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5 minute read
Removing hatch panels and tapping power(3 ways).
Compliments of PAZZO @ fiat500owners.com
3-25-2013
Today I installed my new 4th brake light and was going to post this on that thread, but thought that this deserved its own spot and make it easier to search.
tools you need:
1. needle nose pliers
2. 1/8" precision flat head screw driver
3. ?regular? phillips head
4. scissors or olfa knife.
5. a "universal" screwdriver.
If you don't have #'s 2, 3 or 4, this is a must. fits all phillips, flat, robertson(1 & 2), some torx, some allenhead, the tip is sharpened for cutting, the shaft is strong enough for prying without bending, and the insulated handle is think enough to prevent your thumb muscle from cramping up; Its my special power and comes to use at least 5 times a day when NO other tool will do(see below).
Step 1. remove the main hatch panel.
Remove the strap
the green pins come out pretty easy, just pry them with you universal screwdriver(1/8" precision) and they pop out. Keep them separate as they are smaller than the rest but fit in the other holes well.
the purple pins are next. gently pry with your uni-driver(1/8 flat) until there is enough room for the needle nose pliers. Pinch the shaft of the pin and gently work it out(!!!don't pry the pinhead, it will break....see top right purple spot
).
The pins in the red are the easiest. Pull the side of the panel down enough to get you arm in(the bit around the latch snags). use nn pliers to pry each one out and SURPRISE! the panel will bounce off you arm and land in the trunk
. DONE!
Step 2. remove the upper panel.
Use the universal screwdriver(1/8 flat) to CAREFULLY pry out the two grey tabs in the middle. They come out easy but we all know how soft the plastic is(there should be a thread on who scratch what and how). FYI right side tab goes DOWN, left side tab goes UP, this important when putting back together. Then use the universal screwdriver to remove the two phillips screws under the tabs.
Now pay attention here. behind the red circle are two panel clips(not pins) and if you don't know, here is the difference. You don't know that you're about to break a clip that you don't know is there in the first place! I should have known better as these were the only ones used on my old pathfinder, and i broke ALL of those twice.
Pull the left side first, it should come straight out. Now gently bump the right side with your hand until it pops off the clip. Hopefully this works for you. I didn't do this and the clip broke.
This is the last step. use the universal screwdriver to release/ unplug the white wiring harness and you're done. panels removed
. If you've done a rear seat delete, they fit really nice there and you can put all your clips pins and screws there so you don't loose 'em. And hey once you are done putting it back together, why not change up the colour of your trunk strap? it hit me last minute and I'm loving the red one.
Now for wiring:
pictured above is the high mount brake light. Green is + and black as always is -. I don't know what the loopy black/green dotted wire is. It might be for the antenna but I wasn't interested so f-it. whatever you power from here will only work when you push the brakes(wouldn't it be funny to wire in something that quacks like a duck on someone else's car, wife, while she's working?).
(not pictured)The harness for the license plate lights is right by the wiper motor, if you wants something that works while the headlights are on...black is ground.
(also not pictured) Right where you'd think it is, the harness for the rear defrost is there. The wires are heat shrinked, but I'm pretty sure black is ground. this is good if you want something you can turn on with a switch.
Yes, the last 2 will make a 4th brake light stay on (dim with a resistor) until you press the brake. I didn't have any resistors or a pnp transistor so I'm going to redo the wiring in the summer when I replace all the clips and pins I broke while I was doing this
Cheers!