Wire routing and securing wire inside the wing

[Mooney-Shiner]

Hello, folks.

How do you secure the wire that you are running thru the wing to your cockpit? How do you make sure that this wire will not lay on the inside of the wing and rubs against it? Its seems that there would be a good visual illustration in AC43.13, but no avail. Best I found on the web is this picture, but there is no explanation of the part number for the angle bracket. Also, I'm not sure if I would like to drill holes in my wing bulkheads. I know that I needs to  install the caterpillar grommets on the bulkhead walls, but what to do between bulkheads?

Thank you!

 

[OR75]

there should be already be clamps to route current wire (strobe light for example) 

Can't you use those to add a wire  ?

[Mooney-Shiner]

28 minutes ago, OR75 said:

there should be already be clamps to route current wire (strobe light for example) 

Can't you use those to add a wire  ?

The nav/strobe/pitot heat are ran in the really small bulkhead holes all the way at the leading edge and there isn't much room to run another wire.

[kortopates]

The nav/strobe/pitot heat are ran in the really small bulkhead holes all the way at the leading edge and there isn't much room to run another wire.

But there is still enough room to fit in with the rest of the bundle; with the right aid or tool. Maybe if you solicit your supervising A&P he’ll show you what he uses. There are many commercial solutions but most use our own home made solution.
To just fish a wire through an unbundled run i use nylo flo tubing with one end heated to be stiff. To fish a wire through a bundled group i use a length of piano wire to carefully penetrate it and then pull the wire back through with the piano wire.


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[Mooney-Shiner]

2 minutes ago, kortopates said:

But there is still enough room to fit in with the rest of the bundle; with the right aid or tool. Maybe if you solicit your supervising A&P he’ll show you what he uses. There are many commercial solutions but most use our own home made solution.
To just fish a wire through an unbundled run i use nylo flo tubing with one end heated to be stiff. To fish a wire through a bundled group i use a length of piano wire to carefully penetrate it and then pull the wire back through with the piano wire.


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My new landing assist system is using thick shielded 4 wire, there is no way that it will get into that leading edge bulkhead hole. Plus I have to bring this wire back from the leading edge to just forward of spar to install the LIDAR sensor.

[kortopates]

My new landing assist system is using thick shielded 4 wire, there is no way that it will get into that leading edge bulkhead hole. Plus I have to bring this wire back from the leading edge to just forward of spar to install the LIDAR sensor.

Alternatively you can route it along the existing bundle and ty-wrap your new 4-wire to the existing bundle along the run.


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[Mooney-Shiner]

8 hours ago, kortopates said:

Alternatively you can route it along the existing bundle and ty-wrap your new 4-wire to the existing bundle along the run.


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Thank you. This is the size of the wire in question. iPhone for the scale. I guess, I can wrap it with the heat shrink tubbing with spiral wrap and let it lay on the bottom of the skin of the wing to let the wrapping serve as a sacrificial material. I just would rather have a cleaner install where nothing has to be sacrificed. 

  

[GeeBee]

8 hours ago, kortopates said:

Alternatively you can route it along the existing bundle and ty-wrap your new 4-wire to the existing bundle along the run.


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^^^^^^^This

[Yetti]

Assuming the right wing?    There should be no laying wires on the wing panel.   Follow the temp sensor wire at the leading edge wing root by the door.    The fiberglass ceiling wire snakes are helpful here.    There is an access panel on the lower wing that is about 3 panels out.     I had to run a 9 conductor wire for the Dynon.    Even if you don't use the same rib hole you can still tywrap to that wire bundle to make a neat install.    I would run the loose end back to the cabin.    Pull the lower panel in the cabin to route wires to Comm Bay.

I mounted the Magnetometer to an access panel out board of the fuel tank middle of the wing.   One you can route wires to, the next one outboard could not get wires to.   If I get to the plane I will identify which one.

It takes a little figuring, but it works.

[PT20J]

Since I’m not an A&P, I need to get someone to supervise and sign off work like this, so I just ask them how they would do it. 

[Mooney-Shiner]

On 5/11/2025 at 9:27 AM, Yetti said:

Assuming the right wing?    There should be no laying wires on the wing panel.   Follow the temp sensor wire at the leading edge wing root by the door.    The fiberglass ceiling wire snakes are helpful here.    There is an access panel on the lower wing that is about 3 panels out.     I had to run a 9 conductor wire for the Dynon.    Even if you don't use the same rib hole you can still tywrap to that wire bundle to make a neat install.    I would run the loose end back to the cabin.    Pull the lower panel in the cabin to route wires to Comm Bay.

I mounted the Magnetometer to an access panel out board of the fuel tank middle of the wing.   One you can route wires to, the next one outboard could not get wires to.   If I get to the plane I will identify which one.

It takes a little figuring, but it works.

I was trying to run the wire on the left wing. My main wire bundle is ran thru the leading edge rib holes. The holes are grommeted, but the bundle is laying on the bottom on the skins between the holes. So I'm trying to prevent the damage to wiring from the vibration  

[Slick Nick]

Why not install it in the right wing? Much more room to work with. 

[Mooney-Shiner]

2 minutes ago, Slick Nick said:

Why not install it in the right wing? Much more room to work with. 

I can. Good idea.  BUT I still have to pull the wire another 20" rear of the leading edge wire bundle. So how do I secure it?

[N201MKTurbo]

Mooney uses these little clips that clip onto the lightening holes. Maybe you can find some of those.

[KSMooniac]

43 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Mooney uses these little clips that clip onto the lightening holes. Maybe you can find some of those.

Rich, do you know the part number or standard name for those clips?  I would love to buy more but cannot find them anywhere!  They are super handy.

[M20F]

I recommend using zip ties but when you cut them do it at a 45 degree angle and leave about 1/4” length.  This provides maximum cutting potential. 

[Slick Nick]

What is this wire even for? Some sort of radio altimeter? 

[N201MKTurbo]

14 minutes ago, KSMooniac said:

Rich, do you know the part number or standard name for those clips?  I would love to buy more but cannot find them anywhere!  They are super handy.

I just spent 1/2 hour looking for them in the IPC. I can’t find them.

[Ragsf15e]

7 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I just spent 1/2 hour looking for them in the IPC. I can’t find them.

Only a half hour?

[KSMooniac]

I just spent 1/2 hour looking for them in the IPC. I can’t find them.

I couldn't either. I scavenged those from my salvage plane and covet them! I took one to my local parts house and they didn't know what they were.

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[N201MKTurbo]

Just now, Ragsf15e said:

Only a half hour?

Yeah, I still have my day job. 

[Hank]

30 minutes ago, M20F said:

I recommend using zip ties but when you cut them do it at a 45 degree angle and leave about 1/4” length.  This provides maximum cutting potential. 

I've had good performance cutting them 1/8" long, anywhere from 30-45°. Great effects! You just never know when . . . .

[Paul Thomas]

38 minutes ago, M20F said:

I recommend using zip ties but when you cut them do it at a 45 degree angle and leave about 1/4” length.  This provides maximum cutting potential. 

That's why I prefer to have my wires laced. Not that for a single run it matters all that much, but as a practice, it's lighter, easier to move a wire through grommets, etc.

I try to remove every zip tie I find.

[M20F]

9 minutes ago, Paul Thomas said:

That's why I prefer to have my wires laced. Not that for a single run it matters all that much, but as a practice, it's lighter, easier to move a wire through grommets, etc.

I try to remove every zip tie I find.

Somebody smarter than me will come along but I think technically laced is the only legal way to do it.  
 

I mean you can strangle somebody with lacing but seems to be a big jump up from just cutting their hands up.  I guess if you got a lot of aggression though it’s the way to go.