Interior Light Wire

[Ooooner]

The wire for the door switch on my GT fell behind the hole in the door jam wall on the passenger side. This is the small hole between the door hinges. Is there anyway to fish that wire back through the hole without having to take the car apart? I was thinking about removing the interior side piece down by the foot area to access the wire but I didn't know how the piece is held on or even if I could access the wire this way.....
Thanks for any suggestions!

[jlthunder]

Peel the weather stripping by the footwell off which is next to the door. Just up to the dash, you don't have to remove the entire strip. Use a flat pry bar(sometimes called a wonderbar) to gently pry off the kickpanel. They are held on by spring clips but the kickpanel is made of heavy carboard. Feel for the clips with the pry bar and pop them out of their plastic holders. The kick panel will open an area so you can reach for your wire. HTH

Jeff

[namba209]

Roy, maybe a better way to get the wire is with an electricians snake. The dome lite wire goes up inside the channel above the right rear wheel, just forward of the clearance lite. With the electricians steel tape you could pull the wire back, attach it to the tape, and snake it back up to the lite opening. Maybe. Or run the tape from the dome lite hole back to the rear, attach the wire and pull the tape back out the hole. Maybe.

[jlthunder]

OK, now I'm confused. Is this the wire in the door jam by the foot well for the switch or the wire for the actual light?

[namba209]

Here's how the wiring was in Willit? when I stripped out the whole harness. The pax door jam switch wires ran over to the driver's side, behind the instrument panel, then went into the rear lite harness back to the rear on the driver's side, across the back to the pax side then up into and forward through the channel that goes above the rear quarter panel to the dome lite. HTH.

Rats, I just reread Roy's post, it was the door switch wires, that fell in to the door jam. Best bet is to pull the wires back through the hole they go in to, so you can reach them inside the door hinge area and try to snake them out above the door hinge. I used a piece of .032" safety wire to go through the hole in the door jam, up above the hinge, attach it to the wires and pull them back through the hole, attach them to the switch and remount the switch.

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by Ooooner The wire for the door switch on my GT fell behind the hole in the door jam wall on the passenger side. Is there anyway to fish that wire back through the hole without having to take the car apart? Thanks for any suggestions!

Torch the outside panel. It's easier to weld back than one of the interior panels.

It's not as bad as you think it is. Take a wire and bend a hook in it that will fit through the hole and go fishing.

Harold

[Lindsay]

Almost lost dome light wire when I was working on the door switch. I had to close door and did not want to damge wire. Fished wire out of lower panel with coat hanger bent to a small hook. Probably would have popped lower trim panel out if I had to.

[Ooooner]

I have tried the "fishing" route and that is a pain to say the least . I think I will try going through the inside foot panel. That sounds like the way to go right now. I will let you know how it turns out. I have the drivers side in and working, no problems. Thanks for the suggestions...

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by Ooooner I have tried the "fishing" route and that is a pain to say the least ...

Maybe you need a longer pole.

Harold

[Ooooner]

Hee Hee Hee... My pole is sufficient, thank you! But I will try going through the side panel and see what I find. Who knows what I will find in there. Heck, one time, I actually found some pictures of naked women under the floor panel behind the seats in a previous GT that I owned. I guess the previous owner didn't want his wife to find out! Anybody else found weird stuff?

[opel kid]

Originally Posted by Ooooner Hee Hee Hee... My pole is sufficient, thank you! But I will try going through the side panel and see what I find. Who knows what I will find in there. Heck, one time, I actually found some pictures of naked women under the floor panel behind the seats in a previous GT that I owned. I guess the previous owner didn't want his wife to find out! Anybody else found weird stuff?

besides a for sale sign in my 70 parts car that was inside the window panels from probably 30 years ago that's about it!

[namba209]

Roy, I just checked out those wires on Willit? and I can grab the wire where it comes into the space behind the door jam by reaching in through the cavity the door hiinge swings into. They go through a 1/4" hole about an inch below the hinge cavity. It should be a simple matter to pull the wires up, attach a coat hanger to them, that you stick through the switch hole and then pull the coat hanger out with the wires attached.

[Ooooner]

Ron, Thanks! I will try that before pulling the side panel off....

[jlthunder]

Originally Posted by Ooooner Hee Hee Hee... My pole is sufficient, thank you! But I will try going through the side panel and see what I find. Who knows what I will find in there. Heck, one time, I actually found some pictures of naked women under the floor panel behind the seats in a previous GT that I owned. I guess the previous owner didn't want his wife to find out! Anybody else found weird stuff?

Search this site, there was a thread about this a year or two ago. I found some drive in movie tickets in my GT.

[Ooooner]

OK Jlthunder... I pulled the kick panel back and there was no access to the area where the wire would come out to the little hole in the door jam for the Interior Light door switch on the passenger side. I don't know if my GT, being a 73, has anything to do with it not have an access hole for that *&%$# wire ! I'm beginning to wonder how in the world the factory was able to run that wire!
I have also "gone fishing" for it, too, but I can't seem to find it. I'm beginning to wonder if some joker at the factory decided to install the switch without a wire! When I took it off, there was no wire there.

[ungermm]

At the passenger top hinge you should be able to stick your finger in there and feel the wire on the left. It's only maybe 2 inches from the opening. If you don't, you should at least feel the rubber grommet that it is suppose to go through. My 72 has a large black wire that goes to the switch. If you don't feel the remove the passenger door kick panel and look for a large loose black wire. Jerry

[ungermm]

And, with the kick panel off, you should see two holes closest to the door for the panel spring pins and a rubber grommet about an inch from the top one. This is where the wire goes into the void between the hinges. That black wire is follows two black wires behind the dash to the heater fan and then goes to the above mentioned rubber grommet. So, If there isn't one at the grommet work back. Jerry

[namba209]

Originally Posted by Ooooner I have also "gone fishing" for it, too, but I can't seem to find it. I'm beginning to wonder if some joker at the factory decided to install the switch without a wire! When I took it off, there was no wire there.

O.K. Roy, here's the pics from Willit? a 72 GT. The first is one I played with in Photoshop to see if I could get it clearer and more definative so you can see where the wire goes from inside the car to the door hinge cavity. The bright dot is the screw that holds the kick panel in at the top. The second is the wire about 1 inch below the hinge on the inside wall where the wire comes through a rubber grommet. You'll note I've got convulated tubing on my Gray wire.

[Ooooner]

OK... I wasn't looking for a rubber grommet for the wire to pass through. I thought there was an opening big enough to stick your hand through.
I will recheck it and see what I find.

[jlthunder]

Originally Posted by Ooooner OK Jlthunder... I pulled the kick panel back and there was no access to the area where the wire would come out to the little hole in the door jam for the Interior Light door switch on the passenger side. .

Hmmm. I will check my car tomorrow to see what I can find as I'm working 17 hours today. Keep fishing

[Ooooner]

Finally! I found the wire running through the rubber grommet but it was much higher along the kick panel wall than I expected. Once I located it, it was just a matter of fishing for it through the other side, which was fairly easy. I had the switch working within 15 minutes after finding the wire. Now, the only two things not working on my GT is the heater and the clock. I think the heater just needs to be flushed out and replace the water control valve under the hood. Thanks for all the help...

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by Ooooner Now, the only two things not working on my GT is the heater and the clock. I think the heater just needs to be flushed out and replace the water control valve under the hood. Thanks for all the help...

Remove both heater hoses at the easiest locations and flush with garden hose. Reverse the flushing process back and forth until you flows freely. My problem years ago was stop leak in the valve. Once I cleaned that out the valve flowed freely EVERYWHERE. Found a replacement valve though.

Harold

[Ooooner]

Harold,
Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what I have planned to do. I have another heater valve ready to install anyway. I will probably just clean the old one and put it on the parts shelf for another day. Hope to see you this weekend....

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by Ooooner Harold, Hope to see you this weekend....

Personal events that I need to attend will be Tuesday afternoon so it looks like I will be there.

Harold

[P.J. Romano]

I have different problem on the similar subject. The workshop that installed new headliner covered the dome light wires.
Any idea where should I make the cut in the headliner to locate the wires and install the dome light?