DIY: Hatchback interior wire tuck (for gutted hatches)

Technical Topics specific to the Hatchback body - NOT where you post pics/build specs of your car.
 Reply
User avatar

DIY: Hatchback interior wire tuck (for gutted hatches)

By teal_dx
- Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:25 pm #57617 After gutting your interior in your hatch, you probably noticed it looked like a mess. Wires & cables in the rear are ugly so here's how to hide them. No cutting or soldering needed!

First, what you have to begin with:
Image
(The 2 unplugged harnesses in the pic are from the rear wiper motor that I removed)

Image

Image

Image

Now lets tuck! :eekdance:

Image
Unplug the big connector in the lower right of the pic.

Image

Image
Follow that harness around the driver side and back of the interior. It is held onto the chassis with plastic clips that usually break when you pull them out. :x Unplug any plugs (tail lights) and disconnect any chassis grounds along the way.

Image
Remove the rear wing and unplug the 3rd brake light. Then push the plug & gromet through the hole in the glass.
Last edited by teal_dx on Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar

By teal_dx
- Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:31 pm #57618 Image

once you pull the 3rd brakelight wiring down with the rest of the harness, you have successfully removed it all.

Image
Now to reinstall the harness, hidden. you have 2 ends, one with the huge connector and one with the small 3rd brake light connector. Get the end with the small 3rd brake light connector, sit indian style in your spare tire well, and start fishing it through the panel below the tail gate. You will be fishing the harness from the right (driver) side to the left (passenger) side.

You will be routing the harness exactly as it was before, but it will be on the inside of the inner panel instead of clipped to the outside.

Once you get the harness fished through all the way up to the driver tail light... take the big connector end and pass it through behind the driver rear panel to come out where the bottom of the rear seat used to be. Then plug it back in to the other big connector.

Image
You wanna hide the tail gate & gas door cables while you're at it. Go up to the drivers door and unbolt the bracket that has the release handles. Flip it over and pop out the plastic yellow gromets that hold the cables in place. then remove the cable ends from the handle levers, like you would remove a throttle cable from a throttle body.

Image
Now you can pass the cables through the inside driver side panel with the harness. Then hook the cables back up to the bracket & bolt it back down.

Image
Here's where the bottom of the rear seat used to be where the cables & wire harness go in to the inside of the body.

Image
Image
Don't forget to hook the ground back up here. And if you are good with your fingers, you can connect those 2 plugs together inside of the body panel.

The results:
Image
Forgot a pic of the wiring for the 3rd brake light, just run it up the inside of the panel to the same gromet hole it went to before.

Image
(I did not run the 2 cables back up to the front yet since I had other work to do up there still)

Image
And don't forget to tuck the tail gate! No explanation needed, it's a 5 min job after you're experienced from doing the rear of the car.

Be sure all your lights are plugged back in & grounds connected. Put your rear spoiler back on and you're done!
Last edited by teal_dx on Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:20 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar

By vtec_gloucester
- Thu Jun 05, 2008 7:34 pm #57620 ive been waiting for some one to do a how to on this... been meaning to have ago at mine for some time now but have been abit worried about ripping it out.

i look forward to the next installment. :thumb: :thumb:
User avatar

By asianrob
- Thu Jun 05, 2008 10:52 pm #57625 nice
User avatar

By thedaemon
- Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:00 pm #57684 Tucking is always a good idea. Good write up.
User avatar

By CivicTypeR
- Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:07 am #57718 How do you tuck the wire going to the fuel tank cover :? That's the only one bothering me.

Nice write up Bri :thumb:
User avatar

By CivicEG
- Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:45 am #59220 U the man :woot:
User avatar

By opocot
- Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:44 am #59300 Nice :thumb:
User avatar

By teal_dx
- Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:27 pm #59354
SlipCivic wrote:How do you tuck the wire going to the fuel tank cover :? That's the only one bothering me.

Nice write up Bri :thumb:


The only way to do it would be to run the wire on the underside of the car and I didn't think that was a good idea, and too much work.
User avatar

By CivicTypeR
- Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:27 pm #59368 Can you see the orange plugs, where do they lead too? :? I wanna do a wiretuck but this is the only two I have concerns about...

Image
User avatar

By teal_dx
- Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:06 pm #59378 oh I thought you meant the ones to the fuel pump. My car did not have those 2 orange ones... I have never seen those before. maybe it is only on the UK spec cars - some type of sensor for the fuel tank?
User avatar

By CivicTypeR
- Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:39 pm #59383 Don't know if it's anything to do with the fuel light? :?
User avatar

By teal_dx
- Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:43 pm #59399 possibly, US ones didn't have a low fuel light. But since it has 2 harnesses going into opposite sides of the trunk, I'm wondering if it is an impact sensor. maybe safety related in case of a bad rear end collision :?
User avatar

By id3379
- Mon Jun 23, 2008 4:38 am #59428 Thanks ! im gunna go do that now :)
User avatar

By hannibalhekki
- Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:01 pm #95781
CivicTypeR wrote:Can you see the orange plugs, where do they lead too? :? I wanna do a wiretuck but this is the only two I have concerns about...

Image


look like abs cables?! :?
 Reply
Return to Chassis - Hatchback