Gotta be an EASIER way

[Redline]

I need to locate an opening in the firewall to wire up my foglights

Now, before ANY of you scroll down to the "reply" button and start clicking madly at it, just to post "USE THE SEARCH, N00B!", I will tell you.....I'VE SEARCHED!
I just need some more details.

Thru the search I've found various ways to get wire from the engine into the interior. However, of all the methods, there has GOT to be an easier way! I mean, I've seen the following:

1) there's a diamond-shaped cutout in the driver's footwell, which should have an identical shape on the firewall on the engine bay side. Drill a hole thru it and buy a grommet.
2) follow the harness on the passenger-side, thru the grommet, and out from behind the glove compartment. Thread wire from that point on.
3) remove the driver side wheel well cover to expose some openings. you will see where to thread the wire from there.

There are others, but I don't wanna fill the thread. Of the three listed methods, I don't wanna do #1 (don't wanna drill if not necessary), can't do #2 (not enough wire; refuse to buy more), and #3 is the most resonable, but I want to know where exactly do the holes appear in the interior? I've taken a look on the left-side of the driver footwell for an opening, but can't seem to find out where a hole goes thru. I've used a straightened wire hanger to poke around from a hole located near the brake booster, but only managed to come out at the joint of the driver-side door (closest to the "wheel well cover" suggestion)


So, with all that said, I just need an opinion. Is the "wheel well cover removal" the easiest route, or is there something that's easier that's not showing up in my searches? Please let me know...I spent almost 1.5 hrs today just trying to find a friggin' hole! **note: for those of you who wanna use my last sentence to put up a lewd, sex-related comment about me "finding a hole", I will inform you that my sex life has been better than that comment**


Thanks for everyone's help!


Redline

[Toyteq]

Facing the engine compartment. Looking to the left. You will see the main engine wiring harness going through a big grommet into fire wall. Take a small drill bit or nail. Poke a whole in it. Push your wire through it. You may have to remove the glove box to retrieve it. That is the best way for me.

[Delay_FTB]

To the left of the brake pedal, on the firewall is where you will find the opening. On the other (wheel well) side, you will find the hole's exit. Then (after you've removed the wheel well cover, which can be somewhat difficult and I can describe how to do that as well if you need. Anyway, there are two holes in the wheel well, one going to the cabin, and the other going to the engine bay (Which you can see by just opening the hood and looking around the strut mount). Just run your wire from one to the other. If you REALLY need it, I can get SOME pics, but prolly not with the wheel cover off, because I've got a ton to do until this weekend.

[Silver Streak]

I can help you out. I've done ALL three openings. I started with #1, that worked the best for small wires. You should really remove the metal covering and do it right. You don't want any water seeping through there if you poke a hole.

For #2, I did this after doing #3. The reason was that for #3, I believe for the 92-93, that hole in the driver side foot well doesn't exist...I've searched and couldn't get a wire through. However, I did drill a weird hole and kinda wired the 4 gauge wire through the the door sill...it was a weird install.

#2 was the best for stereo setup as it makes the power wire the shortest, but yes, it's an awkward angle to drill a hole.

If it's just for foglights, just do it through the factory hole and don't do it how I did in this pic here.... I've since cleaned it up.

[RningOnFumes]

i went through number three....best way for me to find the hole was to just trak the cable that opens your hood latch..it will lead you to the opening to your cabin. The hole you'll find that goes to that first hole is in the area where the fire wall meets your wheel well from the inside. Mine inparticular has a set of wires going down it.

[Redline]

ok cool...I've got two votes for the wheel well option, and 1.5 votes for the drilling option

hey Silver Streak...you mentioned that the "hole" doesn't exist in the 92-93 Camry's? Damn, and I was thinking that there was one, but just kept missing. Do you think you could send me a pic of the drilled opening from option #1? Send to redline.camry AT gmail DOT com...please and thank you! . BUT, you know what would be even better than a pic? In-person viewing and a little bit of help from you (since you've done it)! Of course, that's entirely based on your schedule and if you feel like helping me out in person. PM me to discuss this issue...THX!

everyone else...thanks for the help. I truly appreciate it! Keep 'em coming!


Redline

[touringcamry]

I am not certain, but there should be a hole in the driver side foot well since there's a bunch of fuses there on the driver side in the interior.

My suggestion is to take the wheel and the plastic liner off to look for the hole. From the inside, I could not see it too well where the wires went because it was pretty far up from the bottom of the firewall. There should be a rubber thing with a large bundle or wires passing through.

[Redline]

^ yah see....I was thinking the same thing.

oh, and I forgot to add one more important piece of info about my Camry. My '93 3vz-fe has the foot pedal emergency brake instead of the centre console emer. brake. Dunno if that makes a difference with the driver-side wheel well holes existing or not.

Let me know...thx!


Redline

[Delay_FTB]

Follow the Hood release like stated before. Thats how I wound up finding mine since it was so far up in that skizzy.

[touringcamry]

The ebrake cable goes to the rear of the car though so I don't see why it would go into the engine compartment.

The way I found my hole was I was looking in the engine bay, and there was a big bundle of wires (in some black wrapping) that looked like it went into the driver side wheel well from the top. So I wonder where could those wires be going. I pulled the plastic liner and sure enough I followed them to the firewall and there was a rubber grommet.

If I remember I'll take some engine bay pics in the morning. I know my car is 2000 model, but it might help you out.

[touringcamry]

Here's how I ran my wire through the engine bay. First it goes down into the wheel well and where there's a hole that goes through the firewall. This is on the driver side of the car.

[Redline]

ok, to help with the firewall hole issue, here are some pics I took of the driver-side wheel well:

wheel well cover off


close up on a hole in the wheel well. The blue X's are possible drill points I have indicated in a picture below


inside the car; driver-side footwell...the bundles of wires are usually hidden by a plastic cover where the hood release is located. The yellow circle is another possible drill point.


another view of the footwell. the yellow circle is the same as above


another footwell pic...closer look at the metal surface


I found this threaded extension coming from the wall (prolly for a threaded cap to hold the carpet down, but was LOST when some mechanics worked on the car). The bigger red circle is a possible drill point, but I can't see where it will come out on the opposite side. Same goes for the smaller red circle. Both areas are ideal for drilling (flat surface), but I dunno where it shows up in the wheel well side.


Pic of the aforementioned blue X's, from the footwell. Those points are where i BELIEVE the drill bit SHOULD go in to come out as shown in the 2nd pic. However, looking thru the hole in the 2nd pic, it looks like some kind of a "double-wall kinda firewall". That's what I'm trying to indicate by the dashed blue X in the 2nd pic...drill bit comes out, but possibly behind the wheel well wall.



I hope these pics are clear for ppl to see....and I hope everyone understands what I'm trying to say. It's hard to explain....and like Silver Streak mentioned before, the 92-92 camry's didn't have an exisiting hole that leads from the wheel well into the interior....well, nothing simple, from what I can see.

I'm trying to get this install done before mid next week.... THX
Redline

[88 LE]

Look higher up towards the top of the wheel well.

Theres a big grommet against the firewall with a bundle of wires running through it.

Poke a hole in it and run your wire through it. It comes out underneath the drivers side dash.


From my gen 2:





I've ran a 4 awg wire through the said grommet on a friends 94 Camry, so the grommet does exist.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by 88 LE

Look higher up towards the top of the wheel well.

Theres a big grommet against the firewall with a bundle of wires running through it.

Poke a hole in it and run your wire through it. It comes out underneath the drivers side dash.


From my gen 2:





I've ran a 4 awg wire through the said grommet on a friends 94 Camry, so the grommet does exist.

That's how my wire is routed too. ..

[Redline]

^^ 88LE, touringcamry: cool, thx! I think I know what grommet you guys are talking about. It IS pretty far up in the wheel well.....it's almost too hard to see unless you're lying flat on the ground and looking up...and it's situated inside one of the holes in the wheel weel, right?

I'll see if I can get a pic of it up by tmr, just to confirm. You say that a small hole thru this grommet is enough, and the it will literally "drop" into the interior right behind the driverside dash? That'll be an even better solution to the one Henry (silver streak) and I discussed over the phone the other day.

Pics to come soon!


Redline



**EDIT** I found a pic that possibly shows the grommet.....take a look below. It's kinda cut off, but I've indicated it with a blue arrow. Is that the grommet?? Kinda conical in shape??