what is the easiest way to remove the front harness?
 

i'm in the process of painting my car, including engine bay, and i want to remove the front harness, at least from one side so i can get it completely out of the way for paint

i noticed they both go through the firewall into the dashboard, and i really don't want to remove the dashboard to unplug it

is there a way to remove at least one side of the plugs with the dashboard still in? if so, which side would be easier?

here's how my car sits right now
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/...52ab41f9_c.jpg

Only way I am aware of is dash removal. I tried this when I painted my bay and gave up after getting all the bolts out and fighting with it for an hour. Probably not very hard with two people but I didnt have any help. I ended up just putting a zip tie around the harness and holding it up in the middle of the engin bay with some rope tied to a nail in the rafters.

i've seen people hang the front harness from a pole or something in some build threads, i guess i'm going to have to do that, thanks

Thread revival...

Do you really need to remove the dash to remove the front harness. Is it possible to remove only the blower and a few other pieces?

I'm asking but I don't know if I really want to know the answer :)

I gave up on mine.

Why? Too much work? The dash must be removed?

I did mine without removng the dash. It was a super PITA. I would recommend removing from the driver side if you want to just get it out of the way.

Good news.

I have to remove it completly.

Do you have any tips? Did you remove the glove box and/or blower unit and/or cluster to disconnect everything or you were able to do it from under the dash?

It might be. I just looked at it and said fuck this.

You have to remove cluster, remove steering column surround. I think I loosened up the blower assembly to get my hand up there. Remove fuse box to access plugs on back side as well. It was a real PITA.

Is there anything on this car that's not a PITA?

Great. I'll try that.

Here is some info that might help someone that want to remove the front harness without removing the dash.

First of all, this thread is really helpful.
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...ctures-892648/

Today I've removed the passenger side of the front harness. Most of the connectors can be disconnected easily. The connector X-07 between the front harness and the dash harness is a pita though. It is above the blower unit. I had to remove the glove box, the cooling unit and to blower under the dash to get access to it. Someone could possibly be able to disconnect it without removing everything but there is a clip around that connector that can be barely seen with the blower installed. You only have to press the tab to release the plug.

Someone knows how to disconnect the following connectors on the driver side kick panel? I've tried to push on the blue and orange tabs and pull as hard as I can and it won't move. I don't want to break something. I think I've disconnected similar connectors on the passenger side but they where much easier. Is there something I'm missing?

im actually in the process of moving the whole front harness and relay and fuses boxes inside the car. lol

i was looking to see was there an easy way to disconnect everything and reroute it. but i didnt find a way to actually do that. at least not without tearing everyting apart

My project was mostly disassembled, but the dash was still intact. It's actually pretty easy to remove. While out, you can take stock of anything that might need attention, and get to any of those hard to reach spots. My car was painted with the under hood harness attached, but balled-up and tied off to the engine cradle. Probably some pics of this in my build thread.

Finally removed it today without pulling out the dash. What a pain. It is really a pita to do. On the driver side I removed trims around the steering column and the cluster, joint box and CPU #2 (to get space). I think it could be done without pulling the cluster when you know where the connectors are.

I attached a few pics for the record to help future fellows that attempt the removal.

Pic #1: There is a blue connector that can't be seen in the pic behind the cluster. There are two blue connectors stacked on each other. Only the bottom one has to be disconnected. It could probably be removed from under the dash without removing the cluster but it won't be easy.

Pic #2: Two connectors to disconnect under the trims around the steering column.

Pic #3: The upper arrow shows a clip where the front harness passes. You only have to pull the harness. The harness is removed in this pic. The lower arrow shows one of the blue connector I talked about in Pic #1. The one to disconnect is already disconnected in this pic. Normally it is just under the visible one.

Conclusion: If it's your first time doing it I suggest removing the dash completly. It would probably be faster and easier. However when you know where all connectors and clips are I think it could be not too bad. I think it could be done without removing the cooling unit, the blower and the cluster.