My fuse box relocation (project log)

[turbosax2]

This thread is going to be for my summer project. My goal is to do maintenance, cleaning, and a few upgrades. The highlight of my project is relocating the fuse box to the interior and rewiring the engine bay. To this point the most technical thing I had done to a car is change a clutch, so I'm still a noob. Most of this is brand new to me and I'm still learning. Tearing down the engine was a great experience and the vfaq's for changing a timing belt and doing a balance shaft elimination make soooo much more sense now. I've done quite a bit of wiring on my brothers car hiding wires in the engine bay, but nothing of this magnitude. Honestly, I'm a bit scared but I know I'll make it through. So hopefully this thread will be to help any of you who might want to do this.

Let's get you all caught up...




This is my 1999 GSX, purchased bone stock December of last year.

She sat under a cover all winter and most of spring. I only drove her once every few weeks.

Work began June 1st. My brother has the in-progress shots of us taking out the engine and tearing it down. He's on vacation so I'll post them later.

 

[CPHunter]

Nice Progress so far, keep up the good work

 

[turbosax2]

With the engine bay empty, I turned my attention to the interior. Time to remove the dash and all the heating and a/c components.

I also removed all the padding on the firewall. The sound deadening under the front seats was removed because I could easily take it off just with my hands. Check out the size of this piece!

The rest of the interior will be removed either this week or next week, everything will be cleaned, the carpet padding will be removed, the sound deadening will be removed, and then everything minus the dash and seats will be reinstalled for now. I'm going for the "hidden" weight loss approach.


Both the ecu wiring harness and fuse box wiring harness were removed from the car.

And here is how she sits now.

 

[DSMunknown]

Good to see you can follow directions.

 

[turbosax2]

Step 1: remove engine - check

Step 2: identify all connectors - check
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...047-2g-engine-bay-electrical-connections.html
Brian is on vacation now but will finish that up when he returns.

Step 3: remove dash - check
I took a bunch of pictures of the removal so I will be making a tech article when I get some free time. Removing the dash and hvac system wasn't hard at all - just took some patience.

Step 4: take measurements of both harnesses - I'm going to start this tonight.


Now you're all caught up.





Here are my plans for the rewire.

The fuse box will be bolted to the firewall inside the cabin. I've seen people relocate the fuse box to the glove box before, but that just wasn't really appealing to me. So I figured why not ditch the hvac, save some weight, and open up a ton of space to mount the fuse box. The plan is to be able to access the fuse box by dropping the glove box down (takes about 5 seconds).

The following connectors and their wiring will be eliminated:
1. Manifold Differential Pressure (MDP) sensor
11. Auto-Cruise Control Vacuum Pump (Cruise Control Actuator)
13. Fuel Pressure Solenoid (FPS) Valve
14. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Control Solenoid
16. Brake Fluid Level Switch
18. Hood Switch
19. Dual Pressure Switch (AC)
20. Capacitor (Noise Condenser)
27. Evaporative Purge Solenoid
28. Theft Alarm Horn (Anthony knows!)
30. Turbocharger Waste Gate Solenoid Valve [Boost Control Solenoid (BCS)]
35. EVAP Emission Purge Control Solenoid Valve
36. Air Conditioning (A/C) Compressor
43. Left Fog Light
44. Right Fog Light
52. Fuel Pump Check Connector
Rear o2 sensor
I may ditch abs, still undecided.



Before anyone asks, yes I know I will throw about a thousand check engine lights. No, I don't have any way to turn them off but I will get dsmlink in the future so it's cool for now. Also, I drive my car less than 5000 miles a year so I am exempt from emissions in PA. I can't afford to relocate my battery now but it is in the plans once I get more money.


The following will be relocated to the interior (probably mounted to the firewall inside the cabin):
7. Ignition Power Transistor
51. Ignition Suppression Resistor (Fuel Injector Resistor Box)


My goal is to avoid running any wires underneath the radiator. If you look at the pictures above you can see where the wires run into the cabin on the driver and passenger sides behind the fenders. I will be splitting the engine bay in half and running the wires on their respective sides.


I think that about covers it for now. I could get really fancy with this whole project and use mil spec wiring, expensive bulkhead connectors and fancy heat shrink but I don't see the need to spend the money for those sorts of things. Would it be nice? Sure, but I can't justify the costs right now. Also, I will be using wiring loom for the whole harness. It's nice to wrap the entire harness in electrical tape but I know for sure this harness will be changing with the addition of gauges, sensors, etc. so no use in making it hard for me to change. I also want the harness to be relatively easy to remove.

Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments!

 

[turbosax2]

Nice Progress so far, keep up the good work

Thanks!

Good to see you can follow directions.

I just got the harnesses removed this afternoon so I figured it's about time I start this thread.

 

[Flash]

Ditch that sound deadening mat against the firewall. Clean things up a bit.

 

[snowborder714]

Glad to see you finally started this thread.

I can't wait to see the car when I come home and start tearing those harnesses apart!

 

[turbosax2]

Ditch that sound deadening mat against the firewall. Clean things up a bit.

Are you talking about the engine bay side of the firewall? I was thinking about getting rid of that mat but I don't know how bad the difference in paint underneath will be. Maybe I'll peel some back and take a peek to see how it would look.

Glad to see you finally started this thread.

I can't wait to see the car when I come home and start tearing those harnesses apart!

Hurry up and get home! We got work to do!

 

[kmoore]

Are you talking about the engine bay side of the firewall? I was thinking about getting rid of that mat but I don't know how bad the difference in paint underneath will be. Maybe I'll peel some back and take a peek to see how it would look.

If it is anything like mine, then the paint is fine. I say ditch it too.

Are you relocating the battery as well?

 

[beating4g63s]

that is one clean gsx, I've been thinking of relocating my fuse box lately to the same spot but I live in texas and no a/c is like a prison sentence and I've spent 3 years with out it in my first dsm.

 

[turbosax2]

If it is anything like mine, then the paint is fine. I say ditch it too.

Are you relocating the battery as well?

Do you have any good pictures of your car without the mat on?

I won't be relocating the battery yet because of money, but it's in the plans for the near future.

 

[Flash]

Do you have any good pictures of your car without the mat on?

I won't be relocating the battery yet because of money, but it's in the plans for the near future.

If you remove the mat and the paint underneath is bad, just get some gold heat reflective foil to stick on.

I like the direction your build is going.

 

[crimsondragon]

Seems like a lot of work. I find pulling out intake, intercooler pipes, battery, and any stuff like that to be hard work as it is. If you're a noob then I must be an idiot.

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

You and your brother are some crazy dudes. Lol. I could never tear into a car that mint especially when there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. Anyways I subscribed, this should be fun.

 

[Atuca]

I want to do this >.<

I would love to relocate my fuse box, my battery, get rid of unused sensors, remove my A/C and heater, cruise control, yea basicly everything you are doing. I don't like the idea of my car with one seat, no carpet, no dash, but I do like the idea of tidying up. Convincing the girl to let me get rid of the heater is being difficult, but I deffinately like the idea.

Looking foward to the finished look. and the work involved.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Awesome summer project, Eric. I'll agree you're one adventurous dude.
With the new harness, will you be using the same gauge wire as the stock harness? Like you said though, without getting too fancy, of course.

Great pics btw.

 

[JeanDSM]

right now im on the same proyect, i bouth a spare fuse box and engine harness....
dont forget the detals like how to remove the brake switch light without getting the light on the dash....

 

[turbosax2]

If you remove the mat and the paint underneath is bad, just get some gold heat reflective foil to stick on.

I like the direction your build is going.

Eh, I think the gold foil would be downgrading. Sure it's upgrading in terms of keeping heat from getting in the cabin but it would look like crap.

Seems like a lot of work. I find pulling out intake, intercooler pipes, battery, and any stuff like that to be hard work as it is. If you're a noob then I must be an idiot.

We all gotta start somewhere! Obviously it is a must that this isn't my dd, so I can take my time and figure things out as I go.

You and your brother are some crazy dudes. Lol. I could never tear into a car that mint especially when there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. Anyways I subscribed, this should be fun.

I'll take that as a compliment Since I cleaned up the wires in my brothers engine bay I've really wanted to relocate the fuse box. One day I was trying to figure out where I should put it, and I dropped the glove box down and saw all the hvac stuff back there. A lightbulb went off in my head and I decided to ditch it and put the fuse box there. I tore the engine down because the crank seal was leaking a little. I figured why not replace all the gaskets and do a bse while I'm in there. I constantly hear "why are you ruining a perfectly good car" from my mom though

I want to do this >.<

I would love to relocate my fuse box, my battery, get rid of unused sensors, remove my A/C and heater, cruise control, yea basicly everything you are doing. I don't like the idea of my car with one seat, no carpet, no dash, but I do like the idea of tidying up. Convincing the girl to let me get rid of the heater is being difficult, but I deffinately like the idea.

Looking foward to the finished look. and the work involved.

Thanks!

Awesome summer project, Eric. I'll agree you're one adventurous dude.
With the new harness, will you be using the same gauge wire as the stock harness? Like you said though, without getting too fancy, of course.

Great pics btw.

I'm not sure how many wires will need to be extended. I figure I can use all the wires that I'm removing to extend the ones that need it. But I will of course be using the same gauge wire as factory, probably just Radio Shack stuff or whatever. Heat shrink is a big thing to me though - I have some pretty good stuff that is especially for automotive applications and it resists chemicals and such. It's not the best but it's better than your normal heat shrink.

right now im on the same proyect, i bouth a spare fuse box and engine harness....
dont forget the detals like how to remove the brake switch light without getting the light on the dash....

Good luck on your project!

I did some testing on my car before it went down and when I removed the brake fluid sensor, the brake light didn't come on in the dash. Does yours act differently?

 

[kmoore]

Do you have any good pictures of your car without the mat on?

I won't be relocating the battery yet because of money, but it's in the plans for the near future.

I don't have any GOOD pictures but I guess this is the closest thing (I only did the left side when I was installing the filter/fuel line):

It really is not bad AT ALL. And yours is a 99 so it should be even cleaner. It will most deffinately clean it up though. RIP IT OUT!!!

 

[crimsondragon]

Lucky to have a brother. Extra help and a mind when things go wrong. Two heads are better than one. I occassionally can get help from a friend but only in emergency situations.

 

[turbosax2]

I don't have any GOOD pictures but I guess this is the closest thing (I only did the left side when I was installing the filter/fuel line):

It really is not bad AT ALL. And yours is a 99 so it should be even cleaner. It will most deffinately clean it up though. RIP IT OUT!!!

That does look pretty good, plus I'll save some weight I'll check it out today weather permitting and see how it looks.

Lucky to have a brother. Extra help and a mind when things go wrong. Two heads are better than one. I occassionally can get help from a friend but only in emergency situations.

Yup, it's pretty nice most of the time. Unfortunately, Brian will be moving to Philly in a few weeks so he won't be around to help anymore

 

[cmspaz]

I'm so jealous... I can't wait to have a DD that isn't my Talon... I'd really like to be able to just tear into it, and if nothing else, at least get my engine bay cleaned up. It's pretty bad in there right now.

 

[99gst_racer]

Are you talking about the engine bay side of the firewall? I was thinking about getting rid of that mat but I don't know how bad the difference in paint underneath will be. Maybe I'll peel some back and take a peek to see how it would look.

I pulled mine off of my '99 last winter. The paint behind it was fine, and seems to match the rest just fine too. Though much of the rest of the paint in my engine bay isn't too pretty. I'd definitely recommend removing it though. The engine bay looks so much better without it.


Cool thread, btw. Hopefully it will give me some inspiration to get my ass in gear and finish my own car.

 

[turbosax2]

Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks for the good suggestion, Grant!

The mat was really easy to remove. I basically just started ripping and pulling at it and it tore off easily. Until I got to the section of it near the brake booster. A piece got wedged in around the brake booster and wouldn't come out - it didn't help that my fingers couldn't fit in to grab it either. I ended up loosening the 4 nuts for the brake booster from inside the car (up where the brake pedal is close to the firewall). I loosened them enough so I could slide the booster out about 1/2" and that was enough to free the piece.

My firewall looks like swiss cheese