Chasing Wires in the Dash

[Chad A]

Anybody have a good way to chase wires inside the dash?  I am trying to get rid of the wiring for the factory CD Changer, GPS unit and stereo head unit.  I have the front panel off the middle of the dash and the top panels open on the passenger side and driver side.  There is just a 2 foot span I cannot get to between the center and the passenger side but it seems like there are a lot of wires that go down to who knows where in that location that I cannot see (I think they might go under this tub thing all the see vision stuff is in and then go up the A Pillar on the passenger side but I have no idea).  I also have some wires that have been chewed by mice that I am trying to trace as well. I really don't want to tear anymore of the thing up than I already have either.

 

Thanks

[Ivan K]

I had the same situation years ago and finally removed the coiled up and zip tied extra length of fat cables after lifting the dash and removing the a-pillar trim. I had to lift the dash to replace AC expansion valve and would not do it just to remove the cables. 

[Dennis H]

I agree with Ivan about not wanting to tear into the dash area. That said, it sounds like you have no choice due to your critter friend's appetite for wiring. There is no easy way to trace everything without the wiring diagrams for your coach, an electrical degree and an engineering degree from an accredited college. Many of the wires are marked and a magnifying glass will be your friend. Remember the wiring harnesses are made separately from your coach. They are made using pegs on a huge wall. Once all wiring is in place on the pegs, they're put into looms to await installation into a coach. Since they are assembled separately, you're going to have many wires that won't apply to your particular coach as options are different depending on the customer's preference. Then if you're not the original owner, some wiring may be changed to fit that owner's preferences. All you can do is trace the wires with a good meter and mark them yourself so if you have to go in again, things will be easier. Remember too, all ground wires in a Monaco coach are WHITE not the normal BLACK as used by everyone else.........Dennis

[Chad A]

So it looks like I am just going to have to live with the mess under the dash.  We have had the coach for a little over a year and it is evident that the previous owner had a rat living up under the dash as I was vacuuming chewed tinfoil, wire and droppings up from under there.  The place we bought it from obviously new of this as they had done some splicing to make things work semi correctly.  I hate the mess of useless or unused wires but I do not want to take the dash off right now.  Everything seems to work to the best of my knowledge but I am sure down the road I will have to revisit this issue.

Anybody just cut the old wires, tag them for what they went to just to clean things up? Am I asking for trouble doing this? Should I just stuff them back in there and forget about it?

 

Thanks

[Dennis H]

When I bought my coach the first thing I did was go from Stem to Stern with a 1000 piece package of zip ties. All my wires are zipped about every 12". Keeps everything neat and clean but more importantly, it keeps the wires from bending too much. When metal is bent back and forth eventually it will fail. The zips keep it from doing so. Time consuming? Yes. but so is chasing a broken wire. Those 40' coils zip into a very small space. If you're really anal, you can get the zips with a tab to screw them up out of sight and out of the way. When using zip ties, please cut off the tails. They do nothing, are ugly and usually get in the way.......Dennis

Edited March 2, 2021 by Dennis H

[woodylmiller]

Going through this same thing now.  Zip ties, Ty-Raps, whatever, "twist" the tail off and it does not leave a razor sharp edge.  I have a ty rap gun type device that tightens and then cuts the tail without leaving that bleeder razor edge to it.  I replace all the ty's I come across that have that razor blade tail.  The wiring is a mess.  I have found a couple places where someone went from white ground to a yellow with a green stripe so check with a meter.  Monaco used white for almost everything, hot and ground.  The hot will be marked with the source and destination but I notice their "naming" doesn't seem to make any sense, plus you need at minimum a magnifying glass to read it, and then hope someone along the way didn't splice on to it with no documentation.  I use white electrical tape to write on with a sharpie to mark all the "strange" wires I come across once I figure out what it is.  You think having a rat under the dash can make a mess, we had a grey squirrel in ours at one point.  The only good thing that came from that is we have not had any rodents in the coach since.  Squirrels eat mice.

Woody Miller

09 Dynasty Regal IV 

[Chuck B 2004 Windsor]

I do not understand why one would want to just cut and remove wires unless they are causing a problem.  IMO, just leave them there because in the future you might need them to operate something.  Chuck B 2004 Windsor

Monaco built wiring looms to cover every option that was put in a given coach.   Then the wiring is there if a coach owner wanted to add that option.  IMO, it is like removing a 120 vac outlet from your home that you were not using.  Chuck B 2004 Windsor