Dometic Hardwire Kit Install - In Bed Side Pocket Above Wheel Well - 2nd Gen AC

Double check everything and post pics.

 

Back with a bit of an update...

A couple of days ago, I traced the outline of the cubby on to some plywood we had around...cut the outline with a jigsaw (I had some splintering on one corner due to the fact that I couldn't find the "throat piece" that keeps the wood from chipping ), routered the outside edge w/ a 1/4" bit, drilled holes for the six bolts, sanded the face and edges, put a coat of waterproof stain on it and let it dry.



Today, I attached the cables to the battery, ran them to the small grommet on the passenger side and into the cab.

Tomorrow, I will run the cable to the grommet under the passenger seat, down the frame rail and up to the storage cubby.





I found a Rigid 1 1/2" conduit locknut at HD that fits the exterior shore power receptacle...It comes in a 2-pack for $1.49 or something like that....the screw holes on the receptacle don't appear to match up with the Curt bracket, so I think having a couple of backing nuts to secure it will be nice.



I've got to figure out how/where I'm going to mount the exterior shore power receptacle, but I'll tackle that tomorrow. My hitch frame is tucked too far up under the truck to use the Curt bracket mount as intended - on top of the hitch frame. So, I think I'm either going to have to mount it on the underside of the hitch frame or do without it. If I go without it, I'm thinking of drilling the shore power receptacle mount directly to the bumper. There's already a hole under there and I would probably just have to tap one other metal screw in.
The 14/3 cable looks like it will just fit in the dust cap holes of the outlet and receptacle.

Thanks for all of the assistance...couldn't be doing it without all of your help. Feel free to add any additional pointers you feel would be helpful.



Note: I found out about the small passenger side engine compartment grommet from a search on this forum. On second gens, there is one behind the brake booster on the driver's side as well. The large driver's side grommet also has a nipple on the bottom that, apparently, is for additional wiring....I avoided the driver's side due to all of the wiring on that side.

 

There’s grommets under both seats near the front outboard bolts. There are also smaller ones on the rear cab wall both high and low as well as a couple under the center console next to where the e-brake cables exit into the drive shaft tunnel.

 

Right on...got a little delayed today...but did pick up the rubber grommets and 3 in 1 heat shrink/solderer tool from HF.

I think I should be able to finish the project tomorrow. I'll post pics.

 

Quick update:

Got the cable through the grommet under the passenger seat...started with loom on the exterior of the truck below the grommet...heat shrunk the loom to the cable to secure the loom...

Attached the cable/loom to the outside of the frame with the nylon hose clamps (as suggested by @bagleboy ) in two places (the only ones I could find) ....That was a bit tough to do in the dark, albeit with a headlamp....those #10 bolts, nuts and washers are a little hard to handle, especially with gloves on (it's pretty cold tonight)...You've got the muffler on one side of the frame and the body close to the frame on the outside...so not a whole lot of room for tools....went with a short phillips head screw driver and a socket ratchet on the inside with a short extender...finally got those two mounting points secure and zip tied the rest of the loom to the frame in a few more spots.

Went over the brake line and inside the rear cab mount (taking note of the exhaust/muffler proximity). I was going to continue on the frame to the opening in the wheel well behind the tire, BUT I noticed the wheel well liner and thought that, maybe, I could go over that...Took a little fishing, but the cable/loom finally went over the liner and right into the spot where I need it...the storage compartment.

It was dark and got late so I'll post pics tomorrow...I think the worst part is over!

 

I have this in my driver side storage cubby, but planning on switching to the ARB threaded socket. ARB and Dometic have the same threads and 2 prongs on their wire, as found out by @EatSleepTacos

 

Looks like I went under the brake line...Had a hard time making up my mind on that one...tried it both ways a few times...

Anyway, here are the frame mount pics...

 

Another quick update...on the homestretch!

The brackets look like they are going to work out well. I've got them secured to the hitch frame. I had to mount it to the right a bit due to the locking hitch pin...I zip tied it to hold it in place and then used the supplied heavy duty hose clamp to secure it up...Feels really solid.

The #10 x 24 3/4" bolts, washers and nuts used for the frame mounting came in real handy to connect the receptacle mount to the Curt bracket...Stoked to have had some extras...

I wired up the 14/3 cable to the receptacle and put the dust cap on...Now, I just need to figure out how much cable length is needed to run it into the storage compartment...and wire up the outlet on that end.

Quick question. Do you think I need to cover the 14/3 cable in loom or is that overkill?

Lastly, on the 12v line side, I'm going to drill a 1" hole for a 1" grommet in the side of the storage cubby since that is the way the cable is coming into that area anyway...should be pretty straightforward from here. Thanks again for all the help, guys.

If you see anything I'm missing, please let me know...Thanks.

 

Got the mounting holes drilled in the wood panel...

For getting the cables into the storage cubby, need to decide whether to drill a 1" hole and use a 1" grommet and feed the loom through that...or drill a smaller hole and run the loom directly through that without the grommets...Any suggestions?

I also need to figure out if that grommet will even fit the storage cubby thickness. Anyone know? I'd like to figure that out before cuttin' a big ol' hole in the plastic...

Edit: I just went back and watched Random Gene's Yt video on page two of this post...looks like the grommet will fit the cubby thickness...Hmmm....decisions....decisions...Big hole with grommet...or smaller hole with just the loom?

I think I'm going to drill holes in the opposite sides of the cubby to feed the 12v and 110 cables through....The 12v is coming from the front (battery) and the 110 is coming from the rear...so, I think that makes the best sense...keep the holes on the sides vs. going through the bottom....Going to finish the final wiring up and securing the panel tomorrow.

 

Is there a missing grommet in pic #3? It looks like carpet padding. What happens if the zip tie breaks? Will the loom dangle dangerously? My mechanic got me on that one is why I ask. You can make a big hole smaller using a washer or 2 that fit inside the hole to center the bolt and a fender washer inside/outside to trap them.

 

Nice catch...I'll look tomorrow and see if a grommet is missing there... Good point on the possibility of a zip tie breaking....I'm not thrilled with the way that part or the cable routing went... I think I've got some s/s zip ties...don't know how long they are though...I'm trying to wrap my head around what you are describing with the washers...does the washer that fits inside the hole have to be the exact diameter of the hole? I can see how that would work, but don't know the odds of finding a washer that exactly fits the hole diameter...I suppose it's possible! Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Doesn’t need to be exact, just take up more space than a #10 screw alone. Stack thickness slightly under frame thickness so it snugs up.

 

Alrighty, then...Finito...Finally!

Ran into a problem drilling holes for the grommets. I believe "Random Gene" suggested using a 1" hole saw for the grommets...Turns out, that's too small...The 1" grommet barely fits into the hole and pinches down on the loom, barely allowing it to pass through. 1 1/4" is probably too big. Luckily, I saw a 29mm hole saw in the kit...turns out that was perfect....Goldilocks. Not too big. Not too small. Just right....





What do you do when you've already drilled the hole out and it's too small? Ask the wife for suggestions....Turns out she had a great idea. I told her that there isn't any material for the centering bit to bite into...In all her brilliance, she suggested clamping a piece of wood in there to drill the bigger hole. Worked like a charm.








Finally got the grommet situation figured out and headed out to do the final install of the panel, shorepower receptacle, etc...




Decided to go the full monty and wrap the 14/3 cable in loom....Heat shrunk the loom to the dust cap and cable and ran it up to the cubby.





I had the whole 8' of 14/3 and that's more than I needed, but decided to leave a little extra to make it easier to wire up at the panel. In hindsight, the easier way would have been to wire up the 12v and 110 receptacles at the panel and work the other way...but, because the Dometic wiring was a pre-set length...and I didn't know if I would need extra wire length (turns out I did), I started at the battery and went to the bed....So, I was already committed to wiring it that way....Bottom line, I left some extra wiring to give some slack to make it easier to wire up the panel....It was still tough, though.



A couple of other little delays which I won't bore you with...and...it's done.

Thanks for all of the help!

 

Your wife’s a smart one. That’s just what I do when I need to use a larger hole saw. Nesting them sometimes works too but not for the next size up.

 

A few details left on the install:

When I started the truck the other day (day after finishing install), it started pretty rough....kind of shuddered. Not sure if it's related, but that seemed kind of odd. Any thoughts on that? The way I have the 12v ground wired?

Also, just going back over the wiring one more time to make it more secure on the frame.

I'm probably going to go with the stacked washers as @bagleboy suggested. But, until I can get the washers, I put a few more zip ties on for security.

Does anyone know what these black nubs (circled in orange) on the frame are? Wondering if those are potential connection points.



Also, I had a bit of extra cable on the DC side that just went behind the cubby when I secured the panel. Tonight, I got under the truck and just pulled on it a bit to see how much there was...You can see from the picture (looking up into the area above the wheel well) how much there is...Not too much, but it is a bit loose there. Not sure what to do with that.

If I reroute the cable on the frame using the stacked washer method, that might take up some slack...We'll see.

Suggestions appreciated!



And, finally, just wanted to post a pic of the final shore power outlet installed...since I never posted a pic of that.

 

The nubs are rivets that hold the frame together. As for the rough start, did you disconnect the battery during install? That can cause the ECM to relearn the idle ETCS curves.

 

I believe I did disconnect it...How long does it usually take to relearn the ETCS curves?

Thanks for the info on the nubs.

 

I’d give it a few trips, maybe a week.

 

If you feel that location is too exposed you can drill a hole next to the license plate lamps for the plug. My trailer plug was mounted on the face of the bumper outside the step. It looks clean there and I suppose it avoids getting pinched but seems vulnerable to getting hit. Your use doesn’t require that vulnerability. Behind the license plate with a flip up would work too since you’re only using it when parked.

 

The exposed location was a concern...I just didn't really want to drill a big hole in the bumper. But, I will check out the locations you suggested. Any pics of your trailer plug mount?

I like the flip up license plate idea...Is it solid steel bumper behind the license plate?

Thanks for all of the great ideas, @bagleboy