To those that have run wires down your windshield gap

[militaryrednek]

im looking at mounting a few lights on my roof rack. i plan on running a front light bar and 2 small pod lights on the back. i want to control from and back independently, so 2 switches and 2 sets of wires to run down the windshield gap.

my question is.....is there any harm in putting some silicone in the windshield gap to hold the wires better? with 2 sets of wires im thinking thats a bit to much to stuff in that gap and be held there. each set of wires will be electrical taped, then both sets electrical taped together to form one wire group down the windshield. but it will be kinda big....so thats why im looking at a bead of silicone down it to hold it in place.

my main concern is if the silicone would have any adverse effects on my windshield seal. i cant think of any reason, but maybe someone out here has experience with doing this.

im not worried about removing the wires. im going to do a quick disconnect at my cross bars, so if i need to remove the rack i can just zip tie the wires to my bars.

the prebuilt amazon wire kits are almost all 16 gauge wire.....is this enough? or do a custom 14, or even 12 gauge setup? the bar/pods im getting will be chinesium cheap ones, but i do plan on upgrading them at some point in the future.

no, i dont wanna drill holes in my car for this lol.

 

[Lazarus]

What kind of car?

 

[militaryrednek]

What kind of car?

2017 escape

 

[Lazarus]

2017 escape

View attachment 2957465

Maybe these post can give some guidance:
https://www.escape-city.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=21894

I havent put lights up top yet. I just installed 2 12" bars behind my factory bumper, when I get my ARB I'll move them to the roof.

I brought wiring harnesses from Mictuning on Amazon but they also have a site. I would check them out to see if they have thicker gauged harnesses. They also have some light bar kits with the harness.

 

[militaryrednek]

Maybe these post can give some guidance:
https://www.escape-city.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=21894

I havent put lights up top yet. I just installed 2 12" bars behind my factory bumper, when I get my ARB I'll move them to the roof.

I brought wiring harnesses from Mictuning on Amazon but they also have a site. I would check them out to see if they have thicker gauged harnesses. They also have some light bar kits with the harness.

ill prob buy 2 of the 12g wiring from them. its a good price and probably about the same or cheaper than i can piece it together for. i might go for their lights also after some more research on them, decent pricing for cheapos.

my main issue is im worried about what the silicone might do to my windshield sealant. im probably worried about nothing, but just want to see if anyone else has run into this before i do it.



those escape forums/fb groups are dumb as hell lol. i think i might be the most mechanically inclined escape owner in history hahahaha!!

 

[militaryrednek]

starting at 5:00 is how i plan on running the wires down. but i dont trust them just staying there on their own lol.

 

[Lazarus]

starting at 5:00 is how i plan on running the wires down. but i dont trust them just staying there on their own lol.

That might work. I'm just always worried about getting windshield leaks when you start peeling away at stuff. Let me check with the Land Cruiser crew and see how they are doing it.

 

[StuP]

Silicon picks up dirt, I think it'll look pretty ugly, pretty quick. I'd go find something like wiring conduit, or even flexible rubber channel, (like door strip draught excluder), that they'll fit in then use double sided tape to run that parallel to the windshield seal down the pillar.

 

[DADI03]

Just roll your window down and stick it through there like the old police lights.

Silicone should work as far as not interfering with the water tightness of your vehicle. I have used black silicone to reseal windows on my wife's car with no issues. I haven't noticed it holding any more dirt than the rest of the car. Clear silicone will discolor over time. If you ever have to change out your windshield they will damage the wiring getting the windshield out. It will also peel the paint when you go to peal the silicone out.

 

[rockyfatcat]

im looking at mounting a few lights on my roof rack. i plan on running a front light bar and 2 small pod lights on the back. i want to control from and back independently, so 2 switches and 2 sets of wires to run down the windshield gap.

my question is.....is there any harm in putting some silicone in the windshield gap to hold the wires better? with 2 sets of wires im thinking thats a bit to much to stuff in that gap and be held there. each set of wires will be electrical taped, then both sets electrical taped together to form one wire group down the windshield. but it will be kinda big....so thats why im looking at a bead of silicone down it to hold it in place.

my main concern is if the silicone would have any adverse effects on my windshield seal. i cant think of any reason, but maybe someone out here has experience with doing this.

im not worried about removing the wires. im going to do a quick disconnect at my cross bars, so if i need to remove the rack i can just zip tie the wires to my bars.

the prebuilt amazon wire kits are almost all 16 gauge wire.....is this enough? or do a custom 14, or even 12 gauge setup? the bar/pods im getting will be chinesium cheap ones, but i do plan on upgrading them at some point in the future.

no, i dont wanna drill holes in my car for this lol.

Wires behind the pillar cover won’t need a line of silicone.

If you are really worried about chaffing or rattling, one blob at the top and bottom wouldn’t hurt. The aircraft standard is secured every 18 inches