4 replies to this topic

[six5]

The Four Wheel factory provided spot on measurements on where to drill through the roof on my 2007 Grandby to find the prewired red and black wires for my solar install. I opened up about a square inch hole and tried to pull the wires up figuring the wire going toward the back of the camper is the free end. I'm right at tearing the wire insulation from pulling pretty hard and I've gained nothing.  Any ideas on pulling these wires? Make a bigger hole?

Thanks guys, Six5 

[ckent323]

I have a 2007 Keystone.  FWC gave me measurements from the outside front edge and drivers side edge to where the wires should be.  The distance was close but not quite.

 

I found that the wires were routed up the drivers side overcab area behind the lift panel then between the styrofoam insulation and the aluminum top and past the front vent along the drivers side of the vent frame.

 

I removed the horizontal ceiling lift board, which is aft of the front vent.  

 

I went to the top of the camper and at the spot from the front and side edges I drilled a small pilot hole down through the headliner.

 

I then went inside the camper and carefully cut an X in the headliner so I could open up a hole in the styrofoam insulation - it tends to crumble rather than cut so be careful. 

 

I could feel an aluminum plate with a circular hole in it between the foam and the camper roof skin.  Turns out the wires went up through that hole and were coiled up.  The pilot hole came down through one side of the 1" diameter hole in the aluminum plate.  That was good!

 

Once I got that hole enlarged I could feel the wires and then after feeling them I was able to use a bright flashlight see them going up through the hole but they seemed to be stuck between the camper roof and the insulation.  I'm glad I only drilled a very small pilot hole down through the top!

 

That is when I went on the roof and started feeling around.  Knowing where the wires were going through the hole and the direction the wires exited the hole I could get a sense of what I was feeling under the roof skin, turns out the loop of wire was only a few inches away.  I could easily feel the wire loop. 

 

I flexed the roof a little to try to free the loop up and then fashioned a small paperclip hook to grab the loop from the inside of the camper up through the hole in the headliner.  It took some firm tugging to get it to slip free - I may have actually used some pliers to get a firmer grip on the wires to pull them down.  (easy does it!!). 

 

 I do not recall at the moment if the wire ends were terminated or not.  They may have been taped together but I think they were hanging up on the styrofoam. 

 

So recapping:

 

If you drop the camper top and get on a ladder you can press down on the top and feel the wires under the thin skin of the roof (at least I could). That helped me located the end and the loop of wire which was about 3" away from the hole I cut.  That should help give you confidence about fishing or pulling the wires out.

 

After I got everything hooked up and checked out I bought a vinyl patch kit that has a small piece of cloth in it and used that cloth as backing behind the X in the headliner as I glued it back together.  Once the horizontal lift board was replaced everything was covered up.

 

 

I will look for the pics I took.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 16 December 2017 - 02:45 AM.

[Lighthawk]

Try fishing around with a hooked wire to find the OEM wires

[ckent323]

By the way - I used the Go-Power solar cable entry plate.  I Iike it because it has a retainer for the MC4 cable connectors.  You can buy this plate with a 7" pigtail lead which I recommend (you may have to search for this version)

 

https://www.amazon.c...ble Entry Plate

 

Besides the screws (not included) I also used 3M 4100 to hold it to the roof as well as seal it (underneath and all around the edges slightly overlapping the top of the edges).  I had to go to West Marine to get the 3M 4100. 

 

I used a plastic tongue depressor to make a smooth surface (smooth bead) on the very sticky 4100 otherwise it gets clumpy and uneven.  Alternatively you could use a gloved finger to smooth it but be careful because it will get all over anything you may accidentally touch.

 

This entry plate is low profile and fits under one of my solar panels (they are mounted to my Yakima racks).  The smooth sloped side of the plate faces forward and the connector side faces aft.

 

Another thing I did was to go to Ace Hardware and buy a rubber grommet to go into the hole in the camper roof (under the Go-power entry plate) so that the solar cables do not get cut over time by the sharp edge of the hole in the Aluminum roof skin.  I recall using a 1" hole and an appropriate grommet.  You will need to get the appropriate size grommet to fit your cables and the hole in your roof (or siding).

 

Similar to this one:

 

https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/B00D4BAW2I

 

 

Craig

Edited by ckent323, 16 December 2017 - 08:49 PM.

[six5]

Thank you Craig for your help. The wires were really bound between the roof and the insulation. The keys for me getting them loose was to first remove  the nearest roof anchor screw, then I slide a flat edge screw driver into the hole roof side and pried up on the roof as hard as I dared putting a block of wood under the screw driver handle freed  my hands. I took a couple feet of insulated10 gauge wire and formed a little hook on one end that I used to feed the wire under the solar wire I was trying to pull out.   Using one hand on either end of this wire i could pull up really hard and the solar wires came out one at a time. I also used 3M tape to mount my Renogy cable entry housing and Dicor sealant around it. The roof is all buttoned up and I've got 21.5 volts inside ready for the controller. Happy Days. Regards, Six5