It's raining outside...and a little inside too!

[GXPete]

Hmm...not sure I follow. The sunroof is closed and I need to adjust the closed position, so I can't pass the wires through the sunroof opening. And the wires are glued pretty tightly to the headliner so there isn't a lot of slack to have it reach through the window. What am I missing?

[harofreak00]

You have the entire headliner out, correct?

Set the headliner on top of the roof (put some blankets between it and the paint). Have the doors open. Then reconnect the 2 wiring connections on the rear. Nothing goes through the sunroof opening. You can control the sunroof just as you would in the car, but outside the car, out of the way.

[GXPete]

Yeah. Figured that out after thinking about it. I was thinking the sunroof got its power from the same connector as the rearview mirror. But once I traced the wire on the headliner, I realized what you meant. Didn't actually need to plug in the larger connector on the rear of the driver's side. Just the gray one on the passenger side.

The bad news is I spent all afternoon trying to clear the two front drain tubes. They drip, sometimes trickle out the bottom of the car so I think they're still connected all the way through, but they're not letting the water out quick enough. There's a restriction there. I ran a weed-wacker line down through the tube as far as I could push it, but either whatever is restricting the water is also restricting the line, or there are just too many curves in the tube to push the line all the way through. Not sure what I'm going to do next. I pulled the cowl under the dash on the driver's side, and I can look up and see where the drain tube comes through the dash, but it disappears behind all the insulation behind the dash. Looks like this one is going to be more than I want to tackle. Also, I lifted the carpet a little on the driver's side floor and there's definitely water under there.

[harofreak00]

Dont give up yet! The fun is just beginning.

I'd suggest pulling the top section of the drainlines out like this:



Then clear the lines to make sure there are no obstructions.

Then put the drainlines back into place, and cut the flaps to reveal the tubes so you can clamp them off.

[GXPete]

Andrew, it looks in the pictures like you have the carpet pulled out, which I assume also means pulling the seats out. That's what I meant by more than I care or have time to tackle. However, I didn't notice the dash had that side panel that comes off so I may take it to the next step of pulling that off to try and get further into the line. Answer this question: Are the drain tubes cemented at all the connections and couplings? I tried to pull the tube off of the sunroof drain and it seemed too tight, as though it were cemented on. Is that the case?

[harofreak00]

The ones I have seen are not, however they might have changed something along the line and the 05's might be different.

Yes the carpet and seats would need to come out. But thats only another few minutes...

[GXPete]

Holy disassembly Batman. You must have pictures outlining seat and carpet removal.

Check this out - when I went to remove the cowl (cover?) under the driver's dash, there was a section toward the back of it that the firewall rubber membrane was adhered to. Once I pulled it free, there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why it was like that. But there's a bulge in the membrane that seems to serve no purpose. I'll probably have to get pictures to accurately describe it.

[harofreak00]

Seat removal is pretty basic. Disconnect the battery, there are four T47 torx bolts that come out, disconnect the wiring, and then pull them out.

Carpets simply pull out (in 2 sections) once everything is out of the way.

[GXPete]

Which leads me to yet another question: since I bought this car used, if I disconnect the battery, and the previous owner had put a lock code in the radio, how do I get that unlocked? I would also need to know this for when I pull the radio to fix (or have you fix) the LEDs. Thanks.

[00Beast]

The radio will be fine if you un-hook the battery. It's programmed to your car. If you put it in another car, you'd have to have a dealer unlock it with a Tech II.

[harofreak00]

If the radio is unlocked now, it will be fine if you disconnect the battery, or even when you send it to me. You only need to have it programmed if its not the original radio to the car. Once the radio is programmed to the car, it doesn't forget.

[GXPete]

Ok, good to know. Let's revisit another topic - the CD changer - since I'm considering taking out the seats and carpeting, if I decided to make up a harness for the changer, I need to know a couple things. 1) Does the changer get its power from the radio or just data, i.e. I assume it's not as simple as a bunch of wires simply going from the radio to the changer with funky connectors on each end. 2) How many conductors need to go between the front and the trunk? 3) What connectors and where to get those? If there's a wiring diagram feel free to point me to that. I'm just thinking if I'm going to have all this access I may capitalize on it, cuz at the end of the day, I'd really enjoy having the changer. I'm not concerned about where to find the changer itself; they're out there.

[harofreak00]

I had ddalder build my harness for me, but he isn't around anymore.

I have the complete install instructions he made up for me, but I'll try to sum it up. You have wires going to the back of the dash, the fuse box under the seat, a ground, the RIM, and the changer.

You used to be able to order the wiring kit from GM, but its an expired part now. Without help from ddalder, I wouldn't know how to guide you.

[GXPete]

Andrew, if you wouldn't mind sending me the install instructions that would undoubtedly be a step closer. What happened to ddalder? I've seen some of his posts. What do you mean by 'RIM', and when you say wires going to the back of the dash, do you mean they plug into the back of the radio or some other part of the dash? Do you know the GM Part number for it? And how about the connectors?

[lewis26]

RIM= Rear Integration Module. Behind the back seat.

[GXPete]

RIM= Rear Integration Module. Behind the back seat.

Ah...got it. Thanks.

[GXPete]

Seat removal is pretty basic. Disconnect the battery, there are four T47 torx bolts that come out, disconnect the wiring, and then pull them out.

Carpets simply pull out (in 2 sections) once everything is out of the way.

Is there a quick way to disconnect the battery or do I pull the rear seat and disconnect it directly from the battery itself?

[myfirstbonnie]

Yes, that's all there is to it. Takes an 8mm wrench.

[GXPete]

I assume disconnecting the battery has something to do with not accidentally setting off the airbags? Any extra caveats with all that?

[lewis26]

You'll have to reset your clock. that's about it.

It really couldnt be easier. The back seat just pulls out with no tools, and then one bolt and you're done.