I put my hitch on a couple of days ago:
Hitch pictures
IF I SCREWED UP THE ROUTONG PLEASE POST!
Now I have the wiring installed.....it cost a small fortune. It is available on the net from etrailer.com for $45. I was told it was a t-connector and I did not have to do any wire cutting, plug and play....it was like windows 95's "plug and pray" all over again. The instructions clearly show a 12 gauge power wire running from the battery to the trunk. When I called the dealer they said they could route it for about $120....thanks Mr. Dealer you are a lot of help.
etrailer was not the dealer but I called them asking about the Curt one that did not require the power wire to the battery. Customer service was excellent and they stated that the wired version will last longer. I also suspect that if my boat trailer causes a short it will blow the fuse on the harness power wire instead of the cars. The harness manufacturer said that the wire was required becuase otherwise I would get intermittent light out warnings from the Corolla computer. So I did not buy the Curt from etrailer.com and kept mine and decided to do the work myself. A car installer could have run the wire and for a lot less than $120 too.
How I did it:
-t-connector wire harness kit.
-12mm socket
-wire connector crimpers / cutters
-extra twist ties
- an awl
-wheel chucks
-3 foot of hollow 3/4 pipe
-Gardena weed puller
-small pliers
-2 hours of patience
All the work was done without a lift in my driveway. I put the parking brake on, lifted the hood and put chucks under the wheels. I wanted to make it obvious someone was working on the car for safety.
Routing: On the driver underside there are brake housings (I think that they are). One goes from just behind the battery and I routed along these housings. I put the wire in teh hollow tube and then the tube down the left side of the computer and then removed the tube. I used the ties to run the wire along the top of the housings. Use a lot of ties to keep the wire out of the way and unexposed to possible snagging. I went over the fuel filler tube (did not tie to this and attached to the plasitc of some module just infront of the wheel well. I used the awl to make a small hole in the wheel well gromet and spent 5 minutes forcing the wire through the opening. The seal looked perfectly tigt but I will ad some rubber sealing compound later (keep trunk sealed).
The Gardena hand weed puller was perfect for pulling out the trunks fasteners.
Remove and isolate the ground on the battery.
Use pliers to gently seperate the existing wire connectors, use the harness connectors as a guide on how to seperate and don't force it.
The rest is in the instructions that you get with the harness and took 10 minutes and my trailer light test worked on the first try.
I think that is enough reading......send me a PM or post if there is a specific question you have that I skipped, I will answer.
forresta
Linear Mode
