Routing power cable from battery to cabin

rob_gendreau · 10-30-2012, 12:36 PM

Anyone have any suggestions on this? I need to run a cable directly from van battery on my Ford 2001 directly to the passenger side. It's gonna be 6 gauge wire (very short piece of 4 gauge from terminal to fuse block, 60 amp fuse, then a few feet of 6 gauge to inverter on passenger side).

I'd prefer not to go through the doghouse. I looked at it, and it seemed to be problematic: there didn't seem to be good points to secure the cable on the way without getting close to stuff that would either heat up or move. I could go in near the steering column on the driver's side, where I've already routed wire for a relay for driving lights. But that means a longer run, and routing over the air filter, etc.

What looks good is going a short distance over the wall near the passenger side where the AM/FM antenna is; you can drop between the external body work and the internal metal in the engine compartment. Then behind the kick panel on the passenger's right. There's an unused rubber grommet I could possibly used (painted on so probably a pain to remove, but I might just punch through. This gets me to all the wire loom in that place, and then I'm home free (it's near what I guess is the fuel cutoff dingus).

Any other ideas? Suggestions?

SheepShagger · 10-30-2012, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob_gendreau

What looks good is going a short distance over the wall near the passenger side where the AM/FM antenna is; you can drop between the external body work and the internal metal in the engine compartment. Then behind the kick panel on the passenger's right. There's an unused rubber grommet I could possibly used (painted on so probably a pain to remove, but I might just punch through. This gets me to all the wire loom in that place, and then I'm home free (it's near what I guess is the fuel cutoff dingus).

Any other ideas? Suggestions?

That would be my choice if you want to run from a battery in the engine compartment. Depending on your engine if you want to run from the frame battery or the startermotor, there is a whole host of holes you can use in the passenger step area. B pillar is hollow to the ground / frame, so that also gives you some other options depending on where you want to drill and how good you are with a fiche/snake.
BTW, I ran a large wire from my frame batteries in the body at the passenger B pillar and drilled a hole into the B piller from the step area. The black plastic step hides everything and has a ton of room under it. Just look at the drivers side for ideas, Ford runs a load of wires (and brake cable) through that area.

**daveb** · 10-30-2012, 01:30 PM

Somebody also mentioned a rubber gromet for a shifter cable under the driver side carpet that's not used on some vans. Said a mouse could get through it.

sdwindansea · 10-30-2012, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveb

Somebody also mentioned a rubber gromet for a shifter cable under the driver side carpet that's not used on some vans. Said a mouse could get through it.

This may be the one Dave is describing. I used it to route electrical cable for auxillary lights.

rob_gendreau · 10-30-2012, 05:52 PM

Thanks for the ideas!

I had mice in the van for a couple weeks once...guess they never found those holes. Probably got too fat on the food they were eating....

charlie56 · 10-30-2012, 08:38 PM

Another location for you to check-out.
viewtopic.php?p=50344#p50344

jage · 10-31-2012, 10:40 PM

How big is the inverter? What do you need to run from it?
Are you sure about going directly to your starter battery?

Even if you're not adding a 2nd battery and separator, you could run outside to the passenger side framerail, then make a hole up through the floor- in the future you could add a separator and come back out to a frame mounted house battery.

Seems like running the wire is a lot of work, and unless the inverter is going to be on the firewall side, you might consider preparing for the future.