neon lights.

erich82 · Aug 5, 2009

STUDLEE said:
by using one of the many wires that are already run from the battery into the car via the harness like I said earlier lol. You would be surprised at the outcome with some electrical tape, zip ties, and the right wire routing. When I used to install alarms, I had to install them so when you looked under the dash, you couldn't even tell the car had one and that was anywhere from 15-30 wires so I know it can be done for a few neon lights.

Remind me not to have my alarm system installed with electrical tape :jester:

The main harness goes through a large hole w/rubber grommet through the driver side fender. You can get to it by removing the fender well and reaching up inside. Then you can route the wiring through the fender and up by the parking lights, which is right next to the battery.

I would strongly advise against tapping into power wires from random sources in the cabin. The electrical system in this car is pretty finicky.

By going directly to the battery, you are avoiding future problems. And if you tap into power wires, please solder and use shrink tubing, not electrical tape.

LEnano · Aug 5, 2009

so the safest way is to follow these instructions "Drill a hold in a location under the dash through the firewall. Check BOTH sides of the firewall (cabin and engine bay) to make sure it is clear of wires, lines, and engine components. If its a double firewall like a lot of new cars, your gonna have a hell of a time. After the hole(s) are drilled through the firewall, your going to have to fit a rubber grommet in there (can buy from local automotive store) and put a hole in that for the wire to safely pass through. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP OF THE GROMMET! I have seen cars literally burn to the ground because people decide tape or no grommet will suffice. After you do this, you will need to route the wire around the engine parts (keep away from moving parts) and fuse it no more than 12 inches from the battery. You will also probably need to buy and change the battery terminal to fit the wire onto it. Once this is done, you can route the wire in the car. DO NOT HOOK THE WIRE UP TO THE BATTERY WHILE ROUTING THROUGH THE CAR. Once you get it routed through the panels and under the seat, you can connect it. Have fun doing this __ amount of times for each light. If you wanted to, you could run a larger wire and tap the wires off of that once you got it into the cabin and under the dash but those connections are more weak points and possible danger points for each additional line to each light. Good luck! " ???

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

erich82 said:
Remind me not to have my alarm system installed with electrical tape :jester:

The main harness goes through a large hole w/rubber grommet through the driver side fender. You can get to it by removing the fender well and reaching up inside. Then you can route the wiring through the fender and up by the parking lights, which is right next to the battery.

I would strongly advise against tapping into power wires from random sources in the cabin. The electrical system in this car is pretty finicky.

By going directly to the battery, you are avoiding future problems. And if you tap into power wires, please solder and use shrink tubing, not electrical tape.

I wasn't talking about using the tape to tap the wires lol just to hide it along the factory wiring. I would NEVER use JUST tape to tap into a wire.. EVER lol...

STUDLEE · Aug 5, 2009

LEnano said:
so the safest way is to follow these instructions "Drill a hold in a location under the dash through the firewall. Check BOTH sides of the firewall (cabin and engine bay) to make sure it is clear of wires, lines, and engine components. If its a double firewall like a lot of new cars, your gonna have a hell of a time. After the hole(s) are drilled through the firewall, your going to have to fit a rubber grommet in there (can buy from local automotive store) and put a hole in that for the wire to safely pass through. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP OF THE GROMMET! I have seen cars literally burn to the ground because people decide tape or no grommet will suffice. After you do this, you will need to route the wire around the engine parts (keep away from moving parts) and fuse it no more than 12 inches from the battery. You will also probably need to buy and change the battery terminal to fit the wire onto it. Once this is done, you can route the wire in the car. DO NOT HOOK THE WIRE UP TO THE BATTERY WHILE ROUTING THROUGH THE CAR. Once you get it routed through the panels and under the seat, you can connect it. Have fun doing this __ amount of times for each light. If you wanted to, you could run a larger wire and tap the wires off of that once you got it into the cabin and under the dash but those connections are more weak points and possible danger points for each additional line to each light. Good luck! " ???

If you want the proof, the safest way would be to go to a custom car audio shop and drop a few bucks to have it done. When it comes to your transportation, you want to be safe, especially with the electrical and if you're not 100% sure and 100% confident, I wouldn't attempt it.

In car neons

LEnano

STUDLEE

LEnano

STUDLEE

LEnano

STUDLEE

STUDLEE

SpooledCSRT

STUDLEE

UN4GTBL

SpooledCSRT

STUDLEE

LEnano

STUDLEE

LEnano

STUDLEE

erich82

LEnano

STUDLEE

STUDLEE

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