Car Stereos: Car amplifier, unused hole, ford taurus

Question
I am installing an amp to my 2002 ford taurus and i was just wondering where to feed my power cable throug the front of the car to get to my trunk

Answer
Hi Blane,

These cars can be very tricky when you're trying to get a wire through the firewall.

Your Taurus' shift lever will either be on the steering column, or the center console.  If the shifter is on the column, there will be a thick cable that runs through a hole in the firewall, high up above the fuse box under the driver's side dash.  If you have the center console shift lever, then the cable runs through the center of the firewall, low down, behind the engine.

The firewall has a hole in it at each location: above the fuse box, and low on the center of the firewall.  One of the two holes has the shifter cable running through it.  The other hole is filled with a rubber plug.  

When I'm running the power wire through the firewall, I generally find the unused hole, remove the plug, and cut a hole in the plug thick enough for the power wire.  I then run the wire through the hole in the firewall, and seal it with the plug.  

Column shifters are more common than console shifters, so odds are that you'd be using the low center firewall plug.  You can get to it by reaching up from the inside of the car on the passenger side, and cutting or tearing away the interior firewall liner, directly in front of the center console area.  When you find the plug, you can pull it right out of the hole.  Pierce the plug and push your power wire through it.  Then run the wire through the hole in the firewall until you've used up all your slack, and slide the rubber plug back along the power wire and back into the firewall hole to seal the opening.

On the engine compartment side, you'll need to route the wire very carefully so it doesn't contact any moving parts or hot engine components.  I'd cover the wire with a protective split-loom, and use cable ties to keep it from sagging.

If you're lucky enough to have the center console shifter, you'll find the opening above the fuse box much easier to work with--especially when it comes to routing the wire to the battery.   If necessary, you can dismount the fuse box and move it out of the way so you can access the hole in the firewall more easily.

Hope this helps!

Brian